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Is This Your Child?
IS THIS YOUR CHILD? These are the major symptoms of potentially unrecognized allergies. Does your child suffer from any of the following? • Allergic Nose Rub • Eye Circles • Red Ears • Red Cheeks • Eye Wrinkles • Aggression • Lack of Alertness • Mottled Tongue • In this breakthrough book, Dr. Doris Rapp offers a simple yet effective approach to handling "problem" children. Is This Your Child? shows parents how to identify the common foods, chemicals, or common allergic substances that could be the culprits that cause some children or adults to feel unwell or act inappropriately. If your child is always sick, hyperactive, a slow learner, or cranky, the first question you should ask is not "What drug should be prescribed?" or "What have I done wrong as a parent?" Instead, find out the cause. Dr. Rapp gives sensible suggestions about how these reactions to foods and environmental factors can be recognized, prevented, and treated. With this information, many affected children should feel, act, behave, and learn better. If you can detect unsuspected environmental illness in your child--or yourself--you can change your lives so you're more content, happy, and free of illness.
624 pages, Paperback
First published September 15, 1991
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229 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
February 15, 2012
How can a book you've never read change your life?
My mom read this when I was a child in the '80s. At the age of three, I was having "behavioral problems", getting angry, crying for no apparent reason, just generally being a very unhappy and moody child. The various pediatricians she took me to said I was just "acting up", that she shouldn't give attention to my behavior, and some even suggested medication. I thank the heavens that I had a mom who didn't listen to the "experts"!!! She didn't believe that any human being would willingly CHOOSE to behave badly, to cry frequently, to get nervous, anxious, angry. She had more faith in me than that.
About this time, my sister was born. She had terrible colic as a newborn. My mom took her to a new pediatrician, a wonderful Asian woman named Dr. Karen Lum. I wish I knew where she is now because I would go give her a big hug! This was the time when all the "Milk, It Does a Body Good" campaigns were going strong. My mom consumed all kinds of milk when she was pregnant with us and breastfeeding, because she thought it was the healthy thing to do. Being Asian, Dr. Lum was familiar with lactose intolerance (no other doctors at the time brought this up!) and suggested that my mom stop consuming milk for a few weeks to see if my sister responded favorably. Indeed, her colic cleared up!!! Eyes opened to food allergies, my mom began researching and came across Doris Rapp's book. She read it and was absolutely amazed, shocked, and saddened to come across so many of the symptoms I had exhibited, from not only the emotional issues to the puffy eyes, sleepiness, etc. The food I was eating was making me sick, even though most people thought it was good, healthy food. My mom was at once devastated but also resolute. Perhaps Dr Rapp had the solution I needed.
My mom had me do the elimination diet recommended by Dr. Rapp and, the "trigger foods" out of my diet, I was like a whole new kid! I was happy, active, alert, friendly, sleeping well. This was the REAL me. I am soooo incredibly grateful to my mom, and to Dr. Rapp, for looking beyond what most of the establishment touted at the time and seeing the connection between food and emotional health. My mom is my hero for taking all the trouble to do the elimination diet with me, and then to cook me only the foods that I could tolerate after that.
Of course, things have come a long way since then. I think that more doctors are aware of the connection between food and how we feel. But I still think we have a long way to go. It saddens and frightens me to think that so many children are being put on medication for behavioral problems when perhaps all they need is to stop consuming milk, corn or wheat! Of course, I don't mean to imply that all emotional problems can be fixed through diet alone, but I do think that it is a component that should be considered and that this is a book that EVERY parent should read, or at least know about should your child start to exhibit less than ideal behavior. I am surprised there are not more reviews of this book here, but you can mosey over to Amazon and read the success stories of other parents who have tried this.
I should add that, almost thirty years later, I have never been medically diagnosed with a bona-fied "food allergy", despite some testing that was done. What I have done is learned how food makes me feel, and how to manage my diet so that I do not eat the "trigger foods". As an adult, I can handle some of the foods (like corn) better, but I still have to eat them in moderation. Some trigger foods I no longer eat at all.
Truly, this is a book for not only kids with food allergies and intolerances, but even adults who want to understand more about these things. I was inspired to write this review by a conversation I had with a co-worker today who is experiencing moodiness and headaches and to whom I recommended this book. I plan to read it when I have my own children as a refresher of the symptoms to look out for.
My mom read this when I was a child in the '80s. At the age of three, I was having "behavioral problems", getting angry, crying for no apparent reason, just generally being a very unhappy and moody child. The various pediatricians she took me to said I was just "acting up", that she shouldn't give attention to my behavior, and some even suggested medication. I thank the heavens that I had a mom who didn't listen to the "experts"!!! She didn't believe that any human being would willingly CHOOSE to behave badly, to cry frequently, to get nervous, anxious, angry. She had more faith in me than that.
About this time, my sister was born. She had terrible colic as a newborn. My mom took her to a new pediatrician, a wonderful Asian woman named Dr. Karen Lum. I wish I knew where she is now because I would go give her a big hug! This was the time when all the "Milk, It Does a Body Good" campaigns were going strong. My mom consumed all kinds of milk when she was pregnant with us and breastfeeding, because she thought it was the healthy thing to do. Being Asian, Dr. Lum was familiar with lactose intolerance (no other doctors at the time brought this up!) and suggested that my mom stop consuming milk for a few weeks to see if my sister responded favorably. Indeed, her colic cleared up!!! Eyes opened to food allergies, my mom began researching and came across Doris Rapp's book. She read it and was absolutely amazed, shocked, and saddened to come across so many of the symptoms I had exhibited, from not only the emotional issues to the puffy eyes, sleepiness, etc. The food I was eating was making me sick, even though most people thought it was good, healthy food. My mom was at once devastated but also resolute. Perhaps Dr Rapp had the solution I needed.
My mom had me do the elimination diet recommended by Dr. Rapp and, the "trigger foods" out of my diet, I was like a whole new kid! I was happy, active, alert, friendly, sleeping well. This was the REAL me. I am soooo incredibly grateful to my mom, and to Dr. Rapp, for looking beyond what most of the establishment touted at the time and seeing the connection between food and emotional health. My mom is my hero for taking all the trouble to do the elimination diet with me, and then to cook me only the foods that I could tolerate after that.
Of course, things have come a long way since then. I think that more doctors are aware of the connection between food and how we feel. But I still think we have a long way to go. It saddens and frightens me to think that so many children are being put on medication for behavioral problems when perhaps all they need is to stop consuming milk, corn or wheat! Of course, I don't mean to imply that all emotional problems can be fixed through diet alone, but I do think that it is a component that should be considered and that this is a book that EVERY parent should read, or at least know about should your child start to exhibit less than ideal behavior. I am surprised there are not more reviews of this book here, but you can mosey over to Amazon and read the success stories of other parents who have tried this.
I should add that, almost thirty years later, I have never been medically diagnosed with a bona-fied "food allergy", despite some testing that was done. What I have done is learned how food makes me feel, and how to manage my diet so that I do not eat the "trigger foods". As an adult, I can handle some of the foods (like corn) better, but I still have to eat them in moderation. Some trigger foods I no longer eat at all.
Truly, this is a book for not only kids with food allergies and intolerances, but even adults who want to understand more about these things. I was inspired to write this review by a conversation I had with a co-worker today who is experiencing moodiness and headaches and to whom I recommended this book. I plan to read it when I have my own children as a refresher of the symptoms to look out for.
July 4, 2017
This book (and advice) can be overwhelming at first but it's excellent at helping you understand how food and chemical sensitivities can influence your child's health and behavior. There is so much information and it really gives you a clear idea on how to try to track down the roots of problems like hyperactivity, bedwetting, migraines, rashes, moodiness, ear infections, etc. The elimination diet helps you pinpoint triggers you might never have realized caused issues otherwise. I added soy to the eliminated products when we did it, since soy has become a much more common allergen and ingredient since the book was written.
If you have a child suffering from physical or behavior issues and you don't want to just blindly medicate, this is a book to read. It is somewhat outdated, but it's simply the best book out there on this subject. The author's "Is This Your Child's World" is also excellent and covers me of this and some more-- particularly more environmental triggers like chemicals in carpets, pesticides, etc. that can be causing problems.
If you have a child suffering from physical or behavior issues and you don't want to just blindly medicate, this is a book to read. It is somewhat outdated, but it's simply the best book out there on this subject. The author's "Is This Your Child's World" is also excellent and covers me of this and some more-- particularly more environmental triggers like chemicals in carpets, pesticides, etc. that can be causing problems.
May 19, 2025
Really insightful for my hyperactive child. Saw great results following this book.
January 5, 2009
I read this book for my older son, but after reading it realized my younger son had a behavioral allergy to milk. Unfortunately I am not willing to completely cut him off of dairy but I have noticed when he doesn't have it as much he has a ton less aggression. When he has two or three bowls of cereal with cows milk in the morning he'll react first by aggression - hitting, throwing, punching, crying, screaming. Without the milk he is much more rational and does not resort to aggression. This was an eye-opener for me and it still weirds me out that allergies could cause behavioral problems, but hey when we don't feel well we're cranky right? Kids act out when they're cranky, so i guess in that way it makes sense. Either way, I wouldn't recommend taking ANYthing out of their diet without replacing the four basic nutrients - protein, carbohydrates, fat, and calories - that it provides. Kids need these things to grow.
January 26, 2009
I quit. This book is silly. I borrowed it because it was recommended by some wheat free cookbook I read. I have made myself read a chapter a night and while some of the symptoms of allergies are interesting the book is a sales pitch for her method of treatment. So, yes, this is my child. Now can we just move on with our lives?
February 15, 2012
I'm still reading this book and it's so fascinating! I read about this book in What Your Explosive Child is Trying to Tell You by Douglas A. Riley Ed.D and had to check it out. We are trying an elimination diet right now because we have come to realize that everyone in our family has symptoms of food allergies.
August 1, 2013
This book went a long way towards helping me understand the connection between food allergies and behavior. It let me to the Feingold Association, which became a way of life for us, and kept my kids off of ADHD medications, despite a pediatrician telling us (when our child was 3) that he would never learn without meds. Very informative book.
November 20, 2007
A wonderful book on how food and other allergies affect the child physically and behaviorally, yet straightforward with reminding us that these may not be the only possible cause and and various methods on how to find out if it is.
March 24, 2008
I learned a lot from this book. It is all about our children and their diets or food they eat and how it can affect a lot of children. It was a food allergy book and when we tried it with our son, we saw major changes within three days!!!
May 8, 2010
Seminal book on finding hidden food and environmental allergies. Written about kids mainly but applies to any age. Also outlines testing and treatment method called provocation/neutralization that we have used as vital treatment for our kids. Dr. Rapp is MD and is a brave, smart woman.
July 8, 2010
Great book! I learned so many things that I think can help my child. It really gave me a lot to think about and research.
August 27, 2016
if you think your kid might have allergies - excellent resource!!
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews