Naturopathy Online

What’s New! – A Healthy Living Newsletter

October, 2001

This month will be a departure from our normal format of three book reviews (I'll have one). At the request of several of my patients, I have studied the weapons of biological warfare and am presenting that information to anyone interested.

The Optimistic Child
A revolutionary Program That Safeguards Children Against Depression & Builds Lifelong Resilience
By Martin Seligman

When I picked up The Optimistic Child at the library, the jacket was so smudged with fingerprints, I had trouble reading the complete title. Hoping this meant that it was a terrific book, I pulled out the Windex, cleaned it and started to read. I was not disappointed.

The Optimistic Child is a how-to book for parents. According to author Martin Seligman, depression among children has steadily increased since World War II. Seligman quotes various surveys that estimate between 8-10% of our youth (8-18) are, or will be depressed. He also cites potential causes based on his 30 years of research for this. 1) Genetics. 2) Parental Pessimism. 3) Pessimistic criticism from parents, teachers or coaches. 4) Mastery and helplessness experiences (i.e. the child losing confidence due to a serious of negative life events.) 5) Parental turmoil. His main argument is that pessimism leads to depression. Therefore, we need to help our children avoid (or unlearn) pessimism and avoid depression. But first, we need to recognize if our children are pessimists or are depressed.

What does pessimism sound like in children? "It's not going to work; it never works right" "I always mess up." "Teachers (parents) are always unfair." What does depression look like in children? Boredom, lack of interest in people, hobbies, and places that they enjoyed before, increased or decreased sleeping and/or eating, and a decreased attention span are some common symptoms.

Once he helps you identify the problem, Seligman masterfully demonstrates with anecdotes and excellent guidance, just how to re-pattern the pessimistic thought process - first, if you are a pessimist, in yourself, and second, in your child. The examples are realistic and the exercises are appropriate for children up to 12 or 13.

The Optimistic Child offers a viable solution to a serious and pervasive problem. Most depressed children weren't born depressed. Somehow, they were negatively affected in their environmental resulting in depression. If you see this pattern emerging in your child, grandchild, niece or nephew, or any child, take the time to read this book and make a difference. It's not about false praise; it's about building confidence and changing a life.

Mercury Health Alert: Look over your household items and OTC health products for mercury disguised as thimerosal.

Without stating any potential harm to the public, the authors of a recent report released by the Institute of Medicine, recommended removing thimerosal from products which reach children and pregnant women.

Thimerosal, a preservative and antibacterial, is also sold under the trademark Merthiolate and contains 49.6% mercury. It is present in many common products such as nasal sprays, cleaning fluid of contact lens, hair coloring with red pigmentation, cosmetics, including makeup removers, eye moisturizers and mascaras, soap-free cleansers, in nose, eye and ear drops, topical medications and antiseptic sprays. as well as adult flu vaccines. Mercury is registered as a toxin that adversely affects the nervous system. (Nervous system diseases are conditions like autism, Bell's palsy, and Parkinson's disease.) So, open up your medicine cabinet and check your bottles. And the next time you get a flu shot, ask if they have a thimerosal-free bottle.

A Medical Guide to Bioterrorism
How You Can Protect Yourself Using Conventional Medicine And Medicine from Nature
By Dr. Suzanne Lawton

Since the September 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center Towers in NYC and the Pentagon, people have become increasingly concerned about the threat of biological warfare and how they can best prepare for it.

I wrote the Guide to Surviving Biological Weapons to help people understand how these diseases work and what treatments are available in the event of an attack.

The Guide reports on the dirty dozen - the 12 diseases experts believe are most likely to be spread through biological warfare. For each disease, you'll learn which symptoms to look for and whether preventive measures are available. I report on the current conventional treatments as well as treatments using herbal and homeopathic medications.

The infectious agents covered in the guide are: Anthrax, Botulism, Cholera, Clostridium perfringens toxins, Congo-crimean hemorrhagic fever, Ebola hemorrhagic fever, Plague, Q fever, Ricin, Rift valley fever, Saxitoxin and Smallpox.

In the book, I explain how to use botanical medicine and how to use homeopathic medicine. I describe specific homeopathic remedies and herbal preparations. This guide even gives the exact formulations (with measurements) for the herbal medications, information no botanical company will share on label.

I also cover general questions such as:

- Should I buy a gas mask?
- If I think I'm infected, how do I get tested?
- How can I prevent other family members from contracting a contagious disease?
- What preventive/protective measures can I take when taking care of an infected person?
- What if I shower or bathe in contaminated water?
- How do we strengthen our immune systems?
- Should I stockpile antibiotics?
- Are water filters useful?

Why do we need this information?

In the event of widespread infection, it has been reported that there may be insufficent medications or medical personnel to treat our population. Natural medicine can provide an important adjunct to conventional treatments. In the event that conventional treatments are unavailable, it may be the only available treatment.

In electronic form (Adobe Acrobat file) the Medical Guide is 55 letter-size pages long and can be printed out. Pay $6.95 and save $3 over the cost of the printed version.

Printed versions are in a booklet format (5.5 X 8 inches). Printed copies won't be published until October 10. $9.95 plus $2 shipping within the US.

There are two ways to order.
1) Send check or money order payable to Suzanne C. Lawton LLC at: