We are pleased to announce the release of our brand new book: The Smart Health Plan: 5 Steps for Lasting Health and Happiness for All Ages.

My patients and friends tell me all the time: “Dr. Bill, I’m sick and tired of feeling sick and tired all the time. I just want to feel good!” The more I heard this, the more I wanted to put together a clear plan, combining all I’ve learned over decades of research and education, to help readers be the healthiest they can be — both physically and mentally. So I got to work putting together this book full of easy-to-read and practical tips along with whimsical illustrations to help you feel good physically, emotionally, and mentally.

Just released December 15th, 2025, it is now available now from Amazon in both paperback and Kindle versions.

I can’t wait for you to read this book! If you have any feedback or improvement suggestions to share, please visit: AskDrSears.com/SmartHealthReviews

Sincerely,
Dr. Bill Sears

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If you are looking to pick up your copy of The Smart Health Plan book, please visit: AskDrSears.com/SmartHealthPlan

This page will soon highlight some of the things our readers have to say about our new book called The Smart Health Plan: 5 Steps for Lasting Health and Happiness for All Ages.

Send Us Your Feedback!

We envisioned this book to be somewhat of a perpetual work in progress, often revising and adding updates to reflect new research or helpful feedback from readers like you. If you have any reviews you’d like to share or ideas for any improvements, please email your feedback directly to support@askdrsears.com, or feel free to use the Contact form below to send us your message instead (please include “Smart Health Plan” in your subject line).

Thank you for all your help!

Sincerely,

Dr. Bill Sears

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A Note from Dr. Bill: How Hearts Embraced Began

A few years ago, I wanted to give my dear wife, Martha, a gift that symbolized how our love for one another has grown together, a gift that portrayed how our hearts embrace one another and how our spiritual focus on God is the centerpiece of our relationship.

For Martha and me, our journey through life together hasn’t always been easy, but the trials of life have drawn our hearts together, bound by our faith. We were married young and started our family soon afterward. During our younger years, the struggles of “living on love” while juggling demanding medical careers almost drove our marriage apart. Thankfully, our faith brought us through the storms of life, including years of depression and cancer. Today, after raising eight wonderful children and authoring over 45 books, our love for each other is stronger than ever. Our hearts have truly embraced.

When looking for the perfect gift for Martha, I searched many jewelry stores for the perfect piece, but was unable to find a piece that would become a fitting a symbol of our love, forever together, focused on and strengthened by our faith. So I decided Martha deserved a unique necklace that I designed myself. I called it Hearts Embraced.  I consulted jewelers and expert gemologists (and my close friends) Michael and Lucille Feldman to create a design for my embracing hearts design idea. The results were truly amazing! I presented the pendant necklace to Martha. Needless to say, she was delighted.

The embracing hearts design has since become quite an eye-catcher. People would stop Martha and ask, “Wow! That’s beautiful, so special, where did you get it?”

As a result, we were inspired to offer the Hearts Embraced pendant for sale as a limited supply run, again partnering with our friends Michael and Lucille. So, for those desiring to express the unbreakable love you have for another (whether wife, child, or significant other) and recognizing that it is your faith which binds your relationship with that person, Martha and I are pleased to make the Hearts Embraced pendant available for purchase.

The pendant is made of tarnish-resistant radiant silver, with a .03 carat brilliant natural diamond, and includes an 18″ high quality sterling silver chain with a lobster claw clasp.

Resonating from the pendant’s message of love and faith is also our desire to give back. Obviously the materials for the design need to be paid for, but we are committed to donating our profits earned from the sale of the Hearts Embraced pendant to various children’s charities, including St. Jude’s, Children’s Miracle Network, Attachment Parenting International, and others.

Thank you for taking time to read the story behind this beautiful pendant. Martha and I hope that the purchase of this necklace will become a family heirloom for your family as it has in ours. We hope you enjoy your purchase as a constant reminder of the love and faith in your own lives.

God bless,

Dr. Bill Sears

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Note: As of right now, shipping is only available within the United States. If you would like to arrange international shipping, please email at support@askdrsears.com to coordinate.
 
 

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Friends, I’m so pleased to announce my partnership with the GLU Network to share our video resources for family health. GLU is a new FREE app you can download to your smart TV and phone/tablet to stream family-friendly and faith-focused content.

We will be sharing several video series on a wide variety of topics, including parenting, healthy aging, exercise, general health/nutrition, as well as answering the most common questions I’ve been asked throughout my 50+ years in pediatric practice.  This GLU channel is a great way to access most of our previously-existing resources, such as the videos from our T5 Wellness Plan as well as the Dr. Sears Family Podcast, but we will also be sharing new videos here as well. I’m especially excited about our new series called “RISE with Dr. Bill” that I’m creating along with my friends Sean Foy and Dee Eastman from RISE Together Today, where we discuss a wide range of healthy-living topics.

Download the GLU app from your smart TV or mobile app store and check out the ever-growing content library.

Visit GetGluNow.com for more info.

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Did you know that the prevalence of brain disease has recently surpassed that of heart disease for the first time in history? Join this free Zoom webinar by Dr. Bill Sears and Kristen Schultz to learn how to protect your brain health. Dr. Sears will share his passion, wisdom, and practical tips to protect and improve your brain!

When: Wednesday, March 6th, 2024 at 5 pm PST / 8 pm EST.

Where: Zoom ID: 7703132624, or just click this link at the time of the event: www.zoom.us/j/7703132624

If you missed the live webinar, you can watch the playback here: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=paWttQH6WrI

The post Free Brain Health Webinar with Dr. Bill appeared first on Ask Dr Sears.

Ending the breastfeeding relationship was an emotional rollercoaster I was not prepared for. I felt “prepared” for pregnancy, birth, and breastfeeding, but when I began thinking of closing this special chapter, I felt overwhelmed. Most of the advice I found seemed to focus on the younger child around 1, maybe 2 years old. As my son was rounding the corner of age 3 and going through his own emotional development, I knew it was important to face weaning in a way that would be emotionally healthy for both of us.

The World Health Organization and American Academy of Pediatrics recommends breastfeeding until age 2 or longer, as long as it is mutually desired. I feel like that is a pretty loaded statement. Some babies “self-wean” long before mom feels ready, and others will go until mom leads the weaning. There is no right or wrong here; do what is emotionally and physically best for the whole family. But… how, exactly?

Well, I wanted to share some of the tips that I learned as I recently navigated through weaning with my son. My hope is that sharing my thoughts and experiences may help you find some inner peace and confidence as you begin to think through your own plan for weaning your child.

Let go of the “shoulds”.

You’ll hear plenty “you should do this” or “you should do that,” but only you and your child will know what’s best for you. I had a goal in mind of 3 years, which wound up working well as a starting point for us as we did cut back at that time. We were in the sweet spot of enjoying a couple feeds a day (mainly at nap/bedtime), and I was able to still use this “superpower” for sleepytimes, which worked great for another year! Goals are great, but don’t stress out over fear of not meeting those goals. Rather, staying in the moments and taking it one day at a time can be freeing.

Let go of the idea that there will be this perfectly clear time.

At least, a clear time was certainly not my experience. It is a big transition that comes with big feelings for mama and baby, so don’t rush it if you aren’t ready. I like to call it a soft plan instead of a hard cutoff date. Maybe allow space for a range of dates such as, “Sometime after he turns 3…” or “When we get back from our summer trip…” or some other age or event. We talked A LOT about it and processed our feelings, and then one week when I was feeling a bit more rested mentally, emotionally, and physically, we just dove in.

Journal and talk about it to take the power out of any fear and to help find clarity.

Honor the feelings by getting them out of your mind and into an outlet that feels safe to you, whether that’s a journal, talking to a trusted friend, or even a therapist. The best thing you can do for your child is to be courageous and regulated so they can draw on that and mesh into that regulation. Talking about all of these feelings or journaling may seem uncomfortable at first to some, but I want to encourage you to be willing to take it a day at a time and ride the wave of temporary discomfort. The clarity will come.

Lean into the growth opportunity for both of you.

I will never forget the feeling of pride that came over me after the first few nights of night weaning when he actually accepted the water and cuddles instead of “nursies” to get him back to sleep after a night wake. It was like our relationship had this new level of trust, like we bonded even deeper after overcoming a challenge. It was a beautiful feeling. That happened after each time we dropped a feed and came out the other side with a new tool in our connection tool belt.

Have compassion for yourself and make it fun.

Schedule extra treats for both you and your little sidekick. Provide a soft place for both of you to land during this transition. Trips to the beach with pizza and ice cream was our go-to, and a pedicure for mama. Staying busy and shaking up the usual routine at home can also help adjust to the dropped feeds by providing a welcome distraction.

Drop one feed at a time.

We chose to start with overnight feeds at about 20 months. I had a baby with LOTS of nighttime needs, so mama was due to catch up on some sleep! Choose a feed to start with that feels the safest for you and your little one.
A little caveat to night weaning… We ended up reverting to overnight feeds/comfort nursing for a few more months as things like teaching and colds came up. I wasn’t quite ready to retire my superpower to sooth him and get us ALL back to sleep in the quickest manner.

Practical steps that helped with nighttime weaning.

Read books. Nursies When The Sun Shines by Katherine Havener was our favorite to set up night weaning and talk A LOT about how “nursies need to sleep when it’s dark.” I also had water available to offer at wake ups. Toddlers thrive with the sense of control, so little things like letting him go to the store and pick out a new fun cup was super helpful.

If your kiddo is attached to a stuffed animal or toy, that can be another tool. If they don’t, then practice habit stacking in the weeks leading up. Basically, have the stuffed animal involved in the nursing experience. Have them hold/play/snuggle with them. And of course, comfort with short and sweet reassuring words and snuggles.

Letting go of that final feed.

Now this was an emotional step! Johnny was approaching his 4th birthday and I knew that it was time. I wanted to ride the wave of his birthday milestone to help him understand the transition better. Basically, I explained that “Mommy’s body isn’t going to make milk anymore. God made mommy’s breastmilk to help you grow. Look, you are so big and strong now!” The book My Milk Will Go, Our Love Will Grow was just precious (cue the tears!).

I really leaned into the change in my body being the driver, instead of taking away something from him. He really took to that logic. Of course, there were tears and sadness on both our parts, but I feel because we weaned so slowly there was a feeling of trust that we were going to be ok. As a mom it’s a wonderful feeling to watch your child process sadness in a healthy way and gain coping skills. We are about 3 weeks in now, and some nights he still asks at bedtime, but we can quickly pivot.

Invest in a special keepsake.

A keepsake is a beautiful way to honor and remember your journey. I chose to get a ring made from my milk and I just LOVE it. The flood of memories and emotions come back every time I look at it. Other ideas are to make soap or lotion. There are many DIY ideas online.

As a final note, I want to share one way we made space for this transition by setting up age-appropriate avenues for him to express and process his feelings. I asked him to choose two stuffed animals (even though he hadn’t really used them as a soothing tool before), and I said “Hey buddy, did you know giraffe and elephant also just turned 4 and they are feeling sad because their mommy’s bodies also stopped making milk? What do you think will help them feel better?” He took them and gave them big hugs. It was so sweet. I feel like that helped normalize his feelings and provide comfort.

Find ways to meet your child where they are and gently guide them towards processing their feelings. After all, isn’t that a cornerstone of successful parenting?

You got this, mama!!

Blessings,

Erin Sears Basile

Certified Breastfeeding Specialist

See more in our Breastfeeding section, more on weaning here, and also check out The Breastfeeding Book.

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Now, before we get started, a quick note: It can be easy for a child to develop an unhealthy attitude towards height.  For example, it’s not uncommon for children to be bullied because of their height, or they may start measuring their self-worth by how tall they are.  After all, what are often the first words a child hears when visiting family? “Wow! Look how big you’ve grown!”  We need to be careful not to turn our child’s height into a harmful obsession.  Instead, our goal here should be to redirect attention more towards healthy eating and exercise, among other things, and by doing that we can help our children reach their optimal growth potential. We know that inadequate nutrition is a primary cause of stunted growth.  So, throughout this article, when I use the phrase “help your child grow taller,” know that I mean doing what you can to make sure your child is growing and developing as healthily as possible.

Over my fifty years in pediatric practice, kids’ growth concerns are one of the top questions I get. Here are the four main factors I see that influence kids’ development and growth (think L.E.A.N.):

L:  Lifestyle – How they live influences how they grow.

E:  Exercise – Movement builds muscle and bone.

A: Attitude – Excessive worrying can harm development growth.

N: Nutrition – Kids need more “grow foods.”

If you believe your child is not growing optimally, imagine you are visiting the Sears Family Pediatrics office and consulting me: “Dr. Bill, how can I help my kids thrive?”  Or, as your kids might hear it, “How can I help my kids grow taller?”

Here’s my five-step action plan to help your child THRIVE.

The 5-Step Action Plan to Help Kids Grow Taller

To reach their optimal growth potential, follow the following 5 steps:

1. Plot your child’s growth on a height chart.
2. Feed your child “grow foods”.
3. Begin the day with a brainy breakfast.
4. Raise a grow-food grazer.
5. Move more, sit less.

Plot Your Child’s Growth on a Chart

Your child’s place on the growth chart is your starting place for helping your child grow taller.  If after giving your child the five steps toward optimal growth you see a jump on the calculator chart, then perhaps your child was not growing optimally but now is, and you have an action plan to continue.

Kids naturally and healthfully come in all sizes and shapes, called “body types.”  Some body types tend to be calorie-burners, others are calorie-storers.  A way to learn leanness is to compare body types to fruit:

• Bananas are kids who are naturally slender and often tall with little excess body fat. They tend to be calorie-burners.
• Apples are kids of average height and weight and usually more muscular than bananas, yet they tend to be fat-storers, having a tendency to store excess body fat around their middles.
• Pears tend to be short and wider in the hips and thighs. Pears, like apples, tend to store calories more easily than they burn them.
• Yams are naturally big from head to toe.

If your child tends to be an apple, pear, or yam body type, take this as a sign that their diet needs to be focused on mostly healthy grow foods.

Feed Your Child Grow Foods

The second step in our action plan of helping kids grow taller is to feed them “grow foods”.

So what “diet” should your child be on?

Answer: The grow food diet.  (“Diet” simply means the way we eat.  We’re all on a “diet.”)

<h3>The Fabulous Four Features of Grow Foods for Growing Kids</h3>

So what do I mean when I say “grow foods?”

1. Grow foods are nutrient dense. They pack the most nutrients per calorie and volume.  Grow foods are rich in the three macronutrients: protein, healthy fats, and healthy carbs.  They are also rich in micronutrients like calcium, vitamins, and minerals that help partner with the macronutrients to help your child grow taller, stronger, and leaner.
2. Grow foods must be fill-up foods. After eating, you want your child to feel satisfied – not overly full and sluggish nor still hungry.  Grow foods high in protein and healthy fats tend to be more filling than carb-rich foods.
3. Grow foods should balance blood sugar levels. “Avoid sugar spikes” is my three-word mantra of the year. In recent years the incidence of type II diabetes (the most preventable type) has tripled in children under fourteen years of age.  Three reasons: they sit too much, move too little, and eat too many junk foods that cause their blood sugar to spike.
4. Grow foods give good gut feelings. If a child’s gut has a sense of “I feel good” after eating a certain food, they are more likely to crave it.

Which food is best to help kids grow taller?

Aim for feeding your child at least a serving of wild salmon three times a week.  There is no other food on the planet that contains the most grow foods in the smallest number of calories and volume than a chunk of wild salmon.

Per 6-oz serving of Wild Alaskan Salmon:

• Omega-3 Fats: DHA/EPA, 2000 mg
• Protein: 40 grams
• Vitamin D: 2000 IU
• Vitamin B12: 9 mcg
• Vitamin B6: 2 mg
• Selenium: 75 mcg
• Astaxanthin: 8 mg
• Choline: 190 mg
• Niacin: 16 mg
• Iodine: 100 mcg
• Carbs: 0
• Calories: 280

For more seafood information, see here.

While most children tend to like the term “grow food” because they picture the food makes them stronger, smarter, and healthier, also try a motivating pitch that best fits your child’s favorite sport or activity: such as “football foods,” “soccer foods,” “ballet foods,” “pretty-hair foods,” and so on. When eating at a restaurant or at a party, simply say, “Grow foods first.”

A smart mom in my practice told me this: “My child is into sports, so I attach an action-related note, such as: ‘Eat your soccer balls’ on the little bag of cherry tomatoes.” 

Begin the Day with a Brainy Breakfast

The third step of our action plan to help kids grow taller is to begin their day with a good breakfast.

If your family is like our family during morning rush-hour, sleepy kids and hurried parents seldom have time for long sit-down breakfasts.  That’s the problem!

Solution: Feed your children a grow shake. 

Smoothie recipe options.

The main ingredients of a grow-food meal for growing kids are:

• Protein: perks up the brain and is an important building block of growing body tissues, like the structural steel of buildings.
• Omega-3 fats: help build smart brain cells and help the child feel fuller longer.
• Fiber-filled carbs: provide a steady supply of fuel, but don’t “sugar spike.”
• Rich in grow minerals, such as calcium, iron, zinc, vitamins A, C, and D, and others.

Protein Tips Every Parent Must Know

Here are the most common protein questions I get in my medical practice:

How much daily protein should my child eat?

Answer:  One gram of protein per pound per day.  For instance, a three year old who weighs around thirty pounds would need around thirty grams of protein a day.  And, during growth spurts, add an extra five to fifteen grams per day.  Since most children have erratic eating schedules, instead of a balanced meal shoot for a balanced week, so that over a week’s time your child would average around a gram of protein per pound per day.

What is the best protein to help kids grow taller?

Answer: Our top protein pick as a grow food is whey protein, for these reasons:

• Whey protein is the prominent protein in mother’s milk. (Dr. Mother Nature is our most trusted “nutritionist.”)
• Whey protein is a good protein for muscle growth as it is rapidly absorbed by muscles.
• Whey protein has the highest biological value, meaning how well the body utilizes the protein for growth.

At what ages is a right-protein diet most important for children?

Answer: When children are growing the most is when they need the most protein, which would be infancy and toddlerhood, periodic growth spurts during middle childhood, and during preteen and teen growth spurts.

On a side note, don’t be fooled by the misconception that you need less protein the older you get.  In fact, for many individuals, including myself, it’s just the opposite.  While infants and children need more protein for tissue growth, maintenance and repair, seniors go through a type of “second childhood” and often suffer from weak muscles and wrinkly skin from a protein insufficiency.  So, my daily protein goal: eat like a child, a gram a day, to help maintain my muscle and other tissue maintenance.

Dr. Bill, why do you teach so much about protein as an important grow food?

Answer:  There are five reasons:

1. Protein perks up the brain by forming the building blocks of neurotransmitters, the biochemical language of the brain that carries messages from the brain throughout the body.
2. Protein is a feel-good food. You’re more likely to have good gut feelings after a right-protein meal.  Besides having a good gut feel, protein-rich foods have a good mouth feel.
3. Protein is a fill-up food. I call it a “more-for-less food” – more nutritious, but less fattening.  It’s harder to overeat on protein and fiber-rich foods because they fill you up faster than fiber-less carbs.  Try this experiment:  Next time you’re hungry, eat an egg.  The following day, around the same time, eat a piece of white bread.  You will notice that the protein-rich egg helps you feel fuller longer.
4. Protein is good for weight and waist-management. Since the body uses more calories to digest protein than it uses to digest fat and carbs, protein speeds up your body’s metabolism, helping to keep you lean.
5. Protein helps steady blood sugar. Because protein is digested slowly, your body doesn’t experience blood sugar highs and lows and blood sugar spikes like it would with a fiber-less carb meal.

Dr. Bill, I’m suffering from “supplement confusion.”  What should I look for in choosing the best nutritional supplement for my family?

Answer: In choosing a smart nutritional supplement, say a protein powder, go through these steps:

• Show me the If I need it, but I don’t eat it, then I must take it.  If your child does not eat a gram per pound a day, he probably needs a protein powder supplement.
• Show me the Any nutritional supplement that has been scientifically studied will be proud to show on their website a section on “clinical studies.”  For example, google “growth, protein supplements” and see which ones show a section on their website about their clinical studies.
• Show me it makes Protein is a top building block for child growth, and if your family does not regularly eat enough, then a protein powder supplement makes sense.
• Show me the Where does it come from?  Again, whey protein wins.

Raise a Grow-Food Grazer

The fourth step to help kids grow taller is to raise them to be a grow-food grazer.

Big meals can cause big biochemical digestion problems in the gut.  Many children are more “wolfers” than grazers.  During my decades of experience in medical practice of transforming gorgers into grazers, I have noticed that grazers tend to grow better, be leaner, are more satisfied and less hungry, less moody, enjoy more good gut feelings, and are generally healthier.

Dr. Poo is Required Reading for You

For a fun and informative read on why grazing is good for your whole family, especially children, and how to raise a grazer and become a grazer at any age, enjoy our booklet Dr. Poo: The Scoop on Comfortable Poop (see AskDrSears.com/DrPoo).

Dr. Bill’s Rule of 2’s for Healthy Grow-Food Grazing

• Eat twice as often.
• Eat half as much.
• Chew twice as long.
• Take twice the time to dine.

Teach your children the “chew-chew times two,” which allows the food to remain in their mouth longer and gives time for the oral digestive enzymes to click in and prepare the rest of the intestinal tract for more comfortable digestion.

Move More, Sit Less, Grow Better

Your final step in the action plan to help kids grow taller is to have them move more and sit less.

Not only are many children not enjoying optimal growth because of NDD (nutrition deficit disorder), many children are not enjoying their best growth because of MDD – movement deficit disorder.  Like many adults, children are also suffering from “the sitting disease.”  Witness the constant movement of a wiggly-squiggly toddler; the body of a growing child is meant to move. Why? Because movement gets your blood flowing, a crucial part of cardiovascular health. We’ll discuss this more in-depth later on.

We doctors have learned many lessons – for health and for life – from the recent pandemic, especially lessons for children’s health.  Specifically we learned:

• Lock down doesn’t mean sit down.
• Sit and stew is bad for you!

During the past few years one of the most common “prescriptions” I have been writing is:

Growing a healthy child is like growing a garden.  Your child’s body/brain is the greatest garden ever grown.  What are the three things you need to do to grow a healthy garden?  You need to feed and fertilize the plants (grow foods), water the plants (movement), and prune the plants and keep out the weeds (keep fit, “don’t worry, be happy,” and avoid toxic thoughts).

When you don’t feed, fertilize, and prune a garden, the plants “wither.”  Sorry to say, many kids nowadays are “withering”:

• Type 2 diabetes has tripled in recent years, especially in children.
• Depression and anxiety are now at the highest levels, and at younger ages.
• Obesity is skyrocketing.
• Dementia is occurring at a younger age.
• The medical term “adult-onset disease” is no longer used because these diseases are now occurring at younger ages.

“Dr. Bill, how do I explain to my kids your two mantras: ‘Go outside and play,’ and ‘Sit and stew’ is bad for you?”

Kids love stories, so let’s begin:

“Your body and brain are like beautiful gardens. Let’s talk about how you can help these gardens grow. Remember, every organ in your body is only as healthy as the blood flow to it.”

Meanwhile, the kids are thinking “That makes sense!” I continue: “You just learned how to eat more ‘grow food nutrients.’ And, here is a very important message: Your blood vessels – the nutrient-delivery highways throughout your body-brain – deliver these nutrients to all of your organs. So, eating more grow foods and making healthier blood vessel-delivery systems are partners in helping you grow!”

During my garden-growth talks, a favorite take-home tip that kids like is the character VEG (kid-speak for vascular endothelial growth factor), a natural biochemical that helps vessels grow stronger.

Kids love my “sticky stuff” analogy for junk food. I recently gave this talk to a first-grade class and a mother told me this story: “My six-year-old daughter loved your ‘sticky stuff’ talk! The next day my husband piled our kids into the van and took them for fast food. As they pulled into the drive-thru, our six-year-old scolded her father: ‘Daddy, we can’t put sticky stuff in our mouth because we’ll get sticky stuff in our blood vessels, and our bodies won’t grow nice and our brains won’t grow smart!’”

Movement Makes Your Own Medicines

Ready for my favorite benefit of movement?  Brisk movement causes blood to flow faster over the surface of the endothelium (the lining of your blood vessels).  The endothelium is your body’s largest endocrine organ.  If you open all your blood vessels and spread them out flat, your endothelium would cover the surface area of several tennis courts.  Each cell of the endothelium is its own endocrine organ, filled with “microscopic medicine bottles” that release health-promoting substances into the bloodstream at just the right time, in the right amount, with no harmful side effects – and they’re free.  The fast-moving blood creates an energy field called shear force, which releases a natural biochemical called nitric oxide.  Nitric oxide (NO) acts as a biochemical key to open your pharmacy and dispense the medicines you need.

One day shortly after a visit with my movement-mentor, Nobel laureate Dr. Lou Ignarro, I was watering my actual garden when I had a transformative thought:  That’s what movement does! It waters the gardens of my body and brain. Now, when I’m teaching kids about health, they love my garden analogy:

• Every organ in your body is like a garden: the better you feed, fertilize, and irrigate it, the better it thrives.
• An organ is only as healthy as the blood flow to it.
• Movement widens blood vessels. Like using a larger garden hose, it increases the volume of blood flow.
• The more you move, the more personal medicines you make, and the more nutrients you deliver. It’s like feeding your garden more water and fertilizer.

During my adventures in making brain health my hobby, I noticed how much better my body felt and how much better my brain thought during a good old walk in the park.  As a show-me-the-science doctor, I had to find out why.  My quest for an answer took me to calling Harvard neuroscientist Dr. Eva Selhub, co-author of Your Brain on Nature.  I asked her: “Eva, can you simply summarize the body-brain effects of movement in nature?”  Her reply: “Green exercise is like exercise squared.”

My message to all you “gardeners” who want to help your kids grow taller and healthier: make grow-food health your family hobby.

Dr. Bill’s important note to readers.  While the information presented here is based on my over fifty years of experience in medical practice, learning from my many trusted mentors in health and nutrition, and the hundreds of scientific references listed in the following resources, your family may have special metabolic or medical needs that require tweaking of our grow-food health plan.  Before starting any health plan, be sure to discuss the details with your healthcare provider.

Additional Research on How to Help Kids Grow Taller

Want to learn more about how to help kids grow?

To delve deeper into the science behind grow foods and grow movement, see our following resources:

• The Dr. Sears T5 Wellness Plan (best exercises for muscle and bone growth).
• The Healthy Brain Book (especially the section on how quality sleep helps growth).
• Endothelial Pharmacy. This seven-minute video will be a riveting watch for your whole family about how your endothelium and movement help your body make its own medicines.
• Why Movement is the Best Medicine.
• Your Brain on Nature by Dr. Eva Selhub

The post Can You Help Your Kids Grow Taller? – 5-Step Action Plan appeared first on Ask Dr Sears.

Hey everybody, this is Dr. Sears from AskDrSears.com, and today we’re talking about RSV, Respiratory Syncytial Virus. It’s one of the many cold viruses out there that’s circulating, but this one is just a little more aggressive, and it tends to make little babies quite ill, and often lands them in the hospital.

There’s a big surge going on right now. As a matter of fact, a lot of the children’s hospitals are just full of babies with RSV, mainly because these are the babies that didn’t get it last year or the year before because of all the lockdowns and the masks and the handwashing. We’ve been really careful not to spread germs, but this is kind of one of the side effects, now there’s all these babies that haven’t gotten it before and they’re getting it now. And the hospitals are getting a little bit overrun.

Now, many babies, most babies actually, before they’re age 2 will get RSV at some point. Many babies get it twice or more. And only about 1-2% of those babies will be sick enough to land in the hospital. So most babies will just get mild cold symptoms: fever, cough, congestion, runny nose, sneezing, fussiness, poor feeding, that kind of stuff, we all know it. As a matter of fact, I’ve been so busy in my office with babies with RSV, I’ve been actually trying to get this video out for a couple of days, but I have just been swamped. And I’m actually starting to get that tickly, itchy feeling in my throat. So, maybe I’m coming down with it, I don’t know. But that’s the cold version of it, the upper respiratory infection part of it, the throat, the nose, the sinuses, that sort of thing. That usually is not that big of a deal.

But some babies, and older kids, will get a lower respiratory tract infection, in the lungs. They can get pneumonia, which is an infection in the lungs. Or they can get something that’s called bronchiolitis, that’s where the small airways get inflamed because of the virus, and it squeezes down, it makes them have a hard time breathing. Signs of that would be rapid breathing, nasal flaring, if you see the nostrils flaring out with each breath that’s a sign that the baby’s not getting enough oxygen. Sometimes head bobbing with each breath, or belly breathing, or if you see tugging in of the skin between each rib with each breath, or tugging of the lower neck just above the sternum with each breath, that’s a sign that the baby’s having to work hard to breath. Or you might even hear audible wheezing. If you hear those signs, that’s usually a reason to call the doctor or head to the ER.

What babies are at increased risk for getting bronchiolitis? Any baby that was a premie, premature babies, or any baby that’s under 6 months old. Babies that are 2 and under but have chronic lung problems, or maybe a congenital heart problem, that can make RSV a lot worse too. Or maybe if a baby has a weakened immune system, they may not be able to fight it off as well. Or a child that has a neuromuscular problem that makes it difficult to either swallow or cough or clear out mucus.

Now any parents with kids with any of these risk factors should just take certain precautions. Lots of handwashing, keep your hands away from your face, be careful of surfaces that might be infected: doorknobs, things like that. Basically avoid other sick people, especially kids. Most kids during the winter are either currently sick, just sick, or they’re about to be sick. So if you have a younger baby, I usually recommend for parents to just stay away from other kids. Just stay home for a while.

Now how is RSV spread? It’s spread by saliva, coughing, mucus, it can be on the hands, surface (doorknobs), things like that. So just be super careful.

Now if you get a cold, whether it’s RSV or not, there are some things you can do to help a little bit. Nasal saline sprays, squirt saline drops up into the nose. If they can’t blow their nose then suction it out. Staying hydrated is super important. Now if the baby can’t feed because of all the nasal congestion, maybe pump your milk and put it in a syringe so that they can feed it a little easier. A cool mist humidifier can be very helpful as well. And then if there’s a fever, treat it so that they feel better, and if a baby’s feeling better they’re more likely to eat and stay hydrated, and that’s super, super important.

When to call the doctor if your child has a cold? Certainly all those signs that we talked about before, and we’re going to go over them again. Rapid breathing, flaring of the nostrils, head bobbing with each breath, tugging between the ribs, if you see the skin tugging in, or tugging at the lower neck, or belly breathing. Other signs too: if you think your child’s dehydrated, and that generally for a baby would be less than 1 diaper every 8 hours. If they look like they’re having a hard time breathing, or if there’s a color change, like your baby’s turning gray, or blue in the tongue, lips, or the skin, that would be a sign that the baby is not getting enough oxygen and you should call the doctor or go to the ER. Or even just significantly decreased appetite or activity or alertness. If the baby’s acting really really lethargic, it’s time to call the doctor.

How long is RSV contagious? A lot of parents want to know. RSV generally is contagious for 3 to 8 days, about a week or so. However, some babies will be contagious for up to 4 weeks. So I always say as long as you have symptoms (coughing, mucus, that kind of stuff), consider yourself contagious and just stay home.

All right. That’s a lot about RSV. Hopefully it helps. And we will talk to you guys later. I’m Dr. Sears for AskDrSears.com.

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UPDATE for ’23-’24 RSV season:

Based on what we’ve seen so far in our office, this winter will be another nasty RSV season. All the recommendations in my video still hold true, but there are a few new options for parents to consider. Talk with your doctor to see if any of these treatments are right for you and your family:

• There is an RSV vaccine that can be given to pregnant mothers between 32-36 weeks. This has been shown to reduce the risk of RSV hospitalization by 57%. In the clinical trials, there was a small increase in preterm labor. This is why they are having moms wait until 32 weeks while additional studies are being conducted.
• There are two antibody injections that can be given to babies that are at high risk for severe RSV. These are a little different than a traditional vaccine, in that the protection is immediate. The clinical trials showed a reduction of RSV hospitalizations by 80%. Unfortunately, these are quite new and are in very short supply. In fact, I just received a letter from the major children’s NICU in our area explaining that they are reserving their limited supply to the infants at highest risk. It seems that for this winter (’23-’24), the only babies that will be eligible for these antibody injections will have spent a good amount of time in the NICU. I would anticipate that NEXT winter, more babies will be able to receive this protection.

Learn about more childhood illnesses here.

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What was the best advice given to you and what advice would you give to other newly diagnosed women?

My best advice came from a friend who is a gynecological surgeon. A few days into my diagnosis, after my husband and I researched the best hospital and best cancer surgeon for me, we called this friend and told her the situation. Most importantly, she listened first. After listening for a half hour, she helped me make even more sense of what was ahead. Her words to me: “You’ve got this!” This simple phrase often replayed in my head throughout the next several months, helping me keep up my self-confidence.

My best advice to someone (after listening to her talk) would be the same: You’ve got this!

What helped you process the news?

Knowing other women, some close friends, who were dealing well and openly with breast cancer helped me process the news without falling into fear. Having “fear” not be an option enabled me to practice “faith over fear”. And since this was happening during the early months of COVID, I had already been exercising that attitude. Because of this, honestly, my first thought when the pathologist called me with the diagnosis of the biopsy was, “This will be interesting!” Eagerness to learn clicked in.

We remember you having such a peaceful spirit when you told us the news. How did you find peace?

Well, before telling my family the news, I first had to tell my husband. We had been there before with his two cancer diagnoses, and now it was time to tell him it was “my turn”. I simply sat down next to him and gave him the news, “I have cancer”. I remember watching his face to see how he would take it. I wanted to be sure he would not freak out. He didn’t. (He told me later he had been happy to see how I seemed so peaceful.)

Telling our daughters before I told the whole family was important to me. I wanted to model to them how peace would be a huge part of the journey unfolding before me, despite a lot of “what-ifs”. I wanted to have all us women together, so I said, “Let’s all have tea together… we never do that!” But it turned out that our youngest one wasn’t buying my casual invite. She could tell something was up, and shared over the phone that hearing this news was her worst fear. No one wants to hear that her mom has breast cancer!

I found peace because I have learned that all things work together for good (see the verse from Scripture, Romans 8:28). I wanted to protect them and myself from negative thinking and from seeing myself as a victim. In fact, that advice (“Don’t see yourself as a victim”) was the first thing I spotted in a manual on breast cancer that the hospital gave to women coming into their care. But I also didn’t want them think I was just faking it. So, I focused on presenting a “one day at a time” approach. At first, I really was assuming I would just need a lumpectomy so that’s what I told them. Don’t borrow trouble, right? Think of the best-case scenario rather than the worse-case scenario. This was the best way I could think of to protect myself from free-floating fear and wind up catching that fear myself.

What was the biggest challenges you had to overcome?

My biggest challenge, as the more detailed diagnosis came showing I would need a mastectomy not just a lumpectomy, was to avoid thinking of my body as somehow failing me. My breasts have served me well over the many years of being a breastfeeding mother, and now suddenly I would be losing my right breast. I shifted to a mindset of “good riddance” to the tumor and to not dwell on “if only”. Reality check.

Another part of this challenge was to not get into the blame game. Three years earlier, I had found a lump in this same breast and was very relieved when the ultrasound showed it was only a cyst. So as this “cyst” seemed to get larger over time I didn’t think much of it. Two more annual mammograms didn’t pick up on it either. I do have what’s called extra-dense breast tissue and this causes mammograms to miss things, so I was having a more specific type of mammogram. I could have gotten stuck with “if only…” and could have wound up blaming that doctor who said “cyst”. Or I could have blamed myself for being so nonchalant about the lump getting larger. But my medical oncologist walked me back off that ledge. When I asked him, “Why didn’t I catch this growth sooner?” he said helped me see that I could choose to be grateful that this didn’t happen when our kids were younger and needed me more. I realized he was giving me wise advice: See this as being the right time in your life to be facing this challenge.

What has this experience taught you?

This experience has taught me to see myself as a survivor rather than as a victim. I don’t think I would have thought that way before. When these serious health challenges come up, it reminds me how important it has been for our family to be so focused on healthy eating/living. Dr. Bill often speaks on this topic which he calls preloading. Don’t wait until you are facing health issues to start good nutrition habits, start now! So that when serious health challenges do arise, your body will be preloaded to be better able to heal through it. On a related note, here’s another blame game to avoid when you receive a cancer diagnosis: Don’t fall into the attitude of blaming yourself, like “Oh if only I had eaten healthier…” There are so many factors outside of our control, such as genetics, that contribute to a person’s chance of getting cancer. So why not focus on what you can control? And good health/nutrition habits certainly can prevent a lot, and will make your body healthier and stronger so you can better handle any health challenges that eventually come your way.

A more clinical lesson I learned from this is what my GYN friend told me as she finished up listening to me as I described above. Her rule of thumb with postmenopausal women who have an ultrasound showing a lump to be “only a cyst” is to INSIST on having that cyst biopsied. If I had known that three years earlier maybe I would have only needed a lumpectomy. But I know not to look back and wonder. And I now know to tell women who are postmenopausal to INSIST on having a cyst biopsied!

One more thing my GYN friend told me much later, at a meeting of our local chapter of the Catholic Medical Association: Getting a cancer diagnosis is like getting a postcard from God. That is certainly thought provoking, and it is not intended to be cavalier. And from her I have also learned to be a good listener!

What is your current status with the cancer?

Now two years after my surgery (followed by an eight-week course of radiation), I am happy to say there have been no more signs of cancer in my body! I am on a five-year course of hormone inhibitor, since my tumor was positive for both progesterone and estrogen. Thankfully, in my case chemotherapy was not indicated (in our book, see below, we discuss in-depth how to talk with your doctor about the various tests you can do to help determine the right treatment plan).

You and Dr. Bill just came out with a new book, Help Heal Yourself from Cancer. That’s amazing, congratulations! Tell us about the motivation behind this book. Where can people find it?

Bill had already been writing a book about cancer when I got this diagnosis, so I instantly became a co-author. He wanted me to be a part of it since breast cancer is one of the four most common cancers, so I was glad to share a lot of what I learned through my healing journey. We have had a significant number of cancers in our family, starting with his colorectal cancer 25 years ago. That one hit us hard because, as we tell in the book, both my husband’s father (at age 75) and my mother (at age 52) had this same colorectal cancer, and they both died from it. In fact, when my husband received that diagnosis, I had a very unhelpful reaction: FEAR. I really thought I would lose him to this cancer, as our experience seemed to indicate. It took me three days to come out from under that mindset, that fear cloud. He later told me that is how it was for him too.

Along with my husband’s colorectal cancer our family has also experienced bone, brain, and blood cancer, and then finally my breast cancer. That’s a lot of learning! So, it became important for us to write a book that would be helpful to people in ways that we discovered made a difference for us, to be able to share some things we did not find in other cancer books. As with all of our books, we share our experiences with the hope of helping people. If this book can help just one person have a better experience healing from cancer, we will have reached our goal.

Help Heal Yourself from Cancer is now available in hardcover, eBook, and audiobook versions from most book retailers, including:

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Books-A-Million

Bookshop.org

IndieBound

Indigo

All author proceeds from book sales will benefit children’s charities.

Additional helpful resources to go along with the book can be found here.

The post “You’ve Got This!” – Martha’s Breast Cancer Story appeared first on Ask Dr Sears.

As we celebrate World Breastfeeding Week (August 1^st through 7^th), I wanted to briefly share my favorite breastfeeding tips that helped me when I was beginning my journey as a brand new mom. For more information on each of these topics, explore our Breastfeeding section.

1. Skin to skin immediately after delivery, or as soon as it can be done safely. Dr. Bill reminds his patients to position baby “cheek to breast.”

2. Do your best to lower stress. The stress hormone cortisol inhibits oxytocin, which can negatively affect your milk let down.

3. Bring baby to breast a minimum of 8 times per 24 hours, on-demand based on baby’s feeding cues. Remember to watch baby, not the clock.

4. Have an IBCLC (International Board Certified Lactation Consultant) assess and assist with baby’s latch to ensure effective suckling and help identify any oral restrictions.

5. Room with baby. Staying close to baby will promote the strong hormonal response necessary for milk production.

6. Seek immediate help and support when/if things are challenging. Surrounding yourself with supportive family and friends is crucial. La Leche League International can help connect you with a local support group.

7. Utilize hand expression and pumping if baby is unable to effectively latch. Consider using an alternative delivery system such as a supplemental nursing system, syringe, or cup feeding instead of a bottle until baby’s latch and a strong breastfeeding relationship is established. Also, regular pumping helps protect your milk supply.

8. Practice patience. Breastfeeding is a new skill for each mommy/baby duo and takes practice.

9. Try different positions: football, cross cradle, side lying, and laid back positions are the most popular.

10. Trust your body and nourish it with lots of hydration and nutrient-dense foods.

Visit our Breastfeeding section for in-depth discussion on each of these tips and other useful information, as well as The Breastfeeding Book.

If you are in need of more personalized assistance, please visit www.searslactation.com to book a virtual appointment with certified lactation consultant Erin Sears-Basile, IBCLC.  In-person care available in the San Jose, CA area.

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