My morning started off a little differently than expected. Laying in bed last night I was contemplating what to write for a blog today, and quite honestly, I can’t remember what it was because I always read my e-mail when I get up in the morning.

I was greeted by a great change in plans when I saw that one of our speakers dropped out for the ATN conference, and Julie and I will be presenting a session instead. It is a very interesting topic titled “Smorgasbord of Interventions for our Combo Platter Kids”.

I headed off the library where I found a smorgasbord of interesting books (yes, pun intended). Here are the titles of the books

The Yeast Connection by William G. Crook M.D.

Complete Candida Yeast Guidebook by Jeanne Marie Martin with Zoltan Rona M.D.

The Panic Attack, Anxiety & Phobia Solutions Handbook by Muriel MacFarlane

If Your Adolescent Has an Anxiety Disorder by Edna B Foa Ph.D. and Linda Wasmer Andrews (Adolescent Mental Health Institute)

Embracing the Fear: Learning to Manage Anxiety & Panic Attacks by Judith Bemis and AMR Barrada

Lost in the Mirror: An Inside Look at Borderline Personality Disorder by Richard Moskovitz M.D.

Driven to Distraction: Recognizing and Coping with Attention Deficit Disorder from Childhood through Adulthood by Edward M. Hallowell M.D. and John J. Ratey MD

If Your Adolescent Has Depression or Bipolar Disorder by Dwight L. Evans M.D. & Linda Wasmer Andrews (Adolescent Mental Health Institute)

Children with Autism: A Parent's Guide by Michael D. Powers Psy. D.

All of these books, with the exception of the Autism book, are ones that apply in my house. The anxiety books are incredibly fascinating. They cover things like Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, and General Anxiety Disorder.

Each book contains treatment and intervention ideas, as well as explaining the biology and the chemical impact on the brain. This is most certainly Julie’s fortay. She can tell you just about anything about how the brain works, what parts of the brain are affected by each disease or disorder, and why this is significant. If you’ve read any of her blogs, you’ll know how well educated she is.

The yeast books may seem out of place in regards to traumatized children, but I assure you, they are not. I was a huge skeptic when it came to “alternative” treatments for children. That is, until I saw it work. There is a direct correlation, in some children, with eliminating wheat and dairy from a child’s diet and a de-escalation in behaviors.

Interestingly, our library did not have a single book on Fetal Alcohol Syndrome. We live in a small town and can order books from other libraries, so I COULD get them, but the point is that there were none for me to easily access today. Are anxiety disorders, bi-polar, depression, autism and other disorders more common than FAS? I doubt it. Are they more socially acceptable?

One topic that appeared in each and every book was that people living with someone who has a disorder needs to take care of themselves. Something that we all forget.

Are there any of these disorders that you are interested in learning more about, or are you going to come to the conference and hear Julie and I talk about them?

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