Science is Dr. Palmer’s first love and continuing inspiration. Her undergraduate degree from the University of Illinois was in chemistry with a minor in biology. While attending the National College of Chiropractic, Palmer received a Bachelor of Science in human biology as she received her Doctor of Chiropractic.

 

Prior the birth of her son, Dr. Palmer ran a successful chiropractic practice for eleven years, focusing on nutrition and women’s health issues. Her practice emphasized diagnosis and patient education.

With the birth of Dr. Palmer’s son in 1995, she was confronted with his severe health complications and astounded by the extreme lack of accurate or helpful information from doctors or books. Her usual passion for research turned toward infant health and parenting. Her extensive reviews of science and medical research revealed huge conflicts between what is found scientifically and what is standard protocol in pediatric offices. Her research in this area led to writing BABY MATTERS. After an IPPY award-winning 2nd edition, the 3rd updated edition was released by Sourcebooks as THE BABY BOND. After a print-run sell-out, BABY MATTERS has returned, as the 3rd revised edition (same as The Baby Bond).

 

Palmer also co-authored another infant health book with pediatrician Susan Markel:  WHAT YOUR PEDIATRICIAN DOESN’T KNOW CAN HURT YOUR CHILD.

 

Palmer found the greatest number of questions and concerns posed to her by parents revolved around infant colic, reflux, green stools, and constipation. She discovered that infant digestive problems are strongly connected to other chronic health issues further down the line, and these all are chiefly problems in industrialized nations. While infectious disease is the burden in poorly nourished children in less developed parts of the world, chronic disease is the scourge of industrialized nations. Diabetes, asthma, autism, arthritis, obesity, and other auto-immune diseases are spiraling out of control. She yearned to delve deeper into the research and provide solid answers to parents; hence BABY POOP was born.

 

Dr. Palmer led attachment parenting support groups for five years, also coordinating the various groups throughout San Diego County.She has also served as an instructor in anatomy and physiology and a research associate for drugless cancer therapy research. She currently spends her time consulting in infant nutrition and attachment parenting, writing parenting articles and books, speaking to family and professional audiences, and being a wife and mother.

 

A message from Dr. Palmer:

Many of the problems that today’s parents face while raising their babies are associated with the new parenting and feeding practices that have encroached upon our culture over the last century. These practices have been promoted for several reasons, mostly linked to industry profits. (Colic, for instance, is far more common in the US than in many other parts of the world. It is generally treated with drugs or lactose-free formula, and with little success.)

 

Few will tell you the research findings and the feeding and parenting solutions that work. Infant constipation, colic, and reflux are more pervasive than ever today. Science shows that cow’s milk proteins and other proteins in formula or mother’s diet are chief links, and that antibiotics, C-section births, and early introduction of formula damage baby’s flora, allowing these symptoms to develop. Diabetes, bowel disease, arthritis, and cancers, on the rise in both children and adults, are also strongly linked to infant birthing, medication, and feeding options.

 

In the psychological realm, parents have been encouraged to ignore their babies’ cries and their own very strong urges to respond, but I have found no sound research to support any long-term benefits of this kind of detached parenting. In fact, a mountain of psychology studies suggest that responsive parenting is best.

 

Email Dr. Palmer at: [email protected]. She’d love to hear from you.

 

Infant Nutrition and Healthy Parenting Speaker for Lactation Consultants, Midwives and Natural Family Audiences

Dr. Palmer is available to speak by invitation.

 

Palmer has these two-hour PowerPoint presentations available:

 

The Chemistry of Attachment

CERP 90 – 150 minutes
When un-hampered by imposed fears of spoiling or hindering maturation, the biochemical interplays of frequent, close contact between parent and child create positive life-long brain alterations in all who participate.

Linda Palmer will discuss the various hormonal and neuronal involvements in creating a parent and in parent-infant interactions leading to bonding. She will present the varied lifelong repercussions of different levels of attachment or detachment experienced during infancy in reaction to parenting behaviors. The interplay of breastmilk, breastfeeding, and bottle nursing in these processes will be portrayed. 

 

Beyond Breastmilk

CERP 90 – 150 minutes
Linda Palmer discusses the health and nutritional aspects of starting solid foods and developing positive lifetime eating habits in children. Common infant feeding information is often based more on dairy, formula & baby food industry advice and does not encompass the wide spectrum of the healthiest options.

 

Palmer explores the optimal introduction of solids in terms of age and kind and presents archeological studies of weaning. The ramifications of early supplementation in breastfed infants and the nutrition and potential consequences of homemade formulas, goat’s milk, cow’s milk, raw milk and soy will be presented, along with the evidence behind food allergies in breastfeeding babies and the truth about calcium needs in children. 

 

Palmer reviews the evidence in terms of timing of solids, covering calorie, protein, iron, zinc, fatty acid needs and more, and fnds no evidence of a need to begin any kind of supplementation to the average exclusive breastmilk diet in the first year of life after term birth, and beyond. She contents that solid food introduction for formula-fed babies is a very different situation than that for breastfed children and presents these variations.

 

SOME PAST 1 HOUR LECTURES:

When it Has to be Formula:  Formula Feeding Issues
Time: 30 to 60 minutes

Linda Palmer consults regularly in infant nutrition and bonding and receives numerous pleas from mothers who, due to breast surgeries, chemotherapy needs, and other physiological abnormalities are simply unable to provide adequate breastmilk to their babies. So many mothers are simply told to feed commercial formula and are given no more information about the health consequences of various choices available and possible means to improve upon standard artificial feeding. Many report the topic to be taboo for their consultants and outside the scope of most pediatricians. Palmer provides information about alternative feeding methods and means of optimizing the health, development and bonding potentials of artificially fed babies. Beyond finding donor breastmilk for the early weeks, there are ways of improving upon a formula supplemented or total standard infant formula diet for babies.

Palmer explores options (beyond donor milk) when breastfeeding fails, either partly or completely. Compensatory parenting behaviors, food tolerance issues, and various supplements are discussed. She additionally critiques a variety of homemade formula recipes mothers are using today and suggests the best attempts to optimize nutrition and immunity in the artificially fed baby.

Is CERP-applicable and speaker will assist in CERP process.

 

Considering Healthy Parenting Concepts
Dr. Palmer will discuss how and why we have drifted away from many natural and healthy child care practices, and the movement to return to providing healthier childhoods for optimal adult outcomes, both emotionally and physically.

 

 

Questions and Requests to [email protected]