Board Certified Pediatrician Dr. Berger treats autism, ADD, ADHD, and immune disregulation disorders at his Tampa, Florida based Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care. Learn how he approaches each patient’s plan of holistic primary care from the inside out, utilizing nutritional and detoxification therapies and the prescribing of CBD and medical marijuana. Ready to tackle your special needs child’s symptoms in a WHOLE new way? Dr. Berger will turn you into a beLEAFer!
Blonde Remarks
We can not contain our enthusiasm about this interview with Dr. Berger. He has seen 3 of our 4 children and he has treated Brenda’s boys since they were teeny. Dr. Berger is a FAST talker, for it seems he can’t bottle up his excitement for his holistic approach to medicine. He wants you to know EVERYTHING. ALL the whys.
What’s great about having access to a RECORDING of Dr. Berger is one has the opportunity to listen and relisten. He doesn’t expect you to take it in all at once, but you wont have to pay very much attention in order to sense the passion he exudes while treating those with autism, ADD, ADHD, related disorders, and immune disregulation disorders such as such as allergies, asthma, and autoimmune disorders.
We’ll go ahead and remind you if you’ve met one child with autism, you’ve met one child with autism. This credo sits firmly within Dr. Berger’s core values. You too keep this belief in mind as you listen to him speak about a diverse number of disorders and his beliefs as to their root causes. None may be specific to your child, but you never know what one may glean from entertaining his alternative approach to traditional medical views.
Note: when we discuss the the current legalities and legislation surrounding medical marijuana, we are specifically referring to the state of Florida.
Questions We Asked Dr. Berger
Dr. Berger you were born (A BLONDE!) and raised in South Florida, graduated from The Medical College of Pennsylvania and did your Pediatric Residency at the University of South Florida/Tampa General Hospital where you began utilizing holistic therapies. We feel like most medical students initially tend to follow a mainstream approach. It’s definitely not the norm to follow an alternative path. Why did you pursue this HOLISTIC avenue from the get-go? What triggered that path? 2:42
Tell us about your personal connection to autism. Is there one? 9:54
You have been in private practice since 1997 and an advanced practitioner of biomedical therapies, advocating for the Autism Research Institute philosophy since 1999. In 2005, you finally opened Wholistic Pediatrics & Family Care (formerly Wholistic Pediatrics), in Tampa, Florida. Personally, I am very familiar with the ARI philosophy, the former “DAN” protocol. Dylan started a holistic approach around 2005, almost immediately after diagnosis. I feel like we just missed each other. You were working briefly in Miami with another doctor, right? Can you (1) explain the philosophy behind ARI and (2) discuss how you integrate it with conventional medicine? 11:47
Why is early intervention and a methodical treatment of the WHOLE child SO important, especially for kids on the spectrum? 16:09
If you’ve met one child with autism, you’ve met one child with autism. We know this. You know this. Still, given the extensive time you have spent with ASD kids, we are curious to know what are some similarities that stand out in the majority of the cases? For example, deficiencies such as Vitamin D and glutathione, or gut issues, that you aren’t surprised to find yet another child on the spectrum shows. 19:28
Like anything in medicine, we know once kids are treated from the inside out versus only masking symptoms, they tend to be able to focus more, improve cognitively and in their overall development. How do YOU feel about use of the terms “recovery” or “cure” when it comes to autism? Do you believe RECOVERY or CURING is possible or does it give parents false hope? 23:03
On your blog, you periodically update your recommendations on what to do at the first sign of sickness. Such a useful document! You even added a new one on Coronavirus/Respiratory Virus information and treatment recommendations. I highly recommend checking those out! When it comes to raising a healthy child in a toxic world, can you share a few tips, for parents of newly diagnosed kids, on simple things they can do/or stop doing right away in their daily lives to improve some of the very limiting effects that often go hand-in-hand with autism? 26:54
For parents looking to conceive in the near future or may even be pregnant now, do you believe autism or related disorders can be head off at the pass with proper testing, nutrition, and supplementation? 30:36
In 2016, you launched the Wholistic ReLeaf, that’s L E A F (formerly named Family Medical Cannabis Clinic) to help qualified patients use medical cannabis as a treatment option. That is a whole lot to unpack with the limited time we have, but one of the hottest topics nowadays. How in the world did you become involved with medical cannabis? 32:00
What are the biggest benefits you see daily in treating children on the spectrum or other related disabilities, with various types of cannabis? 38:26
I know the first time we read about its use for children on the spectrum, we rolled our eyes. But then we stopped and paid attention. What are some of the biggest misconceptions people have about the use of cannabis? 43:32
Tell us about the current legalities and legislation, specifically to the state of Florida. What is legal? What is not? 47:46
For more information please contact:
Dr. David Berger, Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care
3405 W. Fletcher Ave Tampa, FL 33618 | (813) 960-3415
images courtesy of Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care