Brain Inflamed: Uncovering the Hidden Causes of Anxiety, Depression, and Other Mood Disorders in Adolescents and Teens expands the root-cause approach that Dr. Bock wrote about in his seminal book Healing the New Childhood Epidemics: Autism, ADHD, Asthma, and Allergies: The Groundbreaking Program for the 4-A Disorders, which was a game-changer in the understanding of these conditions and how they all relate to each other.
Very few authors have written about the root causes of mood disorders such as:
- OCD (Obsessive Compulsive Disorder)
- Lyme disease
- Anxiety
- Depression
- ODD (Oppositional Defiant Disorder)
- Excessive temper tantrums
- Mood swings
- Behavioral regression
Dr. Bock walks the reader through potential root causes of his newly coined term, MDS (Mood Dysregulation Spectrum) such as:
- Immune dysregulation
- Infection-Triggered Autoimmune Brain Inflammation (ITABI), which references the infectious component of PANS/PANDAS
- Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases
- Hashimoto’s and other thyroid disorders (which are often very overlooked in these conditions)
- Adrenal dysfunction
- Low blood sugar
- Hidden sensitivities and intolerances, especially to food
- Nutritional deficiencies
- Toxicity
- Metabolic disruptors
- Inflammation
His writing style makes it easy for a parent or lay-person to understand how one or more of these root causes could be behind the diagnoses that are so often chalked up to being “in your head” or attributed to common teenage moods and behaviors. Dr. Bock guides parents through potential testing, supplements and dietary changes that address these root causes. He also shows that by doing so, many mood and behavioral symptoms improve significantly.
On the whole, his biggest achievement is showing how these root causes affect the immune system, which in turn affects the way the brain and its accompanying moods and behaviors function. Although this approach is not typical in mainstream psychiatry, more and more cutting-edge doctors – Dr. Bock among them – are pointing the way to show that there are reasons why your child is acting in such a way and that medication doesn’t always have to be the answer.
What’s additionally very helpful in this book are his case studies as well as graphs within most chapters that depict what is within and without of the normal range of teen behavior for:
- Irritability
- Moodiness
- Anxiety
- OCD
- Depression
- Panic attacks
- Severe mood swings
- Aggression
- Psychosis
About Kenneth Bock MD
As a leader in integrative medicine, Dr. Kenneth Bock has accumulated over 35 years of experience diagnosing the root cause of chronic illnesses and restoring balance to his patients’ immune systems.
He founded Bock Integrative Medicine in response to the increasing need for board-certified medical providers who take a unique “whole body” approach to diagnose and treat chronic illness.
Dr. Bock is a well-respected integrative medicine doctor and autism expert who focuses on the treatment of autism and co-occurring conditions, PANS/PANDAS,ITABI, tick-borne illnesses, and adult conditions such as chronic fatigue syndrome, fibromyalgia, and heart disease.
He integrates alternative modalities with conventional medicine into a comprehensive integrative medicine practice.
His natural curiosity and expertise at tackling medical problems that have been difficult to diagnose and treat make him sought after by patients throughout the world as an expert at tackling complex medical problems.
After graduating Summa Cum Laude from the State University of New York at Buffalo in 1973, Dr. Bock went on to earn his D with Honor from the University of Rochester School of Medicine in 1979.
He is board-certified in Family Medicine, a Certified Nutrition Specialist, and a Fellow of the American Academy of Family Practice, the American College of Nutrition, and the American College for Advancement in Medicine, of which he is a former President. Dr. Kenneth Bock is also a faculty member of the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM).
You can find out more about him and his work at his website: www.bockintegrative.com
Still Looking for Answers?
Visit the Epidemic Answers Practitioner Directory to find a practitioner near you.
Join us inside our online membership community for parents, Healing Together, where you’ll find even more healing resources, expert guidance, and a community to support you every step of your child’s healing journey.
