Episode 295 — Cannabis Is Medicine — If You Know How To Use It
Guest: Dr. David Berger • Date: February 19, 2026
Episode Overview
This week, we’re joined by Dr. David Berger, a nationally recognized holistic pediatrician and expert in the responsible use of medical cannabis for children with autism. He explains how this often misunderstood plant medicine can support calm, focus, and regulation when used safely as part of an individualized, integrative plan.
About Dr. David Berger
Dr. David Berger is a board-certified pediatrician with over 25 years of clinical experience and a national reputation for his integrative approach to family and pediatric care. He is the founder of Wholistic Pediatrics & Family Care and Wholistic ReLeaf, Florida’s first pediatric medical cannabis clinic. His practice specializes in autism, ADHD, allergies, immune dysfunction, and chronic complex conditions, combining nutritional, lifestyle, and biomedical therapies to address root causes. A leading voice in the responsible use of medical cannabis for children, Dr. Berger is one of only a few pediatricians in Florida qualified to certify patients under the age of 18. He has also advised the FDA on vaccine safety and launched DrDavidMD, a media and education platform focused on health, education, and medical choice.
You’ll Discover
How A Personal Family Experience With CBD Sparked Dr. Berger’s Clinical Use Of Cannabis (2:12)
What Every Parent Should Understand About The Endocannabinoid System And Why It Matters (9:00)
How Different Cannabinoids (CBD, CBG, CBN, THC) Serve Very Different Therapeutic Purposes (11:42)
The Research Showing Endocannabinoid Deficiency In Children With Autism (14:39)
Why Many Children Respond Quickly And How To Introduce Cannabis Safely And Responsibly (18:58)
Referenced In This Episode
Full Transcript
Dr. David Berger 0:00
One of them, very nice things about cannabis treatment is, you know, immediately, as in that first day, sometimes first hour, first five minutes, depending on how you take it, you know what you got with that particular dose of that particular product. And so unlike a lot of other pharmaceutical things, where it takes a long time to build up to assess, you know, I'll tell people wait three or four days before either increasing or making a change, unless there's a negative reaction, because you don't, you know, maybe had a good day or a bad day, that day, but three to four days, you should absolutely know what you have with that. And then you can make adjustments quickly. You can use it as needed, as opposed to every day. You can give it extra dose. If it's a particularly stressful or difficult day, or it has a meltdown, extra meltdown, or something like that. So, you know, in terms of the properties of what you would want us medicine to have, they can help a family and help them figure it out. It's kind of the ideal one.
Len Arcuri 0:49
If you're a parent of a child with autism, you are being called to rise with love, courage and clarity. This journey isn't easy, and most parents aren't equipped, but you can be this podcast is your invitation to rise higher, because how you navigate matters. I'm Len, and this is autism parenting secrets, where you become the parent your child needs now. Hello and welcome to autism parenting secrets. It's Len, and today's episode shines light on one of the most misunderstood and often controversial therapies in the autism world, medical cannabis. My guest is Dr David Berger, known to many simply as Dr David. He's a board certified pediatrician with over 25 years of clinical experience. He is the founder of holistic pediatrics and family care in Tampa, Florida, where he helps children and adults address the root causes of challenges like autism, ADHD allergies and immune dysfunction. He's also the founder of holistic relief, Florida's first pediatric medical cannabis clinic, where he's helped countless families explore cannabis based therapies safely and effectively under expert guidance, Dr David brings both compassion and clarity to this conversation, helping parents understand how cannabis can support calm, focus and balance when used appropriately as part of a broader, integrative approach. We're diving into the science, the misconceptions and the practical realities of using cannabis as medicine, and what every parent should know before considering this path. The secret this week is, cannabis is medicine if you know how to use it. Welcome Dr
Dr. David Berger 2:38
David, hi. Thank you so much for having me. Great.
Len Arcuri 2:41
Well, we're coming off of meeting each other for the first time, although I've heard about you for many, many years at the at the taca conference on the West Coast, and I know your presentation was extremely thought provoking for many of the people in attendance, so I'll hand to you to just kind of share the highlights of that discussion for that pretty large group of parents. And again, I know you've really been focusing, not exclusively, but really exploring and being on the cutting edge of how cannabis can be something that really can be beneficial. Yeah.
Dr. David Berger 3:14
Well, thank you, yes. So yeah, I mean the taca conference. And I've been involved with taca on the medical board for well over a decade, and been lectured for years and years with the group. You know, it all got started for me when I was speaking with the family doing a consultation of a child who actually had a brain injury at birth, and rightly so. You know, parents were consistently concerned, but Dad was also a rather disgruntled individual, just because of everything that went on. Then the history was, it sounds as if things didn't have to go down the way it did that led to the problem. And so, you know, he would come in and meet her great parents, but I could always tell that he just had like this, like the press, kind of like disgruntled and then I'm guessing, about two years in, he just comes in and he's sitting the chair, and he's like, smiling and and just chilling out and, like, literally to the point where I said to his wife, what's with him, you know? And he immediately chipped in. He's like, CBD. I'm like, whatever, you know. He's like, I started taking it. It's completely changed around. My mood completely changed on my attitude, and the wife's over here going, you know, and he told me the name of the product that he had been using. And so I investigated it, and, you know, learned about the incredible safety profile when it comes to non THC containing cannabinoids. And I started using that product and started seeing some great things. So this would have been about, I'm guessing 2012 ish, 2014 somewhere around there. So I've been using CBD in my practice for, again, way over a decade. And as we'll get into all the other different cannabinoids, both THC and the other ones that are hemp derived, not intoxicating versions. And you know, B. Seeing that as a holistic pediatrician, I started using herbs to treat children in 1995 so there was a journal article in our academy of pediatrics trade journal, which is called Contemporary Pediatrics, that was called Seven herbs every pediatrician should know about. And I asked the Department Chair and the residency director at Tampa General Hospital if I could start using these herbs. And they said, Absolutely. In fact, the the person who started Contemporary Pediatrics way back when is also the person who started the USF pediatric department in the first place. And so she's like, as far as we're concerned, this is our home journal. Anything that's in that journal is absolutely fair game. So I started using herbs in the clinic, and then it started going really, really well, and other families started coming to the clinic just to see, you know, and to learn from me and everything. And so when it came around that cannabis became available, and rightly so. I understand why a lot of other clinicians and pediatricians were very worried and concerned and didn't know what to do, quite frankly, but I had spent the last 15 years before that figuring out individualized treatment plans for herbs and supplements and all the kinds of amino acids and fatty acids and everything that we talked about that certainly doesn't have a pediatric indication, slash research done to the way to know how we would treating penicillin, right? So, but I so when it came about for me, I was like, well, it's just another herb, you know, and so why don't I just apply the same principles that I've used for everything else. And that's kind of how it just got started. And then. And then soon after that, the state of Florida did pass the law, the Charlotte's Web, type of law that allowed for CBD only for a limited number of people. And then soon after that, then THC became available. And so I then started being able to dabble with that, with children as well, as well as with my adult patients. And so that's kind of just how it explore expanded over time. And from what I've been told, I've certified more children than anybody in the state of Florida. And it's kind of nice because, you know, I've it's something that I'm passionate about with herbal medicine. And you know, one of them very nice things about cannabis treatment is, you know, immediately, as in that first day, sometimes first hour, first five minutes, depending on how you take it, you know what you got with that particular dose of that particular product. And so unlike a lot of other pharmaceutical things, where it takes a long time to build up to assess, you know, I'll tell people wait three or four days before either increasing or making a change, unless there's a negative reaction, because you don't, you know, maybe had a good day or a bad day, that day, but three to four days, you should absolutely know what you have with that. And then you can make adjustments quickly. You can use it as needed, as opposed to every day. You can give an extra dose if it's a particularly stressful or difficult day, or it could have a meltdown, extra meltdown, or something like that. So, you know, in terms of the properties of what you would want us medicine to have, they can help a family and help them figure it out. It's kind of the ideal one.
Len Arcuri 8:07
Oh, that's great. Yeah, I think, I think just the idea that you framed it, right, you were just working with herbs, right? That herbs, how herbs can be extremely effective, and this is just one additional one, right? That just warranted the same amount of scrutiny and and investigation. It just obviously it has a stigma to it in terms of some parents. Maybe not, and I think that's definitely lessened. Oh, for sure it, but
Dr. David Berger 8:30
it's still there, and understandably so. I mean, like, you know, I mean, like, we know that there's a big difference between THC and CBD in terms of the impact on developing brain. You know, brains are developing until 22 years of age, and so that's a rightly concern. But also, let's remember the patient population that I'm doing this with, right? We're not just doing it. Hey, your kids, uh, you know, your kid had a bad day. Let's give your kids some medical I don't know we're talking about children predominantly with autism, but other mental health and behavioral health types of conditions, the occasional patient with cancer who needs it for their chemotherapy, etc, you know, recovery type of thing. But we're talking about very affected children here. We're talking about kids who have, you know, it's rare, if never that I use it as a first line therapy. I mean, you know, most of the time it's parents who have either a had success from another sibling or a friend, and so they're sooner to get it, or they've been through everything else and that things worked, and they're like, Well, I feel like I got to give this a try.
Len Arcuri 9:30
I know you glossed over it a little bit, but I think just my understanding in this space, you do have different options in terms of leveraging the power of cannabis and the th you know, the THC, including or not to include, is kind of a debate. And obviously there may be situations where one versus the other, because can you give a little bit of 101 on the types the options within this category?
Dr. David Berger 9:56
Yeah, okay, well, let's go to 100 before 101 simply. Because I think it's important for the audience to understand what this is all about and how it works in the first place. Okay, so it's so these are cannabinoids, plant based cannabinoids, but there are also mammal made cannabinoids called endocannabinoids. We all make cannabinoids in our body. We all have cannabinoid receptors in our body. All mammals do. Most vertebrae, even some subvertebrate do. So this is something like epinephrine, right? I mean, it's like a core adrenaline, you know, serotonin, this is like a core substance that we have evolved to make over the years. Okay? And the role of the endocannabinoid system is to maintain balance homeostasis for the individual, and the two most common cell or tissues that they work on are nerve cells and inflammatory cells. And there's actually the two different receptors actually work on two different versions of it. I won't go into too much detail with that, but the this is also what we call a retrograde system. So normally, if, like, there's one nerve and a second nerve, this nerve is putting like neurotransmitters into like serotonin and dopamine, whatever. It tingles over here and it fires the nerve this way, the this system works in the opposite where this cell is actually, if it's being over stimulated by this cell, whether it's pain, nerves, whatever, then it sends a signal back over here across the synapse this way retrograde, and basically tells this cell over here, chill out and and calm down. You're over exciting me. I need you to excite me some, but you're over exciting me. Okay, now when we take plant based cannabinoids, CBD is predominantly keeping around the cannabinoids that we naturally make longer stays in that synapse for a longer period of time to tingle over here. Then what THC predominantly does is it hits the same receptor, but in a stronger fashion. Okay, so they both are end result of stimulating the Endocannabinoid receptors, but kind of like one's more indirect versus one that's more direct. And then, of course, on top of that, you know, and I talk a lot about other types of cannabinoids now, we're into the 101, of the, you know, there are additional cannabinoids that are non intoxicating, and I think it's important for people to understand about them, the mother cannabinoid that's made by the plant. And that's true whether it's for a THC plant or a CBD plant. And when you hear about a CBD plant, that's what you typically would consider a hemp plant, although they've now genetically modified marijuana plants in order to be all CBD. So it's kind of like they've retrograded what hemp was in the first place. But the very first cannabinoid that's made is called CBGa, and that's the mother one, and it gets differentiated into all the other forms. Whenever you hear the A there, that's an acid form, and it usually needs to be then re and then to be activated to the other form. So, for instance, so CBG will go on to CBG a, I should say, goes on to make THCA and CBDa. So THC, A, which is actually the form that's found in, like the natural plant, if you were to do a smoothie or eat regular marijuana, you don't get high from it. It's because it still is the THC, a form, and it's only unless it's heated, decarboxylated, does it become what's called Nine Delta THC, and that's the active form that when people get high from marijuana. That's what it is, nine Delta THC. So then there's an additional thing. But in addition to that, THC itself can be converted to another non intoxicating cannabinoid called CBN. That is the best one that I have found for sleep, maintaining sleep. Okay, then in addition to then the CBG could become the CBG, the CBDa to the CBD, but there's another one so, but the CBG itself. So the CBGa first gets the CBG unless the acids go off into the THC, CBD part. Sorry, I'm getting a little technical. But the thing about the CBG, it is one of the best I have now found for things like anxiety, depression, over excitability, panic attacks, those behavioral flares that the kids can get. I use a lot of CBG for that, so knowing what the symptoms are helps me choose the different cannabinoids. And sometimes I will use a CB and at nighttime for better sleep, but I'm using CBD during the daytime for general calmness, and then I have to throw some CBG in for some additional work, maybe for school or whatever. So there's a lot of options that are there that we go by,
Len Arcuri 14:47
yep, understood, yeah. So in terms of what the symptom might be, there might be different options that might be more on point, but as long as we're hovering on this, in terms of just taking a step back, if CBD. In a variety of forms, is helpful to reduce those symptoms. Presumably, it's because in some way, it's addressing some root cause that's going on within a person, within a child. And so is it safe to assume that it's just that endocannabinoid receptor is over active or it's damaged, like, what's the root cause that might be going on within a child where, okay, this is something that's gonna sure address the symptoms, but really get to something that's fundamentally happening at the root okay?
Dr. David Berger 15:33
So a lot of that is not figured out yet. Of course, because of the regulations aspect, relative to cannabis in our country, it's been very limited amount of research, and you can imagine even less so in children, okay, but we do know that, you know, there's been a lot of research relative to things like seizures and things like that that can that have been very helpful. But as far as, like, you know, coming back to the root cause when it comes to autism, okay? And, you know, and to be understanding this is modifying the root cause. It's not fixing the root cause. Because, let's say there's over inflammation happening the body. You still have to go back and look at, well, what are all the things that are causing hyper inflammatory can auto immune types of conditions, and, you know, coming back to the old standards of gut health and vitamin D levels and zinc levels and the interleukins and cytokines that we now know all about. But with kids with autism, there was research that was done around 2017 2018 out of Israel, that they measured the levels in the kids for those two endocannabinoids, and they found that they had significantly lower levels than neurotypical children. So kids with autism, for some reason, were not making the same level. Now we don't know why. So does that therefore make sense that if the, if the if the Endocannabinoid is not hitting enough, the Endocannabinoid receptor would be taking more endocannabinoids to stimulate the receptor, more make the work happen. So in a very basic nutshell, you can think of it that way.
Len Arcuri 17:08
Yeah, I think that's helpful. And obviously there's multiple root causes going on. There's like, no one but, but in terms of just looking at this with, you know, I think listeners trying to come to terms with this endocannabinoid system and why it matters. It sounds like for whatever reason, perhaps some of these kids, especially, just may be low, right? So therefore, giving something that the body's not generating enough of for whatever reason, is how you get the improvement in terms of, you know, what you're hoping for, and maybe a reduction in what you're not wanting.
Dr. David Berger 17:40
And there's also the possibility that the body's breaking it down too fast, right? So you obviously have a low level because you're not making enough or because you're breaking it down too quickly, and that's like we know metabolism for medications work that way. So it's a theory, it's a likely to be true theory. But there's also that possibility they can be making enough, but they're breaking it
Len Arcuri 17:59
down too fast, got it, and that's why all this is within the context of a more comprehensive, integrated plan, right? You know, sure you can try this and see, you know, see if it helps. But otherwise, you know, it is more complicated in terms of what might be going on and but I do think having, like, just more awareness on, okay, that this is helping what? What fundamental issue is it helping to address? Is a useful conversation. Again, you can say everything's chronic inflammation, but specifically for some of these kids, yeah, it's chronic inflammation, but as you mentioned, it's because of huge gut issues and gut dysbiosis. Other kids, it's more of a toxicity that's causing that state of chronic inflammation. Others, it's just like a dysregulated nervous system, perhaps from a number of things, including mold exposure, et cetera. So that's where it can get complicated in terms of all the possibilities, but just having a sense for your child what might be going on, what clues do you have of what's creating this more dysregulated state. That's why it's so powerful to be able to work with a practitioner like yourself who can help you piece it together exactly.
Dr. David Berger 19:08
And it's a great tool. You know, it's not the only tool. It's not gonna be for everybody. I've had one kid who even on CBD freaked out. We don't know why, every every one of these types of cannabinoids did not go well, but the nice thing is that you don't do it the next day and you get a reset button. A reset button. So, you know, that's why I'm comfortable kind of pushing the limits with it, because it's not something that lingers, or it's not like a lot of the SSRIs that you need a couple weeks to even know what you got in the first place. And you can't just stop it, right? You know? You can't just stop this, you know. So that's nice.
Len Arcuri 19:38
Is it fair to say, though, that the majority of the patients you've had have responded favorably in some way to having this worked in
Dr. David Berger 19:46
Yeah, very much. So very high percentage of success rate, I would honestly put it probably at 75 to 80% in terms of seeing something meaningful happen. And it's very nice. And kind of the cool thing is, when. Of the best side effects of the main side effects of cannabis is reduction of other medications, whether it's inflammatory medications, whether, you know, obviously, on the pans, pandas, type of side of things, and reducing a lot of those types of things. But also even the psych medicines, the number of kids who I've seen who have been successfully able to be reduced or taken off of respira or the Add medications, or the SSRIs, it's, it's quite common. You know, what I tell parents is, don't make that the first thing that you're going to do, get your kid as stabilized as you can, get the maximum that you know, out of the cannabis, and then we can start weaning back. Because one of my other core philosophies is, don't make more than one change at a time. So you don't want to stop something while you're starting something, because that's two changes you that's two changes. I tell parents, if you want your kid off it, stop it before you start the cannabis, so that you know what just happened. But as long as you make one change at a time, you give yourself a few days to observe, you can't really get in trouble with this stuff in terms of hurting somebody. Yeah, got it, great.
Len Arcuri 20:58
And then high level, and I know you touched on sleep. But if you had to identify like a top three, top three issues or behaviors or situations that you found that are really good fits for this approach, sleep, I'm guessing is one of them,
Dr. David Berger 21:14
sleep would be one, anxiety slash panic slash that, hyper excitability, I probably would say too. And then for some of the kids, also gut pain, because, you know, it's also anti inflammatory for the gut, and other discomforts that they may have. You know, one of the challenges that we've known for a long time with people, especially if they have not if they're nonverbal, is a lot of times the behaviors that they're acting out there may be a physical situation that's going on for them, but they can't express themselves, so they manifest it with behaviors. So obviously, if there is some inflammation that's causing pain, it could be potentially helpful there, too. Yeah, and let's face it, it can increase appetite, you know? So if I some of my picky eaters or low eaters, mean, we know that that's a side effect of marijuana, even the munchies, but some kids, I can get a really, in fact, a really good effect on them, and just be more open to trying new foods or eating more food.
Len Arcuri 22:04
Oh, I'm sure many ears are perking up as you're talking about that, because that's that's something I never really
Dr. David Berger 22:10
thought of, and that probably is more the THC
Len Arcuri 22:14
side, right, right, right, right. But in terms of whether you're providing a product that has THC or not, is there any guidance, any any use cases that you
Dr. David Berger 22:23
can share? Yeah, well, first and foremost, I always would do THC last, and I would exhaust all of the other cannabinoids before I introduce my kid to THC. Okay, so, you know, I typically start with a CBD as a basic start, and then again. But then I'm also asking, like, what are the other symptoms? Because CBD can take care of every symptom. Okay, so I got done, but let's start the CBD. But if sleep is still an issue, if that was an issue, then we'll next bring in the CBN. If behaviors, calmness, you know that type of thing, irritability is the is the issue that's still remnant, then I would start with the CBG, next. So it's kind of like all of those things. Now, if I have a kid who's about to be institutionalized or, like, being taken away from there, or they, you know, the parents can't handle it anymore. There's been times where I've given THC on the early side of things, just because I want to keep the kid at home and not institutionalized. But that's the very exception, not the rule for it. But it's also good to and why it's important to work with somebody, because, you know, the amount of milligrams to start with for any of these products, the amount of milligrams to jump on, that's going to be individualized, that based upon the person you know. Some kids are more sensitive than others. Obviously, none of these kids have been exposed to cannabinoids for the most part, anyway, so you have to approach that a little differently, like most people you know, taking some vitamin C already before you give them vitamin C. So you kind of need to, you know, really know about that. And then another really important thing to understand about the other main active ingredient in these plants, besides cannabinoids, are what are called terpenes. So terpenes are not intoxicating, but they have different effects. There are certain terpenes that are more calming, certain ones that are better for pain, certain ones that are better for inflammation, certain ones that are better for sleep. So not just getting a product, but knowing what the other ingredients are in the terpenes can make all the difference in the world. Now, people have heard about things that in the cannabis world, like sativas versus indicas, and they and sativas are often thought of as more stimulating, and Indigos are thought of as being more sedating, although at least one in 20 people will tell me the exact opposite happened for them, and it's not. It's but, you know, I mean, I guess you could also say that's true for how Ritalin works or how SSRIs work, but it's so individualized and so but these terpenes can make a difference too. Because if you give some somebody, one that's really good for attention and focus during the day and energy during the day, and you give them a nighttime you can induce insomnia. So, so that can be or on the opposite, if you have something that's really calming during the calming but maybe it's. Too common. We don't want to keep falling asleep in class either. So you really have to know how to utilize these different products and how to titrate them in order to get the best chance of success.
Len Arcuri 25:11
Yeah, and that's why I'm really excited about having this conversation. Because, you know, if a parent's heard about this and they're aware of it, I mean, you can go to a grocery store and there's CBD products out there that you can sure you can add and then see what happens. But again, it's just like everything else within particularly autism. It's so individualized that you know, in order to use something like this, well, the precision really, really doesn't matter.
Dr. David Berger 25:36
Yeah. And another thing to realize, because they are herbs and they're not regulated. This is a very, very buyer beware situation because of things like pesticides. The plant itself, the herb, the roots itself, actually gathers heavy metals. In fact, you know, it gathers radiation. They planted it around Chernobyl afterwards to reduce the community's exposure. So making sure that you're using products that have every single batch tested for impurities and for accuracy and labeling. And what I tell people to do, if it's not listed right on their website of the company, ask to see the last three certificates of analysis, or look back at their last three. And so a you can see how often they're testing for you know, if they've done three tests in the last seven months a year, they're checking if one's from like 1947 I'm kidding, but you know, well, you know, from years apart, or they won't give you that information in the first place. I'd be very hesitant to trust that kind of company. But you know, the good companies are checking every
Len Arcuri 26:39
batch, right? And what do you ask for a certificate of what?
Dr. David Berger 26:43
Certificate of analysis, of analysis. This is like when they said they should be sending it out to a third party for retesting, for the metals, the plastics, the pesticides, all of that. But also it should say the terpenes that are on there, what percentages and as well as all those different cannabinoids by by milligrams per or percentage, depending on how they're presenting it. So you want to know that you're getting what you get. Because, I mean, like, you know, getting things off of the street, obviously we know all the problems, let alone before fentanyl became a problem. And so there's a very Buyer beware. When people are buying it at grocery stores and gas stations, etc, you have no idea what you're getting, because they're not required to report the certificates of analysis. It's just the educated consumer should know to look for it.
Len Arcuri 27:28
Yep, yeah, that's, that's wise advice, especially since the first step that for parents in terms of what's going to help your child is make sure you're not inadvertently giving your child poison, right, something that's toxic, even if it's got a benefit, I mean, just to be more conscious of what's in whatever you're, you're, you're providing to your child. And that brings me to like, especially since you know my son, you know I've been going to conferences, autism conferences, ever since my son was diagnosed in 2008 and it was interesting, because all these conferences, and there have been a number over the years, but cannabis was never mentioned until like 2017 all sudden, I went to a conference, and it was, it was all cannabis, different vendors, because it was, it was in Colorado. It's where it was kind of exploding at the time. And I just thought that was really noteworthy. So there's a lot of vendors, a lot of people who have options here, and the key is to be discerning. But I've also found it interesting that since around that time, I haven't really seen it at conferences anymore, it's almost like it popped up, it became really big, and then it disappeared. Why is that? Is it just because of how complicated it is from state to state?
Dr. David Berger 28:38
Well, when you're talking about purely hemp derived CBD products, not much of an issue. Obviously, the THC is a very different thing because of the besides the fact that, obviously, it's a controlled substance that's, you know, hasn't been declassified or rescheduled, and so that there's that aspect of it. But of course, every state has its own rules, its own law. So it's obviously, you know, while recreational is not available for anybody who's a child, you know, there are some states who have medical for THC, and some that don't, you know, the even carrying it across state lines, and, you know, things like that. So there it is, because of the legality of it and the fact that the government hasn't moved to ease this which, and we've been hearing for a while that they said Biden said they was going to do it. It was talk a few months ago under the Trump administration, no one's done it. And it kind of seems to me one of the least controversial, or maybe I should say, most bipartisan things that are out there. I really don't see much of a partisan difference, you know, in terms of approval and people who are willing to use it. You know, people want to help their kids. You know, again, that's different from recreational, right?
Len Arcuri 29:53
Absolutely. So you're not seeing any positive headwinds based on a new administration. It seems like it's still something. Of us not getting much attention.
Dr. David Berger 30:01
Like I haven't heard anything. There's more talk during Biden and then he didn't do it. But I've heard very, very little. I mean, Trump, Trump mentioned it, like, four or five months ago favorably, but, you know, nothing happened after that.
Len Arcuri 30:12
Got it. Got it. And so I think, in terms of the awareness, making parents aware of this option, putting it more on the radar as what is it? How it works, how it helps. I know you've been giving a lot of thought to that lately, so I believe you have a book coming out relatively soon. Can you talk about that
Dr. David Berger 30:29
a little bit? Yeah, well, the book that I have that's coming out, it's called Making healthy kids from preconception to infancy and beyond. And actually, I'm not going to be very much going into cannabis on that, but this is more of the more global of what we are talking about, certainly at autism conferences forever. But like you know, autism, as you I'm sure know, has always been like the canary in the coal mine, where we find things and discover things and people with autism, and then we expand it out to other populations. But it is very, very clear now that toxic chemical exposures combined with poor nutrition combined with genetics is a trio that's really messing some people up. Okay, and obviously our genetics we can't fix. But even though we believe epigenetics and we obviously have our genetic hacks like MTHFR, treating with methylfolate and and things like that. But you know, the one of the things that we absolutely can control is making sure we have good vitamin D, zinc levels, gut microbiome and correcting for those. And how do we minimize the amount of toxic exposures that we're that we're getting? You know, whether it's the metals, whether it's the plastic, the phthalates, the microplastics, you know, all of those are things that can be minimized, if you just know what the exposures are. Now, one of the things that we are also doing as part of P to i being preconception to infancy, the ecosystem that we are developing and launching now will build over the next year, we are going to be having lab tests available where people can do through urine and blood testing to check for every one of those toxic chemicals, not just the categories, but them individually. And building a database that would actually is looking to be global, that people, depending on where they live, may have a better understanding of what, where that particular toxin is coming from, or this particular toxins are coming from, or just in general, what are you eating? You know, are you, you know, obviously, on the pesticides thing. Are you eating conventional strawberries that suck up the pesticides like nobody's business, as opposed to organic. So once you know what the toxic chemical is, then you can talk about how to minimize the exposure while you're also optimizing by doing things like MTHFR and glutathione, you know, systems and acetyl cysteine. What are the things that we could do to make ourselves detoxify better? Right? Improve that while we decrease the toxic exposures. That's huge. So we are actually in the process of this is a global thing. It's going to be Dr led, actually, former assistant surgeon general and former president of American College of OBGYN and her protege, are actually the three other doctors who are working on this with me, and this even as a case in point Puerto Rico, where there's a one in five chance 20% of having a pre term birth. Rest of America, it's 10% which is still too high. Just by getting there these women's P for 5000 patients, and telling them what the toxins are and how to how to minimize them, with no other intervention, reduce the preterm birth rate from 20% to 10% in a five year period, you know. And obviously, what we know for every kids who go to the ICU, and all the things and the extra antibiotics and all the every sensory stimulation and all the things that happen to those youngest and smallest of children. So, yeah, we're building this entire ecosystem up. The book will be out in my should be out at the end of the spring, but also just the fact that, I mean, we're also making, like completely pure tested baby foods in glass without the tops that have the plastic on it, to baby clothing without without flame retardants, to safe sleeping materials with natural fibers and bamboo frames, and, you know, proper air filtration and water filtration and all of that, because we realized that the only way that we're going to save this planet is by making healthy kids, right? Our generation. We're screwed. We're we've been exposed to this stuff for too long. But what can we do for the next generation, which then gives birth the generation after that? So that's kind of like what my, my big time project is about. Oh, that's
Len Arcuri 34:37
that's phenomenal. And, yeah, no, ultimately, it is as simple as right, become aware of what's going on, and there's a lot of things you could do to play defense. Right? It takes effort, it's inconvenient, but there's so much you can do to play defense with better data. You can definitely pinpoint your efforts on what your child may need most. And again. Really got to be more precise with what you're doing. So all those things, I love that your book is more comprehensive, because that is the roadmap that parents need. And again, how does medical cannabis fit in there? Okay, well, then great that we've had this conversation, and I'm sure that'll be touched on in your book. But if parents do want to find out more about the initiative that you mentioned, or to reach out to you about your practice. Where can they go?
Dr. David Berger 35:24
Yeah, so P to i, dot health is the website for P to I, my own website, which is holistic, holistic family care.com. That's the practice, but Dr, David MD. Dr David md.com, is my personal website, and I do a lot of work on YouTube. I have about 800 videos up now, and so it's Dr David like, Dr David MD. If you just Google, Dr David MD, or put into YouTube, you'll find it so like and subscribe, but you'll see that I have like, you know, topic, everything that we've talked about today in a lot more detail, and a lot of other topics that we didn't get to cover today are all in those videos.
Len Arcuri 36:04
All right, wonderful. Well, Dr David Berger, I really appreciate you taking the time shed light on this topic, and again, I'll include everything that you mentioned in the show notes and wishing you great success on your initiatives. There nothing's more important. Thank you. I do appreciate it. Your child needs you running on all cylinders now, and the fastest way to rise is with personalized one on one. Support. Get started today. Go to elevatehowyounavigate.com.
