WHAT IS A MAPS DOCTOR AND WHY SHOULD I HAVE ONE?

MAPS – Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs

 Interview with Dr. David Berger Wholistic Pediatrics and MAPS Physician

The Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs is a group of professionals who offer a Comprehensive Education and Fellowship to Medical Professionals for the care of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders and related Chronic Complex Conditions. Their mission is to prepare medical professionals to deliver the best possible care to children with ASD and other special needs conditions. Under the guidance of Daniel Rossignol MD, FAAFP, this uniquely designed scientific evidence-based course of study is designed by clinicians, for clinicians.

MAPS Physicians are at the forefront of helping families by thoroughly assessing and treating chronic conditions based on science and the needs of each individual that can positively affect one’s quality of life.

I recently had the privilege of catching up with one of the busiest lecturing physicians of MAPS, Dr. David Berger, MD, FAAP. Dr. David is a board-certified pediatrician who specializes in holistic pediatric primary care, nutritional and detoxification therapies.

How can this approach help individuals with Angelman Syndrome?

Dr David – “The approach is an individualized approach. It is about Biochemistry and looking into the body and treating the body as a whole. (The reason he named his practice Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care www.wholisticfamilycare.com) We are also documenting that individuals with Down Syndrome (also a genetic condition) are also improving with Biomedical treatments, so we know that established genetics conditions can benefit from these treatments”.

Dr. David (as he is referred to by his patients) is no stranger to Angelman Syndrome, in fact, he has worked with Dr. Jaime L. Frias (from the Department of Pediatrics, Division of Genetics, University of Florida College of Medicine, co-author of the 1982 paper in the American Journal of Medical Genetics on Angelman Syndrome), he is also my son Nathan’s Pediatrician.

“The individualized approach is simple Biochemistry, Physiology, and Anatomy. Providing practical solutions of treatment. The time spent with each patient is very important. A five-minute consultation cannot treat a patient effectively. A complete evaluation is necessary to find and correct the underlying abnormalities.”

Many of the chronic conditions that individuals with Angelman syndrome can be treated for are; Nutritional deficiencies, metabolic deficiencies, Mitochondria dysfunction, Methylation problems, inflammation, Constipation/diarrhea, illness, ear infections, allergies, sleep disorders, seizures and more. The ability to truly get individuals healthy is what I have found with you and MAPS Doctors. These are treatments that can be done today!

“Yes, you have just described my overall career and the chronic conditions we treat whether it is individuals with Autism, Down Syndrome,  or Angelman Syndrome. The path to healing is like a marathon, I explain to my patients, it is not a sprint. It is a steady process, much like lifting up the hood of a car and checking the engine. We must look inside the individual and evaluate the intestinal track, food digestion, immune system, vitamin/mineral deficiency and toxicity. Some of these tests can be run by regular labs, but other tests require more specialized labs.  Most mainstream doctors do not do these tests. Getting to the cause and correcting the problem is the goal.  The individualized approach helps us do that. Treatments often include dietary changes, nutritional supplements and medications. MAPS will ensure that physicians meet a certain standard so parents can be assured they are receiving evidence-based information for their child.”

Dr. Berger is a Board Certified Pediatrician who specializes in holistic primary care, nutritional and detoxification therapies for autism, ADHD and related disorders, and immune dysregulation such as allergies, asthma and autoimmune disorders. He sees children and adults with these medical conditions. In addition, Dr. Berger works with women and men who wish to do preconception and prenatal counseling, testing and treatments to try and optimize the health of the pregnancy and baby.

He graduated from The Medical College of Pennsylvania in 1994 and did his Pediatric Residency at the University of South Florida. He started using holistic therapies at the Tampa General Hospital/USF Pediatric Clinic during his residency. He has served as the team doctor for Tampa Catholic High School, the Medical Director for a summer camp run by the Tampa AIDS Network, and the Medical Liaison for the Palm Beach County Breast Feeding Task Force. He has been in private practice since 1997, and in 2005 he opened Wholistic Pediatrics in Tampa, Florida. Dr. Berger has been an advanced practitioner of biomedical therapies, advocating the Autism Research Institute philosophy, since 1999. In 2010, Dr. Berger was appointed the position of Assistant Professor at the University of South Florida College of Nursing, and in 2011 he became Vice President of the Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs.

Wholistic Pediatrics and Family Care

MAPS – Medical Academy of Pediatric Special Needs

www.medmaps.org

Locate a MAPS Practitioner at www.medmaps.org/clinician-directory

Parents seek out MAPS professionals because….

-They know their child is being well cared for by well-versed and educated medical professionals at the top in their field.

-MAPS Trained Medical Professionals have undergone intensive CME coursework, based on scientific research to address and treat the medical issues related to Autism and other related disorders.

MAPS welcomes

MD, DO, ND, PA, NP, RN, & LPN

Refer your medical professionals to a MAPS Clinician’s Training Course

For more information:

The Medical Academy
of Pediatric Special Needs
16251 Laguna Canyon Rd, Ste 175
Irvine, CA 92618

Toll Free: 855.447.4200

Tel: 307.213.1400

Fax: 307.213.1401

Email: inquiry@medmaps.org