Today we’d like to introduce you to Dr. Tamika Bush.
Dr. Bush, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I am a well respected board-certified Holistic Integrative Pediatrician, Nationally Recognized Speaker, 3 times Best Selling Author, Consultant, and Mother to a beautiful and vibrant four-year-old daughter. I graduated in the top 5% of my class from Kansas City University of Medicine and Biosciences and went on to further pursue training in holistic pediatrics.
Many ask what exactly is a Holistic Pediatrician? As a holistic pediatrician, I blend conventional pediatrics with functional medicine. I use a holistic approach to wellness to help your child thrive!! I blend holistic plant-based nutrition, essential oils, herbal medicine, homeopathy and osteopathy. By using a whole body approach to wellness I have helped thousands of parents help get to the root cause of their children’s health concerns ranging from frequent colds, ear infections, asthma, eczema to even chronic illnesses such as Autism and ADHD.
I have been published in Medscape, BlackDoctor.org, Parents magazine and on numerous well-known media and radio outlets across the nation. I recently released one of my Best-Selling books entitled “Common Germs and Supernatural Cures: A Parent’s Guide to Keeping Your Children Happy and Healthy Naturally. It gives my own favorite recipes, essential oils, herbs and nutritional supplements to common childhood conditions. Many of these I use on many of my families in my practice and my own daughter as well!!
Working for many years as a general pediatrician I started to see the need for parents wanting more for their children. In medicine, we were taught to treat symptoms such as fever and pain with over the counter medicines such as Tylenol and Motrin. However, it only covered the symptom up like a “band-aid” and was short lived and then the fever would return and the child would still be sick for days on end.
Many parents in my practice became frustrated wanting more to help heal their children and to keep them healthy without the dreaded side effects of many of the over the counter and prescription medications. I thought to myself if I could somehow offer my families a natural treatment to reducing the fever without side effects, while also allowing their own child’s natural immune defense to work in the process- I wanted to find that option. I began to pursue other avenues for natural healing, including herbal remedies, osteopathy (the study of promoting the body to learn to heal itself), homeopathy (using natural remedies to stimulate the bodies to own healing), and essential oils.
I realized that there were other alternative safe, holistic and all-natural methods to fight the most common conditions in childhood. After giving birth to my daughter my dream became more of a reality, and my passion grew even stronger towards holistic healing.
My daughter has a chronic medical condition known as Sickle Cell disease. The disease has to be passed down from a gene from both parents. For many who are not aware Sickle Cell disease is a blood disorder diagnosed at birth in which there is an abnormality in the production of red blood cells.
The defect in the blood cells causes chronic anemia, bone pain, increased risk of infections and can also lead to strokes and death if left untreated. Unfortunately, the only treatment is a bone marrow transplant. Many children and adults with Sickle Cell Disease suffer from repeated hospital admissions, narcotic drug dependence from bone pain, and other illnesses secondary to the condition or even as result of the side effects of the medications used to treat Sickle Cell Disease
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I knew then that I had to make some changes and that this was not going to be the future for my daughter. After starting the medications for sickle cell disease my daughter began to feel worse instead of better, and I began to see her experience many of the side effects of the medications that had been prescribed to her at the tender age of 2. I began to use many of the holistic treatments from my training to help bring health and vitality back to my own daughter.
I have been successful in not only keeping her healthy and happy naturally, but she has also been without hospitalizations and blood transfusions for the last 2 years. Then my Aha moment came!! I needed to share my story and my knowledge as a holistic pediatrician with other mothers and families just like me!! I wanted to give back to other children what my daughter was given back to her–joy, creativity and health to once again thrive and live her best life yet. I became not only an advocate for Sickle Cell disease, but I also birthed “Pure G Kids Consulting” a concierge holistic consulting service for families.
I provide virtual and in-home consultations to treat many of my patients from their very own home. I know what its like to be a mom or a parent who works full time and taking time off work to take your child into the doctor. I also know what its like to be a stay at home parent and having to juggle multiple children to the doctor’s office just to get one of them seen. Better yet one child gets sick, and unfortunately, they all get sick. It can be exhausting, and there just is not enough time in the day to do everything. So I wanted to provide quality care to my families at a convenience during a time that works best for them!!
My consultation services provide just that and I am able to give families natural safe choices to help with their child’s illness. I also provide consulting services for children with chronic medical conditions such as ADHD, eczema, asthma and autism. In addition, while also helping to support overall health and immunity to keep their children healthy.
As a mom, I know how important it is to have a healthy thriving family!!! My true passion and purpose in life is keeping children healthy. Because “Healthy Children Lead to Happy Moms”. I can be followed on Facebook, Instagram and Twitter @drtamikapeds. For anyone on Facebook I also have a special community of mothers in which I share natural tips and ideas on natural and holistic living for your family. Mothers can join by going to www.supanaturalmoms.com.
I am accepting new patients currently and anyone who would like a Free 15 min holistic consultation with me and would also like to purchase my best-selling book can do so at my website at www.drtamikapeds.com. I can also be contacted at info@drtamikapeds.com concerning any speaking or media engagements as well.
Overall, has it been relatively smooth? If not, what were some of the struggles along the way?
As a single mother, it has definitely not been a smooth road. The biggest obstacle is a work-life balance. As a mother, you want to be there for your children, whether it is a Valentine’s Party at school to their sports games or a dance recital. I had to make sacrifices to be in the position where I am today and I have no regrets.
Honestly, I am still trying to juggle this thing called life of being a mom and a doctor. However, having my own business gives me more freedom while allowing me to make more time for the things I love and to spend time with my family as well.
Alright – so let’s talk business. Tell us about Pure G Kids Consulting – what should we know?
Pure G Kids Consulting is a concierge Pediatric Holistic medical practice. I provide virtual and in-home consultations to many families for whole body wellness and common childhood conditions. I began from my own frustration as a mom. As a mother, we do it all at times, and life can get overwhelming. However, it is the decisions we make that help to cultivate our families lives as well. Tired of taking time off of work for doctors visits, endless side effects from medications given to my daughter and trying to live life as a mom while juggling a full-time job. I became exhausted and burned out and I thought to myself there has to be something better. I knew that I could not go on doing this every day to the point my own health became affected in the process and still be the best mom I could to my daughter.
In a world that can be busy, and at times even chaotic; as a mom, you just want to have control over something. So why not the health of your child. I wanted to provide services to my families that were not only convenient but also give parents a natural alternative to healing using holistic treatments. When our children are healthy as moms, we are healthy. Parents can set up consultations with me from their very own home and I also provide supplements to be shipped to them as well without needing to leave their home to go pick them up if needed.
Any shoutouts? Who else deserves credit in this story – who has played a meaningful role?
I am a very spiritual person and come from a close-knit family. I was raised in the church as a preachers kid. I give all credit to God above and without Him, my vision, purpose and passion would not be. My family which includes my mother and my brothers have been instrumental in guiding me and giving me strength during my darkest days and hours.
Last but not least my heart beat and my mini-me. My daughter is the reason I live my life and do what I do!! Without her in my life, I would not be living in my purpose. I can honestly say I am truly doing what I have been called to do in my life and because of that, I am able to help so many patients because of her. She is definitely “My WHY? ” I love you A!!
Contact Info:
- Website: www.drtamikapeds.com
- Phone: (832) 497-9429
- Email: info@drtamikapeds.com
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/drtamikapeds
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/drtamikapeds
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/drtamikapeds
Image Credit:
Stacy Pierce Photography
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