Michel Odent, the leading pioneer for natural childbirth, indicates that
the period between conception and a child's first birthday is critical
to lifelong health. In this prophetic book (first published in 1986 and
reproduced here in its original form), the author states that different
parts of the "primal adaptive system" develop, regulate, and adjust
themselves during fetal life and the time around birth and infancy.
"Everything which happens during this period of dependence on the mother
has an influence on this basic state of health, this primal health." He
suggests that the later well-being of adults, their ability to withstand
the "diseases of civilization" such as hypertension, cancer, alcoholism
and failures of the immune system resulting in AIDS, allergies and viral
diseases, can all be traced back to society's ignorance of the vital
importance of the primal period.
Since the first edition of this groundbreaking work, research has
continued apace, offering further evidence to substantiate Odent's
ideas. In the important new Introduction and Postscript, the author
reviews recent developments and relates them to the central themes of
Primal Health.
This book is essential reading for all who care about the health of our
children and the ongoing health of society as a whole.