In this episode, I sit down with Dr. Erick Galindo, a pediatrician from Guadalajara, Mexico, whose approach to caring for children has evolved dramatically over his 20+ years in practice. After beginning as a traditional pediatrician focused on sick visits, vaccines, and growth charts, Dr. Galindo's discovery of the importance of tongue ties and oral function launched him down a rabbit hole that fundamentally changed how he sees his patients. Today, he works closely with dentists, orthodontists, myofunctional therapists, chiropractors, and other specialists to understand the whole child from their very first breath.
The conversation covers why standard pediatric screening protocols omit airway and breathing assessments, how the current medical system prevents physicians from spending meaningful diagnostic time with patients, and what a truly comprehensive pediatric consultation looks like - from pregnancy and birth history through craniofacial evaluation, posture analysis, and nervous system regulation.
Dr. Galindo shares powerful patient stories, including a one-month-old with fascial tension and a 12-year-old with chronic bedwetting linked to craniofacial dysfunction, illustrating how early detection and interdisciplinary care can change a child's entire health trajectory. The discussion closes with a deeply personal reflection on what it will take to transform pediatric medicine, not just systemically, but by reconnecting with our shared humanity.
**Timestamps**
0:00 — **Cold Open**
Dr. Galindo highlights how young children are losing interdental space and why snoring is a late-stage sign of airway dysfunction.
0:38 — **Introduction**
Dr. Mike introduces the episode and Dr. Galindo's background, from traditional pediatrics to a holistic, interdisciplinary approach focused on breathing, sleep, and craniofacial development.
3:22 — **Connecting Through Social Media**
How an Instagram connection over a white paper review brought the two doctors together, and the power of social media to educate and empower patients.
5:16 — **From Traditional to Transformational**
Dr. Galindo shares his career journey from conventional pediatric training in Mexico City to a transformative discovery of the importance of tongue ties, oral function, and breathing.
9:43 — **Seeing Patients Differently**
The fear and excitement of learning new things mid-career, how early intervention with infants can prevent cascading dysfunction, and the emotional impact on families when their child's trajectory is changed.
17:42 — **The Pediatric Screening Gap**
Dr. Mike walks through the AAP's recommended well-child screening list and highlights what's glaringly missing.
29:47 — **Breaking Free from the System**
How private practice and opting out of insurance allows Dr. Galindo to spend 45–60 minutes per visit, and why conventional medicine's "prescribe and see what happens" model is losing ground.
40:20 — **Inside the Consultation Room**
A detailed walkthrough of what a first visit looks like.
43:31 — **The Power of Bodywork**
Why Dr. Galindo considers bodyworkers (chiropractors, craniosacral therapists, OTs, PTs) essential collaborators, and how fascial tension, torticollis, and container baby syndrome impact feeding, breathing, and nervous system regulation.
56:50 — **Screen Time & Modern Parenting**
The compounding effects of screen addiction, poor feeding practices, pacifier overuse, and lack of movement on children's neurodevelopment and sleep, and why being healthy has become a privilege.
1:04:24 — **Colleague Pushback & Professional Isolation**
Dr. Galindo's candid account of feeling isolated from his pediatric peers, facing skepticism and ego-driven resistance, and finding kinship instead with dental specialists and bodyworkers.
1:08:10 — **Changing Trajectories: Outcomes & Early Detection**
How treating root causes rather than symptoms leads to children tapering off ADHD medications, and why early detection matters more than chasing outcomes for already-complex cases.
1:16:37 — **Reconnecting with Our Humanity**
Dr. Galindo's deeply personal answer to how we change the system: by reconnecting with what makes us human, trusting our instincts, and finding the inspiration to keep learning and growing.
1:23:17 — **Closing & Contact Info**
Final thoughts and how to connect with Dr. Galindo on Instagram.
1:26:26 — **Outro**
Closing remarks and information on The Doc Podcast resources, CE courses, and community.
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