One of the most common questions we hear from families in our practice is: "Do you know a pediatrician who will respect our choices?"
It shouldn't be hard to find a doctor who listens. But for many families in the Marietta and greater Atlanta area, it is. Parents who want to delay, space out, or selectively choose which interventions their child receives are often met with resistance, judgment, or even dismissal from their pediatrician's office.
That's not healthcare. That's pressure. And it's the opposite of informed consent.
We put this guide together because our families asked for it. Every provider on this list was recommended by real families in the North Atlanta community — parents who have personally had positive experiences with these practices supporting their right to choose.
Community-Recommended Providers by Location
The following providers have been recommended by families in our community who have had firsthand experience with these practices honoring parental choice. We've organized them by area to help you find someone close to home.
Alpharetta Pediatrics
By far the most recommended practice in our community. Multiple families have shared positive experiences with Alpharetta Pediatrics supporting parental choice, including delayed and selective schedules. Families have specifically praised Dr. Stokes. Note: they are a popular practice and can fill up quickly, so plan ahead. Woman-owned practice.
Phone: (770) 664-4430
Visit Their Website →Explore Health and Wellness / Explore Pediatrics
Highly recommended by multiple families. Explore Pediatrics has been praised for having wonderful nurse practitioners whose practice policy reflects a pro-parent's-choice approach. Families have specifically recommended NP Nicole Edwin. Located right off Lower Roswell Road.
Phone: (470) 381-1787
Visit Their Website →Greater Atlanta Integrative Pediatrics
Formerly known as The M Center. This integrative practice takes a whole-child approach and has been praised by multiple families for supporting whatever the family feels is best for each individual child. Families and local practitioners have spoken highly of their staff and philosophy.
Phone: (404) 751-3693
Visit Their Website →Dr. Tina Vothang — Wellstar Pediatrics East Cobb
Described as one of the most supportive pediatric doctors by a parent of three teenagers. Board-certified pediatrician praised for being genuinely supportive and respectful of families' individual choices over the course of 11+ years of care.
Phone: (770) 578-2868
View Provider Profile →Dr. Caroline Miller — Healthy Steps Pediatrics
Families have reported being able to do both delayed and unbundled schedules with Dr. Miller. Described as wonderful and supportive of parental choice.
Phone: (678) 384-3480
Visit Their Website →PAMPA Pediatrics (Pediatric & Adolescent Medicine, P.A.)
Families have shared that this practice was accommodating of parents who wanted to take a different approach with their children's schedule. Multiple locations across North Atlanta including Marietta, Roswell, and Woodstock.
Phone: (770) 973-4700
Visit Their Website →Kennesaw Pediatrics
A go-to recommendation for families who couldn't find a supportive practice closer to home. Families have specifically recommended Dr. Hill and NP Carrie Maggie. About a 20-minute drive from East Cobb.
Phone: (770) 429-1005
Visit Their Website →Peach Blossom Pediatrics
A concierge-based (Direct Primary Care) pediatric model, which typically allows for more individualized care and longer appointment times. Concierge practices often provide more flexibility around scheduling and treatment preferences.
Phone: (470) 203-0006
Visit Their Website →All God's Children Pediatrics (AGC Pediatrics)
A faith-based Christian pediatric practice serving the children of North Georgia since 2003. Recommended by families who are willing to make the drive for a practice that aligns with their values. Provides care for newborns through 21 years of age.
Phone: (706) 625-5900
Visit Their Website →Dr. Robert Licata — Pediatric Associates
Described as "amazing" by families who chose to space out interventions and delay certain ones. Board-certified pediatrician with 20+ years of experience. Completely supportive and comfortable with individualized family decisions.
Phone: (770) 993-2922
View Provider Profile →Medical Freedom & Informed Consent Matter More Than Ever
We believe in medical freedom. Every parent has the God-given, legal, and moral right to make medical decisions for their child. That includes the right to ask questions, request more time, choose an individualized schedule, or decline any medical intervention entirely. This is not a fringe position — it is the foundation of informed consent, the bedrock of ethical medicine, and the cornerstone of medical freedom.
What many families don't realize is that there has never been a peer-reviewed, double-blind, placebo-controlled study on the current childhood schedule as it is administered today. Individual products are studied in isolation during trials, but the combined schedule — the way it is actually given to children in a pediatrician's office, with multiple interventions at once — has never been tested in a true gold-standard clinical trial against a fully unvaccinated control group.
That's not an opinion. It's a fact. And it's a reasonable basis for any parent to want to proceed more cautiously.
The Fever Reducer Question
Here's something else most parents aren't told: giving Tylenol (acetaminophen) or other fever reducers before or after a pediatric visit works against your child's natural immune response.
Fever is not a malfunction. It is your body's intelligent, God-designed defense mechanism. When the immune system encounters a foreign substance, it raises the body's temperature intentionally — because most pathogens cannot survive in an elevated-temperature environment. Fever activates white blood cells, accelerates immune signaling, and helps the body mount a faster, stronger defense.
When you suppress that fever with acetaminophen, you are suppressing the very immune response that the body needs to do its job. Multiple studies have shown that giving fever reducers can blunt the body's ability to mount an appropriate immune response. If the whole point is to train the immune system, why would we chemically shut down the immune system's primary mechanism for doing that work?
What to Ask Before You Choose a Provider
Finding the right provider means asking the right questions upfront. Here are the questions we recommend every family ask during an introductory call or first visit:
"Do you support parents who choose a delayed or alternative schedule?"
This is the most important question. Listen carefully to how they respond. A supportive provider will say yes without hesitation or qualification. If they say "we strongly recommend..." or "we require..." — that tells you what you need to know.
"Will you dismiss our family from the practice if we choose a different schedule?"
Some practices have policies that require families to follow the standard CDC schedule or face dismissal. It's better to know this upfront than to discover it at a visit.
"Are you willing to administer one at a time rather than bundling?"
If your child has a reaction, you need to know exactly what caused it. A provider who supports you should be willing to work with you on spacing and timing.
"What is your position on informed consent?"
The right provider will welcome this question. They will view you as an active, informed participant in your child's healthcare — not a box to be checked.
"Do you routinely recommend fever reducers, and are you open to discussing alternatives?"
This gives you insight into their overall philosophy. A provider who understands the body's natural intelligence will be more likely to align with your values on other decisions as well.
Frequently Asked Questions
Is it legal in Georgia to choose a delayed or alternative schedule?
Yes. Georgia law allows parents to file exemptions for medical, religious, or philosophical reasons. Medical freedom is protected in this state. Every parent in Georgia has the legal right to make these decisions for their child. You do not need your pediatrician's permission — you need a provider who respects your decision.
Why do you recommend introducing one at a time?
When multiple products are administered at the same visit, it becomes nearly impossible to identify which one caused a reaction if your child has one. Introducing one at a time allows you to monitor your child's response to each individual product, gives the immune system time to process, and gives you the information you need to make informed decisions going forward.
Why shouldn't I give my child Tylenol before or after a pediatric visit?
Fever is the body's natural immune response — it's how the immune system signals that it's doing its job. Acetaminophen suppresses that fever response, which can blunt the immune system's ability to respond effectively. If the goal is for the immune system to learn and adapt, suppressing its primary mechanism for doing that is counterproductive. Talk to your provider about whether fever management is truly necessary, or whether supporting the body's natural process is the better approach.
Has the full childhood schedule ever been tested in a double-blind, placebo-controlled trial?
No. Individual products are studied during their own approval process, but the combined schedule — as it is actually administered to children, with multiple products at single visits — has never been tested in a true double-blind, placebo-controlled study against a fully unvaccinated control group. This is a well-documented gap in the research, and it is a reasonable basis for parents to proceed with caution.
How does chiropractic care support the immune system?
The nervous system directly controls and regulates the immune system. Spinal misalignments (subluxations) can create interference in that communication, causing the immune system to overreact, underreact, or function below its capacity. Chiropractic adjustments remove that interference so the nervous system — and therefore the immune system — can function optimally. This is why many families who start chiropractic care report improvements in their child's overall health and resilience.
How do I know if a provider truly supports medical freedom?
Call ahead and ask directly. A provider who truly supports medical freedom will not pressure you, will not require you to follow a specific schedule, and will not dismiss your family from the practice for making different choices. Trust your instincts — if a provider makes you feel judged or rushed, they are not the right fit for your family.
What does "medical freedom" mean to United Chiropractic?
Medical freedom means that every family has the right to make informed healthcare decisions without coercion, pressure, or judgment. It means your doctor works for you, not the other way around. It means informed consent is non-negotiable. And it means we will always support your right to ask questions, take your time, and choose what is best for your child — because that is your God-given responsibility as a parent.
Why Chiropractic Families Think Differently About Health
Families who choose chiropractic care tend to approach health from a fundamentally different starting point. Instead of asking "What's wrong and how do we suppress the symptoms?" — they ask "How do we help the body function the way it was designed to?"
That's the same question behind every decision in this guide. When you understand that the human body was created with an extraordinary capacity for health, healing, and self-regulation, you start making different decisions. You ask more questions. You take more time. You trust the body's intelligence. And you seek providers who share that perspective.
The nervous system is the master controller of every function in the human body — including the immune system. When the spine is properly aligned and the nervous system is free of interference, the body's immune response works the way God designed it to. That's not theory. That's physiology.
At United Chiropractic, we don't tell families what to do. We educate, we support, and we help ensure that the nervous system — the system that controls everything else — is functioning at its best. When the nervous system works well, the body works well. It's that simple.
"Your child was fearfully and wonderfully made. Every parent has the right — and the responsibility — to make informed decisions about their child's health. We will always support families in that."