Mom
Fight Flu Fear! 5 Points for Parents to Consider
1. As things stand now, the vast majority of children who develop flu-like symptoms this Fall will have a few miserable days, and nothing more. And those days are best spent at home–not in the ER or a doctor’s office. 2. If you are worried, call Dr. O first. Don’t take your child in to the ER without calling. Two reasons: Your child may not have H1N1 but could become exposed by being around sick children. And after several hours …
Flu Update
Print this Article As the school year shifts into high gear, many children are out sick with the FLU! According to the CDC records, Georgia is one of the hardest hit states. Jacksonville also has had its fair share with the Influenza H1N1 strain “The Swine Flu”. But don’t panic! Stay calm and just follow the universal precautions of infection control, such as frequent hand washing, not touching your mouth, eyes or nose, and avoiding crowded public places with infants …
The Seasonal and Swine Flu: Vaccinate for Both
Print this Article I have been reading the latest information on the seasonal flu and the swine or H1N1 flu every day. This has been the first stressful flu season for me in my 16 years of being in practice. It has been quite confusing to health care providers because of what has been reported in the media in terms of when and how much of the H1N1 vaccine will be distributed by the government and who will get it …
DO VACCINES CAUSE AUTISM?
Print this Article A letter I recently received from the mother of a patient got me thinking about vaccines and the debate over whether certain vaccines somehow play a role in causing autism. The vaccine-autism controversy offers many examples of how our current culture sometimes distorts the scientific approach to medicine in favor of untested holistic approaches. Many researchers, most notably from the University of Pittsburgh, have published an extensive number of articles emphasizing that autism may be traced to …
New Year’s Resolutions: Getting Your Kids Active!
Print this Article As we enter the New Year, people often think of what their New Year’s resolution should be. Sure, many adults make the resolution to exercise more and eat better, but what about those same resolutions for their children? The rate of obesity has reached epidemic proportions for America’s children and adolescents. As of 2006, 15% of the pediatric population was overweight, with that percentage rapidly climbing (Evans, Renaud, Finkelstein, Kamerow, and Brown, 2006). Obesity puts the patient …
The Advantages of Breastfeeding
Print this Article Preparing for a new baby is an extremely exciting and busy time for expectant moms. During this time, it is often when mothers-to-be decide how they are going to feed their new baby. Many different factors have to be addressed when deciding whether to breastfeed or use commercially prepared formula. This article addresses why breastfeeding is the optimal form of infant nutrition and hopefully will answer common questions and concerns new mothers may have about breastfeeding. …
Pediatric Allergies – A Primer for Parents
Print this Article You’re allergic to peanuts and your wife gets the sniffles from pollen, so now the question is will your children also have allergies? There is a very good chance they will. A family history of allergies is the single most important factor that predisposes a person to develop allergic disease. If one parent has allergic disease, the estimated risk of the child to develop allergies is 48%; the child’s risk grows to 70% if both parents have …
Allergies or Just a Cold?
As the fall season approaches and kids head back to school, runny nose, cough, and nasal congestion become commonplace in both children and adults. Colds run rampant during this time of the year, but there is always the possibility that the same symptoms could be caused by seasonal (fall) allergies. Here are several questions whose answers can help you tell the difference: 1. How long have the symptoms lasted? Cold symptoms generally last from seven to 10 days, with symptoms …