Children’s health

1,495 articles · Since 2011

Articles, page 29

Your grocery cart on WIC

January 20, 2020Jan 20, 2020

Karen smiled nervously, her swollen belly peeking out from under her stretched silver tank top. Six months pregnant with her first child, the eighteen-year-old had come to the WIC (Women, Infants, and Children) office for help with getting enough to eat. As a medical student with a background in nutrition advocacy and a future in pediatrics, I had asked to observe the WIC enrollment process.

Karen and

…

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Your grocery cart on WIC

Physician voices

Telemedicine overprescribes antibiotics: Are you really receiving the best care over the phone?

Roy Benaroch, MD

January 18, 2020Jan 18, 2020

You’ve seen the ads, and you may have even gotten a flyer in the mail directly from your insurance company. Use an app to make a quick video call to get the medical care you need. No waiting rooms, no appointments, no having to be touched, or even sit in a room with a physician – just the magic of the internet, and you’ll get what you want.

But will you …

Physician voices

After child sexual abuse, being “physically intact” doesn’t tell the whole story

Dr. Nkeiruka U. Orajiaka

January 13, 2020Jan 13, 2020

The recent pardon of a convicted child rapist by the ex-Kentucky Governor has sparked a lot of controversies. The basis of the pardon was- “the victim’s hymen was noted to be physically intact.” Evolving studies have continuously shown that the…

But if physical damage is the only criterion used to assess …

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Physician voices

A patient who touches your heart in unexpected ways

Ann F. Beach, MD

January 11, 2020Jan 11, 2020

I’m a pediatric hospitalist, and I know that most days in the hospital are routine. But every once in a while, a patient pierces through your armor, and touches your heart in totally unexpected ways. Willow did that to me.…

Willow was five days old and had been admitted because her breathing was not quite right. I first met her in her hospital room, with her dad hovering over her bassinet, …

Conditions and diseases

A pediatrician’s 5 ways to curb kid’s digital media consumption

Johanna Vidal Phelan, MD, MBA

January 8, 2020Jan 8, 2020

During the winter months, it's common for many families to spend more time indoors due to colder weather and fewer daylight hours. Unfortunately, children may also end up spending an increased amount of time using electronics to entertain or divert…

During the winter months, it’s common for many families to spend more time indoors due to colder weather and fewer daylight hours.

Unfortunately, children may also end up spending an increased amount of time using electronics to entertain or divert themselves from the dreaded childhood condition commonly known as “boredom.” As parents and caregivers, we must be aware of the time our children are committing to digital media and regularly monitor …

Patient voices

Getting a terminal diagnosis for my baby

Sophia Zilber

January 3, 2020Jan 3, 20205

I knew things weren't right when a nurse called me on my cell phone just a few minutes after she sent me to pump milk in a private room and said that the medical team wants to meet with my…

I knew things weren’t right when a nurse called me on my cell phone just a few minutes after she sent me to pump milk in a private room and said that the medical team wants to meet with my husband and me immediately in a conference room. My suspicions were confirmed when we walked into a conference room and saw a long table full of doctors who all stood …

Physician voices

A physician who has her name butchered on a daily basis

Lisa Sieczkowski, MD

December 27, 2019Dec 27, 20195

“S as in Sam, I, E, C as in Charlie, Z as in zebra, K, O, W, S as in Sam, K, I.” “A, O, W?” “No. K, as in kite. K, O, W.” “Is that your married name?” “Nope.…

“S as in Sam, I, E, C as in Charlie, Z as in zebra, K, O, W, S as in Sam, K, I.”

“A, O, W?”

“No. K, as in kite. K, O, W.”

“Is that your married name?”

“Nope. This is my maiden name. I kept it.”

“What is that? Polish?”

“Yes. Yes, it is.”

“Wow! I definitely wouldn’t have gotten that one right!” Chuckle.

Sigh. Then move on to my next task knowing that this interaction …

Physician voices

How ocean plastic picking made me a better pediatrician

Vi Thuy Nguyen, MD

December 23, 2019Dec 23, 2019

It has been over a month since I started this new hobby. I told my middle-school-aged daughter tonight, “I am going to write a post about how ocean plastic picking has made me a better pediatrician.” She replied, “You mean…

She replied, “You mean better than other pediatricians?”

“No, I mean a better pediatrician than I was before,” I answered in all seriousness. I know where her thoughts were coming from. I have always thought that …

Conditions and diseases

Would you buy a smartphone if it had this warning label?

Jimmy Unger, MD

December 22, 2019Dec 22, 2019

Imagine if every “device” (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) had the following warning label: This device is not intended for any individuals under the age of 16. Purchasers of this device frequently cite their child's "safety" as a reason for their…

Imagine if every “device” (smartphone, tablet, laptop, etc.) had the following warning label:

This device is not intended for any individuals under the age of 16. Purchasers of this device frequently cite their child’s “safety” as a reason for their purchase. Prospective purchasers, upon reading this warning, may feel otherwise.

Use of this device in early childhood has been associated with delayed language acquisition.

This device has been linked to emotional dysregulation in …

Patient voices

Patients with severe autism: medical and dental care in the community

Irene Tanzman

December 13, 2019Dec 13, 2019

The pediatrician kept on telling me that everything was fine. What could possibly be wrong? His motor skills were right on time, if not a little early. He even had emerging problem-solving skills. He did things like push a chair up to a shelf to climb up and get what he wanted. Three decades later, he still does clever things that make me question why he is so impaired.

Unfortunately, there …

Physician voices

Misogyny in this physician’s medical career

Cristina Carballo-Perelman, MD

December 6, 2019Dec 6, 201917

As a woman physician, practicing for over 31 years, I have faced many misogynistic occurrences as well as misperceptions about my career choice. This blatant devaluation of women within medicine may be similar to what other women have had or continue to face daily. At large, these experiences resulted in a journey not always easy, nor welcomed, but in the end, accepted for the maturity obtained.

My hope is that by …

Conditions and diseases

Mindfulness training should start as soon as kids can grasp the concept

Heather Krantz, MD

December 3, 2019Dec 3, 2019

An excerpt from Mind Bubbles: Exploring mindfulness with kids. I am not a pediatrician. My training as an OB/GYN taught me to care for mothers-to-be and bring their babies safely into the world—and then hand them over to the waiting…

An excerpt from Mind Bubbles: Exploring mindfulness with kids.

I am not a pediatrician. My training as an OB/GYN taught me to care for mothers-to-be and bring their babies safely into the world—and then hand them over to the waiting pediatrician. I am also a mom and mindfulness teacher, however, and have thought long and hard over recent years about when the optimal time is to start teaching mindfulness. …

Physician voices

“How are you doing?” A simple question with a big impact.

Johanna Vidal Phelan, MD, MBA

November 17, 2019Nov 17, 2019

From October 25 to October 29, 2019, more than 10,000 pediatricians from all over the world gathered in the city of New Orleans, Louisiana, to attend the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) National Conference and Exhibition. As the world's largest…

As the world’s largest pediatric medical education event, the AAP National Conference draws pediatricians, like me, to network with mentors and colleagues, learn about the latest clinical guidelines and policies, and be inspired to renew …

Physician voices

Maybe being a physician was just not enough

Ellen C. Miele, MD

November 10, 2019Nov 10, 20192

Do you ever see other people in their careers and think to yourself, "Maybe I could do that?" I am a board-certified pediatric physician with over 25 years of experience in private practice, and I recently decided to try my…

Do you ever see other people in their careers and think to yourself, “Maybe I could do that?”

I am a board-certified pediatric physician with over 25 years of experience in private practice, and I recently decided to try my hand at acting.

Much to my surprise, I was awful. It was almost as if there were basic premises of the craft that I did not understand at all. But I suppose that …

Physician voices

Increasing strictness of gun laws correlates with fewer children killed by guns

Christopher Johnson, MD

November 8, 2019Nov 8, 20193

Between 2011 and 2015 there were over 21,000 children killed by guns. This recent study in Pediatrics, the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, further analyzes the question; it compares pediatric firearm fatality rates among the various states and then tests for correlation between children killed and the degree of strictness or not of the state’s gun laws. There are extensive data on whole populations showing that stricter …

Physician voices

A poem for the pediatrician on a Monday

Hila Beckerman, MD

November 8, 2019Nov 8, 2019

It’s Monday, I recall as I step into work;
“Preparing for battle,” I say with a smirk.
Surviving all weekend with a sick kid in tow,
the parents’ relief as they waited to show
you their child with fever, diarrhea and sneezing,
the one who is too hot, too cold or is freezing,
the one who forgot that a helmet is needed,
the one who is eating too much, they conceded.
The one who still haunts you when …

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A poem for the pediatrician on a Monday

Physician voices

The weight of it: a pediatrician’s thoughts on how words last a lifetime

Valentine Esposito, MD

November 6, 2019Nov 6, 20193

Start at the origin. Over two, up four. Down three, right six. Left five, up one. Keep connecting the dots. Everything will take shape. I liked graphs. Plotting coordinates — whether it be for a parabola or ellipse — was…

Start at the origin. Over two, up four. Down three, right six. Left five, up one. Keep connecting the dots. Everything will take shape.

I liked graphs. Plotting coordinates — whether it be for a parabola or ellipse — was always calming for me: numbers told you exactly where you needed to be.

But my numbers scared me. My 8-year-old feet would hesitantly step on the scale at the doctor’s office. I …

Physician voices

This pediatrician gives her kids candy on Halloween. Here are 7 guilt-free candy tips.

Jennifer Trachtenberg, MD

October 30, 2019Oct 30, 2019

I'm a pediatrician, mom of three. And to many, this may come as a surprise, but yes, I give my kids candy on Halloween. And I don't mean the organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, no artificial colors or flavoring, good for you…

I’m a pediatrician, mom of three. And to many, this may come as a surprise, but yes, I give my kids candy on Halloween. And I don’t mean the organic, gluten-free, non-GMO, no artificial colors or flavoring, good for you “treats.” I’m talking about chocolate, caramel bars, gummies, and sour balls. Personally, my all-time favorite is red Twizzlers (yup, I’m admitting over the internet) Nevertheless, I have spent over two …

Physician voices

An appreciation for a hospital volunteer

Kathleen Lo, MD

October 29, 2019Oct 29, 2019

Did I ever get to thank you for helping me? I am one of the pediatric residents you see running around like a headless chicken. We first met over a year ago when I was just a wee intern. You…

Did I ever get to thank you for helping me? I am one of the pediatric residents you see running around like a headless chicken. We first met over a year ago when I was just a wee intern. You helped me calm an anxious boy who was about to get stitches. He had sliced his arm with a box cutter, creating a gaping wound for me to close. I’m …

Health policy

When we ignore a child’s preventable suffering, we lose a piece of our humanity

Niran S. Al-Agba, MD

October 25, 2019Oct 25, 20193

Sometimes an image captures the heart of a nation by putting a face on a human crisis. The one of Óscar Alberto Martínez Ramírez and his 2-year-old daughter Valeria lying face down in the Rio Grande after drowning was powerful. Their family had been turned away from crossing the border and decided to take their chances and swim across the river. They were not successful.

Why did this picture seize our attention? Is it because …

Children’s health

Articles, page 29

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