Children’s health

1,495 articles · Since 2011

Articles, page 45

Welcome to the world of post-truth medicine

January 22, 2017Jan 22, 201715

During this recent emotional and divisive election cycle, much ink was devoted to analyzing the brave new political world we now live in, a world in which just about anyone with an audience and a platform can issue statements that…

I’m talking, of course, about the world of …

Physician voices

Sometimes doing no harm means doing nothing

Chad Hayes, MD

January 19, 2017Jan 19, 20177

A couple of years ago, I took care of a 12-month-old boy with a cough. He had been seen by three other doctors over the last two days. Initially, he was seen by his pediatrician, who told his mother that it was “just a virus” and that his symptoms would go away on their own. Unsatisfied with this answer, she left the pediatrician’s office and drove immediately to an urgent …

Drugs and prescribing

California’s vaccine mandate is working. More states should adopt it.

Justin Morgan, MD

January 18, 2017Jan 18, 20174

On June 30, 2015, California’s Gov. Jerry Brown signed into law Senate Bill 277 (SB277), which tightened requirements so that parents could no longer opt out of vaccinating their children if they were attending state licensed schools, daycares, and nurseries.…

Dr. Richard Pan (D-Sacramento), a pediatrician, sponsored the legislation, which quickly became a nationwide litmus test on the debate over personal liberty versus public health in the aftermath of the large, …

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Physician voices

What pediatrician mothers want you to know

Paria Hassouri, MD

January 17, 2017Jan 17, 2017

As a pediatrician who has been practicing for fifteen years, the most frequent non-medical question that patients' parents ask me is, "Doctor, do you have children of your own?" Their questions show that although they value my medical education and…

As a pediatrician who has been practicing for fifteen years, the most frequent non-medical question that patients’ parents ask me is, “Doctor, do you have children of your own?”

Their questions show that although they value my medical education and expertise, they want to know if I’ve had first-hand experience with the worries and difficulties of having a sick child, making decisions regarding vaccinations, and raising children in general. I answer …

Physician voices

Let’s make vaccines great again

Niran S. Al-Agba, MD

January 11, 2017Jan 11, 201737

Robert Kennedy, Jr. is an activist, author, and attorney specializing in environmental law. He is the son of Robert "Bobby" Kennedy, a former U.S. attorney general, and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy is president of the…

Robert Kennedy, Jr. is an activist, author, and attorney specializing in environmental law. He is the son of Robert “Bobby” Kennedy, a former U.S. attorney general, and the nephew of former President John F. Kennedy. Kennedy is president of the board of Waterkeeper Alliance, a non-profit focused on protecting and enhancing waterways worldwide. He has written a book about the damaging effects of vaccinations due to thimerosal, and to round …

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Let’s make vaccines great again

Conditions and diseases

How to stop whining in children: What casinos can teach us

Roy Benaroch, MD

January 4, 2017Jan 4, 20173

Megan, like all parents, hates the whining and nagging: "It’s driving me crazy. My children whine and complain until they get what they want. I try not to give in, but sometimes it’s just impossible. What can I do?" (That’s…

Megan, like all parents, hates the whining and nagging: “It’s driving me crazy. My children whine and complain until they get what they want. I try not to give in, but sometimes it’s just impossible. What can I do?”

(That’s an excerpt from a much longer message. You get the idea.)

Let’s look at whining from a classic behavioral approach. Stay with me, here — behavioral theory is a big part of …

Physician voices

Our love for our children is the tie that binds us

Zoey Goore, MD

January 3, 2017Jan 3, 2017

I love my children. This should come as no great surprise. Parents love their children. While many are feeling that our nation is divided, love for our children and their future can unite us. In my professional career as a…

I love my children. This should come as no great surprise. Parents love their children. While many are feeling that our nation is divided, love for our children and their future can unite us.

In my professional career as a pediatrician, I have seen parents experience happiness, sadness, fear, and sometimes frustration but always behind these emotions is love for their children. As a mom, I can empathize with each of …

Social media in medicine

It is critical for physicians to use their long-held trust wisely

John Merrill-Steskal, MD

December 31, 2016Dec 31, 2016

During sports physical appointments, I routinely address preventive health topics that range from asking about alcohol, drugs, and sexuality, to addressing accident prevention and updating immunizations. At one such appointment recently, a young male teen was due for two routine vaccines. The mother accompanying him had no concerns about one of the vaccines, but expressed concern about the other. A friend had recently shared information on Facebook about how the …

Conditions and diseases

What you need to know about migraine headaches in children

Roy Benaroch, MD

December 25, 2016Dec 25, 2016

Parents are sometimes surprised to find out that migraines are the most common cause of recurrent headaches in children. Yes, kids get migraines -- and many adults who get them started getting them as children, even if they weren’t diagnosed…

Parents are sometimes surprised to find out that migraines are the most common cause of recurrent headaches in children. Yes, kids get migraines — and many adults who get them started getting them as children, even if they weren’t diagnosed correctly.

(And many adults who get migraines are still not being diagnosed correctly. Do you get “sinus” headaches? They’re almost certainly migraines. Yes, I know you feel congested with them. Yes, …

Physician voices

To the caregivers over the holidays: Thank you

Juliet B. Ugarte Hopkins, MD

December 21, 2016Dec 21, 20164

In my former life as a hospital-based, shift-working physician with young children at home, this time of the year inevitably brought the same question from at least a handful of individuals: “Isn’t it hard on your kids not to have you home on Christmas?” Thankfully, I was always able to answer truthfully, “no.” With consistent effort and a no-nonsense attitude, my kiddos either didn’t know the difference because they were …

Physician voices

Use diverse children’s books to bridge our empathy gap

Fatu Forna, MD

December 20, 2016Dec 20, 20169

When was the last time your child read a book featuring someone different from them? When did they last read a book about an African American girl celebrating her birthday, a Mexican American girl celebrating her quinceañera, or a Jewish…

When was the last time your child read a book featuring someone different from them?

When did they last read a book about an African American girl celebrating her birthday, a Mexican American girl celebrating her quinceañera, or a Jewish American boy celebrating his bar mitzvah?

What about a book featuring Chinese American, Native American, Indian American or Muslim children?

Think of the last few books you read to your children. Chances are, …

Medical education

Hurting medical students healing hurting patients

Anonymous

December 16, 2016Dec 16, 201612

As a medical student, I have encountered more emotional and psychological pain as a direct result of my training than I could have previously anticipated. My pain may not be physical (though sometimes it is secondary to sleep deprivation), but it is real. I look around me and am reminded of who I do not want to be, and the kind of person I would dread becoming. At first, I …

Physician voices

Telemedicine: What could go wrong? A lot.

Roy Benaroch, MD

December 14, 2016Dec 14, 201610

Someday, we may miss the quaint idea of going to see your doctor for your medical concerns. I realize taking your children to see their doc is a pain. So is taking your car into the mechanic, waiting for the…

Someday, we may miss the quaint idea of going to see your doctor for your medical concerns.

I realize taking your children to see their doc is a pain. So is taking your car into the mechanic, waiting for the cable guy or going out for groceries. There are other things you’d rather be doing with your time. Can a quick phone call substitute for a doctor visit?

At least one huge …

Physician voices

Acts of violence against children have 2 victims

Shikha Prasad Sinha, MD

December 12, 2016Dec 12, 2016

I don’t want to dramatize the death of a nineteen-month-old girl who passed away this summer from wounds secondary to child abuse. I just want to document that it happened. That in late August, as I was signing out my patients to the resident taking over for me in the ED, an infant was wheeled in who was found by EMS in asystole with a body temperature below 90 degrees Fahrenheit. …

Physician voices

Naturopaths have no place providing health care to children

Britt Marie Hermes, ND

November 13, 2016Nov 13, 20166

Naturopaths hate it when I draw attention to examples of patient harm resulting from naturopaths failing to uphold medical standards of care. The Ezekiel Stephan case was a prime example of the harm that can come from naturopaths trying to…

Nineteen-month-old Ezekiel Stephan died in 2012 from bacterial meningitis after his parents sought medical advice from naturopath Tracey Tannis. Per Tannis’s recommendation, Ezekiel’s parents treated him …

Physician voices

Not giving your child a flu shot? Read this letter from a grieving pediatrician first.

Niran S. Al-Agba, MD

November 13, 2016Nov 13, 20162

As of September 15, 85 children from 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have died due to infection with the flu during the 2015-2016 season. Piper Lowery, who was a healthy and vibrant 12-year-old girl died from…

As of September 15, 85 children from 33 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico have died due to infection with the flu during the 2015-2016 season.

Piper Lowery, who was a healthy and vibrant 12-year-old girl died from H1N1 Influenza almost one year ago. Her mother, Pegy Lowery, has gone public with her daughters’ story, to urge more parents to get flu shots for their children. I …

Medical education

A NICU case that will stay with this medical student forever

Esther Quintero

November 12, 2016Nov 12, 2016

“C-section at OR 3,” said the clerk at the neonatal ICU (NICU). We then sped to the prep area to enter the OR as soon as we could. Once geared up, we entered the OR and waited for the new…

“C-section at OR 3,” said the clerk at the neonatal ICU (NICU). We then sped to the prep area to enter the OR as soon as we could.

Once geared up, we entered the OR and waited for the new addition to the NICU family. Mom had no prenatal care, but we knew she had used multiple illicit drugs throughout the pregnancy, she was young, had a history of psychiatric disease, …

Drugs and prescribing

Codeine is a terrible choice for treating children’s pain and cough. Here’s why.

Roy Benaroch, MD

November 9, 2016Nov 9, 2016

Codeine is a terrible choice for treating children’s pain and cough, and we ought to just stop using it. It’s like an old yogurt container, way at the back of your fridge -- sure, it was once tasty, and then…

Codeine is a terrible choice for treating children’s pain and cough, and we ought to just stop using it. It’s like an old yogurt container, way at the back of your fridge — sure, it was once tasty, and then for a while, you held on to it for sentimental reasons. “Remember that yogurt?” you’d say to your spouse. But it’s well past time to throw that stinky stuff away.

For …

Physician voices

The medical regrets in my life

Hans Duvefelt, MD

November 8, 2016Nov 8, 2016

“Listen, when I was your age, I did the same thing …” The words came out of my mouth too fast for my frontal cortex to weigh them or to monitor, let alone modulate, the intensity of my delivery. He…

“Listen, when I was your age, I did the same thing …”

The words came out of my mouth too fast for my frontal cortex to weigh them or to monitor, let alone modulate, the intensity of my delivery.

He was a relatively new patient, 17 years old, scheduled for a well-child exam. A tall, athletic young man, he was alone in the exam room. His right arm was in a sling.

“What …

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The medical regrets in my life

Physician voices

Are we losing our boys in medicine?

N. Bande Virgil, MD

November 2, 2016Nov 2, 201614

"Medicine is not for boys." That's what my 7 year old recently very emphatically told me. My son is not interested in becoming a doctor because it is for girls. He then suggested I discuss medicine with my 3-year-old daughter…

“Medicine is not for boys.”

That’s what my 7 year old recently very emphatically told me. My son is not interested in becoming a doctor because it is for girls. He then suggested I discuss medicine with my 3-year-old daughter because she’s a girl.

My son instead prefers to be a fire fighter, soccer player, or superhero, or maybe a dentist because some boys still actually do that — but definitely not a …

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Are we losing our boys in medicine?

Children’s health

Articles, page 45

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