Archives for Day: July 28, 2009
Newborn Vaginal Discharge
Occasionally, female newborns will have a whitish discharge from the vagina and swelling of the labia. This is a normal phenomenon that occurs due to the impact of the hormones of the mother on the baby. The discharge and swelling will usually stop after 1-2 weeks
Treating Upper Respiratory Tract Infections
Colds develop from a virus which attacks the body and is transferred to others via touch or through the air(cough). Although it is called a “cold,” it is not is not caused as a result of air conditioning, heating, wind or cold. An URI is a phenomenon that is especially common in winter and results in a runny nose, nasal congestion, cough, and sometimes has associated fever, sore throat, redness in the eyes or hoarseness. Children tend to get infected with viruses of this kind a few times a year.
Treating Diarrhea and Vomiting
Diarrhea and vomiting are usually caused by a virus or bacteria that infect the intestines. The virus usually invades the tissue of the intestine, causes the area to swell, and prevents food from being absorbed. In addition the virus causes the intestine to secrete fluid thereby causing more diarrhea and sometimes leading to dehydration. Vomiting alone (without diarrhea) can be a sign of the beginning of a gastroenteritis or can be caused by food poisoning. Both viruses and bacteria which cause gastroenteritis are very contagious, and transferred from person to person via touch. Therefore meticulous hand washing is very important after diaper changes or after going to the bathroom.
Newborn Umbilical Cord Care
When a baby is born, a section of the maternal umbilical cord remains attached to the baby for about 10-20 days. This is normal and the cord will fall off by itself. In order to prevent infection and dry up the cord, one should clean the baby’s umbilical cord with 70% alcohol. After the cord falls off, one can bathe the baby in normal tepid water. If there any redness, bad odor, swelling, discharge or tenderness in the area, please contact your doctor as soon as possible.
The Facts about Fever
“Fever Phobia” has been around for a long time. Everyone knows that when a child’s body temperature is elevated and the heat is felt on the skin, he is ill. The febrile illness causes anxiety since it could prove to be serious. Although the child is usually only mildly ill with a self-limited viral illness or an easily treated bacterial illness such as strep throat, there is a small possibility that he could, G-d forbid, have a life-threatening bacterial illness such as meningitis, pneumonia or septicemia.
Treating Strep Throat
Most sore throats are the result of viruses, allergies or changes n the weather. A small percentage of all sore throats result from the bacteria Group A Streptococcus (“Strep”). Bacterial sore throat in adults usually accompanied with fever, swollen lymph nodes in the neck, and a lack of cough. Small children usually will have sore throat and fever alone but occasionally there can be headache, abdominal pain or a sandpaper like pink rash called scarlet fever.
Vaccine Concerns
Probably the most significant innovation in medicine in the last 200 years is the vaccine. It has already saved more lives more than any other medical discovery to date. Thanks to vaccines, we now live (almost completely) without the terrible threat of: mumps, measles, whooping cough, tetanus, Paralyzing children, diphtheria, and Hepatitis type A and B. All these diseases are now extremely rare thanks to vaccines. Other diseases such as meningitis have also been significantly decreased. Recently there have been other vaccines introduced to Israel including: Rotateq and Rotarix (against severe diarrhea), Gardasil and Cerverix (against cervical cancer and genital warts) and Prevenar(against pneumonia, ear infections, blood infections and meningitis).
Causes and Treatment of Post Partum Depression
The post partum period is generally thought of as a happy and exciting time for new mothers. For those who have not experienced post partum depression, it is difficult to believe how sad and lonely this period of time can be for some women. The physical, psychological and hormonal changes, coupled with sleep deprivation following childbirth, make this period of time one of susceptibility to many mood disorders, the most common of which is post partum depression. This condition is seen in 8-15% of women after childbirth, and can occur any time within the first year after delivery. The onset is commonly within the first 6 months after childbirth. Similar to other forms of depression, PPD is characterized by sadness, tearfulness, feelings of guilt and inadequacy, difficulty with sleep and appetite, irritability, difficulty with memory, concentration and fatigue. The symptoms of depression should be distinguished from those of “post-partum blues” which affects 50-70% of new mothers, usually within 3-5 days of delivery. Women who suffer from post partum blues have milder symptoms which are transient, and resolve within two weeks.
Care after Brit Mila
After a brit mila, there will usually be swelling, redness and a yellowish discharge in the area of the brit. After the bandage is removed, one should wash the area with warm water with each diaper change and spread Vaseline on the penis in order to make the baby more comfortable and prevent the skin from sticking to the diaper. Once should continue this treatment until the swelling and redness subsides (3-14 days after the brit). It is important to note that there is a good stream of urine after the brit as very rarely the bandage can be wrapped too tight and cause an obstruction. In case of fever over 37.8, the baby is not urinating every six hours or there is marked swelling in the area, one should see the pediatrician immediately.
Matzot, White Potatoes and the Glycemic Index
Carbohydrates have been traditionally classified as simple (ie.sugars) or complex ( ie.starches) on the basis of the number of sugar molecules in their chemical structures. It had been assumed that complex carbohydrates cause smaller rises in blood glucose than simple carbohydrates.