Archives for July 2009
How to Prevent Choking and Perform the Heimlich Maneuver
The mechanism for chewing and swallowing is underdeveloped in this age group and so they are more likely to inhale food or an object into their trachea. In addition the trachea itself is quite narrow at this age which exacerbates the possibility of choking on food or small objects. Foods that are round or hard are the most common sources of choking and include: grapes, hot dog, olives, apple, carrot, popcorn, Bisli, raisins and candy. These foods are very easily inhaled into the lungs during eating. In addition there is choking danger in many small toys but especially: marbles, Lego, metal cubes, and toys that can be disassembled to small pieces.
Understanding Breastfeeding
Everyone knows that the natural way to nourish an infant is to breastfeed. The English word nursing is from the same source as nourishing. It seems like it should be as natural as pregnancy, labor and delivery. The problem is, breastfeeding doesn’t always work out well for the mother and the baby. There are many factors involved which can influence the success or failure of nursing. Here is an overview of the subject.
Constipation in Children
The miserable symptoms of constipation can occur at any age. The problem is defined as difficulty passing bowel movements. Constipation can also cause poor appetite, irritability, abdominal pain, rectal pain and bleeding. Here is a basic overview on this common problem.
Preventing SIDS
Since 1994 the American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated that infants should sleep on their backs to prevent “crib death.” The campaign, called “Back to Sleep,” was undertaken in response to research published first in New Zealand, then Australia, England, and many other countries, which showed that infants who sleep on their tummies had a statistically significant greater risk of crib death than infants who sleep on their backs. It has been speculated that the reason for this is that infants, who cannot roll over, will sometimes breathe in their own exhaled carbon dioxide when they are sleeping on their faces. This causes a deeper sleep, in which their muscle tone becomes so relaxed that they allow themselves to smother.
Chicken Pox Symptoms
Varicella is one of the most common contagious diseases in children. It is caused by the virus varicella-zoster.
The symptoms of varicella include: fever, weakness, and after a few days-rash.
Fever- to Treat or not to Treat?
In general, fever is a normal, healthy response of the immune system to an infection in the body. The height of the fever itself is no indicator of the severity of the infection and fever itself is an important part of the body’s fight against the infection. It is important to note that fever itself, less than 41.7 degrees is not dangerous and does not cause any brain damage or other problems whatsoever. Because fever is an indicator of infection, it is important for the doctor to figure out what is the CAUSE of the fever and what is the severity of the infection, but again fever is a symptom of a infection and not a problem in and of itself.
Health Updates: July 2009
Some recent medical updates for our patients: 1. Recent data from a large federal study in the US, The Multimodal…
Sore Throats- Is it Strep?
INTRODUCTION — A sore throat (pharyngitis) is a common problem, and usually is caused by a viral or bacterial infection.…
PANDAS- Can Strep Cause Psychiatric Problems in Children?
In 1998 Dr. S. Swedo from the National Institute of Mental Health described another pediatric problem caused by step-Obsessive Compulsive Disorder. She described a group of patients who developed the psychiatric symptoms during or after a Strep infection. These children were all pre-pubertal and did not respond to the usual psychiatric medications. They all had extremely elevated levels of the anti-Strep antibody DNASE B. Some of them improved dramatically after treatment with antibiotics.
Menopausal hormone therapy alternatives
Author :Richard J Santen, MD Section Editor:Peter J Snyder, MD William F Crowley, Jr, MD Deputy Editor: Leah K Moynihan,…