There's been a lot of news stories on lately about having a child's cholesterol level checked. Should I ask my children's pediatrician to consider doing this for my kids?
We all know how high cholesterol levels affect the heart and the blood vessels in adults and the necessity of checking it regularly as well as treating those with levels higher than recommended. Before it was known that it takes a long time for cholesterol plaques to develop within the arteries and vessels, it was initially hard to correlate childhood behaviors and cholesterol levels with adult outcomes; however, in the 1960's and
Earbuds and Hearing
by Tom Seman MD FAAP December 8th, 2011 | Pediatrician on Call
My teen daughter listens to music on her iPhone constantly. Do I need to worry that the volume of the earbuds will damage her hearing?
Ever since there has been portable music there has been arguing between parents and their children regarding how loud they are listening. Over the years, technology has allowed the speakers to become smaller, with greater clarity and more power. This led to the creation of earbuds.
In the 1980's, there was the Sony Walkman, which allowed a person to listen to their own music. Development of high quality headphones and then smaller earphones allowed someone to listen to their own music in
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Ever since there has been portable music there has been arguing between parents and their children regarding how loud they are listening. Over the years, technology has allowed the speakers to become smaller, with greater clarity and more power. This led to the creation of earbuds.
In the 1980's, there was the Sony Walkman, which allowed a person to listen to their own music. Development of high quality headphones and then smaller earphones allowed someone to listen to their own music in
Reye’s Syndrome
by Tom Seman MD FAAP November 10th, 2011 | Pediatrician on Call
I have heard that giving aspirin to children causes Reye’s Syndrome. Is this true?
Reye's Syndrome is a constellation of symptoms that occurs when a child under the age of 16 years-old takes aspirin containing medications while ill with influenza, influenza-like diseases, and varicella (chicken pox). The association of aspirin and viral illnesses was discovered in the 1970's. In 1974, there were 400 cases with upwards of 40% mortality. There are 5 severity grades categorizing the syndrome, helping doctors determine what sort of prognosis the child has for recovery. Signs and symptoms include a child with a viral illness with a
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Reye's Syndrome is a constellation of symptoms that occurs when a child under the age of 16 years-old takes aspirin containing medications while ill with influenza, influenza-like diseases, and varicella (chicken pox). The association of aspirin and viral illnesses was discovered in the 1970's. In 1974, there were 400 cases with upwards of 40% mortality. There are 5 severity grades categorizing the syndrome, helping doctors determine what sort of prognosis the child has for recovery. Signs and symptoms include a child with a viral illness with a
Cough Medicine and Children
by Tom Seman MD FAAP October 13th, 2011 | Pediatrician on Call
My six year-old son develops a terrible cough every time he has a cold. He can't sleep, and he misses a lot of school. I have heard that cough medicine may be harmful to children, yet I don't know what else to do to help him. Any suggestions?
This is a very interesting question, but it is actually somewhat more complex to answer than it may seem. If we deal only with cough and cough suppressants, we still need to understand the type of cough - dry, productive (also known as wet), spasmodic (difficult to stop each event while it is happening, and looks
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This is a very interesting question, but it is actually somewhat more complex to answer than it may seem. If we deal only with cough and cough suppressants, we still need to understand the type of cough - dry, productive (also known as wet), spasmodic (difficult to stop each event while it is happening, and looks
Separation Anxiety in College Students
by Tom Seman MD FAAP September 15th, 2011 | Pediatrician on Call
My teen daughter just started college, and she is having trouble adjusting to being 1,300 miles away from home. Before she left, she was independent and out going, now she cries every time I talk to her on the phone. I know young children suffer from separation anxiety, but do 18 year-olds go through this as well?
Going to college is a wonderful and scary experience all at once. The child, who has been somewhat independent while being protected by the family home, is now left on his/her own to deal with all of the stresses that occur during a
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Going to college is a wonderful and scary experience all at once. The child, who has been somewhat independent while being protected by the family home, is now left on his/her own to deal with all of the stresses that occur during a