Many of our patients have autism spectrum disorders. I know many families with a child with these conditions struggle to find good, helpful, scientifically sound information. The American Academy of Pediatrics has a new book, Autism Spectrum Disorders: What Every Parent Needs to Know. It is edited by Drs. Rosenblatt, MD, and Carbone, MD. Both of these doctors are considered experts in autism and one is a parent of a child with autism.
So if you are looking for more information about autism spectrum disorders, I highly recommend this book. It is available at www.aap.org/bookstore and other retailers. Another excellent source for information and support is www.autismspeaks.org.
Monday, April 29, 2013
Monday, March 11, 2013
Tanning Beds
The official position from the American Academy of Pediatrics is that anyone under 18 years of age should never use a tanning bed. I certainly agree with this recommendation.
People who use tanning beds when less than 35 years of age are 75% more likely to develop melanoma (skin cancer). There are 68,000 cases of melanoma in the US every year, and 1 in 8 of these people die from the skin cancer.
Ohio requires parental permission for children less than 18 years of age using a tanning bed. I wish that Ohio would ban their use for children less than 18 years of age as I am that concerned about the use of a tanning bed for children.
Tanning beds damage the skin, cause cause cancer, and can cause dry skin, eye problems, and make you more likely to get sick. Remember, the "healthy glow" is actually is not healthy at all -- it is skin damage. Please avoid tanning beds and skin damage from the sun.
People who use tanning beds when less than 35 years of age are 75% more likely to develop melanoma (skin cancer). There are 68,000 cases of melanoma in the US every year, and 1 in 8 of these people die from the skin cancer.
Ohio requires parental permission for children less than 18 years of age using a tanning bed. I wish that Ohio would ban their use for children less than 18 years of age as I am that concerned about the use of a tanning bed for children.
Tanning beds damage the skin, cause cause cancer, and can cause dry skin, eye problems, and make you more likely to get sick. Remember, the "healthy glow" is actually is not healthy at all -- it is skin damage. Please avoid tanning beds and skin damage from the sun.
Tuesday, February 12, 2013
KellyMom Website
A nurse at the Riverside Methodist Hospital nursery referred me to a website that I want to pass onto others. It is really helpful! It is called KellyMom and is a website with terrific information about breastfeeding and breast milk. I consider it a great resource with accurate and up to date information. A link to their website can be found here. I hope others find it helpful.
Thursday, February 7, 2013
EpiPens in Schools
Food allergies are on the rise in this country. A study from Pediatrics in July 2011 found that 1 of 13 children suffer from a food allergy in the U.S. More than 1 out of 3 of these children had a history of a severe reaction. And 3 out of 10 children had allergies to multiple foods.
Mylan Specialty created the EpiPen4Schools(r) program to help schools have improved access to epinephrine if a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs at school. Although we want each child who has a known food allergy to have two EpiPens at the school, there are times in which a child may have a reaction and a non-expired EpiPen is not available. EpiPens are not cheap. And Mylan Specialty's program will offer four free EpiPens or EpiPen Jrs to the schools. More information is available at this website.
In our state of Ohio, there is no law allowing EpiPens to be in the school and "undesignated". That means the schools cannot currently have "extra" EpiPens on hand to use in an emergency. The only EpiPens allowed are those that were prescribed for a specific child. That means children that have a known allergy and children that could develop their first reaction at school would be potentially unprotected. I am a strong advocate for legislation in Ohio that allows undesignated EpiPens in the schools. Having said that, my wife the allergist, Dr. Grace Ryu, M.D., makes a very good point about this issue. If your child has a known food allergy, you need to make sure your child has a non-expired EpiPen 2-Pak at the school to ensure that if they needed the medicine at school it would always be available. Do not rely on the school having extras. If the school just used their EpiPens for another child and has ordered more, they may not be available. It is possible the school's EpiPens could be expired. Children and adults need to have two pens available because 20-25% of the time, a second dose is required. A wonderful website with information on food allergies is here, the Food Allergy Network. Be safe!
Mylan Specialty created the EpiPen4Schools(r) program to help schools have improved access to epinephrine if a life-threatening allergic reaction occurs at school. Although we want each child who has a known food allergy to have two EpiPens at the school, there are times in which a child may have a reaction and a non-expired EpiPen is not available. EpiPens are not cheap. And Mylan Specialty's program will offer four free EpiPens or EpiPen Jrs to the schools. More information is available at this website.
In our state of Ohio, there is no law allowing EpiPens to be in the school and "undesignated". That means the schools cannot currently have "extra" EpiPens on hand to use in an emergency. The only EpiPens allowed are those that were prescribed for a specific child. That means children that have a known allergy and children that could develop their first reaction at school would be potentially unprotected. I am a strong advocate for legislation in Ohio that allows undesignated EpiPens in the schools. Having said that, my wife the allergist, Dr. Grace Ryu, M.D., makes a very good point about this issue. If your child has a known food allergy, you need to make sure your child has a non-expired EpiPen 2-Pak at the school to ensure that if they needed the medicine at school it would always be available. Do not rely on the school having extras. If the school just used their EpiPens for another child and has ordered more, they may not be available. It is possible the school's EpiPens could be expired. Children and adults need to have two pens available because 20-25% of the time, a second dose is required. A wonderful website with information on food allergies is here, the Food Allergy Network. Be safe!
Tuesday, January 29, 2013
New hospital follow-up schedule
Doctors are creatures of habit. We get used to doing things a certain way. Here at Hilliard Pediatrics, we have had the same follow-up schedule for newborns since we opened over 20 years ago. But now we are changing this schedule. Our new partner, Dr. Beth, has convinced us it is time to update to the latest recommended schedule by the American Academy of Pediatrics. And we have listened.
For years, we had the infant's family call us the day after discharge and routinely saw the infant in the office at 2 weeks (10-14 days of age) and then at 2 months of age. The latest recommendation and our new policy is to have you call when you have spent a night at home to give us an update about how the infant is doing. Then we will routinely see the infants 2-3 days after discharge from the hospital. Our next routine appointment will be at 4 weeks (one month) of age. Then we will see the infants at 2 months of age and continue our normal schedule after that 2 month well-check. As always, we will be happy to see those infants with feeding or weight concerns, jaundice concerns, or when other issues arise. Some of the infants seen 2-3 days after discharge will need a visit to check their weight gain. Call with questions!
For years, we had the infant's family call us the day after discharge and routinely saw the infant in the office at 2 weeks (10-14 days of age) and then at 2 months of age. The latest recommendation and our new policy is to have you call when you have spent a night at home to give us an update about how the infant is doing. Then we will routinely see the infants 2-3 days after discharge from the hospital. Our next routine appointment will be at 4 weeks (one month) of age. Then we will see the infants at 2 months of age and continue our normal schedule after that 2 month well-check. As always, we will be happy to see those infants with feeding or weight concerns, jaundice concerns, or when other issues arise. Some of the infants seen 2-3 days after discharge will need a visit to check their weight gain. Call with questions!
Sunday, December 30, 2012
Christmas Time Allergies
A common scenario is for us to be asked about allergy symptoms at this time of the year. If someone has watery eyes, runny nose, sneezing, and congestion during the Christmas season, it is commonly due to the Christmas tree brought into the home. Live Christmas trees naturally have lots of mold on their branches and trunk. Once they are brought inside, the heat allows the mold to multiply and the mold count inside the home goes up quickly. For those many people who are allergic to mold, this means they are regularly blasted with mold during the time the Christmas tree is in the house. Luckily, the symptoms should get better quickly once the tree is removed from the house at the end of the Christmas season.
If you suspect this is happening to someone in your home, there are a few options. We as a family have had to replace a live tree with an artificial tree. There are multiple members of my family with mold allergies (including me!), and we had too many allergy symptoms each year to make a live tree an option. Many people will be helped by taking an allergy medicine (Claritin(r), Zyrtec(r), and Allegra(r) are all commonly recommended antihistamines available over the counter), such that their symptoms will be so mild that they are not miserable.
If you suspect this is happening to someone in your home, there are a few options. We as a family have had to replace a live tree with an artificial tree. There are multiple members of my family with mold allergies (including me!), and we had too many allergy symptoms each year to make a live tree an option. Many people will be helped by taking an allergy medicine (Claritin(r), Zyrtec(r), and Allegra(r) are all commonly recommended antihistamines available over the counter), such that their symptoms will be so mild that they are not miserable.
Wednesday, November 28, 2012
Teen Prescription Drug Abuse
Not a fun topic but an important one: teen prescription drug abuse. An excellent overview is here. And the Drugfree.org website has lots of excellent information about the issue. Educating yourself, educating your kids to avoid taking medications in abusive ways (not prescribed for them, taken in ways not recommended, taken to get high, etc.), and being watchful for concerning behaviors is important.
Unusual changes in behavior, finding empty spray containers in their room (inhalant abuse concern), finding empty cough medicine containers in their room (dextromethophan abuse), and other "red flags" are listed here. The Drugfree website also has a clear guide to the different prescription and over the counter medications or drugs that teens commonly abuse -- here is the link to this list.
If there are concerns about or evidence of drug abuse, we refer children on to the professionals in the Adolescent Medicine department at Nationwide Children's Hospital. A link to their website is here. Please call us if you have questions or concerns. Be vigilant. Be safe.
Unusual changes in behavior, finding empty spray containers in their room (inhalant abuse concern), finding empty cough medicine containers in their room (dextromethophan abuse), and other "red flags" are listed here. The Drugfree website also has a clear guide to the different prescription and over the counter medications or drugs that teens commonly abuse -- here is the link to this list.
If there are concerns about or evidence of drug abuse, we refer children on to the professionals in the Adolescent Medicine department at Nationwide Children's Hospital. A link to their website is here. Please call us if you have questions or concerns. Be vigilant. Be safe.
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