Take time today to prepare your patients for their golden years
November 1st 2004Your young patients are more likely to survive to very old age than did previous generations. Will they flourish as senior citizens or be limited by illness and disability? In large measure, that depends on whether their families put into practice the advice you give—advice that comes out of an expanding body of remarkable, illuminating research.
D?j? vu all over again—again
November 1st 2004Once more, the United States doesn't have enough of a vaccine—this time, flu vaccine. Just as the influenza season was about to start, the bad news hit the headlines: The entire output of the California-based Chiron company's influenza vaccine has been condemned by the authorities in the United Kingdom, where Chiron's vaccine, Fluvinir, is manufactured. US authorities had counted on 100 million doses of flu vaccine this year—up from 87 million available last year. About half that amount was to be supplied by Chiron.
The "late talker"—when silence isn't golden
November 1st 2004Not all children with delayed speech are "little Einsteins" or garden variety "late bloomers." Some have a speech-language disorder that will persist unless warning signs are recognized and intervention comes early. Includes a Guide for Parents.
Gadgets galore — to ease your management of patient and practice data
October 13th 2004The medical office of the future is here, and it's electronic. Personal digital assistants (PDAs), tablets, and wireless applications are already making significant inroads into daily practice for many pediatricians. Within a few years, every clinician will probably be using them.
Children need help to cope with disaster
October 13th 2004Children who don't talk about high-profile disasters such as the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks or, before that, the shootings at Columbine High School aren't coping — they're avoiding. Pediatricians can help them come to terms with their fears.
Vaccine recommendations on the move
October 13th 2004Here is startling news: Much of what you know about childhood and adolescent vaccines is passing out of date. New vaccines in development and new mortality data mean that recommendations for vaccination against influenza, hepatitis A, meningococcal disease, varicella, human papillomavirus, and rotavirus are on the move.
Sound levels in movie theaters may injure children's hearing
October 12th 2004Going to the movies may be dangerous to children's hearing. A Hawaii-based researcher found that while sound levels in movie theaters do not exceed government safety standards, the volume may still be loud enough to damage hearing.
Make time for yourself, Doctor, while you are doing good for others!
October 12th 2004Balancing work, family, and self is a practical skill, not wishful thinking. Pediatricians who fall out of that kind of personal balance can expect a raft of unpleasant consequences in their professional domain: poor clinical communication, worse medical outcomes, more conflict, and more malpractice suits.
Protect adolescents against meningococcal disease, association urges pediatricians
October 12th 2004Founding board members of the National Meningitis Association (NMA) know all too well the devastating effects of meningococcal disease. Their adolescent or young adult children have either died or suffered permanent disability as a result of the disease. This week, the NMA came to the Exhibit Hall of the AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition to encourage pediatricians to educate their patients' parents about meningococcal disease and the benefits of immunization.
Novel Toxicodendron treatment promises 30-second relief that isn't merely symptomatic
October 11th 2004The news this week from the floor of the commercial Exhibit Hall of AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition is that the most common allergic reaction has a cure. More than 55 million Americans develop allergic contact dermatitis from exposure to poison oak, poison ivy, or poison sumac (Toxicodendron species) every year. According to a report by researchers at St. Luke's Hospital & Health Network in Bethlehem, Pa., relief with the new soap product of alcohol solubles and anionic surfactants is just 30 seconds away.
Lose your cultural blinders and expect better outcomes!
October 11th 2004When a parent of Southeast Asian background refuses to meet your eyes during an examination of her child, warning bells go off. The parent is uncomfortable, has something to hide, is trying to protect something embarrassing or inappropriate . . . Not so!
Yes, some teens are ripe for plastic surgery
October 11th 2004Is plastic surgery the right choice for adolescents? One plastic surgeon, speaking to an audience of pediatricians, says "maybe." "This is a particularly vulnerable population," cautioned Julia Corcoran, MD, attending plastic surgeon at Children's Memorial Hospital in Chicago. "They are adults in so many ways, but not in all."
Emphasize personal strengths when addressing substance abuse with teens
October 11th 2004Many clinicians approach questions of substance abuse in their adolescent patients from the wrong perspective: They focus solely on the negative — the risk factors — instead of on the positive — teens' numerous protective factors. The result, say researchers from Texas and Maryland, is that patients and parents get less help than pediatricians can actually provide.
It's not your average headache - especially if it's migraine
October 10th 2004Headaches are a significant pediatric problem - and pediatricians who don't recognize and treat them aren't doing their job, according to a Stanford University researcher who spoke at the AAP 2004 National Conference and Exhibition Saturday.
Tying early vitamin supplementation to asthma and allergy
October 1st 2004With dietary vitamins having potent immunomodulating effects in vitro and in animal models, investigators were led to examine whether vitamin supplementation during infancy affects the risk of asthma and allergic disease in early childhood.