No Tylenol for Fever?

If you have read much of what I write about fever, you might find it strange that I tell parents not to give their children Tylenol™ and Motrin™ when they have a fever.  In fact, if you read my Myths & Facts section on fever you will see this:

Myth #3: If I reduce my child’s fever, they will get better sooner. Read more

A fatal blow to the anti-abstinence crowd?

During my career I have watched the “progressive” crowd tout the naivety of an abstinence approach to sex education in teens and adolescents.  They generally go on to push shelling out all kinds of contraceptives to specific “at-risk” populations (like the poor, our school children, sub-Saharan Africans, etc.) while they stand on their pedestal of arrogance lecturing about how ridiculous it is to try and promote abstinence. Read more

How to Prevent Ear Infections

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.”  I am not sure who originally made this quote, but it is certainly true when it comes to ear infections. It is estimated that ear infections cost American families somewhere in the ball park of $5 Billion every year.  This is not to mention the subjective expense of Read more

Does pulling at the ears mean ear infection?

I cannot count the number of times I have seen someone in the ER because their child is pulling at their ears.  No fever or fussiness. No runny nose or cough.  Eating well and drinking well.  Just concern that this could be a subtle sign of an ear infection.

Well, my subjective experience in the ER is that 10 times out of 10 these happy, playful Read more

February H1N1 Update

Over the last 6 months I have been posting information on H1N1 and what it means for children and pregnant mommies.  I am glad to see that most of the hysteria has subsided.  The fear-mongering from the both anti-vaccine crowd and the media have proven ridiculous.  Yes, some children died from the Flu but this is nothing new.  Thankfully this, like virtually every other year, was a very rare occurrence.  The same can be said for vaccine reactions.  Sure, some kids may have had a reaction to the vaccine, but this again was Read more

RSV Bronchiolitis 101

H1N1 has mostly passed and now we are about to enter the RSV season.  This post is meant for Smart Parents who want to learn about and understand RSV before their children get sick.  Attempting to rummage through these posts while your child is sick, or just before heading to the ER, will not be helpful.  For most kids, RSV is not serious.  In fact, many times you barely even know your child is sick, much less sick with RSV.  For some kids, (especially small babies) it may be a bit more problematic.  Mostly supportive therapy (nasal suction, plenty of fluids, lots of rest, etc.) are the pillars of successful treatment.  Rarely is a medication of any kind indicated. Read more

December H1N1 Update

Each month I give an update on the current state of things in the US as it applies to H1N1 Influenza.  In general, I feel like the new vaccine is a good idea.  This is based on how bad I think H1N1 will be and how safe I think the vaccine is.  To me, the risk:benefit strongly favors Read more

Pneumonia Vaccine in Children

The pneumonia vaccine (Prevnar-7®) is a relatively new addition to the immunization schedule for infants and children. Even though many people call it the pneumonia vaccine it actually protects children against meningitis, blood infection, ear infection, and pneumonia.  In the U.S. Read more

November H1N1 Update

Each month I give an update on the current state of things in the US as it applies to H1N1 Influenza.  In general, I feel like the new vaccine is a good idea.  This is based on how bad I think H1N1 will be and how safe I think the vaccine is.  To me, the risk:benefit strongly favors vaccination.  However, I will admit I cannot be sure.  Fortunately data on both H1N1 and the vaccine is easily available if you know where to look.  My goal is to bring this information to you each month so that you can make informed medical decisions for you and your family. Read more

Vaccine Adverse Events Reporting System

If you are a parent concerned about vaccine side effects, you are going to love this website.  It is called CDC Wonder.  It is a web-based tool connected to the Vaccine Adverse Event Reporting System (VAERS).  The VAERS website is a site that is accessible to anyone (patient, parent, doctor, anyone…).  Simply go to the site and report any event that you (or your child) experience which you feel is potentially related to a vaccine.  The website keeps all reported events in a database.  Read more

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