Hypertension is known to be an important risk factor for cardiac events and stroke. Identification of the ideal target has fluctuated over the years. Overzealous control of blood pressure may itself lead itself to stroke and syncope (fainting) presumably due to hypoperfusion.
Coughing can present itself in various disguises. Doctors often look at coughing through the eyes of their own specialty. To an allergist, it’s a tickle in the back of the throat and a symptom of post nasal drip. To a gastroenterologist, coughing is due to reflux disease; to a psychiatrist it’s a nervous reaction. The infectious disease specialist wants to know if the cough could be due to HIV.
Coughing is a common, somewhat perplexing complaint with a variety of causes. It’s a symptom – not a disease. Coughing can be a reaction to “cold air” or it can make the clinician suspicious of cancer. It can appear to be the only presenting symptom or in association with illnesses such as asthma and bronchitis.
Have you ever notice people in the theater or in some other venue lining up to rent a listening device to improve their hearing? Some are wearing hearing aids, others are not. What are these listening devices? Why do people with hearing aids need them?
Individuals at times complain: “People mumble all the time. They don’t speak up.” Or they might say, “I can hear you, but I can’t get a grip on the words.” Adults can voice their disappointments but small children are dependent on alert parents and physicians to recognize their loss of hearing.
Some children will eat everything put in front of them, while others have a more selective palate. But what do you do when your child’s meals are so limited that they lack variety and color? You may have tried making things into cute and funny shapes and still these foods have been rejected. Here are some adjustments you can make to simple meals so that you know your child is getting as many nutrients as possible.
The American Academy of Pediatrics has doubled the recommended daily dose of vitamin D for children and teens up to 400 units per day, which is equivalent to drinking four cups of milk.
Carbohydrates have gotten a bad wrap lately. But, actually they are a necessary and important part of your child’s diet. There really is no solid evidence to support the value of low-carb diets, especially for growing children and young adults. In fact, selective restriction diets are harmful to the growing body and usually cause a rebound effect once they are discontinued. So, what’s the truth about carbohydrates?
As a pediatrician and a mom, the safety of the toys my patients and children play with is paramount! It is also an obvious source of concern in light of new information coming out each month about toxic exposures in children and their effect on toddler development. Part of my integrative pediatric practice is to sort out ways in which the environment effects children and helping to sort out diagnoses of learning disorders and behavior disorders in the context of dietary and environmental toxins.
A sore throat can be more than a throat that hurts. It can vary from mild to severe, from viral to bacterial and the consequences range from insignificant to life changing. Testing for strep can make all the difference.