Health News

ADD or ADHD?

Most mothers of ADD/ADHD (Attention Deficit w/wo Hyperactivity Disorder) children will admit that they have noticed short attention spans, impulsivity and constant motion in their child’s behavior since infancy. But somehow these Moms also know that their child, although disor-ganized and easily distractible is also of reasonable or even above average intelligence.

Too Much Cholesterol

Recent news about cholesterol can be very confusing and scary. We have all heard that too much cholesterol can cause heart attacks, hypertension and strokes. Perhaps some straight talk will help clear the air.

Conjunctivitis (Pink Eye)

Many children are sent home from school or from their childcare situation with what is commonly termed as “pink eye” and are not allowed back until “treated.” What is this “pink eye?”

Baby's First Test: APGAR

Well before any IQ or aptitude tests are in order your new baby will have already taken a widely used assessment. This is the APGAR scoring, by which your baby is assessed at birth by the neonatal nurses, pediatrician, or neonatologist.

This is a cumulative number ranging 0 to 10, with 0 being the lowest and 10 being the best. These are rapid assessments made by the delivery personnel at one minute, at 5 minutes and sometimes also at 10 minutes of life.

Is It Bronchitis or Asthma?

The cool nights of autumn are a welcome relief to most of us who are tired of the long hot summer. But for the asthmatic patient that cool air is a warning for the next few months ahead. In many cases, this warning also applies to the patient with occasional bronchitis.

Bicycle Safety

Bicycling is an all-round fitness exercise. Once people learn to ride, they never lose the ability. Here in Midlothian cycling is usually a family affair.

But bicycling can be very dangerous as is evidenced by the appalling number of emergency room visits each year. Unfortunately, bicycles are a more common cause of death in children than poisonings or falls. There are steps that can be taken, however, to reduce this risk.

The Calcium Craze

Most Americans worry that they just might not be getting enough calcium in their diets. Certainly advertisers on TV and the newspaper have encouraged this belief as they tout calcium enriched soft drinks, orange juice, antacid tablets, and even waffles. But is it worth the extra care to supplement your diet to prevent osteoporosis, which is that awful disease which makes old women older with hunchbacks and brittle bones.

Chickenpox

Since the advent of the varicella vaccine, few present day parents can recognize the rash of chickenpox as a classic disease. Because the child does not feel particularly sick and because the child is highly contagious, our grandmothers often purposely encouraged group play with those infected and those not. This made sense in a very naïve way as usually chickenpox concurs a lifetime immunity. More on this later.

Preventing Child Abuse

Child abuse. Child molestation. Child abuction. Child porn. Internet pornography. The media won’t let up. It seems to be everywhere. As much as we try to shut our eyes, we are always reminded of it.