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The Bad News About Button Batteries

December 5, 2017

With the increase in sales of smaller consumer electronics, there has been a parallel increase in the sale and use of button batteries. These batteries are small and flat and are found in hearing aids, remotes, and electronic games. They are smooth and shiny and very appealing to eat or put up your nose –…

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Cool Life Saving Devices and Childhood Choking

December 4, 2017

My first year out of fellowship I was working in the emergency department one afternoon. It was actually fairly quiet – a rare occurrence on a winter day. Suddenly a mother rushed in with her one year old son who was alert, but his cry sounded hoarse. That afternoon, his older sibling thought it would…

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Bronchiolitis – A Parent’s Guide

November 20, 2017

It’s 3:30 AM on a cold December night.  Your 13 month old baby has been crying all night and refuses to take a bottle.  She has been fighting a cold for the past 2 days that started with a runny nose, sneezing and some occasional coughing.  Half her day care group is out with a…

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Children and Ear Infections — Antibiotics

October 5, 2017

The majority cases of an ear infection in a child are caused by viruses, making 10 days of antibiotics unnecessary for most kids. Antibiotics are associated with their own set of side effects like diarrhea, allergic reactions and in some cases serum sickness. The American Academy of Pediatrics has advocated “watchful waiting” for some time…

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Basics About Children and Ear Infections – Treating the Pain and Treating the Infection

October 5, 2017

Children and ear infections unfortunately go together quite commonly, and they probably rank in the top 5 for pediatrician visits and trips to the ER in the middle of the night.  Having had a bad ear infection in my third trimester, I can tell you from personal experience that I can empathize with kids that…

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Helping Our Children in Difficult Times

October 5, 2017

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How to Handle News Media Exposure with Kids

October 5, 2017

When I was growing up in the 70s and early 80s, my parents would regularly turn on the evening news, and we would watch the news together as a family.  The world was certainly not perfect or peaceful at that time, but somehow the level of tragedy and destruction was not even close to what…

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Girls and Concussions

September 27, 2017

Girls can do anything boys can do, but girls’ brains are different from boys, and this extends to concussions. Relative to males who sustain concussions, females tend to have a longer recovery time, experience more symptoms overall and have more cognitive and emotional effects. Explanations for the difference in symptoms and the increased likelihood of…

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Spectator Head Injuries – Are We Safe on the Sidelines?

September 25, 2017

Three days ago a toddler was hit in the face by a foul ball at a Yankee game; In June a fan at a Diamondback game was taken to the hospital for a head injury while he was sitting above the Diamondback’s dugout – an area not protected by netting. During the same month, a…

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The Flu Vaccine for Kids — Yes or No?

September 13, 2017

Each fall we read reports that this will be a really bad flu season. Except that this year may actually be a bad flu season. The CDC often bases flu season predictions on the preceding flu season in the Southern Hemisphere. Not that there is any absolute guarantee, but Australia has experienced one of its…

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