Posted by: drmolly in vaccines, Influenza, illness on
May 22, 2009
Fever, runny nose, body aches, extreme fatigue and cough=Influenza. Usually Influenza season runs from early winter through April but this year, with the emergence of the H1N1 virus, the flu season is extended. Even though over 5,000 people in the US have been officially diagnosed with this novel virus, over 100,000 people are likely to have gotten sick as a result of this new virus. Since the symptoms and severity of this illness are so like
A reader asks:
I am wondering if you can help me. I am having a LOT of problems with my oldest daughter trying to hurt our 4 month old. There have been several times that M has held blankets over K's face (more than playing peek-a-boo), and she kicks her, scratches her, and even knocks her over when K is sitting up. My husband & I have tried everything from time outs to taking away toys & tv, and talking to M about it is totally pointless.
Posted by: drmolly in speech, development on
May 18, 2009
Recently I was asked a question by a reader about her child's speech. In summary:
Q: My son turned 2 yrs.old in February and still does not talk in sentences, not even close to that. He will mostly repeat words we say to him but his vocabulary consists of a maximum of 7-8 words that he will say spontaneously and he won't say most of the consonants in some words. He is exposed to 2 other languages other than English ... but most of his
Posted by: drmolly in obesity, nutrition, diet, calories on
May 17, 2009
Running a marathon was the final challenge this week on "The Biggest Loser." Amazingly, all four of the final contestants finished it and what an accomplishment that was! What I love about "The Biggest Loser" is that in addition to showing the contestants exercising like crazy, they also emphasize the fact that diet is at least as important to achieve weight loss.
Most adults, when faced with the need to lose weight, start exercising.
I love being outdoors. Every chance I get, even in the winter, I am dragging my poor kids on a hike, bike ride or a swim. I want my kids to love being outdoors and being active, but I also want them to make safe choices about the things they choose to do.
I never want to discourage a child from being active. If a kid likes to bike, I say go for it! If a child loves to skateboard, head to a skatepark and go to town! Swim every day if you
Lately there has been renewed interest in the safety of soy formulas for infants. About a quarter of all formula fed infants use soy-based formulas in the United States and some researchers have expressed concerns over data about a by-product of soy called phytoestrogen, which in some studies of rats has been shown to have effects on growth and fertility.
Because of these concerns, an expert panel was convened to assess the information
Posted by: drmolly in vaccines, autism on
May 12, 2009
This week autism is in the news again in a few interesting ways. First, a study funded by the National Institutes for Mental Health revealed that up to 10-20% of children who are diagnosed with autism by age 3 appear to have outgrown it by age 10. Many of these children have undergone intensive behavioral therapy called applied behavioral analysis and that is thought to be a factor in their recovery.
As if on cue, Blue Cross and Blue Shield of
Posted by: drmolly in teething on
May 12, 2009
OK, I want to set the teething record straight. Teething doesn't cause fever or runny nose or diarrhea or diaper rash. Teething doesn't cause a lot of fussiness. Teething doesn't result in enough pain to wake up a child. Just because your baby is drooling and chewing on things, doesn't mean she's teething.
Teething does cause some babies to eat differently (either refuse the breast or bottle or refuse solid foods). Teething does cause
Posted by: drmolly in Influenza, illness, fever on
May 11, 2009
With all of the media attention about the swine flu (now known as Influenza A H1N1), other spring illnesses have taken a back seat - but they are definitely causing widespread fevers, vomiting, rashes and sore throats. In fact, some of these spring viruses are just as severe as the virus getting all the press!
For the last two weeks, I have been inundated with kids who are coughing and vomiting and have high fevers. So far none has had
Ahh, spring! It is finally upon us and with it comes warmer weather, budding trees, bike rides and bugs. Mosquitoes don't make their debut until next month but spiders are here already as are fleas on our pets.
We react to bug bites with itching, swelling and redness because we are allergic to the bug's saliva or stinger. Some of us are more allergic than others and as a result, our whole face or arm or leg might swell as a result of the bug
