How to Treat Warts: Head to the Hardware Store for Some Duct Tape

In my book, warts are one of the more annoying realities of life.  Though they are harmless–they generally don’t itch or hurt except for some deep warts on the feet—warts are quite a nuisance.   They can be unsightly and uncomfortable.  And they are usually very difficult to get rid of.

Ear Hygiene 101: Cleaning Your Kids Ears–Are Q-Tips Safe?

A friend once told me with great disdain, while watching me wiggle a cotton swab deep in my ear canal with great satisfaction, “I never use Q-tips to clean out my ears.” Apparently a doctor once told him never to put anything smaller than his elbow into his ear, and he took these words as gospel. 

Do you ever have the feeling when someone tells you some great truth, a law of the universe that you’ve been breaking for years in ignorance, that it’s remarkable that you have survived this long, having missed out on some basic manual on life along the way? I often wonder if the parents in my practice feel this way as I spout my wisdom on general health issues, and they look chagrined at having broken the rules with their child. The good news is, it’s hard to break your child. Especially with things like the management of ear wax.

So what are the rules of proper ear hygiene? Though I think that my friend’s doctor was a bit dramatic, I do agree that for the most part, cotton swabs do more harm than good for children’s ears.

Hacking Up a Lung: What is the Best Cough Medicine for Kids?

Coughing children are a big problem.  They can’t sleep.  They keep their parents awake.  They sound dreadful.  They cough so hard they barf (ick).  

 

Every parent, at some time, comes to me desperately seeking a cure for their child’s cough.  The children are usually desperate too, though after his mom told me that he had coughed for a month, one patient of mine seemed quite gleeful, exclaiming “And I have snot rockets!”

 

What can a sleep-deprived parent do to help the hacking little one?  Isn’t there a medicine to stop that cough?

 

The marketers of cough and cold medications would like you to think so.  Take a tour of the cough and cold aisle in your local drugstore and you will see some very seductive terms: cough syrups are marketed as “mucolytics” (break down that disgusting thick sludge in your lungs!), “expectorants” (out, out, damn goo), and “suppressants” (STOP that painful, hacking cough.)  True, “seductive” may be a strange descriptor when discussing snot, but these terms can be very tantalizing to a frantic parent whose kid is hacking up a lung.   

 

A sure fire cough remedy, however, is not as easy to find as these product descriptions would suggest.  

Is Milk Harmful During an Illness?

As the ad jingle goes, milk it does a body good.  But many parents ask me if they should stop giving their sick child cow’s milk.  Myth or truism?  Here’s the lowdown.

Snotfest:  
It is true that milk may increase the thickness of mucous during a cold or other respiratory infection.  It will not, however, worsen or prolong the illness itself.  Avoiding dairy products during a respiratory illness may make your icky-feeling kid feel slightly less icky.  But during any illness it is crucial that children drink plenty of fluids to stay well hydrated.  If milk is the only thing your little one will drink during an illness, then give him milk!

Drool Factory: Is My Baby Teething?

When is my baby going to teeth?

Nearly every parent begins to wonder if their four month old child is going to get a tooth *any minute* now.  

Well, don’t hold your breath!

Humor in Chaos: Watching The Swine Flu Epidemic Evolve

As I said in a previous post, being on the front line of a potential global pandemic is fascinating and not a little scary.  Since I shared my thoughts about swine flu, it appears that though the disease continues to spread, it is currently neither as contagious nor as deadly as experts feared.  We will see how it evolves and whether it adapts to become a serious threat or not.

In the meantime, because sometimes we have to find humor to ease our stress, I will share several of my favorite moments in the epidemic so far:  

Top Child Health News of 2008, Continued

Part 2:  Here is my synopsis and opinion on the 2nd half of the top 10 most read online pediatric and adolescent medicine stories of 2008.  The previous post is here.

• When Are Temper Tantrums in Preschool Children Cause for Concern? 
  • Most toddlers and pre-schoolers have the occasional, or even frequent, tantrums but are generally healthy. In some children, however, they can be an early sign of depression or disruptive disorders.  If you have concerns about the frequency or quality of your child’s tantrums, please see your doctor.  
• Vaccines in the News
  • Two new combination vaccines have been approved this year.  The AAP strongly encourages the use of combination vaccines, as it helps assure that children receive their vaccines on schedule.  I think they’re nice because in my quest to prevent life-threatening illnesses, I have to stick fewer needles into children.  The kids seem to agree.

Nearing Global Pandemic: What You Need to Know About Swine Flu and Children

 

What do you do when you hear “global pandemic?”  Is it time to build a bunker?  Should you and your family lock yourself in with enough PB&J for weeks of sustenance? With swine flu creeping towards meeting the definition of global pandemic, everyone is in a flutter.  Parents especially are wondering how to protect their families from this illness.

 

Today it was announced that there is at least one case of swine flu in my home, San Francisco.  Being on the front line of a potential pandemic is quite an experience, and at times I am tempted to feel a little nervous myself.   At the moment, however, the best thing that all of us can do is use common sense, stay informed, and, as usual:  don’t panic.

 

What do we know about the swine flu?  

Top 10 Child Health Articles of 2008: The Science of Medicine

Physicians are always trying to stay abreast of the latest news in order to provide excellent care for their patients.  Parents, too, can learn from cutting edge medical news.  

Do you want to know what your child’s doctor is reading about?  Here is my take on the first five of top 10 most read online pediatric and adolescent medicine stories of 2008, according to Journal Watch.  Stay tuned for my thoughts on the 2nd half later this week.  

• Regularly Eating Breakfast Reduces Weight Gain
  • Breakfast really is the most important meal of the day.  This one we’ve known for a while.  So get up a few minutes earlier to make sure that breakfast fits into the morning rush every day.

The Best Cough Medicine? A Spoonful of Honey

Home remedies are often more effective than expensive medications.  A recently published study showed that honey provides better control of cough in children over the age of 1* compared to common over-the-counter and prescription medicines!  In fact, several studies have shown that cough medicines do not work at all, either to decrease the cough or to help kids (and their parents) sleep through the night:  not great news for exhausted parents with sick children.