If you’re a parent, there’s nothing you won’t do to ensure the health and well being of your child, including providing the best food available. But what do you do when you find that food contains toxic metals that can contribute to the possibility of cancer, heart disease, and impaired brain development?
It’s back-to-school time, and one thing you may not be prepared for is your child coming home from school with a lice infestation. If the very thought is making your skin crawl, our concierge family doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter want to assure you that, while head lice are annoying and distasteful, they are not dangerous.
What would summer be without the silky feel of warm water caressing hot skin as you glide across a swimming pool?
But as a timely reminder that nothing is perfect, this month the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in Atlanta published a report warning swimmers to take precautions against a microscopic parasite that can take up residence in pools and water playgrounds. So our concierge family practice doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter want to alert you to this possible hazard.
Our concierge family doctors in Jupiter understand that, in a world dominated by screens, trying to limit your children’s screen time can be a daunting task. But the World Health Organization (WHO) recently released new guidelines that largely track those issued two years ago by the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).
First, let’s define what constitutes “screen time.” The AAP defines it as time spent using digital media for entertainment purposes. The organization does not include time spent doing homework in its recommendations. The WHO has a similar definition of passively watching entertainment on a screen. But the overall thrust of its guidelines were aimed, not just at the sedentary activities of viewing computers, smartphones, and televisions, but at improving physical health through sufficient exercise and sleep.
In addition, the AAP guidelines addressed screen time for children of all ages, while the WHO recommendations focused on children under age five.
Both groups recommend no screen time at all for infants 18 months and younger.
“The noise and activity of a screen are distracting for a child,” Dr. Yolanda Reid Chassiakos told CNN. Chassiakos is the lead author of the AAP’s report. She said banning screen time for babies is crucial, not only for brain development but for healthy parent-child connections.
“Even if the baby isn’t directly looking at the screen—for example, if a mother is nursing her child on the couch while watching TV—the baby can be overstimulated by the lights and sounds, which may cause distress and sleep problems.”
Chassiakos also noted that screens tend to interfere with creating intimate bonds between parents, children, and siblings and that tech-free bedrooms can help promote better sleep. Other experts have warned that screen time may inhibit a child’s ability to develop language and social skills.
The WHO took these recommendations a step further, noting that improving physical activity and sleep among young children, while limiting sedentary behaviors such as screen viewing, can help prevent problems later in life stemming from becoming overweight and out of shape.
Here are the WHO’s new guidelines:
Infants younger than one
Children between one and two
Children between three and four
“Too often, I see tired, overscheduled kids who eat on the run during the week and become sedentary on weekends because they are exhausted,” Dr. Jennifer Shu, an AAP spokeswoman, told CNN.
As always, we are here for you and your family, so feel free to consult us regarding any questions you may have about shielding your children from excessive screen time.
Drowning is one of the leading causes of death in children. Our concierge primary care doctors in Jupiter, want to emphasize the importance of teaching children not only the rules associated with being in and around
The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recently released updated guidelines recommending swimming lessons for toddlers, revising long-standing guidance against swimming lessons for children under age four.
The earlier guidelines were based on the belief that children under four could not master the skills required to hold their breath and coordinate their limbs properly to develop adequate swimming skills. There was also a lack of evidence that swimming lessons would help prevent drownings in the under-four age group, as well as the suspicion that swimming lessons for such young children might confer a false sense of security in their parents.
But one study reported that lessons between the ages of one and four produced an 88 percent reduction in drownings. These findings, coupled with the fact that children between the ages of one and four are at the highest risk for drowning, eventually changed the thinking and led to the revisions. Of course, they’re not all going to be mini-Michael Phelps, but the AAP stresses that they can be taught basic water skills and water safety skills.
“Floating, grasping the wall, climbing in and out of the water, turning back to the wall . . . a lot of times children end up falling into the water and they look to the furthest point, and if they just turned around they would be better off,” Katie Lee of the Goldfish Swim School in Long Island, New York, told CBS News.
It’s a matter of allowing very young to feel comfortable in the water, and not panic if they find themselves in it unexpectedly. You can start by holding your baby in your arms, moving them slowly back and forth, allowing them to feel the silky sensation of water on their skin. You can sing to them, and even bob them up and down, reinforcing the feeling that being in water is fun.
Slightly older children can be taught to blow bubbles in the water, thus learning how to avoid swallowing water. You can also teach them how to float on their backs and kick their legs as you hold them up. Formal swimming lessons with a certified swimming instructor can start as early as age one, depending on the child’s physical abilities and emotional development.
In addition to teaching your child basic water skills, it is critical to be vigilant at all times to prevent a tragedy. Young children can drown in as little as two inches of water, and within 90 seconds without breathing, oxygen in the brain begins to drop. Other experts cautioned that the perception of children flailing around in the water when they fall in is largely myth. Very young children tend to fall in and immediately sink.
“Don’t even run into the house for a second to go to the bathroom or grab the phone,” Dr. Mark Waltzman, a pediatric emergency medicine expert, told CBS News.
Other suggestions from AAP to prevent drowning include the following:
Tips for homes with pools include these useful guidelines:
If you have questions about age-appropriate swimming lessons and activities for your child, don’t hesitate to contact us.
As we get closer to the holidays, you may be scrambling to fill out your child’s wish list for Santa. So your concierge doctors at MD 2.0 in Jupiter, Florida, would like to offer you some food for thought, courtesy of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). Last week, the AAP released a report suggesting that parents skip the pricey electronics in favor of the old-fashioned toys: blocks, puzzles, even empty boxes.
Your concierge family practice doctors in Jupiter, Florida, at MD 2.0., have been hearing concerns from our patients about the recent publicized increases of a rare polio-like disease occurring mainly in children. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is investigating as many as 127 cases of acute flaccid myelitis (AFM) in at least 22 states this year. Some news outlets place the number of states affected closer to 30, because reporting cases to the CDC is voluntary, and this information may not have reached the CDC yet.
The symptoms of AFM are very similar to polio, a disease that was eradicated in the U.S. through the use of universal immunization. AFM affects a person’s nervous system, specifically the spinal cord, causing weakness in one or more limbs. It tends to begin about a week after a slight fever or respiratory illness, but can suddenly appear as weakness in the arms and legs. Other symptoms can include slurred speech or difficulty swallowing, or a “drooping” appearance in the face. Many patients recover quickly, while others continue to have paralysis requiring ongoing care.
More than 90 percent of the cases the CDC has confirmed have occurred in children under age 18; the average age is four. Although one death from AFM was reported last year, no deaths have been associated with the illness so far this year.
AFM was even rarer prior to its first major U.S. outbreak in 2014 when 120 cases were confirmed. The illness seemed to slack off in 2015 with only 22 confirmed cases, then spiked again in 2016 (149 cases), dropped in 2017 (33 cases), and now in 2018, we have 62 confirmed cases so far with an additional 65 suspected cases being investigated by the CDC. So not only do the cases seem to be rising then declining from year to year for reasons that are still unclear, but they also seem to cluster in the fall months. There are no state clusters, however, suggesting the illness is not spread from person to person but arises spontaneously.
The most frightening thing about AFM is that scientists have been unable to pinpoint a cause. All the confirmed AFM patients have been tested for poliovirus, and have definitively tested negative. The CDC has also tested every case for evidence of a wide range of known pathogens (germs) or viruses and has been unable to detect a consistent pattern among those affected.
Scientists continue to look for a common thread. Given the persistent controversy over vaccinations, it should be noted that those affected have differing histories on vaccinations: Some of the patients were vaccinated, some were not. (Incidentally, in October an unvaccinated child in Florida became the first person to die from this year’s flu.)
Unless it can be found that all those who contracted the illness share a common trait, such as being or not being vaccinated or contracting the same type of cold or flu, or having traveled to a certain place or having come in contact with some pollutant, the cause of the syndrome will remain a mystery.
What is also known is that the chances of developing AFM is less than one in a million, according to the CDC.
The likelihood of you or your child developing this distressing illness is miniscule, but there is a chance, especially since this is a year in which the cases are spiking. But we believe there is little cause for concern. As a parent, you should take the typical precautions you always do to ensure your child stays healthy: obtaining the recommended vaccinations, ensuring they wash their hands regularly and practice accepted hygiene methods, eating well, exercising, and getting enough sleep.
Just be aware that AMF strikes with little warning, and watch your child for any signs of the symptoms described above. If you have any concerns or questions, please don’t hesitate to contact us immediately.
Your concierge family practice doctors in Jupiter, Florida, at MD 2.0 often report on studies that reveal new information. These can be helpful but are often modified or challenged in the future by other studies.
