Vrinda Kumar, M.D.

A growing trend for non-medicinal approaches to pain control and teething in children are becoming more popular.

Teething is a fairly long process which can start as early as 3 to 4 months and last as long as two years when children are getting their two-year molars. Some kids do great with teething and exhibit no symptoms. Some kids, however, get fussy, low grade fevers, green slimy stools, eat less, drool excessively, and do not sleep well.

For the parents of the latter group, it can be stressful and distressing to see your child so fussy. There are a lot of teething remedies available, but one remedy that has become more popular in recent years is the Baltic amber teething necklace, which can be found in some stores and on the internet. Baltic amber supposedly has a substance called succinic acid which is a natural pain reliever. The theory is that this substance gets absorbed through the skin and provides pain relief and relieves some of the other symptoms associated with teething. These necklaces are just long enough to fit around a child’s neck but not so long that a child can put it in their mouths.

Some moms I have met swear by these and say that it calms their child down and decreases drooling. So, I started wondering…is there any scientific behind this? The answer is no. There is ANECDOTAL evidence (moms saying it works), but there is no science behind it whatsoever. Dr. Andrew Weil, a world leader in integrative medicine, says the use of these necklaces is not supported by modern science. There is no evidence that the succinic acid actually can absorbed in the skin to a level that can help with pain relief.

There are, however, several cases of strangulation and choking from the necklaces. The AAP and AAFP highly discourage the use of these necklaces. Amber is a “soft stone”, meaning it can easily crumble under the weight of a human bite. Putting a string of beads around a child’s neck poses a strangulation hazard, and putting it around an extremity poses the risk of strangulation to the point of cutting the blood supply from that extremity. Some of the necklaces have a magnetic clasp which opens when pulled (in theory to decrease strangulation hazards). But then, you have to think, if the clasp opens, it’s in the child’s reach which means they can put it in their mouths.

Bottom line, the use of these (and the supposed benefits) are not scientifically proven, and they do pose strangulation/choking risk.  I encourage patients to consider alternative forms of pain control for teething (e.g. Orajel Naturals).

Resources:

www.healthychildren.org

www.AAP.org

www.AAFP.org

Megan Muscia, D.O.

Hi everyone! I want to take a minute to introduce myself and tell you how excited I am to be joining Rush-Copley Medical Group! I am thrilled and honored to care for children in this community.

First, a little bit about myself. I went to college and medical school at Michigan State University (Go Spartans!) I am originally from the Chicago suburbs and I am lucky to have my whole family nearby. I am married and a mom of a very busy 18-month-old little girl.

Being a parent has made more of an impact on me being a pediatrician than being a pediatrician has ever improved my ability to be a mom. It has definitely helped me understand how hard all my patients’ parents are working! I hope you also know that I can empathize with all of you going through the newborn period, sleepless nights, and/or temper tantrums, because I have been there too. I also can say that while I have this experience, I am still trying to figure out parenthood just as much as everyone else! There is no “one size fits all” or perfect parent solution. As parents we can only do our best, and the best we can do for our children is to love them. The advice and recommendations you receive from friends, family and even your pediatrician can feel overwhelming to try and follow. I hope the advice given here can be simple and maybe answer a few questions about why we pediatricians recommend what we do.

In the office sometimes its hard to delve into all they ways you may spend time with your child, but as a parent quality time spent with your child is one of the most important things you can do for your child. It is a way to show your love for them and for them to develop a true sense of security. One of the best ways you can spend quality time with your child each day is reading to them.

In 2014, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommended that parents should read to their child every day starting from birth. Recent studies have shown that children, who were read to, especially prior to starting school, have stronger parent-child relationships and have stronger language and literacy skills. Reading aloud with young children is one of the most effective ways to expose them to enriched language and to encourage specific early literacy skills needed to promote school readiness. I know sometimes it can feel silly reading to a 6 week old, but your baby is listening. We live in a world dominated by cell phones, tablets, TVs and computer screens. It is incredibly important to take time each day to “unplug” and read to your child, or as they get older have them read to you.

Here are a few tips from the AAP on ways to help your child learn to love reading:

• Read to your child every day — even if only for a few minutes. It is your time together.
• Reading should be fun. You don’t have to finish a story if your child loses interest.
• Let your child choose the book even if it means reading the same book over and over.
• Invite your child to “read” to you from a familiar book that he has memorized from having heard it so often read to him.
• Stop and ask about the illustrations or what your child thinks will happen next. The answers may amaze you.
• Read from a variety of children’s books, including fairy tales, poetry, and nursery rhymes.
• Follow your child’s interests in choosing the books. There are many great books on non-fiction subjects such as the ocean or dogs.
• Join your local library!

I hope this post inspires you to spend some time reading with your child!

Here are some of our favorite books right now, and some websites you can look at if you want more information about reading to your child.

• Brown Bear, Brown Bear by Bill Martin Jr. and Eric Carle
• Chicka Chicka Boom Boom by Bill Martin Jr.
• Hello Ninja by N.D. Wilson
• The Very Hungry Caterpillar by Eric Carle
• The Little Blue Truck by Alice Schertie and Jill McElmurry
• Toot by Leslie Patricelli
• Any book by Sandra Boyton

Happy Reading!

Resources:

Healthy Children.org

https://healthychildren.org/English/ages-stages/gradeschool/school/Pages/Help-Your-Child-Enjoy-Reading-Aloud-Tips-for-Parents.aspx

AAP Policy Statement:http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/content/134/2/404.full.pdf+html?sid=424738e8-f654-4940-a408-48b03a3687db

Nicole Keller, D.O.

It’s getting to be the middle of the night. The last time I wrote a blog post in the middle of the night was when measles was going around. This time, I find my mind circling the same subject secondary to the recent remarks made by politicians. So, here I am again – writing about vaccines. I hesitate to broach the topic once more to avoid being a broken record, but, at the same time, it is so important – a matter of life and death in many ways. So here goes.

Vaccines are safe. Vaccines are effective. Vaccines save lives.

Decades ago (not so long that our parents and possibly you and me don’t have memories of that time) people across the world were plagued with illness from polio virus, measles virus, smallpox, chicken pox, pneumococcus, Haemophilus influenzae type B, diphtheria and others. Brilliant minds came together to find a way to rid us of these illnesses that had potential to cause severe illness or even death. The vaccine came about. Over the next decades, vaccines were refined, redesigned and researched to provide the best immune effect with the least side effect. Slowly, these illnesses began to disappear. In fact, when was the last time you heard of a case of smallpox? You haven’t because the vaccine eliminated this disease.

My son, Leo, after his 4 month vaccinations.

In the recent past, vaccines have been put to the test. Even before the autism-vaccine scare (but even more since), immunizations have been repeatedly and rigorously examined. Thousands of patients have been studied. The vaccine schedule has been adjusted to offer the most protection as early as the body could safely handle that load. Scientific research studies testing the vaccines themselves and schedules they were administered on were conducted. The results have been unanimous – vaccines are safe, vaccines are effective, vaccines save lives.

Don’t get me wrong, anything and everything has potential for side effect. Did you know if you eat too many carrots your skin might start to turn orange? Vaccines have potential for less than ideal side effects as well; fevers, redness, swelling and welts are the most common effects we see. Seizures are also a possibility. There are other side effects possible too. Scary, I agree. Even so, every possible side effect is much rarer (and in a huge majority of the cases less severe) than the possible effects of the disease it protects against.

What about autism then, right? There are countless stories about families having a seemingly normal child who happened to get vaccines and then later be diagnosed with this condition. These stories are true in their timing of vaccines and autism. What isn’t true is the vaccines causing the autism. Correlation (two events happening at a similar time) does not equal causation. Of all the myths about vaccines this may be the biggest one. Even myself as a pediatrician was scared at the possible diagnosis of autism as my child grew and developed. But you know what I was even more scared of? Losing him to a vaccine preventable illness for good.

Leo after his 6 month vaccinations.

Raising a child is hard. You want nothing but the best for that child. I fully understand and appreciate that. In fact, that is part of the reason I became a pediatrician. With that said, please believe me when I say vaccines are safe, they are effective and they save lives.

On second thought, don’t believe me. Science is not a belief system. Science is not opinion. Science is fact. The facts are that vaccines are safe, they are effective and they save lives. As a parent who wants nothing but the best for my child, that is something I can believe in.

If you want more information please talk to your local expert in vaccines – your pediatrician – or visit a reliable website such as the American Academy of Pediatrics (www.aap.org), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (www.cdc.gov), or even Autism speaks (www.autismspeaks.org).

Thanks as always for reading. Stay healthy!

Eva Alessia, D.O.

Tomorrow is National Seat Check Saturday.  More than 80 percent of car seats are installed incorrectly.  Some of the most common questions pediatricians get during an office visit are about car seats.  Here are some tips to help you understand the basics of keeping kids safe in the car.

• The safest place for car seat safety is in the back seat for all children less than 13 years of age
• NEVER place a rear-facing seat in the front seat of a car
• All children less than 2 years of age should be in a rear-facing seat or until the child reaches the maximum height and weight requirement recommended by the car seat’s manufacturer
• If the child has outgrown the rear-facing seat, the child should move to a forward-facing seat with a harness
• If the child has outgrown the forward-facing seat with a harness, the child should move to a booster seat with a lap and shoulder belt
• A child outgrows the booster seat with lap and shoulder belt when he/she is 4’9” tall and between 8 and 12 years of age
• There are special car seats for preemies and other populations
• A car seat should not be used if: there are visible cracks, no label with date of manufacture and model number, missing parts or instructions, recalled seats, or involved in a car crash
• Most car seats expire after six yeas from the date of manufacture

Helpful resources for car seat safety:

Certified Passenger Safety Technician (CPST)
877-366-8154 or http://cert.safekids.org/

Car seat inspection stations
866-732-8243

NHTSA vehicle safety hotline
888-327-4236

www.buckleupillinois.org

www.healthychildren.org

Our children, and many of us,  are part of the “plugged in” generation with our ears listening to music, movies or books on iPods or similar devices.  To help avoid hearing loss, keep in mind these seven tips to help protect your ears from permanent damage.

1. Don’t Listen So Loud – Most researchers agree that it’s safe to regularly listen to your iPod at about 70% of its maximum volume. Anything louder than that over an extended period is risky.
   

   Guest Blogger: Deb Quinn, MS, CCC-A
   Audiologist

2. Use Volume Control – In response to consumer concerns, Apple offers a volume limit setting for some iPods. If your iPod support this, you’ll generally find it on the main iPod management screen that comes up when you sync. Otherwise, you can also restrict the maximum volume of a song in “options” tab of any song in iTunes.
3. Limit Your Listening – The length of time you listen, not just the volume, can contribute to hearing loss. The louder the music, the shorter you can listen, but giving your ears a chance to rest between sessions will help them heal.
4. Use the 60/60 Rule – Since the combination of volume and length of exposure can cause hearing loss, researchers recommend applying the 60/60 rule: listen to an iPod for 60 minutes at 60% of max volume and then take a break. Ears that get a rest have time to recover and are less likely to be damaged.
5. Don’t Use Earbuds – Despite them being included with every iPod and iPhone, researchers caution against using Apple’s earbuds (or those from other manufacturers). Earbuds are more likely to cause hearing damage than headphones that sit over the ear and they can also be up to 9 db louder than over-the-ear headphones (not such a big deal when you’re going from 50 to 60 db, but much more serious going from 70 to 80).
6. Use Noise Dampening of Cancelling Headphones – The noise around us can contribute to cause us to change how we listen to an iPod. If there’s a lot of noise nearby, it’s likely that we’ll turn up the iPod’s volume, thus increasing the chances of hearing loss. To cut down on, or eliminate, ambient noise, use noise-deadening or –cancelling headphones. They’re more expensive, but your ears will thank you.
7. Never Max It Out – Though it’s easy to find yourself listening to your iPod at max volume, try to avoid this at all costs. Researchers advise that it’s safe to listen to your iPod at maximum volume for just five minutes.

Source: Sam Costello