Take Home Pediatrics

Here is what's happening in the world of kids:

• Finally we can blame dad!

• Kids + Guns = 👎

• Spoonful of sugar makes the medicine go down, but what about 17 spoonful?

• Early to bed... makes you healthy and wise! 💤⏲

Father's alcohol consumption can affect their kids! Recent study showed a possible link to father's alcohol consumption prior to conception to increased skull, brain and growth defects in babies. Fetal Alcohol Syndrome has long been studied with link to maternal alcohol consumptions. Guess who else is not drinking during pregnancy now! However... this study is only in mice so far 🐭😧.

Firearms are the #1 killer of children in the US. An interesting study incorporating an intervention program in childhood showed adolescents less likely to carry a handgun. Since 2020, the number of firearm related deaths has skyrocketed with intervention focused on the teens, adults and policies. However, this study shows we need to intervene at younger ages with education and support. Use of firearms is also a learned and preventable behavior, but with intervention programs maybe we will alleviate the burden of our # 1 Killer of kids.

"Eat less sugar, you're sweet enough." Take that advice to avoid lifetime diseases like diabetes, high blood pressure, heart disease, cancer, depression and more! The average American consumes 17 teaspoons of sugar daily🥄! The biggest contributor to our sugar intake is sweet drinks. With that comes increased carbohydrate and fat consumption, increased risk of smoking and alcohol consumption and then decreased physical activity. From this study, we hope there is more public awareness programs. In pediatrics, we start with our infants- no addition of juice when starting solid foods, only water!

Sleep is very important for health and psychology. Studies show its long lasting affect on mental health. Knowing this, we need to put even more emphasis on our pediatric patients developing a good sleep hygiene and teaching the parents on why it is so important. This starts with consistent bedtime, calming night time routine, no screens one hour prior to bed, and definitely no electronics in the bedroom.

🚨RECALLS AND ALERTS🚨

• ATV

• Children's Bathrobe

• Children's Nightgown

• More Children's Robes

Dear Dr. Bhumi, my 6 year old daughter complains of stomach ache 2-3 times a week, but she seems happy and playful. What should I do about this?

Dear Reader, abdominal pain in children is a common complaint with so many possible diagnoses. If she has been complaining for over a week, I would see her primary doctor so an exam can be done. However, we can go over the possibilities here so you are prepared. Abdominal pain can be acute which means it started suddenly and only lasts few days or until a treatment. This can be due to a viral illness like the "stomach bug", pneumonia, urinary tract infection, diabetes , hepatitis, or even strep if other associated symptoms. An illness will be ruled out if your child does not have fever, cold symptoms, sore throat, diarrhea, vomiting or urinary symptoms. We also want to rule out "acute abdomen"- this is when you go to the ER- sudden onset of pain, severe enough that child does not want to move, pain on touching the stomach, intractable vomiting or diarrhea. This can be appendicitis, GI blockage, ovarian or testicular torsion, kidney stone or mesenteric lymphadenitis (swollen lymph nodes in the abdomen which self resolves). Now we go to the subacute and chronic pain. This is pain that has been lasting 3 weeks or more. Potential causes for this is food sensitivity, constipation, early sign of Crohns or ulcerative colitis, abdominal migraines or functional abdominal pain. Your doctor will ask questions about stooling daily, consistency of stool, check if there is any weight loss, decreased appetite, tiredness. If exam and history are negative, then we can say child has functional abdominal pain in which they complain but it does not interfere with daily activity and no physical signs of illness. Additional workup may include a blood count (CBC), pregnancy test on female teens, electrolytes and glucose level, urine test, stool test, strep swab, abdominal xray and ultrasound- all depending on the findings. Hope this prepares you for a more in-depth conversation with the primary doctor!

INSECT REPELLENT🐜🦟🚫🐞

If you've been enjoying our newsletter, we would love for you to spread the word to your friends and colleagues who might be interested. Sharing our newsletter with others not only helps us grow, but it also helps them stay up-to-date with the latest news and insights in pediatrics! Thank you for your continued support and for helping us reach even more people who could benefit from our newsletter!"