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Archives for 2011

Asperger’s Syndrome

by Dean Heller MD October 14th, 2011 | Ask the Doctor
My friend’s child was diagnosed with Asperger’s syndrome. What is it?

Asperger's syndrome is a disease that is grouped into the spectrum of Autism. It is similar to other types of Autism, but in this syndrome their language development is normal, although they do struggle with social language, such as understanding sarcasm. They will frequently have hyper focus, meaning that they are only focused on one thing, that they involve their entire life around.

Expert: Children's Mercy Family Health.

To learn more about Asperger's Syndrome, watch this video from VideoMD.com.
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Cough Medicine and Children

by Tom Seman MD FAAP October 13th, 2011 | Pediatrician on Call
My six year-old son develops a terrible cough every time he has a cold. He can't sleep, and he misses a lot of school.  I have heard that cough medicine may be harmful to children, yet I don't know what else to do to help him.  Any suggestions?

This is a very interesting question, but it is actually somewhat more complex to answer than it may seem. If we deal only with cough and cough suppressants, we still need to understand the type of cough - dry, productive (also known as wet), spasmodic (difficult to stop each event while it is happening, and looks
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Alzheimer’s: Another Reason to Exercise

by Lori Sciame October 10th, 2011 | Health News
In the 1980’s my grandfather succumbed to the devastating disease, Alzheimer’s. The once vigorous man, who loved to play jokes almost as much as he loved Cubs baseball, lived the last months of his life unable to even recognize his wife. In those days, not much was known about preventing this devastating disease, but now scientists have determined ways to help prevent the onset of dementia caused by Alzheimer’s.

First, make sure to keep exercising as you age. A study by the National Academy of Scientists showed that walking helps to build a part of the brain called the hippocampus.
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Managing COPD

by Dean Heller MD October 7th, 2011 | Ask the Doctor
My COPD symptoms always seem to worsen this time of year. What can I do to decrease these symptoms?

As you know you have COPD, I assume that you do not smoke any longer. That is the most common cause of COPD, which is a chronic lung disease. The most common symptoms are shortness of breath and cough. It is true that we see a winter peak in COPD exacerbations. One of the reasons for this is transmission of mild upper respiratory illnesses in the winter, and around holidays, and this puts you at risk. If you can avoid large crowded places when possible, always wash
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Stress Prevention in College

by Mackenzie M. October 6th, 2011 | Mental Health
In one of my previous articles, I wrote about how to recognize stress in college students. Well, it is that time of the semester again, and college students, including myself, are feeling the weight of mid-terms (and life) on their shoulders. The demands financially, academically, and emotionally, far outweigh the supply of money, study time, and emotions that college students possess.

To help, I have compiled a list of smart ways to prevent this stress.

Make smart financial decisions. We have all had to learn the skill of money management the hard way. Every day, college students are bombarded with advertisements,
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All health and medical information is provided for educational purposes and is not meant to replace the medical advice or treatment of your healthcare professional.