Is it better to give my child Ibuprofen or Acetaminophen for a fever?
Late fall, winter and spring are key times for a large variety of viral illness that cause a whole range of symptoms, but most concerning to all parents is fever. Fever is the body's response to an infectious agent and the means to start to immobilize the agent and kill it. Therefore, a fever should be treated to control extreme levels of fever and/or for comfort. Most fevers under 102 do not need to be controlled aggressively since at this level it is generally safe and the
Eating Disorders Are Not a “Female Problem”
by Jane Wangersky March 25th, 2011 | Children's Health, Men's Health, Mental Health, Nutrition
Most people would picture someone with an eating disorder as a very thin -- or very overweight -- girl or young woman, not as an athletic, muscular young male. Yet, though eating disorders affect boys and men less often, they do strike them -- and the patient's self-image as an athlete can be a factor. The results can be just as devastating as they are for girls and women, especially if they don't receive eating disorder treatment.
Let's take a quick look at exactly what eating disorders are. The National Institute of Mental Health sums
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Let's take a quick look at exactly what eating disorders are. The National Institute of Mental Health sums
Chicken Pox after Vaccination?
by Tom Seman MD FAAP March 4th, 2011 | Pediatrician on Call
Is it possible for my child to develop chicken pox, even if she has been vaccinated?
Vaccines against viral infections are difficult to make to be 100% effective, even after a booster. The Chicken Pox vaccine is no exception. After one immunization, the vaccine confers immunity in approximately 85% of people. So approximately 15% of children and adults who are vaccinated can contract and manifest chicken pox if sufficiently exposed. However, the duration and intensity of the disease is significantly lessened.
Prior to the advent of the Chicken Pox vaccine, the disease was very common, with approximately 80% of children having
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Vaccines against viral infections are difficult to make to be 100% effective, even after a booster. The Chicken Pox vaccine is no exception. After one immunization, the vaccine confers immunity in approximately 85% of people. So approximately 15% of children and adults who are vaccinated can contract and manifest chicken pox if sufficiently exposed. However, the duration and intensity of the disease is significantly lessened.
Prior to the advent of the Chicken Pox vaccine, the disease was very common, with approximately 80% of children having
Coughs in Babies Can Be Deadly
by Lori Sciame February 4th, 2011 | Children's Health, Illness
Parents of infants beware: Whooping Cough, or pertussis, an illness long thought conquered, has resurfaced across the country. The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) recently warned that this bacterial infection is threatening young children, especially in California.
The CDC explains that “…the illness is most severe for babies; more than half of infants younger than 1 year of age who get the disease must be hospitalized. About 1 in 5 infants with pertussis get pneumonia (lung infection), and about 1 in 100 will have convulsions. In rare cases (1 in 100), pertussis can be deadly, especially in infants.â€
In order
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The CDC explains that “…the illness is most severe for babies; more than half of infants younger than 1 year of age who get the disease must be hospitalized. About 1 in 5 infants with pertussis get pneumonia (lung infection), and about 1 in 100 will have convulsions. In rare cases (1 in 100), pertussis can be deadly, especially in infants.â€
In order
Overweight Babies
by Bea January 3rd, 2011 | Children's Health, Diet, Health News, Health Research
Sure, babies often look a little chubby. That chubbiness is typically acceptable because it makes the baby cute and pudgy, but also because it usually evens out as the baby grows. However, now more than ever, studies have been finding that some babies are not just chubby, but overweight. In fact, in an article on livescience.com, it has been shown that almost one third of 9 month olds are obese or overweight. Though the study is not clear about which babies are included in this study, it states that the study looked a nationally representative sample of children born
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