Monthly Archive for May, 2009

Is texting harmful for your child?

Published on May 26, 2009 in Safety and Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

Texting is a quick and easy way to communicate with one another and is one form of communication that seems to be growing exponentially.

Parents use it to communicate with their children. Children are texting one another, even while at school or when they should be sleeping.

Could it cause harm? We do not know for sure, but as with many other things, in excess, possibly. The quick things that come to mind are frequent distractions and sleep deprivation.

Below is an exert from a NY times piece.
http://well.blogs.nytimes.com/2009/05/26/texting-until-their-thumbs-hurt/

Spurred by the unlimited texting plans offered by carriers like AT&T Mobility and Verizon Wireless, American teenagers sent and received an average of 2,272 text messages per month in the fourth quarter of 2008, according to the Nielsen Company — almost 80 messages a day, more than double the average of a year earlier.

The phenomenon is beginning to worry physicians and psychologists, who say it is leading to anxiety, distraction in school, falling grades, repetitive stress injury and sleep deprivation.

Dr. Martin Joffe, a pediatrician in Greenbrae, Calif., recently surveyed students at two local high schools and said he found that many were routinely sending hundreds of texts every day.

“That’s one every few minutes,” he said. “Then you hear that these kids are responding to texts late at night. That’s going to cause sleep issues in an age group that’s already plagued with sleep issues.”

What is that yellow ball in the sky?

Published on May 22, 2009 in Safety. 0 Comments Tags: .
Can you believe sunshine is predicted for the Memorial Day weekend in the Seattle area?
 I had a friend tell me that their child asked her “why is it sunny”

With sunshine though brings the reminder to protect your child’s skin from the damaging rays of the sun. You and your child may be out of the sunscreen habit after seemingly unending months of grey days and rain, so here are some reminders:

I can’t state strongly enough how important sunscreen is to your child’s health. Just one bad burn sunburn as a child can increase the chance of skin cancer later in life. It is estimated that at least 50 percent of your child’s lifetime sun exposure occurs before 18 years of age. As a parent, this is your opportunity to make a difference with your child’s skin health and to instill good habits.

Protecting your child’s skin from sun damage is best accomplished by taking advantage using sunscreens and sunscreen products, and using them correctly. It is also important to try to limit sun exposure during peak intensity period of the day, typically late morning until mid afternoon.

  • Use a sunscreen with an SPF of 15 or greater
  • Apply sunscreen every 90 minutes.
  • Reapply after going in the water, even if the product states it is waterproof.
  • Apply sunscreen all over, even if your child will remain clothed; everyday clothing itself does not offer enough protection from the sun. The average t-shirt offers an SPF of 4.
  • Look into clothing that has a high SPF. For example, there are shirts and bathing suits that can offer good protection.
  • Make sure your child wears a hat and sunglasses.

If your child is going to a friend’s house, make sure your child knows he or she needs to reapply the sunscreen. Enlist other adults in reminding your child.

Don’t be fooled by cloud cover. The sun’s damaging rays can still get through or the clouds could move out suddenly.

One last thing, check your sunscreen bottle for an expiration date — toss it out if it is expired or if you have had it over a year. Sunscreen can break down over time and loose its effectiveness.

So be safe and enjoy the great outdoors this weekend.

First swine flu, now norovirus.

Published on May 14, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments Tags: .

What’s that you say, there is another illness in the community?
Seattle Times Story

Yes, its true. Cases of norovirus are popping up around Seattle. Put simply, it is a stomach flu. The norovirus typically causes nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and some stomach cramping. It can also cause a low-grade fever, chills, headache, muscle aches, and tiredness. The illness begins abruptly, and the infected person may feel very sick. In most people the illness is self-limiting with symptoms lasting for about 1 or 2 days. In general, children experience more vomiting than adults.

It is spread by eating or drinking food that is infected or by touching surfaces or people with the virus and then putting your hands in the mouth. Not very pleasant to think about.

Prevention is simple, good hand washing with soap and water.

Head Lice

Published on May 11, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: .

Recently I have heard a few families ask about head lice so I though I would pass on a little information.

With lice, itching is the most common symptom but many children are not symptomatic. The adult lice or eggs (nits) are found in the hair. Scratching and thus excoriations are common. The nits are visible to the naked eye. Adult lice are quite often not seen.

Treatment
Permethrin 1% is most commonly used and is over the counter. It is quite effective and safe with a low potential for toxic effects. It continues to work for a few weeks after application although often a second treatment is recommended 7-10 days after the first one. Resistance to it has been documented.

Malathion in another drug used. It is an organophosphate pesticide that is highly effective but has some safety concerns and is not recommended in children younger than 2 years of age.

Lindane is the last drug I will discuss. It is an organochloride. It has some toxicity concerns and is considered a neurotoxin and has the potential for central nervous system toxicity. It should be the last option after everything else has failed.

Suffocation: There are no great evidenced based data to say whether suffocation of lice by applying things such as petroleum jelly, olive oil, mayonnaise is an effective treatment. This is not to say that it does not work, but just no good studies regarding this.

There was an article in the journal Pediatrics years ago regarding treatment with a suffocating agent that ultimately ended up being Cetaphil. Here is the link: http://www.nuvoforheadlice.com.
PEDIATRICS Vol. 114 No. 3 September 2004, pp. e275-e279

Control Measures:
All family members should be examined for and treated if nits are found.

The lice incubating in egg cases (nits) are so close to the scalp that removal is difficult even with nit combs.

Medication treatment should be done in conjunction with other measures such as disinfecting pillow cases, bedding and towels by washing them. Temperatures of 128F for 5 minutes are lethal to lice. Putting things in the dryer is another option as heat kills lice.

Just another reason to breast feed.

Published on May 8, 2009 in Uncategorized. 1 Comment Tags: .

Found this interesting.  Rocket Fuel in formula. Whats next?

April 6, 2009 — CDC scientists have found a chemical called perchlorate in samples of powdered infant formula.

Perchlorate occurs naturally in the environment; it’s also made for use in rocket propellant, explosives, fireworks, and road flares.

Perchlorate has been found in drinking water in some areas of the country, as well as in food and breast milk.

High levels of exposure to perchlorate may disrupt the function of the thyroid gland, which is needed for normal growth and development of the central nervous system, according to background information from the FDA.

The formula findings, published online in the Journal of Exposure Sciences and Environmental Epidemiology, raise more questions than answers.

Those questions include the health effects of perchlorate from powdered infant formula, whether iodine supplementation might offset perchlorate-related thyroid problems, and whether the formula samples that were tested were representative of powdered infant formula nationwide.

“It’s important to note that infant formula contains iodine and that iodine would be expected to ameliorate any potential effects that perchlorate would have,” Ben Blount, PhD, Chief of the CDC’s Perchlorate Biomonitoring Laboratory, tells WebMD.

A Swine Flu Party?

Published on May 7, 2009 in H1N1 (Swine Flu) and Uncategorized. 0 Comments

This is one party I will not be sending in an  RSVP for attending.

I read about this in the Seattle Times this morning.

The thought is, since the H1N1 virus in the U.S. is apparently fairly weak, that trying to catch it will some how immunize you from a more severe strain.

This goes back to the faulty logic of  the “chickenpox party”, which has resurfaced of late.

When I was a child, even my own mother sent me to such a “party.”

Deliberately exposing your child to the varicella virus —which causes chickenpox — is potentially very dangerous. Despite the availability of the varicella vaccine, some parents still think that it’s better to contract chickenpox as a child, since the disease is more severe the older you are. Chickenpox although typically mild can cause serious infections with complications that lead to hospitalization and even death. During my residency training, I personally saw two children die from this preventable illness. No immunization prevents 100 percent of the illness, but so far the varicella immunization has proven very effective. In those vaccinated who still contracted the disease later on, the case was generally much milder than if not immunized.


There is not currently a vaccination against H1N1, so the best thing you can do to help your child stay healthy is to teach good hand washing habits. Be sure to set a good example by doing this yourself.

Children who are sick with more than typical cold symptoms should stay home from school and daycare and stay away from other people until they are better.

Sutures in the Nohle household

Published on May 6, 2009 in Uncategorized. 0 Comments

As much as we want to prevent injuries, sometimes they will still occur. That was the case with my son when he tripped and hit his head on the wallboard molding last week. Needless to say, his mom was not happy about the laceration.  He did fine with getting sutures. I think it was really harder for my wife than my son.

Fortunately his stitches came out very easy and it was non tramautic.

Schools open up again, now what?

Published on May 5, 2009 in H1N1 (Swine Flu) and Uncategorized. 0 Comments
In the Seattle Times today the headline says: Schools reopening today; flu watch shifts to parents
The only portion that relates to parents is:
“We are asking parents and families to take primary responsibility for the health of their children,” said Dr. Jeff Duchin, chief of communicable-disease control for Public Health — Seattle & King County. “Closing one school at a time was never meant to be a long-term response.”
So what are parents to do? what does taking primary responsibility mean?
Realistically it means teaching our children to wash their hands frequently and to not touch their nose and mouth area. It also means keeping your child home when they have an illness that seems to be more than just a typical cold.
Here is what the CDC says on this topic: http://www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/k12_dismissal.htm
Recommendations
  • School closure is not advised for a suspected or confirmed case of novel influenza A (H1N1) and, in general, is not advised unless there is a magnitude of faculty or student absenteeism that interferes with the school’s ability to function.
  • Schools that were closed based on previous interim CDC guidance related to this outbreak may reopen.
  • Students, faculty or staff with influenza-like illness (fever with a cough or sore throat) should stay home and not attend school or go into the community except to seek medical care for at least 7 days even if symptoms resolve sooner.
  • Students, faculty and staff who are still sick 7 days after they become ill should continue to stay home from school until at least 24 hours after symptoms have resolved.
  • Students, faculty and staff who appear to have an influenza-like illness at arrival or become ill during the school day should be isolated promptly in a room separate from other students and sent home.
  • Parents and guardians should monitor their school-aged children, and faculty and staff should self-monitor every morning for symptoms of influenza-like illness.
  • Ill students should not attend alternative child care or congregate in settings other than school.
  • School administrators should communicate regularly with local public health officials to obtain guidance about reporting of influenza-like illnesses in the school.
  • Schools can help serve as a focus for educational activities aimed at promoting ways to reduce the spread of influenza, including hand hygiene and cough etiquette.
  • Students, faculty and staff should stringently follow sanitary measures to reduce the spread of influenza, including covering their nose and mouth with a tissue when coughing or sneezing (or coughing or sneezing into their sleeve if a tissue isn’t available), frequently washing hands with soap and water, or using hand sanitizer if hand washing with soap and water is not possible.