FOR YOUR INFORMATION... Interesting, fun and important facts regarding medicine, your child, and you. We'll change this page frequently, so be sure and check in!
TEAMING UP TO PROTECT YOUNG ATHLETES: PREVENTING CONCUSSIONS From: The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Online The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has teamed up with the Seattle Seahawks and the Brain Injury Association of Washington to help prevent young athletes from sustaining concussions. Concussions is serious and often underestimated problem. A concussion is a type of brain injury caused by trauma that can disrupt normal brain functions. An important goal of this campaign is to education coaches and parents of young athletes as to the warning signs of a concussion, along with important preventative methods. Among the protective recommendations are: • Insist that safety comes first • Ensure athletes always wear the right protective equipment for their activity • Make sure their youth sports league or administrator has a concussion action plan in place. If a coach or parent suspects a concussion, they should: • Remove the athlete from play • Ensure the athlete is evaluated immediately by an appropriate healthcare professional • Allow the athlete to return to play only with permission from a healthcare professional with experience in evaluating concussions. For more information, click on the link below: PREVENTING CONCUSSIONS
ALLERGY TIPS From “The American Academy of Pediatrics Guide to Your Child’s Allergies and Asthma” The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a nice summary regarding your child and allergies. Topics include: “When to Suspect an Allergy,” “Common Allergens on the Home Front,” “How to Manage Allergic Nasal Symptoms,” “Medications to Suppress Symptoms,” “Common Triggers of Asthma,” and “Managing Eczema (Atopic Dermatitis).” For example, common allergens found in the home include: • Dust (contains dust mites, particles from other allergens such as pollen, mold and animal dander as well as irritants) • Pollen (trees, grasses, weeds) • Fungi (including molds too small to be seen with the naked eye) • Furry animals (cats, dogs, guinea pigs, gerbils, rabbits and other pets) • Latex (household articles such as rubber gloves and toys, balloons) • Foods (cow’s milk, eggs, peanuts, tree nuts, soy, wheat, fish and shellfish) For more information, click on the link below: ALLERGY TIPS	Dr. Paul and Jacob
HELP YOUR CHILD GET ORGANIZED From the Rady Children’s Hospital Website You might have noticed, but school is well underway. You might have also noticed that your child is having trouble organizing themselves, especially when it comes to accomplishing tasks such as homework. Rady Children’s Hospital has a great webpage on helping your child (and maybe yourself) get focused and organized on accomplishing a task. Basically, they recommend organizing into three basic steps: • Getting organized means a child gets where he or she needs to be and gathers the supplies needed to complete the task. • Staying focused means sticking with the task and learning to say “no” to distractions. • Getting id done means finishing up, checking your work, and putting on the finishing touches, like remembering to put a homework paper in the correct folder and putting the folder inside their backpack. The article then goes on to give practical advice for accomplishing these steps, by working with a child to develop good organizational habits. Working with your child on developing great work habits will serve them well throughout their lives – and you might also improve your own organizational skills as a great byproduct! For more information, click on the following link: GETTING ORGANIZED	THE WHINING CHILD: WHAT MAKES THEM WHINE AND HOW PARENTS CAN PREVENT IT From WebMD the Magazine (Constance Matthiessen) Nothing can be more annoying than a whining child. It’s the human equivalent of running a nail across a chalkboard. According to the experts, the main reason for whining is that it gets a parent’s attention. Whining is a learned behavior unconsciously rewarded by parental behavior. A child might start off asking for something in a polite way, but finds that they are ignored by the parent. In reaction, the child begins to increase their volume and persist in the demand. In a young child, this can result in a tantrum. In older children, it’s more likely to turn into a whine. How to stop a whiner? Respond to the request before it reaches the point of a whine, even if it is just to acknowledge the child with a raised finger or eye contact. It may also be a cry for some deeper issue – have you been busier than usual? Has your attention been diverted by work or another child? One expert suggests that “a few minutes connecting with your child once or twice a day can make a huge difference for families dealing with difficult behaviors.” For more on how to deal with whining in your child, click on the following link: THE WHINING CHILD