Theo Pediatric Health

06/22/2018

The second case of measles in Michigan was recently identified. Before the diagnosis was made, the child arrived at the Detroit airport, and then went to a few public places in Ann Arbor including an urgent care facility on June 14th.

'From 2001 – 2012, the average number of measles cases reported nationally per year was about 60. But in recent years there have been more, which is of great concern to public health authorities. In 2017, there were 118 cases in the U.S. including two cases in Michigan; the majority of people who got measles were not vaccinated.'

06/20/2018

Several media outlets have recently interviewed pediatricians about the effect on children of the family separations now occurring at the United States southern border as a result of President Trump's so-called "zero tolerance policy"

The pediatric and scientific community recognize that severe stress can cause longterm health problems. Here is an excerpt from a pediatric journal about 'toxic stress', published in 2012. Toxic stress and adverse childhood experiences have been a widely-discussed topic since a number of recent studies have linked toxic stress to mental health problems such as anxiety, depression, suicidal behavior, and drug dependence:

The third and most dangerous form of stress response, toxic stress, can result from strong, frequent, or prolonged activation of the body’s stress response systems in the absence of the buffering protection of a supportive, adult relationship.

The risk factors studied in the Adverse Childhood Experiences Study include examples of multiple stressors (eg, child abuse or neglect, parental substance abuse, and maternal depression) that are capable of inducing a toxic stress response.

The essential characteristic of this phenomenon is the postulated disruption of brain circuitry and other organ and metabolic systems during sensitive developmental periods.

Such disruption may result in anatomic changes and/or physiologic dysregulations that are the precursors of later impairments in learning and behavior as well as the roots of chronic, stress-related physical and mental illness.

05/17/2018

Recently, I met Dr. Sood at the Mayo Clinic. He made these simple, clever videos about how to get kids to mellow out:

Control your electronic urges to help your children be more disciplined about their screen time. This video provides three ideas.

04/26/2018

Ensuring the safety of these children is especially important given that these children are especially vulnerable.

Adolescents can be lured away from home with the promise of making a lot of money in the US. Yet they can be isolated working on farms and can get trapped in a kind of slavery based on unpaid debts.

Given this threat of human trafficking, losing track of so many children is unforgivable.

The Administration for Children and Families learned of the missing children only after calling people who took responsibility for the youths when they were released from government custody.

04/16/2018

Child poverty cost the United States 1 trillion dollars in 2015. As a pediatrician, I see this waste first hand. Early childhood education for impoverished children if good for kids, moms, and pays for itself.

For each dollar spent on reducing childhood poverty, the United States would save at least $7, research shows.

04/09/2018

This year's flu season was the worst since at least 2010, and will likely cause the hospitalization of more than a million US citizens. Most cases were caused by H3N2, (flu A type). 97 children have died so far this season, and flu season is not yet over. (Source: Inf. Dis. in Children)

03/29/2018

Resources and support groups for children dealing with grief:

Programs in Michigan The Children's Grief Center of the Great Lakes Bay Region*P.O. Box 2763 Midland, MI 48641-2763 (989)495-9335http://www.childrensgriefglbr.orgWe offer peer support grief groups for children, teens and their families grieving a death. We are trained by and modeled after the Dougy....

03/02/2018

I am thankful for this research award from the National Institute on Drug Abuse:

NIDA Women & Sex/Gender Differences Junior Investigator Travel Award

02/10/2018

https://www.peds.clinic/journal/larry

Larry Nassar has much in common with JR Brinkley, shown here. In both cases, their medical quackery should have been obvious to the scientifically-based medical community.

02/06/2018

Invited to lecture PhD students at MSU today on a statistical approach to ensure accurate and meaningful comparisons between groups or across time. 👨‍🏫🤓

01/31/2018

Vaccinate!

01/31/2018

Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) expires in March. For only 15 billion dollars, it covers 8.9 million kids, including many that I care for at Mason Pediatrics. Congress should not hold these kids hostage.