Often, a great source for medical information is found in our newspapers, magazines, and web sites. I will use this page to put some articles from web sites such as Time Magainzine that has relevant and interesting Pediatric or Health Information. Also, I will use this to report new and interesting news on Pediatric topics.

Immunizations

Who need shots? (an article of the benefits of immunizations and the risks of not immunizing your child)

Prevnar Update: As of April 2004, there is a national shortage of the Pneumococcal Vaccine (Prevnar) that we administer to our patients. In accordance with recommendations from the American Academy of Pediatrics to all pediatricians, we will now be giving three doses of Prevnar at 2, 4, and 15 months instead of four doses at 2,4,6 and 15 months. Please remember, this is a national issue, and all pediatric offices are facing the same challenges. Talk with your provider for more information.

Letter to Parents About Prevnar Shortage from the American Academy of Pediatrics

Pediatric Well Care Issues

a very informative article on Fluoride for children

Other Pediatric Problems / Issues

ADHD in the News: A study published in the April 2004 edition of Pediatrics has been getting a lot of media attention: the study looked at a large number of seven year olds and found an association between watching 1-2 hours of TV per day as toddlers and attention problems at age seven. Does this mean that watching TV causes ADHD? It's not clear -- this study only shows an association between TV watching and attention problems, it doesn't prove that watching TV causes attention problems. More research clearly needs to be done to look into this issue. For now, continue to limit TV time for your toddlers and older kids, too.

Is it Strep Throat? - another good article from Time Magazine discussing why is it a good idea to wait for the results of Strep Cultures before starting antibiotics for a "strep" throat.