Swimmer's Ear

Swimming is a great way for kids to stay active, especially during the summer months. However, the combination of heat, humidity and water can lead to an ear condition called acute otitis externa, more commonly known as swimmer’s ear.

The infection often is caused by bacteria being carried into the outer ear canal. Symptoms of swimmer’s ear include redness, swelling, itching, drainage of pus and pain.

Following are some tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to prevent and treat swimmer’s ear:

Keep your ears as dry as possible.

Use a bathing cap, ear plugs or custom-fitted swim molds when swimming to keep water out of ears.

Dry your ears thoroughly after swimming or showering.

Use a towel to dry your ears well.

Tilt your head and hold each ear facing down to allow water to escape the ear canal.

Pull your earlobe in different directions while the ear is faced down to help water drain out.

If water is still in the ears, consider using a hair dryer to move air within the ear canal. Be sure the hair dryer is on the lowest heat and speed/fan setting, and hold it several inches from the ear.

Don’t put objects, including cotton-tip swabs, pencils, paperclips or fingers, in the ear canal.

Don’t try to remove ear wax. It helps protect your ear canal from infection.

If you think the ear canal is blocked by ear wax, consult your pediatrician rather than trying to remove it yourself. Consult your pediatrician if your ears are itchy, flaky, swollen or painful, or if you have drainage from your ears.

**Info from American Academy of Pediatrics.
Thanks Dr O'Mara for providing this information on swimmer's ear. If you have any questions please call us.

Tips for International Travel with Infants

With summertime here, many people have big travel plans while their kids are out of school. For a lucky few, these plans may include traveling outside of the country. Traveling with an infant can be very stressful for a parent and usually comes with a lot of questions! The following is an article from the Centers for Disease Control to help parents of infants preparing for international travel.

Safe travels
Help parents prepare for international trips with young infants
Harry L. Keyserling, M.D., FAAP

When traveling outside the United States, young infants are at significant risk for serious infections, including pneumonia, acute gastroenteritis, measles, tuberculosis, malaria and other parasitic diseases. Risk of infections depends on regions of the world visited, health status and age of the child, length of stay, and activities undertaken. Travelers to developing countries are at greater risk of health problems than those visiting developed countries. Optimally, physicians should counsel caregivers and initiate interventions as early as possible before families leave the country. If parents are immigrants, physicians may consider asking them at the time of the child’s birth if they plan to travel to their country of origin. Referral to a travel medicine clinician is an option.

Insects, arthropods

Protection against mosquitoes, ticks, fleas, and other insects and arthropods is advised depending on country-specific and seasonal disease risk. Infant carriers draped with mosquito netting with an elastic edge for a secure fit are available. Bed nets should be used inside dwellings. For infants older than 2 months of age, DEET (N,N-diethyl-meta-toluamide) can be applied to the skin. Formulations should not exceed 30%. Avoid eyes, mouth and hands, and apply sparingly to the ears. DEET should be washed off when returning inside. Chloroquine is the drug of choice for malaria prophylaxis in areas with no chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum. Options for children traveling to areas with chloroquine-resistant P. falciparum include mefloquine and atovaquone/proguanil. All three anti-malarial medications are available only in tablet form in the United States and have a bitter taste. Mixing the pulverized powder with breast milk or formula will facilitate compliance. Malaria prophylaxis should not be administered to children less than 5 kilograms or 6 weeks of age; travel should be discouraged for these young infants.

Infectious diseases

For infants who are breastfeeding, exclusive breastfeeding with no water supplementation is the safest form of nutrition to prevent food- and waterborne disease. Breastfed infants younger than 6 months of age do not need water supplementation, even in hot climates. If formula is used, it should be mixed with water that has been brought to a rolling boil for one minute (no longer). In addition, bottles should be sterilized. If an infant develops gastroenteritis, it is important to have oral rehydration packets available that can be given by bottle or spoon until appropriate medical care is obtained. Anti-motility agents should not be used. Handwashing after handling diapers will decrease transmission to other individuals. To decrease the risk of disease acquisition, hand hygiene before contact with an infant should be encouraged, and contact should be minimized between infants and anyone with a febrile illness, upper respiratory infection, acute gastroenteritis or other infectious syndromes. Pacifiers, teething rings and toys should be cleaned often and after any contact with the floor or other surface. Bedding should be washed regularly using detergent and hot water.

Immunizations

Immunizations have a limited role in preventing disease in children younger than 6 months of age. Vaccines that are not recommended for these children include measles-mumps-rubella, varicella, typhoid, influenza, yellow fever, hepatitis A, meningococcal and Japanese encephalitis. An accelerated vaccine schedule can be provided that includes two doses of hepatitis B, at least four weeks apart. In addition, the following routine vaccines can be initiated at 6 weeks of age, with subsequent doses given at four-week intervals: rotavirus; diphtheria, tetanus and acellular pertussis; Haemophilus influenzae type b; 13-valent pneumococcal conjugate; and inactivated poliovirus. For infants who travel for an extended period of time, vaccines may be given at age-appropriate times in the destination country. For information on measles vaccine schedules, see article on page 11.

Other considerations

For children with chronic conditions, appropriate arrangements should be made for medications and necessary medical follow-up. Insurance coverage for international travel is variable. Infant car seats should be used consistently during vehicular travel to minimize the risk of injury.

For more information regarding travel, you can visit http://www.cdc.gov/travel/ or as always, if you have any questions, feel free to contact the office!

Fact Friday: Interesting Data about immunizations

Childhood Diseases Return as Parents Refuse VaccinesUSA

(Published yesterday, in USA today)Today (06/15/11) Szabo, Liz The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the 152 confirmed cases of measles reported so far this year mark the biggest outbreak in 15 years. Health officials and health care providers are concerned about the return of measles and other vaccine-preventable diseases, such as mumps, whooping cough, and Hib, as 40 percent of parents admit skipping or delaying their children's vaccines. Experts say vaccines have done a good job in wiping out these diseases, but some parents have become lax because they have never experienced or witnessed the consequences of these illnesses, all of which can be fatal, and do not understand they are putting the lives of other children, not just their own, at risk. In response, celebrities, such as ice skater Kristi Yamaguchi, actress Amanda Peet, and race car driver Jeff Gordon are encouraging parents to get their children vaccinated.

Thank you Dr Lynch for this article! The doctors at Willow Creek encourage vaccinations but if you have any questions, please contact your doctor to help you make an informed decision. For more information Click here

http://willowcreekpediatrics.blogspot.com/2011/02/fact-friday-aap-issues-2011.html
**article from USA today

Healthy Habits Checklist - #1 Physical Activity

Are you having a hard time coming up with ideas on how to incorporate FUN (Fitness, Unity, Nutrition) into your families summer activities? Over the next few weeks, we will give you some pointers, or a "checklist" of important healthy habits for kids and adults too!

The first item on the checklist is physical activity. It is recommended for children to have 1-2 hours of physical activity throughout the day, including playing outside whenever possible. Click here for a great resource for ideas on how to keep your kids active.

Also don't forget to read this article, written by Dr. Jopling, then post a comment on our blog telling us what you are doing to implement F.U.N. in your families activities this summer! Anyone who leaves a comment on the blog will automatically be entered to win 4 day passes to Lagoon Amusement Park!

**Information provided by http://healthykidshealthyfuture.org
***Employees of Willow Creek Pediatrics are not eligible for the contest.

Fact Friday - Summer Blog Contest!

Time for yet another awesome contest! For our Summer contest, read Dr. Jopling's F.U.N. article from Wednesday, June 8th. Then, tell us what you are doing, or what you plan to do this Summer to implement F.U.N. in your family! You must leave a comment on the blog to get your name entered in the drawing!

The winner of this contest will receive four day passes to Lagoon Amusement Park! Winners will be announced on Tuesday July 5th. Hopefully this will give you plenty of time to come up with some creative ideas for some F.U.N. in your household this Summer! Good luck!

FUN=Fitness, Unity, Nutrition

Summer is upon us and the kids are finishing up another school year and you are probably wondering "what am I going to do to keep the kids busy all Summer"? The physicians at Willow Creek like to emphasize the importance of a healthy lifestyle for children. This includes getting plenty of exercise and eating healthy. Summer is a great time to for kids to spend plenty of time running and playing outside! It is also a perfect time to get out as a family and practice a healthy lifestyle!

Click here to read an article written by our very own Dr. Jopling. This article provides great ideas on how to incorporate "F.U.N." (Family Fitness, Unity, Nutrition Activities) in your household! Read the article and then stay tuned for another awesome contest with another awesome prize....

MyPlate is the "new" food Pyramid

MyPlate is the “new generation” food icon to prompt consumers to think differently
about their food choices. ChooseMyPlate.gov contains a wealth of resources based
on the 2010 Dietary Guidelines for Americans to help individuals meet nutrient and
calorie needs and make positive eating choices. We think this website has several amazing links along with helping you understand and teach your children the new Dietary Guidelines. Here are some highlights and click here for the full information.

Balancing Calories
● Enjoy your food, but eat less.
● Avoid oversized portions.

Foods to Increase
● Make half your plate fruits and vegetables.
● Make at least half your grains whole grains.
● Switch to fat-free or low-fat (1%) milk.

Foods to Reduce
● Compare sodium in foods like soup, bread, and frozen meals ― and choose the foods with lower numbers.
● Drink water instead of sugary drinks
Your food and physical activity choices each day affect your health — how you feel today, tomorrow, and in the future.

These tips and ideas are a starting point. You will find a wealth of suggestions here that can help you get started toward a healthy diet. Choose a change that you can make today, and move toward a healthier you.

Tips to help you:
• Make at least half your grains whole grains
• Vary your veggies
• Focus on fruit
• Get your calcium rich foods
• Go lean with protein
• Find your balance between food and physical activity
• Keep food safe to eat
**All info from http://www.chosemyplate.gov/