October 22nd, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Opinion, Quackery Exposed, Research
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Dr. Robert Sears’ The Vaccine Book, is, as Dr. Rahul Parikh puts it, “a nightmare for pediatricians like me.”
In a piece from Salon, Dr. Parikh brings his issues to the author. The controversy of the book is the so-called “alternative vaccine schedule,” which, as vaccine developer Paul Offit puts it:
…is “misrepresentation of vaccine science” that “misinforms parents trying to make the right decision for their children” in the Journal of Pediatrics. And yet, as a pediatrician myself, I have seen an increasing number of caring, reasonable parents hold it up like a bible in my practice (and that of my colleagues).
This post, however, isn’t about the vaccine controversy — I’ll leave you to read Dr. Parikh’s excellent piece for yourself.
What I found interesting was a passage discussing the public health fears stemming from an increasing number of unvaccinated children. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
May 8th, 2010 by Gwenn Schurgin O'Keeffe, M.D. in Better Health Network, Health Tips, News, Opinion
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The [recent] massive recall of some of the most popular [children’s] medications is unsettling, disturbing and concerning. Thankfully it was done as a precautionary move before any child was harmed and that there’s a sufficient supply of generic alternatives of the medications recalled.
Still, having 40 popular medications recalled by one of today’s most trusted pharmaceutical manufacturers rocks our confidence in the safeguards in place at the core. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at Dr. Gwenn Is In*
May 8th, 2010 by KevinMD in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Humor, News, Opinion
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What’s one of the fastest growing healthcare fields? A professional nitpicker — as in the profession of picking lice out of hair.
In a recent New York Times story, it’s becoming apparent that parents will do anything to get rid of lice. Part of it is the stigma associated with it, part of it is the “ickiness” factor. As a parent myself, I certainly understand the sentiment. Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at KevinMD.com*
May 4th, 2010 by JenniferKearneyStrouse in Better Health Network, Health Policy, Health Tips, Opinion, Research
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At a [recent] session on caring for adult survivors of pediatric diseases, Bradley J. Benson, FACP, and Niraj Sharma, FACP, had some interesting statistics to share.
For example, more than 90% of children with a chronic or disabling health condition are expected to live more than 20 years, meaning they’ll eventually need an internist’s care, and every year more than 500,000 children with special healthcare needs turn 18.
As Dr. Sharma noted, “We’re not talking about a handful of folks.” Read more »
*This blog post was originally published at ACP Internist*