Satva Children Hospital

Dr Bhupendra Kapadiya took session on impact of child abuse .

Child abuse and neglect: Let’s talk about it. Child Abuse and Neglect: Let’s talk about it. Guest Speakers: 1.Dr Rajeev Seth, President elect, ISPCAN (International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse ...

वसंत for teens is not for being obsessed with Bollywood/Youtube web series/Prime web series and video games. Or school exams!

वसंत is for tracking, sports, play, adventures.

One more excellent video by Dr. Amdekar on fever. I suggest parents to watch it and understand fever in depth! This will clean many doubts and fear associated with pediatric fever.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XjTrWxFVJu0

SOS #2 - Fever in Children - Dr. Y. K. Amdekar - 2/5 SOS - Symposia On Symptomatology by PiE - Platform for Intelligent Edutainment. Symposia On Symptomatology (SOS) has been a unique medical learning experienc...

Since cough syrup is over the counter drug, many parents become self-doctor and start giving cough syrup to child.

Remember one thing : Cough is Nature’s mechanism to expel what is not meant to be in our lungs. So must we suppress a cough? No! (Except certain conditions which are difficult to detect for all parents . In such cases, visit trusted pediatrician near by.)

It is important for parents to understand cough and cold before reaching out to pediatrician.

Please watch this video series. (There are 3 videos in series)

Talk is given by Dr Yeshwant Amdekar. (is one of the senior most practicing pediatricians in India having been in paediatric practice for last 43 years .) and Dr. Rajesh Chokhani, Mumbai.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TxWvOZZJleA&index=2&list=PL5ZZ0K_5uySCPVmgajU8p7xcB33phHtKs

Cough & Cold (The lesson)

At Satva Children Hospital , we not only believe but always put societal concerns on priority.

Healthy children is a mandatory pre-condition for healthy society.

=========================
Colic and Crying Part 1
=========================

Healthy babies cry. It’s the way they express their needs and communicate with the people around them. Most of the time, you respond with what your baby needs: by offering food, helping your baby sleep, changing a diaper, or just cuddling. Crying is important for babies because they depend on other people to meet all of their needs.

But there are times when even the most caring parent can’t soothe a baby’s cries. Remember, it is not your fault.
When a baby cries long and hard (without a break) even though he’s been fed, changed, and cuddled, the baby is said to be “colicky.” For a long time, people thought that colic was a “condition”—some babies have it, and others don’t.
But new information suggests that what used to be called colic is actually a normal part of a baby’s development. All babies go through a period early in life when they cry more than at any other time.

Each baby is different. During this “peak” period—which is usually sometime between 3 and 8 weeks—some babies may cry much more than others. Their crying may seem stronger, and it may be harder (sometimes impossible!) to soothe.

There is good news, though. First, it’s normal. And there’s no lasting effect on your baby. Second, it won’t last forever. This period of strong, intense (and unexplained) crying can end as quickly as it started, or it may gradually decrease over time. Usually, it’s over by the time your baby is 3 to 4 months old.
In this series, we will understand colic.

Continue..
Image ref: http://goo.gl/hrTlm9

====================
Over the counter drugs
====================

What are over-the-counter drugs?

Over-the-counter (OTC) drugs are sold in pharmacies and other stores without a doctor’s prescription. There are dozens of OTC drugs on the market for common cold symptoms, such as a runny nose, congestion, sore throat, headache, or cough.
But just because they are easy to get doesn’t mean that they always work, or that they are safe. The best treatment for a cold is still plenty of rest and liquids.

• Do not give cough and cold medications to babies and children under 6 years old without first talking to your doctor.
• The best treatment for a cold is still plenty of rest and liquids.
• Never use more than one product at the same time unless advised by your doctor.
• “Natural” doesn’t always mean safe.

Should I use OTC medications when my child has a cold?

When your child is sick, you want them to feel better. Many parents turn to over-the-counter cough and cold medicines for help.

Except for pain and fever drugs, there is no proof that they work. In fact, some of the side effects can make your child feel even worse.

There is also a risk of giving your child too much medicine, such as acetaminophen on top of a cough syrup that already contains acetaminophen. Never use more than one product at the same time unless advised by your doctor.

Avoid OTC for children.

REMEMBER – Presence of Fever is not a sign to start Antibiotics.
To start Antibiotics or not, needs expertise.
AVOID ANTIBIOTIC ABUSE

=========================
Understanding COLD – Part 2:
=========================
COLD IS CAUSED OR INCREASED IN COLD WEATHER OR BY EATING CERTAIN FOOD

As you all know by now that cold is a viral infection and is related to cold climate or cold food.

Foods like curd or orange are usually labelled as culprit but actually VITAMIN C is one of the things which is found beneficial in cold and is found in these foods.

Curd also contains good bacteria which again are found to be beneficial for small babies.

THERE IS NO ASSOCIATION FOUND TILL NOW BETWEEN ANY FOOD AND COLD IN ANY STUDIES SO NO FOOD RESTRICTIO IS NEEDED WHEN YOUR CHILD IS SUFFERING FROM COLD.

TREATMENT

• DO NOT TREAT ALL COUGH AND COLD. If your child is active, playful, eating as of routine, passing urine adequately and is not distressed due to his illness it is advised to avoid medicine.
• Since your child will keep getting infection from various viruses, so to decide, whether your child needs treatment for the illness or not, consult Me.
• Don’t give OTC(Over the counter drugs taken without consulting Me from a pharmacy shop OR using the old prescriptions for the newer similar looking illnesses ) drugs, without consulting Satva Children Hospital or any practicing pediatrician, otherwise, there are chances that your baby will be on some or other medication always, it may actually cause lot of side effects too.
• NO ANTIBIOTICS SHOULD BE GIVEN FOR COMMON COLD as it is a viral infection and will not respond to antibiotics which are for bacteria (Decision to start Antibiotics or not, needs expertise, so consult Satva Children Hospital or child's pediatrician for the same).

part 1: https://www.facebook.com/satvachildren/photos/a.251623365175182.1073741828.246798525657666/258476337823218/?type=3&permPage=1

=========================
Understanding COLD – Part 1:
=========================

• Cold is a viral infection.
• Spreads from one person to another.
• As your baby grow and comes in contact with more number of people there are more chances of them getting the infection, that means more number of cough and running nose when they start going out, going to pre-school or day care center.
• Once your baby get infection from one virus they develop immunity to that virus and never get another infection from the same virus but since there are lots of viruses(Around 250 viruses), they keep getting infection from other ones.
• Each episode usually last for about 5-7 days but can be prolonged to around 2 weeks also.
• So the usual pattern is that they are UNWELL FOR AROUND 5-7 DAYS THEN WELL FOR 2-3 DAYS AND THEY AGAIN GET COLD. So it seems like your baby is ill all the time but that is actually not the case.

IS COLD BAD OR INDICATION OF POOR IMMUNITY

• This is the most commonly asked question by parents.
• When a baby is born there immune system is also immature like them and one of the ways to develop immunity is exposure to germs after which your baby produces antibodies against that germ.
• This sounds technical but it’s true and in simple words it means that THE ONLY WAY YOUR CHILD WILL DEVELOP IMMUNITY TO A VIRUS IS BY GETTING INFECTED BY THAT VIRUS.
• As the child grows, gradually the number of cold episodes will decrease as they will gradually get immune to lots of virus.

Image (http://goo.gl/pBUHTX) by Google Search

Sleep is important health factor. Lose sleep, lose mind and health. For children, it is critically important for their optimum mental and physical growth.

Read here: http://www.huffingtonpost.com/entry/sleep-deprivation_n_4557142.html?section=india