Saved by the Dr. Bell
Vaccines - Miracle of the 20th century
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- Written by Dr. Bell
My Irish grandmother from Staten Island, NY told me three stories in my childhood that influence my practice of pediatrics and position on vaccines. The first story was how her only brother died at 4 years of age from an ear infection (perhaps pneumococcus bacteria). The second story involved a boy down the street from her, in 1953?, who was healthy on a Tuesday and in an iron lung machine on a Thursday, eventually dying from paralysis due to polio. The last story was the day her mother gathered her 4 daughters around her to tell them the news of the Salk vaccine breakthrough, and they danced and cried tears of joy.
Asthma 101
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- Written by Dr. Bell
Fall is rapidly approaching and now is the time to reevaluate our child's asthma management. With school come colds, exposure to allergens, and sports. These, combined with cold weather, are unfortunate triggers of asthma attacks. The management of asthma, however, is relatively simple, but there still remains a lot of confusion regarding the details. Here are a few pointers and reminders about asthma.
ADHD - Guide for Home
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- Written by Dr. Bell
Dr. Bell's Guide for Homework Success for Children with ADHD:
I see many children who take ADHD stimulants to help with attention and school performance. Pills, however, are not the only answer. Once at home, a common problem for these children is the ease of distraction, flitting and flying from one stimulation to the next. Children with ADHD are often easily distracted, losing direction with homework, and lacking guidance for their evening hours.
The overweight child
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- Written by Dr. Bell
"How can my child be overweight?"
A lot of parents are surprised when I inform them that their children are overweight and are categorically obese. Many parents are shocked and defensive on this subject. This is a very touchy subject, and I understand the difficulties with self esteem and bullying regarding a child's weight, but the fact remains, many of our children are overweight and it is up to us parents to accept this and move on to help.
Screen Entertainment and Our Children
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- Written by Dr. Bell
Your Child's Internet Saturation - It's Time to Engage!
TV, cable, movies, laptops, desktops, iPhones, iPads, iPods, XBox, WII, YouTube, texting!
World of Warcraft, Minecraft, Call of Duty - Black Ops, Halo, Grand Theft Auto, Assassin's Creed...
etc., etc., etc.