Dr. Thompson's Blog

Holiday Safety Tips for Parents and Grandparents

December often becomes a very busy month for parents and grandparents with entertaining, baking, buying gifts, and trying to follow family traditions. Because the days can get pretty chaotic, it is important to  keep children's safety uppermost in your minds. One of the things to be particularly careful about are toys.  Remember some toys have detachable pieces which if swallowed can lodge in a child's throat.  Check also for sharp edges. Remember that magnets in toys are a problem because they can cause perforations or blockages in the intestines, if they are swallowed.

If you are decorating with Christmas or holiday plants, remember that the poinsettia and some holly and mistletoe plants are  poisonous. Candles can be beautiful, but you want to be sure that they are in a safe location and not near anything inflammable. If you forget and leave a candle burning, big trouble could result. Holiday lights should be checked for safety and turned off when you leave the house. 

Children need plenty of rest and routines, especially during the holidays. This is particularly true of those who fit into the autism spectrum. Hiring a baby sitter to help when you are stressed or overworked could make the difference in your life and your child's or grandchild's. A meltdown in the middle of shopping or entertaining can ruin things for everyone. Planning ahead for some extra help or trading childcare with a friend can help greatly.

If you have questions about the safety of toys or other gifts you are buying for children,  the Consumer Product Safety Web site can be checked at  www.cpsc.gov. Also, it is wise to always have the 800 number for the poison control center posted.  For California, it is 1-800-222-1222. There is also a Web site at www.poisonprevention,org.

Happy Holidays!

 

 

 

"Chicken Pox Parties"-What Could Parents Be Thinking?

If you have ever had to care for a patient with chicken pox encephalitis, as I have, or stayed home with  a child who had chicken pox, prior to the availability of the vaccine, you would shake your head.

According to an article in the New York Times by Anahad O'Connor on 11/17/11, people have  been trying to sell lollipops through the Internet on which children with chicken pox have sucked. I am astounded that anyone could be that dense. The article stated that prior to the vaccine about 100 children died each year from chicken pox. Encephalitis is not the only complication but pneumonia and  even Reye's Syndrome can develop. There is also a type of chicken pox where hemorrhage can occur. In addition, later on in life an individual who has had chicken pox can develop Shingles. I remember having Shingles near one of my eyes when a doctor friend said "Oh, I know an indiviual who lost vision in one eye from Shingles close to their eye." Not a pleasant thought!

Some parents are even going so far as to post notices on the Internet to find a child with chicken pox, so they can expose their child or children to the ill child. I agree there seem to be a lot of immunizations for kids these days, but there is absolutely no evidence that they cause autism. I understand that parents need something to blame when a child deveops a disorder on the autism spectrum, but there are obviously other causes and not immunizations.

Dangerous Drug Interactions

I am always amazed when people tell me they are taking multiple drugs but their doctors have not checked to see if there are any dangerous interactions between or among the various drugs. Often one doctor prescribes a drug without asking what else the patient is taking. Then if the individual is taking several drugs, real problems can develop. A friend called the other day saying he was having tingling in his fingers and toes and wondered what I thought the cause might be. I asked what medicines he was taking and found out that he was taking several different ones. "Has your doctor checked to see if there is interaction among or between the various drugs", I asked. The answer was "No". So, I made my usual plea that the individual speak with a phamacist he trusted to see what side effects or interactions could be caused by the various drugs. I have "cured" all kinds of symptons by making this suggestion. A doctor should always check about what medicines a patient is taking before prescribling something else and then check with a pharmacist to see if there are any dangerous interactions.

The Internet does list various side effects but not always interactions with other drugs. A good place to get answers is a hospital pharmacist. The UC School of Pharmacy in San Francisco had a doctors' number we could call and they were always ready to answer questions about interactions. I remember one little child who was taking seizure medicines a Stanford neurologist had prescribed. Unfortunately, the mother was not told of any side effects to watch for or questioned about other drugs the child was taking. By checking with the UC School of Pharmacy, I was able to prevent a possible fatal reaction.