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This
text is designed for an International readership at Dr Ashutosh Jindal’s
Website
www.healthybaccha.com
While
we have tried to keep the content international
in application – the prime readership is designed towards India. Hence ,
some phrases and ideas may be unfamiliar for some regions of the World.For
clarifications please feel free to e mail Dr Jindal.
Printouts may
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such or from misinterpretation of the information. You are advised to meet
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application.
UPDATE # 5
:
SOME CHILD REARING MYTHS :
You
may not make out any specific pattern in the issues addressed. The reason is
that I have punched in the matter as it has come to my mind. In a day of our
Clinic practice there is a
delectable variety of parental concerns, parental misconceptions and
confusions in the minds of the care givers of the child.
I
have drawn from this amazing variety and hence shall be brief to each point.
One
interesting ( allow me the liberty ) feature that I have observed over the
years is that those families where there is the parents AND the grandparents
– the following WILL happen ( and this happens in the best of educated
families too) :
-
The child WILL not eat : there will be so much pressure from so many
people that he shall get rebellious. Please leave him to himself and
give him some space.
-
THE MOTHER HAS
NO IDEA ABOUT HOW TO RAISE THE CHILD : There will be frequent
comparisons between the times then and the times now.You shall have to
strike a balance yourself.Nobody can come to your rescue !
-
WHY DOES THE
MOTHER RUSH THE CHILD TO THE PEDIATRICIAN SO OFTEN ?: Here there is a
significant experience of the grandmother and it shall help you to
listen to her.Allow some home made remedies, have some patience – most
minor disorders in infants and children do get okay on their own or with
small home made recipes.
-
MILK
WILL BE A VERY IMPORTANT ISSUE – THE MORE THE BETTER :
I am addressing this issue as the first one below.
#1
MORE MILK – BETTER :
The
general notion is that the more milk the child takes, the better.Milk is a
natural source of Calcium and is thus important.However it contains almost
no Vitamin D – the vitamin needed for assimilation of Calcium.Too much
milk shall eat into the tummy space of the poor child – lead to smaller
solid feeds and be counter-productive.
As
a general rule of thumb , after the age of say 5-6 months, something like
600- 700 ml of milk a day is enough.
#2
DELAY THE WEANING
PROCESS – LIVER GETS AFFECTED OTHERWISE :
Weaning
( introduction of semi solids in the earlier exclusive milk based intake) is
ideally begun around 6 months of age.There is absolutely no scientific
rationale behind the fear that early weaning ill affects the Liver.
#3
LATER THE TEETHING THE BETTER – IT SHOULD START AFTER STARTS
WALKING :
Teething
should ideally begin around 6-7 months of age.The belief that delayed
teething ( especially that it best begins after the child starts walking )
again has no scientific basis.Walking usually shall start sometime around 1
year of age.That is too too late for teething.It may actually be an
indicator of Vitamin D deficiency and you may need to get to your
Pediatrician regarding this.
#4
POTTY BEFORE GOING TO SCHOOL :
Theoretically
a very good thing – an ideal goal to achieve.But it shall simply frustrate
you and him. Please do not insist on it beyond a certain limit.
What
with the early morning rush of getting up from bed fast, getting ready fast,
gobbling the breakfast fast………..being able to pass his early morning
stool is difficult indeed.It is perfectly okay if he does no soon after
getting back from school, or else he may, on his own fit into a fairly
consistent time pattern – support him please.
#5
TEETHING TROUBLE:
Let
me admit, we Pediatricians do not actually know what exactly teething
trouble is !
We
often take shelter under this nebulous entity when we ourselves do not know
what is going wrong.
All
that we know ( and this is not any different from what you also
have experienced) is that some vague diarrheas/tummy upsets/colds etc
happen around 6-8 months.Why they happen,are they really and scientifically
related to teething,what we can do about these symptoms – SORRY !
#
6 MULTIVITAMINS
ARE GOOD :
There
are very select scientific situations when a specific vitamin is needed.They
are identifiable by your Pediatrician and he would prescribe that specific
vitamin.
The
market is flooded with lovely multivitamin preparations – they have no
scientific role and you may best avoid them.
#
7
REFILLING PAST PRESCRIPTIONS :
It
is common for parents to get a repeat round of drugs from a Chemist for
similar appearing symptoms. Agreed it saves you the time of having to go to
your Pediatrician,agreed it may work well enough this time too , agreed it
saves you some money too !
However,
in principle it is not a very safe thing to be doing.What may appear to you
to be a ‘similar’ illness may be something else in the Pediatrician’s
view.There are horror stories hidden in every Pediatrician’s closet of how
an erroneous perception of ‘similar illness’ got complicated
limitlessly.
In
case you still wish to refill your prescription , please do pick up the
phone and ratify with your Pediatrician.
#
8 ANTS
ON URINE – DIABETES ?
It
is common for ants to get attracted to a child’s urine ( that may have got
spilled on the floor).
Do
not panic – do not think Diabetes staright.Report to your Pediatrician –
he shall order a simple urine test for sugar ( for your satisfaction ).
#9
EXPECTING A MEDICATION FOR EVERY AILMENT :
Please
do not fall in this trap.Every ailment does not need medication – there is
no medicine for every ailment – medicines are medicines , they can cause
ailments too !
Trust
nature and use some patience – your Pediatrician is always available when
these two fail.
#
10 EMOLIENT
CREAMS ( SKIN SOFTENER) – COCONUT OIL BEST :
Keeping
the skin soft , especially in winters is quite a problem.There are
several creams with tall claims- try them out.
Please
also try good old coconut oil.
The
only trick is that you should apply the coconut oil on a moist skin.After
his bath dab your child with a towel and apply coconut oil just before the
skin is totally dry.It works well.
#11
TONGUE TIE – INTERFERING WITH SPEECH :
A rather common notion.
It has no scientific basis.
Family
pressure may force you to visit your Pediatrician and he shall rightly
advise you NOT to get it removed.Please listen to him and do not insist on a
surgery he does not want to advise.
#12
YOUR DOCTOR CAN ALWAYS
HELP YOU ON PHONE :
As
a very basic issue , it is never in your interest to solicit medication on
telephone.There is no substitute to a Doctor first examining the child and
then deciding, first ,whether to medicate at all , second – if to medicate
, what to offer.There might be a symptom you may miss out on telling on the
phone – this symptom may be really critical.
Yes,
clarifications are usually made well on the phone – things like poorly
understood dosage,minor modifications in dosage, alternatives for
non-availability and so on.
Please
also understand that it does embarrass your Pediatrician when he insists on
your visiting him before he prescribes.Kindly understand his position.He is
watching your interest.
#
13 INHALER
THERAPY IN ASTHMA – STRONG MEDICINE AND THE LAST
RESORT :
The
diagnosis of Asthma comes as a bolt from the blue.Your Pediatrician
understands your concerns and shall usually try and explain the whole issue
well and relieve your anxiety as best as he can.
He
may offer you inhaler therapy in preference to conventional oral
medication.Do not get alarmed.
There
is established data and global consensus that inhaler therapy is the best
for Asthma.
Please
make good use of it.
It
is understandable that you shall feel this is the last resort,there is
nothing beyond this,the child shall get ‘ hooked to it for a lifetime’ ,
inhalers are known to be used in adults only and so on.
The
actuality is just the reverse.It is the lightest medication that can be
used.You may follow that oral medication has to get circulated throughout
the body for a fraction of it to reach the lungs ( the target organ ).
What if someone offers a medicine that bypasses the whole body and reaches
the lungs directly. What if only a small percentage of medicine thus has to
be delivered.What if the side effects on other organs of the body are
bypassed.
This
is your friend – Inhaler.Please take it happily if your Pediatrician
suggests so.
#14
HOMEOPATHIC / AYURVEDIC LIGHTER THAN ALLOPATHIC :
Diagnosis
is perhaps made best by the Allopathic system of medicine due to its refined
diagnostic modalities.
Please
get your diagnosis done properly – follow any system that suits you. The
idea is to get relief and satisfaction – the system that delivers it is
the best for you.
There
shall be more coming from us soon – till then good luck and happy
parenting.
Dr
Jindal and team Healthybaccha.com
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