Hometown Family Medicine: 6 Pages of Scientific & Common Sense Health Advice

DR. MOM'S LIST OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINE FOR KIDS and everyone else too!

[Our general advice is not intended to replace a doctor's care and doesn't apply to everybody at all times in any case. "One size fits all" is not a wise concept in medicine and everyone should have a doctor they like and trust, one who really knows them personally. We strongly advise everyone to find such a physician and build a good relationship with them in order to foster their general health and wellness. ]

1.) Acetaminophen (TYLENOL) is good for fever control but remember that increased temperature is nature's way to fight disease. The optimum temperature for safety, comfort and killing germs is about 101.0 so "go light" on the the medicine.
Use more during "work hours" if you must. (Avoid using Ibuprofen [AKA MOTRIN or ADVIL] until after you've read the sections below.

2.) Another way to control fever is with cool water. Before you put that kid (or their Dad) into the bathtub consider that it's mighty uncomfortable and messy. What works fairly well is a vapor mist of water from a spray bottle followed by a fan up close set on medium or high and aimed right at them. Keeping them "unbundled" of clothing or covers that keep heat in will also help a lot despite their complaint of feeling cold.

3.) Remember to avoid dehydration by providing at least a pint extra of fluid per degree of fever per day. This can include popcycles, sorbet, ices or "slushies". For vomiting and diarrhea replace lost electrolyte salts with PEDIALYTE popcycles, GATORADE or PEDIALYTE (tastes the worst). Ice cream is "no-no".

4.) For belly aches, nausea, vomiting and diarrhea a BRAT diet is best: Bananna, Rice, Apple sauce and (dry) Toast. Avoid dairy products and fruit juices for 1-3 days as symptoms receed. Also, ginger ale will soothe the tummy. Tea may help to "dry things up" a bit.

5.) EMETROL will usually relieve nausea or vomiting greatly. It's been around nearly a century and is quite safe. Follow directions on the bottle. Never give this for suspected accidental poisoning.

6.) IPECAC is a must for every mother's emergency kit and may save your family from a tragic nightmare if you have young children. It will induce vomiting but there are certain poisons for which that is not wise so always call 911 first and inform them that IPECAC is available.

7. IBUPROFEN (Motrin or Advil) is for certain "aches and pains" but not necessarily for "boo-boo"s and and is preferably not used as "first line" therapy in fevers. This is a strong medicine and there have been reported problems in children as the ability to fight germs may actually be hampered by Ibuprofen thus leaving the body defenseless. For fevers that can't be controlled by Tylenol and/or cooling (usually greater than 103') I must recommend that a physician be consulted to help guide safe use of this drug. For injuries Ibuprofen (and similar drugs) may be useful but because they tend to increase bleeding should be withheld in the first 24-48 hours (Tylenol is safe during that time- ask your doctor to recommend the proper dose, most often about 1,000 mg every 4 hours for up to 3 days in adults who have no potential for medical complication). Cold therapy with ice, or better yet a nice form-fitting bag of frozen vegetables will give the fastest pain relief and also prevent swelling to a fair degree; a thin dish towel will permit cooling with less "freezing" discomfort or wetness. Apply cold therapy for 10-15 minutes at a time twice an hour as time permits for a first day or two. Injured parts always throb less if RICE'd (Rest, Ice, Compression and Elevation). Elevation-keep it up means over your heart or better yet over your head. Let gravity do the work for an all natural cure.

Certain arthritis may be made worse by these type medications. If you have OSTEOarthritis minimize use of this and all related products (ALLEVE, aspirin, ORUDIS, etc. but not TYLENOL which doesn't cause this problem. Prescription CELEBREX, ARTHROTEC, MELOXICAM & VIOXX are being investigated and may [or may not] actually help grow new cartilage. I'll report to you on that when we are more certain BUT [excepting Arthrotec]THEY HAVE BEEN ASSOCIATED WITH INCREASED DEATH RISK FROM HEART ATTACK & STROKE- I'VE ALREADY MET MY FIRST PATIENT APPARENTLY WITH THIS OUTCOME). Consult your doctor on whether you should use TYLENOL and what dose or if it's appropriate to advance to these more potent medications. See our HEALTHY GUIDELINES page for other details.

8.) Exposure to sun can cause melanoma and other skin cancers. When we were kids we had suntan lotion but now everone must wear sunscreen (block). Children especially; as it has now been shown that even a few bad sunburns at an early age predispose to skin cancers in middle age. Have a knowlegable physician check any skin abnormalities in your family particularly ones that have multi-color, irregular edges, itch, bleed, have grown quickly or feel rough to the touch.

9.) Every one WEAR SUNGLASSES every day year round please. The sun also damages our eyes. It can cause melanoma inside the eye (I discovered a case there myself in a new patient in 1997) and also will erode the intensity of our vision over time. This last phenomenon is thought to contribute to Macular Degeneration, the leading cause of blindness over the age of 60. This has been convincingly shown (as reported in the Journal of the American Medical Association on July 23, 1994 and several ophthamology journals) to be greatly reduced or prevented by anti-oxidant vitamins and certain carotenoids & luteins in particular--see, your mother wasn't lying when she told you to eat your vegetables. Billberry root extract may also offer some benefit to people with this concern especially if they suffer from "night blindness".

10.) VARIVAX, the "chicken pox shot" may be able to spare one the awful agony of "shingles" (zoster). That is a problem that occurs for up to 40% of adults in America at one time or another and hurts like the Dickens. It lasts from 4 weeks to 4 years and results from having had chickenpox earlier in life. If your child (or you) have not yet had "chicken pox" why play the 6 in 10 odds? Discuss this with your doctor before it's too late as kids get and pass chickenpox very quick and easy. Potential risks seem nil with this one. Over 175,000 people are hospitalized each year due to chickenpox or it's complications. The immunization virtually eliminates that risk. To see which other immunizations Dr.Parnas regards as "most important" read our "Healthy Guidelines" page and watch it for updates as this is changing this year 2002-3.

11.) The best way to clear a "stuffed" nose is often with OCEAN DROPS nasal saline spray or just plain generic salt water (physiologic strength is 0.9%). You can spray this in your nose very very often without harm and it does clear you up- imagine swimming at the beach; when you come out of the ocean the dangling "boogies" can be embarrassing. Especially safe for children or pregnant women and "nonaddictive" too.

12.) To remove wax from ears use a BULB SYRINGE (from your pharmacy) to briskly squirt warm H2O into ears esp. in the shower. May repeat "over & over" then weekly to keep clean. Q-TIPS? Rember: stick nothing smaller than your elbow into your ear (except waterstream). DOBROX or HYDROGEN PEROXIDE are acceptable H2O substitutes.

Hometown Family Medicine: 6 Pages of Scientific & Common Sense Health Advice

David S. Parnas, M.D.

Traditional Family Practice, Integrative & Preventive Medicine. Housecalls

DR. MOM'S LIST OF ESSENTIAL MEDICINE FOR KIDS and everyone else too!

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