It is important that we all do everything we can to minimize our and our children's chances to get the flu.  Everyone should be washing their hands frequently or using an alcohol based hand sanitizer frequently, covering your mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze and of course getting a flu shot.

The CDC recommends that the following children get the flu shot:  

1)      All children ages 6 months to 59 months old

2)      All household contacts of children from birth through 59-months old

3)      All children with a chronic medical condition (asthma, diabetes, immune deficiency, cancer, cystic fibrosis)

Performance Pediatrics will be providing flu vaccine for all of our patients who are eligible.  We will be contacting families by phone to set up an appointment.  If we do not contact you but your child meets the criteria listed above, please call us to set up an appointment.  Unfortunately we can not provide flu vaccine to anyone who is not a patient at Performance Pediatrics (including parents). Please contact your primary care provider to arrange to get a flu shot for yourself or for other household members who are not patients at Performance Pediatrics.

I believe one factor which needs to be considered when asking why there was an increase in suicides is the black box warning the FDA placed on antidepressant in 2004.  The FDA was reacting to studies that showed that antidepressant use in teenagers lead to an increase in suicidal thoughts. It is important to note that the studies found an increase in thoughts, not in suicidal behavior.  As a result of the FDA black box, the use of antidepressants in adolescents dropped off, potentially leaving a large number of depressed children untreated or under treated.

Adolescent depression is a serious medical condition that needs to be recognized and treated. Some signs of depression are:

1. sleeping problems (insomnia or sleeping too much)
2. changes in appetite
3. falling grades in school
4. loss of interest in friends and activities
5. irritability

If you are concerned that your child may be depressed please bring it up with me or another health care provider right away.

A number of news sources have recently reported on a study published in the May 2007 Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine that reported an increased amount of television watching by infants along with a delay in language development by those same infants.  The researchers found that children learn faster when they have direct interaction with a caregiver talking, reading and singing to them rather than watching a TV or DVD alone.

While I agree that TV certainly can not replace one-on-one interaction with a caretaker, I do feel that some television, past the age of two, can be a useful and fun resource to use.  Parents should set limits both on how much TV their children watch and what content they are allowed to watch.  Whenever possible watch TV with your children and talk about what they see, and if you do not agree with what you see on TV, you can either turn it off or explain why you object.

Performance Pediatrics is proud to announce that we are now an associate business member partner of WGBH, Boston's own Public Television station. The commercial-free, education-center programs WGBH airs are a significant resource for children and adolescents, age two and older. From Between the Lions to Nova, WGBH enriches people's lives through programs and services that educate, inspire and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning and the power of diverse perspectives.