How to Raise a Healthy Child in Spite of Your Doctor One of America's Leading Pediatricians Puts Parents Back in Control of Their Children's Health

by Mendelsohn, Robert S.

• ISBN13: 9780345342768
• ISBN10: 0345342763
• Edition: Revised
• Format: Paperback
• Copyright: 1987-05-12
• Publisher: Ballantine Books

Summary

Dr. Robert Mendelsohn, renowned pediatrician and author advises parents on home treatment and diagnosis of colds and flus, childhood illnesses, vision and hearing problems, allergies, and more. PLUS, a complete section on picking the right doctor for your child, step-by-step instructions for knowing when to call a doctor, and much more.

Table of Contents

Introduction	xi
Most Things Get Better by Morning	1	(5)
Why most childhood illnesses do not require medical treatment, and needless treatment may do more harm than good
Parents and Grandparents Are Wiser than Doctors	6	(12)
Why you are a better guardian of your child's health than your doctor is; How to tell when your child is really sick; How to know when to call a doctor
How Doctors Can Make Healthy Kids Sick	18	(12)
Shortcomings of pediatricians; damage done by unnecessary treatment; invalidity of standard growth charts; why you should avoid routine physical examinations and well-baby checkups
Protecting Your Children before They Are Born	30	(21)
Threats to your child's health before he is conceived, during pregnancy, during labour, during delivery, and in the hospital nursery
Proper Nutrition for Health and Growth	51	(12)
The importance of breastfeeding; when to introduce solid foods; the pre-adolescent diet; why you should choose natural foods, unprocessed and untainted by chemical additives
What you Should Expect of Your Child	63	(10)
Why comparisons of physical and behavioral development don't make sense; common parental concerns about physical development and childhood behavior; what you have the right to expect and what you don't
Fever: Your Body's Defense against Disease	73	(16)
Exploring the myths about fever; what's ``too high;'' should fevers be controlled?; fever and convulsions; fever and brain damage; the value of fever in fighting disease
Quick Reference Guide to Fever	86	(3)
Headache: Usually Emotional, but the Pain is Real	89	(13)
Causes of headaches; headaches as a symptom of disease; what treatment to give; when a doctor is needed
Quick Reference Guide to Headaches	99	(3)
Mother, My Tummy Hurts!	102	(9)
Causes of abdominal pain; when it requires treatment; emotional causes; allergies; appendicities; poison
Quick Reference Guide to Abdominal Pain	109	(2)
Coughs, Sneezes, and Runny Noses	111	(12)
Facts about the common cold and influenza; overtreatment of symptoms; misuse of antibiotics for viral infections; pneumonia; croup
Quick Reference Guide to Coughs, Colds, and Influenza	120	(3)
The Mythical Menace of Strep Throat	123	(17)
Causes of sore throat; misconceptions about strep, rheumatic fever, and rheumatic heart disease; beware of tonsillectomies
Quick Reference Guide to Sore Throats	136	(4)
Earaches: Painful, Yes; Dangerous, Rarely	140	(13)
Treatment of ear infections; objects in the ear; removing wax; use of antibiotics, tympanostomy; the once-feared mastoid; relieving pain; when to see a doctor
Quick Reference Guide to Earaches	151	(2)
Protecting Your Child's Vision	153	(9)
Value of periodic eye exams; Glasses for children; crossed eyes; lazy eyes; conjunctivitis; styes; myths about eyes
Quick Reference Guide to Eye Problems	160	(2)
Skin Problems: The Curse of Adolescence	162	(21)
Diaper rash; heat rash; acne and Accutane; impetigo; eczema; ringworm
Quick Reference Guide to Skin Problems	180	(3)
Skeletons in the Orthopedic Closet	183	(8)
Overtreatment of self-correcting conditions flat feet, bowed legs, knock-knees, pigeon toes, congenital hip dysplasia, scoliosis; myths about shoes
Quick Reference Guide to Orthopedic Problems	189	(2)
Accidental Injuries: Medicine at Its Best	191	(22)
What to do when your child has an accident; cuts and abrasions; burns; head injuries; poisoning; sprains, strains, and fractures; choking; animal bites; frostbite; automobile accidents; household safety precautions
Quick Reference Guide to Accidental Injuries	210	(1)
Household safety Precautions	211	(2)
Asthma and Allergies: Try Diet, Not Drugs	213	(7)
Allergies as the cause of illness; types of allergies; diagnosing allergic causes; use of elimination diets; hazards of drugs used in treatment; controlling asthma
Quick Reference Guide to Allergies	218	(2)
The Child who Never Sits Still	220	(10)
Overdiagnosis of hyperactivity; dangers of drug treatment; dietary control of overactivity; sense and nonsense about learning disabilities; the inadequacy of psychological and psychiatric counseling
Immunization against Disease: A Medical Time Bomb?	230	(24)
The risks of immunization; is immunization beneficial and necessary?; when to seek treatment for childhood diseases; symptoms and home treatment of chicken pox, mumps, measles, rubella, whooping cough, diphtheria, scarlet fever, meningitis, tuberculosis, SIDS, poliomyeliteis, infectious mononucleosis
Hospitals: Where Patients Go To Get Sick!	254	(6)
Why you should avoid hospitalization of your child if possible; the frequency of hospital-caused illnesses; the emotional trauma of hospitalized children; how to protect your child in the hospital; needless surgery
How to Select the Right Doctor for Your Child	260	(4)
The Threat posed by an excess of pediatricians; a doctor's psychological and financial incentives to overtreat patients; the hallmarks of a competent, conscientious pediatrician
Author's References	264	(7)
Index	271