Getzwell Pediatrics

Did you know that at birth your baby can make out most of your facial features right from your arms? The topic of infant vision is always on new parents’ list of questions and is now better understood than ever, as ongoing research has continued to shed light on what infants are able to see [...]

This past January Surgeon General Regina M. Benjamin announced the The Surgeon General’s Call to Action to Support Breastfeeding.  Due to mounting evidence of breastfeeding’s myriad health benefits she declared its promotion a national priority.  Indeed, most people have heard about the passage of immunities from mothers to their breastfed infants, but few parents have [...]

Morgan, Hugh D. et al. “Epigenetic Inheritance at the Agouti Locus in the Mouse.” http://www.genetics.wustl.edu/bio5488/wp-content/uploads/2011/02/Morgan1999.pdf Barker, D.J.P. “Fetal Origins of Coronary Heart Disease.” http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2550226/pdf/bmj00601-0037.pdf Giscombe, C. L. & Lobel, M. (2005). Explaining disproportionately high rates of adverse birth outcomes among African-Americans: The impact of stress, racism, and related factors in pregnancy. Psychological Bulletin, 131(5), 662-683. [...]

Although Attention Deficit Disorder (ADD) and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) are the most studied and diagnosed psychiatric disorders affecting children, there is still little consensus about the root causes of the disorders and their appropriate treatments.   According to the CDC, almost 10% of all children in the United States have received an attention deficit [...]

Researchers in the field of “fetal origins” propose that the 40 week gestation period may be one of the most significant times of our lives.  The 9 months before birth may shape our susceptibility to disease and the functioning of our major organs as well as influence our temperament and intelligence.(1) Over the last fifty [...]

Cold Hard Facts Colds are caused by viral infections of the nose and throat. The average healthy child will experience between 6-10 colds a year. While colds are not serious, about 5-10 % of children will develop a bacterial complication (e.g. ear infection). Typical Cold Symptoms Runny or congested nose—it’s okay for mucus to be [...]

Acute constipation is a common problem for children and adults alike.  The causes can vary from excess cow milk consumption or dehydration to more involved issues like gut dysbiosis (an imbalance in bacteria and/or yeast in the digestive tract) or stress.  Ideally, we think that children should have at least one soft bowel movement per [...]

Gastroenterologists at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center have recently reported a 30 percent increase in the number of serious or chronic bouts of constipation experienced by American children between 2008 and 2009. While it’s unclear if the rise in severe cases is related to delayed diagnosis or insufficient treatments, Hopkins researchers contend that a lack of [...]

We’re already headed into flu season and the influenza virus is highly contagious–at GetzWell we’re gearing up to help protect our families and community. During flu outbreaks, the highest infection rates occur among school-age children.  Children are important disseminators of disease in the community.  For every 100 children in U.S. elementary schools, influenza accounted for [...]

Misconceptions about the dangers of fever are very common. Many parents lose sleep and experience unnecessary stress due to unwarranted concerns about the harmful side effects of fever. Fevers are part the body’s effort to activate the immune system, so they are one of our innate protective mechanisms. Most fevers are good for children because [...]