Julia Getzelman, MD | Pediatrician In San Francisco, California

Whooping Cough: Who’s At Risk?

California has officially declared the pertussis or whooping cough outbreak an epidemic. In fact, the golden state is on track to break a 50 year record number of cases, and 5 infants have died this year in California alone. At GetzWell, three of our own patients (all unvaccinated) have had it in the last few months! Fortunately these were not babies and the kids are healthy again, but it was a miserable period of many weeks of uncontrollable coughing. The most common scenario is a mild cold that lasts a few weeks before the coughing begins. If your child has a protracted cold (lasting more than 10 days without improvement) or a cough following a runny nose that’s lasted a couple weeks, call us for an appointment.

Redefining Pediatric Medicine: Why GetzWell Pediatrics’ Unique Approach Requires Us To Be Out-of-Network

Since its inception, San Francisco’s GetzWell Pediatrics has sought to redefine the field of pediatric medicine by providing customized health care for children and families. Some wonder why GetzWell is structured as a ‘fee-for-service’ or ‘direct pay’ practice rather than one that contracts with insurance companies. The reason is that GetzWell’s 21st century integrative approach to health care is fundamentally at odds with the traditional insurance-based medical model.

Dr. Getzelman’s mindful approach to vaccination

This is a 2 part video that highlights GetzWell’s thoughtful, 21st Century approach to childhood vaccination. Dr. Getzelman was a panel member at the Bay Area Home Birth Collective’s annual vaccine talk at San Francisco’s Waldorf School this year and speaks about GetzWell’s unique approach to vaccination.

Are you using safe personal care products for your child?

Skin Deep is a safety guide to personal care products for children and adults brought to you by researchers at the Environmental Working Group (EWG).

EWG brings together a team of scientists, engineers, policy experts, lawyers and computer programmers that pores over government data, legal documents, scientific studies and their own laboratory tests to expose threats to your health and the environment, and to find solutions. Their research brings to light unsettling facts that you have a right to know.

How do I take my child’s temperature?

One of the most common questions we get relates to what kind of a thermometer to use and how to use it properly. Here’s a link to some sound information on how best to take your child’s temperature: temp.

What’s the big deal about Vitamin D?

All pregnant and lactating women should have their vitamin D levels checked because many of us are deficient and don’t know it. Vitamin D deficiency during pregnancy has been linked with an almost 4 times higher Cesarean-section rate (J Clinical Endocrinol Metab. 2009 Mar; 94(3):940-5). Maternal deficiency during pregnancy has also been correlated with low birth weight, pre-eclampsia (dangerously high blood pressure, swelling, protein in the urine, and in some cases maternal death), and gestational diabetes.

Testimonials

See what families have to say about GetzWell Personalized Pediatrics

Omega-3s during pregnancy and while breast feeding

Learn more about Omega-3s during your pregnancy and while breast feeding, plus see Dr. Getzelman’s Favorite Fish Taco Recipe.

What are Probiotics?

Probiotics are the beneficial bacteria and yeast that live in our intestinal tracts and help support not only good digestion and optimal absorption of nutrients but our overall health and well being. It sounds strange, but these single cell organisms affect us in ways we can hardly imagine and which modern science is now beginning to elucidate. Probiotics may help promote healthy mood, keep us from sniffling and sneezing, and bind toxins and heavy metals (like mercury) in order to better excrete these poisons. By the time we are adults, 3-4 lbs of our body weight is accounted for by these organisms alone! However, most of us in modern industrial society do not have an optimal mix of intestinal bacteria due to antibiotics, antacids, stress, lack of sleep, fast food, and hydrogenated oils, among other culprits.

GetzWell Pediatrics is Vaccine Friendly

What does it mean to be a vaccine friendly pediatric practice? While we believe vaccines play a vital role in keeping our patients and communities healthy, we support parents in their right to adopt a vaccination schedule different from the recommendations of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) and the Center for Disease Control (CDC). We recommend that all parents considering an alternative vaccination schedule read The Vaccine Book in addition to understanding the CDC (www.CDC.gov) and AAP (www.AAP.org) recommendations. We encourage an open discussion about vaccines and want to understand and address the concerns of our families. We strive to use and provide sound information as a basis for decision making regarding vaccines and children’s health in general.

Julia Getzelman, MD - CEO & Founder Getzwell Personalized Pediatrics