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6071 E. Woodmen Road, Suite 225 Colorado Springs, CO 80923 719-571-7130
When your child needs immediate care, turn to the experts at St. Francis Medical Center’s Pediatric ER. We offer experienced, specially trained medical providers and northeast El Paso County’s only emergency room designed especially for kids. 719-571-KIDS (5437)
Centura Health Physician Group Pediatrics NorthCare is part of Centura Health, the region’s leading health care network. Centura Health does not discriminate against any person on the basis of race, color, national origin, disability, age, sex, religion, creed, ancestry, sexual orientation, and marital status in admission, treatment, or participation in its programs, services and activities, or in employment. For further information about this policy, contact Centura Health’s Office of the General Counsel at 1-303-673-8166 (TTY: 711). Copyright © Centura Health, 2018. ATENCIÓN: Si habla español, tiene a su disposición servicios gratuitos de asistencia lingüística. Llame al 1-719-776-5370 (TTY: 711). CHÚ Ý: Nếu bạn nói Tiếng Việt, có các dịch vụ hỗ trợ ngôn ngữ miễn phí dành cho bạn. Gọi số 1-719-776-5370 (TTY: 711).
MIX IT UP
Avoid back pain caused by overuse
SPRING 2018
HOW OLD IS TOO OLD TO SEE A PEDIATRICIAN?
Volume 3, Issue 2
bar
N
ON NUTRITION
WHICH BARS ARE UP TO PAR? IS VBAC AN OPTION FOR YOU?
Helping parents raise healthy toddlers, tots, and teens
RAISE THE
Also inside:
utrition bars must be good for kids, right? After all, they have “nutrition” in the name. Truth is, some are so high in sugar they should be called candy bars. For real nutrition, Melaina Bjorklund, MS, RD, clinical dietitian at Penrose-St. Francis Health Services, says to look at the label for: ✤ Whole grains ✤ Protein, which gives kids energy to focus at school You don’t want to see: ✤ Trans fats. ✤ Added sugars. There’s a difference between refined sugar, and sweetness from raisins or cranberries, Bjorklund says. “Some new nutrition labels differentiate added sugars, as opposed to the natural sugars present in fruits.” ✤ Ingredients you can’t pronounce. Rule of thumb, says Bjorklund, “If you can’t read it, don’t eat it.” The good news, she says: “Once you find a good one, you can stick to that brand.”
Want some ideas for bars you can make yourself? Visit bloomkidshealth.org to learn more.
ABCs OF VBAC
FOR MANY, VAGINAL BIRTH IS SAFE AFTER C-SECTION Long ago, if a woman had one child by cesarean section, she had all her children that way. Decades of research, though, helped change that. “There are a lot of studies showing that in most women, vaginal birth after C-section (VBAC) is safe,” says St. Francis Medical Center OB/ GYN Meredith Cassidy, MD. For women who want a VBAC, the first step is a discussion with their physician about the reason for their previous C-section, Cassidy says. You may be a good candidate for VBAC if: ✔ You are 35 or younger ✔Your C-section resulted from the baby’s position or health ✔Your incision was horizontal A VBAC carries more risk if you: ✔Had a vertical incision ✔Had a C-section because of abnormally slow or difficult labor ✔Have health complications such as obesity, diabetes, or pre-existing high blood pressure Previous pre-eclampsia does not rule out a VBAC, Cassidy says. “Prenatal care is important. Your physician will want to assess your condition on an ongoing basis.” The Birth Center at St. Francis Medical Center offers Practicing Labor Skills classes. To learn more, visit penrosestfrancis.org/events.
Q: IS IT OK FOR MY CHILD TO DRINK COFFEE? A: It’s not great, says Sarah Amoroso, DO, a pediatrician with Centura Health Physician Group Pediatrics NorthCare. “Caffeine is a stimulant, which means it can increase heart rates. Caffeine and sugary beverages are not good for activity level or sleep. In general, we don’t recommend kids consume a lot of caffeine, especially in sugary or energy
bloomkidshealth.org
drinks.” If they insist, limit kids’ caffeine to 40 to 45 milligrams daily — about half a cup of brewed coffee, she says. And, Amoroso doesn’t subscribe to the theory that small amounts benefit kids with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. “I haven’t seen any kids improve with caffeine versus appropriate treatment.” CHPG Pediatrics NorthCare
BACK TO NORMAL W
hen it comes to kids and back pain, Pennie Schultz, MD, of Centura Health Physician Group Pediatrics NorthCare, has a favorite prescription: Get physical.
“Often, kids are sedentary, so their core strength is poor,” she says. Hours bent over a computer keyboard or just poor posture in general also can contribute to back pain, Schultz says. And yes, bulky backpacks play a role, too, although she says they get more than their share of blame when kids complain of achy backs. Another common culprit when young backs hurt is overuse, Schultz says. When kids specialize in a single sport, and play it year-round without a break, they become more prone to overuse injuries, she says. “We recommend taking a break. Not that they don’t do any sport, but do a different sport for a while.” When kids end up in her office with back pain, opioids and muscle-relaxing drugs are never an option. Instead, “we’ll send them to physical therapy to get a good stretching program going that they can continue at home or at the gym.” As with adults plagued by back pain, exercises for kids often focus on strengthening abdominal muscles and loosening tight hamstrings. If your child is battling headaches, visit bloomkidshealth.org to learn more about common causes and ways to ease the pain.
If the kiddos aren’t the only family members struggling with back pain, Centura Spine Care may be able to help. To learn more, call 719-571-8550 or visit penrosestfrancis.org/centuraspinecare.
GET TO KNOW
SAFE OFFROAD BIKING
MEET THE CENTURA HEALTH PHYSICIAN GROUP PEDIATRICS NORTHCARE PHYSICIANS Getting kids to try healthy foods can be a challenge. A frustrated parent might consider scolding, or bribery, to get broccoli into a little one’s mouth. But other strategies might be more effective.
APPOINTMENT WITH
M
ountain biking is a great family activity, once your children can ride and balance on two wheels. So when are they ready to go off-road? “The actual age varies from about 3 to 9,” says Benjamin Cole, MD, a family medicine physician at CHPG Primary Care Powers. “A lot of it depends on how much the kid wants to ride. I’ve seen 4-year-olds who can bike on their own and kids in elementary school who still require training wheels.” Start kids on easy, flat trails. “Know the terrain and choose trails that are appropriate for children, not adults,” says Cole. Trails in Colorado are generally well-marked, so it should be easy to find beginner options. To find a Centura Health pediatrician or primary care physician, go to penrosestfrancis.org.
ADULTHOOD
WHEN IS IT TIME TO STOP SEEING A PEDIATRICIAN? YOUR TEEN WILL KNOW.
Your teenager has his driver’s license, his first girlfriend — and he doesn’t want to sit in a pediatrician’s waiting room with toddlers anymore. Most teens make the transition from pediatrics to adult primary care physicians around the time they graduate from high school, says Sarah Amoroso, DO, of Centura Health Physician Group Pediatrics NorthCare. But the best time to make the move is whenever your teen feels he’s ready, she says. “We have some teens who would stay with us forever, which is fine. But primary care doctors are also comfortable caring for teens.” Find out what your teen needs in an annual checkup at bloomkidshealth.org.
A favorite tip of Pennie Schultz, MD, is to make healthy food fun. “With little kids, try making food in different shapes, maybe by cutting sandwiches with cookie cutters. You can also let kids dunk veggies into dips — ranch or hummus are healthy choices.” Keep healthy food on hand, and make it easy to snack on, advises Sarah Amoroso, DO. Dried fruits, like raisins, are a healthy, yummy, and no-fuss alternative to candy. Buying precut carrot and celery sticks can make crunching on them as easy as potato chips, and much healthier. CHPG Pediatrics NorthCare is located at 6071 E. Woodmen Road, Suite 225, in Colorado Springs. We are accepting new patients. Call 719-571-7130 for an appointment, or come to our office for a FREE meet and greet on the third Thursday of the month at 4:30 p.m.
bloom kids is published by Penrose-St. Francis Health Services. As part of Centura Health, our mission is to nurture the health of the people in our community. The information herein is meant to complement and not replace advice provided by a licensed health care professional. For comments or to unsubscribe to this publication, please email us at bloomkids@ centura.org. bloom kids is produced by Clementine Healthcare Marketing. Executive editor is Jill Woodford. 719-571-7130
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