Month: June 2013

When it comes to children’s health and wellness, understanding more about the medications that kids take to treat common conditions like sore throats, earaches and cold or flus can help parents develop better strategies for increasing medication compliance.

Best of all, the better knowledge that parents have of drugs, the easier it will be for them to make youngsters excited about getting healthy again. But in order to gain that level of insight into how medications work, parents often have to do a little research.

When a child is sick, it may be tough for parents to set aside time to learn more about medications – all you want to do is stay by your little guy or gal’s side! Thankfully, your local pharmacist can be a great source of information and can help you make informed choices about your child’s treatments.

Consider these five questions, which can help you learn more about liquid medications before you give them to a youngster.

1. Are there side effects to watch for?
While many children’s medications may not have side effects, it’s essential that you be prepared to meet whatever challenges come your way. If drowsiness, loss of appetite, sleeplessness or lack of concentration are among the side effects of medication, knowing this in advance can help you better care for your child.

2. Should drugs be taken with food?
You wouldn’t want to give kids a bellyful of cough syrup or sore throat medication on an empty stomach if you could avoid it. Understanding how much grub to give kids can make medication more effective.

3. Will this conflict with other medications?
Whether a child has a pre-existing health condition like asthma or attention deficit disorder or is taking multiple medications to treat the illness he or she has, you want to ensure that your little one won’t be adversely impacted by mixing certain types of drugs.

4. How often should this be given?
Most pharmacists will clearly indicate the time frame with which you should administer doses, but double-checking can help reduce confusion.

5. Is custom flavoring available?
You may not think to ask this question first, but when it comes to making kids happy during medicine-time, custom flavoring of liquid medications can be crucial! Children love the option of picking out the perfect flavor for their medicines, and enjoying the taste of the treatment can make it easier for parents when they have to deliver a spoonful to kids.

Sore throats are no fun for kids, especially when they develop into a nasty case of strep throat. Characterized by aches, pains and often the inability to speak without flinching, strep throat can force children to stay bundled up on the couch for days and can impact the overall health of your family.

According to a recent study, which was presented at the Pediatric Academic Societies annual meeting in Washington, D.C., on May 4, some methods that parents may use to reduce the spread and exposure children have to the condition may not be correct.

Researchers from University of Texas Medical Branch revealed that, while streptococcus – the bacteria that primarily causes strep throat – grew on the toothbrushes of kids who hadn’t been exposed to it previously, the bacteria failed to grow on the toothbrushes of youngsters with the ailment.

“This study supports that it is probably unnecessary to throw away your toothbrush after a diagnosis of strep throat,” said co-author Judith Rowen, M.D., associate professor of pediatrics in the Department of Pediatrics at UTMB.

Is it strep throat?
How can you tell if it’s strep throat? According to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, strep throat – which in addition to Group A streptococcus, as well as dry air and pollution – is considered a more severe form of sore throat.

If your child has been struggling with a sore throat for more than a week, has difficulty breathing, swallowing, has a temperature exceeding 104 degrees and pus coming from the back of his or her throat, it’s time to consult with a primary care provider.

He or she can help determine how negatively your child’s health has been impacted, and also offer great treatment options for alleviating a youngster’s discomfort.

The benefits of custom flavoring
For healthcare providers, including doctors and nurse practitioners, custom flavoring for medications to treat something like strep throat or cold and flu season can be an essential way to ensure children’s health and wellness.

By recommending flavoring on electronic prescriptions, medical professionals may be able to promote improving medicinal compliance, not to mention make it easier for parents to give kids the liquid treatments they need to boost their overall physical conditions.

Prescribers can reach out to a commercial or independent pharmacy for more details on how to add custom flavoring to the liquid medications they use to treat patients.

The summer months are here at last, and with them comes the opportunity for kids to get out all of that extra energy they’ve been bottling up throughout the winter and spring months. Whether it involves getting in a few laps at the local swimming pool and playing a game of soccer outside with friends, summer offers many opportunities for kids to have a great time.

Unfortunately, the more active children are outdoors, the more likely they are to be exposed to different bacteria and stimuli that could cause health issues. With these three children’s health and wellness tips, you can ensure that your son or daughter stays in great shape all summer long.

1. Get vaccines
Do you plan on sending your child to a sleepaway camp? If so, you should make sure that he or she is up to date on all vaccinations, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. From pertussis – better known as whooping cough – to tetanus, there are many serious health conditions that may impact your kid’s health.

2. Swimming lessons
Backyard pools are among the leading causes of drowning among children, and in many cases this is due to a child’s inability to swim. If your son or daughter has never had any formal lessons, you may want to consider signing him or her up today.

3. Focus on prevention
Bug bites, poison ivy and sunburns are all very common during the summer months, but if you make sure your child never leaves the house without sunscreen and bug repellents, you can make sure he or she stays in good health.

If your child gets under the weather at any point during the summer, you may have to head to your local pharmacy to pick up medications prescribed by a healthcare professional. Making medicine taste better is an important part of getting children to take liquid forms of it easily, which is why custom flavoring can be great if you have a son or daughter who is sick.

Have you noticed your little boy or girl has been tugging on his or her ear recently and just won’t stop? While this can seem like a random occurrence – or even an adorable quirk – the truth is, it can actually be a sign that your child is affected by a serious health issue: An ear infection!

“Next to the common cold, ear infections are the most common disorder in children,” Margaretha Casselbrant, M.D., Ph.D., chief of the division of pediatric otolaryngology at Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh, told Parents magazine.

If you’re concerned that your little one may have an ear infection but you’re not quite certain, consider these three signs. Don’t hesitate to contact your healthcare provider if your child has one or more of these symptoms.

1. A fever
One of the best ways to determine if your son or daughter is feeling under the weather is to take his or her temperature. Anything over 102 degrees can be an indication that your child has an ear infection or similar serious health issue. If your little one is shy or nonverbal, start by taking his or her temperature.

2. Pus or fluid from the ear
While most medical professionals will tell you that ear tugging is common among kids with ear infections, you wouldn’t want to base your assumption on this habit alone. If you notice your child’s ears are filled with fluid or dripping a pus-like substance, this is a sign that it may be an ear infection.

3. Trouble sleeping
Say the word “bedtime” and most kids are likely to fold their arms over their chests and start pouting. However, if you’ve seen that your child can’t get to bed and is a restless sleeper, this could be the result of problems with his or her ears.

When it comes to children’s health and wellness, parents understand the importance of making sure kids get the proper treatments in case conditions like ear infections develop. Unfortunately, certain kinds of medicine – especially those that come in liquid form – can be tough and bitter for youngsters to swallow, which can leave parents in search of better tips for giving medicine to children.

With FLAVORx, your kids can choose the flavor of their medicines, making it easier for moms and dads to treat everything from colds to flus to ear infections and more. Custom flavoring can be a great option that helps children feel better faster!