‘Preventive Medicine’ Category

The Kiss of Cancer

The Kiss of Cancer

In honor of Head and Neck Cancer Awareness Month, my colleague made an informative, yet very entertaining public service announcement video. Take a look! One of the highlights of the message is that several types of cancer, including cancers of the mouth, throat, and sinuses, can be caused by a virus known as human papillomavirus, […]

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We are swimming in muddy waters

We are swimming in muddy waters

Guess what!  Now it’s ok to eat peanuts or tree nuts during pregnancy!  A recent study in the Journal of the American Medical Association documented that eating nut products during pregnancy actually does not increase an unborn child’s eventual risk of developing nut allergies. Guess what!  All plastic products for infants and children no longer […]

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One Less Nut in LALA Land

One Less Nut in LALA Land

The day after Jane Brody’s article in the New York Times came out, describing how surprisingly common it is for children to choke on objects, be they toys or food, I’m in the operating room with a toddler’s who’s choked on a cashew.  Wait, he’s not even a toddler.  He’s a BABY. By some arbitrary […]

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Informed Dissent

Informed Dissent

Just when we thought the controversy of immunization had reached its height, there is yet a new twist being brought to the California legislature. While many parents with school-aged children have been documenting their refusal to have their children immunized with signed waivers brought to school officials, there is now a plan afoot to mandate […]

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How to Keep Your Family Healthy During Holiday Travel (Or, Somebody Sneezed on my Armrest)

How to Keep Your Family Healthy During Holiday Travel (Or, Somebody Sneezed on my Armrest)

By Nina Shapiro, MD Author of “Take a Deep Breath: Clear the Air for the Health of Your Child” Holiday travel with children is a bit like a game of Russian roulette. Or poker. Or even like playing the lottery. The numbers are never in your favor. Kids get up to ten colds per year, […]

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Back to School? Wash Your Hands and Get Your Shots!

Back to School? Wash Your Hands and Get Your Shots!

It’s the most wonderful time of the year… no, not that time… it’s back-to-school-time. And parents everywhere are singing a tune even more joyous than a Christmas carol! And although we live in Los Angeles, and, instead of feeling that cool crispy fall air, we feel the heavy heat of the Santa Ana winds rolling […]

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Pertussis Can Be Fatal: Get Vaccinated

Pertussis Can Be Fatal: Get Vaccinated

I’ve heard so many reasons from parents, both in my office as well as on the playground, why they choose not to vaccinate their kids: “I’m terrified that they will be that one kid with a rare metabolic disorder who becomes autistic FROM the vaccine”. “She’s so little. I don’t want her body exposed to […]

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Tonsils: Take ‘em or Leave ‘em

Tonsils: Take ‘em or Leave ‘em

Tonsillectomy used to be a routine rite of passage for children worldwide. Literally millions of kids would get their tonsils out each year in the United States alone. Oftentimes, if one child in the family was having their tonsils removed, the siblings would follow suit, often without a clear medical indication to do so, but […]

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