Checkup Newsroom (Dr. Justin Smith)
Filter by year
2021
March
31,
2021
|
12:51 PM
America/Chicago
Many families are excited about decorating eggs, having Easter egg hunts and participating in other holiday traditions this week. Although this is the second Easter holiday during the COVID-19 global pandemic, now is not the time to let your …
Read more
2018
August
27,
2018
|
10:19 AM
America/Chicago
According to the National Conference of State Legislatures, Texas is among 18 states that allow families to opt out of vaccines for personal or moral beliefs. The Morning News reports that Plano, Fort Worth, Austin and Houston all ranked …
Read more
March
07,
2018
|
10:11 AM
America/Chicago
The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued a letter warning parents and cheerleaders from 39 states and nine counties that they may have been exposed to mumps at a cheerleading competition last month in Dallas.
The Dallas …
Read more
2017
January
27,
2017
|
09:46 AM
America/Chicago
What would you do if your child started having bloody tears? Often I write about things that most of you will deal with at some time or another.
But, every now and then, something really interesting grabs my attention as something that you …
Read more
2015
November
30,
2015
|
14:30 PM
America/Chicago
Are we there yet? “No.”
Are we there yet? “No. 5 more minutes.”
Are we there yet? “No. I will tell you when we get there!”
Did anyone hear this or something like it last week?
We’ve been asking a …
Read more
October
28,
2015
|
15:28 PM
America/Chicago
Razor blades in apples?
Poisoned candy?
We’ve heard these scary tales since we were little kids. Parents make sure you check your kids’ candy before they begin munching on their treats, but know that many of the stories …
Read more
October
04,
2015
|
10:07 AM
America/Chicago
After many sleepless nights with your 9 month old, no one could be faulted because they are looking for something, anything to get a good night’s sleep.
You can read my earlier posts on the symptoms of teething and my outright forbidding …
Read more
September
14,
2015
|
09:41 AM
America/Chicago
The University Interscholastic League (UIL) only tracks concussion data from a sample of 263 schools. In 2014, these districts reported 295 concussions.
Last night, NBC 5 Investigates released an enlightening report looking at the rates of …
Read more
August
28,
2015
|
10:25 AM
America/Chicago
Rubella was declared eradicated from North and South America just this past April.
So why did the Tarrant County Health Department just announce that there is a case of rubella in a Texas Christian University student?
Unfortunately, the …
Read more
June
05,
2015
|
09:00 AM
America/Chicago
Your child has a runny nose. Again.
What are the most common causes of a runny nose? How do you treat one? When should you call a pediatrician?
Doc Smitty is back with the latest My Kid Minute. Watch the video to find out all the …
Read more
May
18,
2015
|
15:33 PM
America/Chicago
When your dad’s The Doc Smitty, you don’t get to keep the turtle that wanders into your pool (see photo to the right).
Here's why:
There has been an outbreak of severe flu among dogs in the Midwest. Cases of the H3N2 strain …
Read more
March
31,
2015
|
11:01 AM
America/Chicago
Track season is up and running and many of our junior high and high school athletes are training themselves to run faster and jump higher. Physical activity is clearly beneficial for our students. It can lead to increased health, decreased risky …
Read more
March
12,
2015
|
09:00 AM
America/Chicago
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends the following:
HPV vaccines are given as a series of three shots over 6 months to protect against HPV infection and the health problems that HPV infection can cause. …
Read more
March
10,
2015
|
09:53 AM
America/Chicago
You pick the most annoying noise in the world:
a) Nails on a chalk board.
b) 6 a.m. alarm clocks.
c) Your child’s teeth grinding.
Sorry that there’s no “all of the above.”
Around 25 percent of kids grind their …
Read more
February
20,
2015
|
16:24 PM
America/Chicago
My wife nudges me. It’s 2 a.m.
“Hey babe, did you hear that? Who is coughing? Can you go check on them? Take your stethoscope.”
That’s what an Emergency Room visit looks like in our house in the middle of the night. …
Read more
January
06,
2015
|
16:44 PM
America/Chicago
A recent report was released about a baby who was delivered via water birth earlier this year (in Texas) that died from pneumonia and a rare infection presumably contracted at delivery. There are several details about this case that need to be …
Read more
2014
December
30,
2014
|
09:00 AM
America/Chicago
New Year’s Resolutions.
I resolved to quit doing them years ago. Which means I quit systematically breaking them years ago as well.
This doesn’t mean that I don’t work to improve myself; I just try to do it every day and …
Read more
December
22,
2014
|
15:53 PM
America/Chicago
As a pediatrician, I am often asking adults to do things to protect my patients (pleading for adults to get pertussis vaccines to protect my babies for example).This week presented an excellent opportunity for me to return the favor.Our family …
Read more
December
09,
2014
|
08:04 AM
America/Chicago
“Five more minutes!”I just got back from a vacation at an indoor water park; otherwise known as The Land of Five More Minutes. I could not walk around without hearing some child be told how much more time they had before they had to …
Read more
November
20,
2014
|
12:06 PM
America/Chicago
Do you wish that mom at the park would parent her child so you don’t have to?
Oh, there she is, over there checking out Facebook.
Are you nervous every time her kid climbs up the ladder he might fall down and injure …
Read more
November
18,
2014
|
14:11 PM
America/Chicago
I respect autonomy in medicine.I respect that parents have the right to choose what is best for their children regarding their medical care. There are certain situations in medicine where these decisions truly only affect you and your family.If you …
Read more
November
11,
2014
|
15:07 PM
America/Chicago
You child developed a rash after taking amoxicillin or diarrhea after taking Omnicef.But, is he allergic?Listing medications as an allergy may not seem like a big deal, but it can have significant consequences:Your doctor may have to choose …
Read more
November
04,
2014
|
13:29 PM
America/Chicago
“Did you give him his medicine this morning or was I supposed to?”
“Hey bud, how did you get that BAND-AID®?”
“I just climbed up on this and got it (from the medicine cabinet).”
Those are 2 …
Read more
October
28,
2014
|
11:46 AM
America/Chicago
Tears, not just tears, wailing and uncontrollable fear and anger pouring from my almost 5 year old.
Were there monsters under the bed? Did he fall of his bike? No, I just asked him to write his name on a paper for his …
Read more
October
16,
2014
|
14:53 PM
America/Chicago
I spent the day yesterday doing some quiet, serious thinking about Ebola, contacts, infection spread etc. Because it has been healthcare workers involved, it hit close to home and required me to do spend some time gathering my thoughts about the …
Read more
July
24,
2014
|
09:04 AM
America/Chicago
Part 2 - Elementary and Middle SchoolI'd guess the titledidn't fool as many of you as it did in Part 1. I probably would've clicked angrily on the link and went to disprove the fact that homeschooling is for everyone too, but I …
Read more
