Cook Children’s pediatricians, including the Urgent Care Centers, are overwhelmed with parent requests for doctor’s notes to submit for school absences. We want to remind Fort Worth ISD parents and families of the district’s absentee policy: If your ...
Cook Children’s is experiencing a high rate of patients with a respiratory syncytial virus (RSV), which infects the lungs and breathing passages. Our emergency department and urgent care facilities are overwhelmed with patients.This is resulting in l...
While temperatures are warming up and spring is on its way, one thing is showing up that’s a little unusual for this time of year: the flu.Flu cases continue to increase at Cook Children's Health Care System. From March 13 to March 19, there were 275...
By Diane Arnaout, M.D.Wheeeeeeeeee---oooohhhhhh.I don't know how else to start this respectful and loving post for our immune system other than with a joyful and exhausted noise.Your kids are so sick (so often) right now that I lately find myself rea...
By Justin Smith, M.D. aka The Doc SmittyThere’s been a ton of surprises related to the COVID pandemic and skipping flu season last year was another one I never saw coming.Masks and social distancing definitely played a role but the absolute lack of c...
Chicken soup/ chicken broth. Good to prevent dehydration and for upset stomachs. Eat a big ol’ bowl of chicken soup, or cook rice or pasta in chicken broth for a light meal.Salt topped crackers. Good for stomach aches while eating a bland diet.Apple ...
“I feel like my child has been sick for 3 months.”“When will this cough ever go away?”These and similar questions have been the topic of the last month at my practice.And while I know parents are annoyed and I’m annoyed and the kids are annoyed - eve...
Man…it’s going to be a doozy of a winter.
And while I’m confident that we’ll get through it together, I need your help.
Ruling out COVID-19 for kids with symptoms (some mild, some more severe) has become the biggest reason for kids visiting our...
Children can run, jump and play for hours and may not share complaints – particularly when their tummies, heads or knees hurt – until after the fun is over.
One of the first things I like to know when ascertaining the seriousness of a child’s cond...
Germs are gross.
Kids are gross.
Germs and kids are doubly gross.
As parents, we know this is true, especially during this time of year. The illness visits are piling up in my office and throughout the Cook Children's system. The days off sc...
Your kids will likely be sicker in the winter than they are in the summer.
Some estimate that children will have 8-12 upper respiratory infections (coughs and colds) per year. Because many of those will be clustered in the winter and viral respira...
It often seems we spend a lot more time in the waiting room than actually talking to our doctors. And there may be some truth to that. A 2013 study published by The Journal of General Internal Medicine revealed that for new doctors, the time spent wi...
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 chose ...