Prevention and treatment of common childhood diseases

More than 90% of common respiratory and digestive tract diseases in children are self-limiting diseases caused by viral infections. The overall treatment principle can be summarized as "prevention first, symptomatic care, and avoiding excessive medical treatment." There is no need to frequently use medications and infusions, and there is no need to blindly pursue "immediate results" treatment plans.

Last Wednesday, I met a mother in the outpatient clinic. She rushed in with her 3-year-old child in her arms and shouted, "Doctor, give my baby an infusion soon. The fever has reached 38 degrees. Don't let the fever make you crazy." When I asked, I found out that the child had just had a runny nose for a long time. The elderly at home had already given her cephalosporin, acetaminophen, and two Chinese patent medicines. The child was completely exhausted. The blood routine and respiratory antigens were tested, and it was found to be a common rhinovirus infection. No additional medicine was prescribed, so he was sent home to wash his nose with saline, drink ibuprofen when the temperature was above 38.5, and drink plenty of water. On the third day, the mother sent a message saying that the child was bouncing around.

Nowadays, many parents have been exposed to evidence-based parenting and know that you don’t need to take compound cold medicine for a common cold. It can last for a few days. However, many parents feel that it is too painful for their children to have a stuffy nose and cough and cannot sleep. There is actually no absolute right or wrong here. For example, if a child only has a slight runny nose but is in good spirits, there is no need to take any medicine. ； If your nose is so congested that you can't breastfeed and you toss and turn all night, you can spray your nose with saline, apply a warm towel to the root of your nose, or follow your doctor's advice and take a single-ingredient medicine to relieve nasal congestion. It's totally fine and you don't have to force it. Oh, by the way, many people are afraid of having a fever and burning themselves silly. In fact, only ultra-high fever above 41 degrees can damage the nervous system. Ordinary fever means that the immunity is working, so there is no need to panic when it reaches 38 degrees.

For digestive tract diseases such as whorls and norovirus that occur frequently in autumn and winter, the first reaction of many parents is to give antidiarrheal drugs. In fact, this is completely the opposite - diarrhea and vomiting are the body expelling viruses, while antidiarrhea will retain the virus in the body. The most important thing at this time is to replenish oral rehydration salts to avoid dehydration. Other drugs are not necessary. Here I would also like to mention the controversial issue of "food accumulation": there is no such diagnosis in the Western medicine system, and it is generally classified as gastrointestinal dysfunction caused by improper diet. It is usually recommended to adjust the diet structure and take some probiotics to alleviate the problem. However, many parents have reported that using traditional Chinese medicine for children's chiropractic, stir-fried malt hawthorn and boiling water to drink it is indeed effective in improving children's bloating, bad breath, and poor appetite. Both options can be chosen based on family acceptance. There is no need to argue about right or wrong.

I have met too many parents who ask, “Is there any medicine that can improve children’s immunity? ”To be honest, no health care product has been proven to clearly improve children's immunity. Lactoferrin, spleen aminopeptide, and bovine colostrum are mostly IQ taxes. You may think it is too simple to explain the most reliable prevention method: first, get vaccinated on time, not only the free first-class vaccines, but also the self-paid second-class vaccines such as influenza vaccine, pneumococcal vaccine, and rota vaccine, as much as possible. This is recognized as the most effective prevention method in the world. ； The second is to ensure at least one hour of outdoor activities every day. It is better to bask in the sun and blow in the wind than to stay at home tightly wrapped up. Really, I have seen many parents who are afraid that their children will be cold in winter and do not even go downstairs. As a result, they get sick in turns when they go to kindergarten. ； Also, don’t dress your children too much. It’s like saying “grandma thinks you’re cold”. Children’s metabolism is higher than that of adults, so it’s enough to dress them in similar clothes to their father. If you wear too much clothes, you’ll be more likely to catch a cold if you sweat or blow in the wind.

I have been working in pediatrics for almost 8 years, and the most important reminder I want to give to parents is: body temperature is never the first criterion to judge whether a child's condition is serious or not, mental state is. Even if the fever reaches 39 degrees, if the child can eat, play and laugh, there is no need to panic, just take care of him at home. ； If even if the temperature is only 37.5 degrees, but you are feeling sluggish, not eating, complaining of a headache or stomachache, or even experiencing shortness of breath or convulsions, don’t hesitate to go to the hospital immediately.

Regarding the use of antibiotics, there are two extremes: one is talking about antibiotics, and the doctor refuses to give them to children even if they prescribe them, for fear of side effects.； The other is to give your child cephalosporins as soon as they catch a cold, which will make them feel better quickly. In fact, both of these are wrong. Antibiotics are only effective against bacterial infections. Not only are they useless for viral infections, they will also destroy the intestinal flora and even lead to drug resistance. ； However, if a bacterial infection is really diagnosed, such as suppurative tonsillitis or bacterial pneumonia, you must use it as needed, and you must use it according to the course of treatment. You cannot stop when you feel better, but it will easily relapse.

In fact, you don’t need to be too meticulous when raising children. Many parents now look up too much information and are prone to anxiety. Occasionally a minor illness in a child is not necessarily a bad thing. It is equivalent to an upgrading of immunity. It is normal for children under 6 years old to catch colds 6-8 times a year. When you are really unsure, it is much better to ask a doctor you trust than to scare yourself by searching Baidu.