prevention Archives - Pentucket Medical

How can I prevent my child from developing diabetes, which runs in my family?

Posted on December 3, 2020February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

By Dr. John Maddox, Pediatrician
Pentucket Medical/ Haverhill

There are two types of diabetes. Type 1 develops in childhood, but it is less likely to run in families. Unfortunately, based on current knowledge, there is not as much a parent can do to prevent type 1. Thankfully, this type is more rare. I’ll add that families that deal with type 1 are some of the most resilient that I have seen as a pediatrician.

Type 2 is more likely to run in families but is also much more preventable. Diabetes, as its core, is about not having enough insulin to help glucose get from the blood stream into the body’s cells to provide energy. The primary key to avoiding type 2 comes from good nutrition. All foods are eventually digested into glucose (also called blood sugar) as our fuel. Foods that are digested slowly allow our body’s pancreas to release insulin slowly, creating a gradual rise and fall of input and output that generates optimal health. Foods that are slowly digested (like an apple) have a low glycemic index; foods that are rapidly turned to sugar (like a potato) have a high glycemic index.

Fascinating new research reveals that a window of taste preference exists for infants ages 6-12 months. A baby might make a face the first few times peas or green beans are offered. However, with 8-10 days of persistence, we can successfully prime their palate for a healthier lifetime ahead.

Your Good Health is your Most Important Asset

Posted on July 29, 2020February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

Did you know that in the United States, Americans use preventative health care services about half the recommended amount? Despite the benefits of preventative health care services, many of us choose to go without them.

Seven out of 10 deaths are attributed to chronic diseases such as heart disease, diabetes, and cancer. These diseases are often preventable and with regular screenings be identified in the early stages.

Recommended steps to being your healthiest are annual physical exams, age-appropriate screenings, immunizations as needed as well as engaging in lifestyle choices that include physical activity, sleep and a healthy diet. Learn what you can do by checking out these Health Preventive Guidelines below:

Men’s Health Guidelines:https://www.pmaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Pentucket-health-Maint-guide-men-1-1.jpg

Women’s Health Guidelines: https://www.pmaonline.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/06/Pentucket-health-Maint-guide-women.jpg

National Poison Prevention Week

Posted on March 26, 2016February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

Half of all reported poisonings occur in children under age 6.

Written by Jennifer Dean Durning, CPNP – Pentucket Medical Pediatrics

National Poison Prevention Week is a good time to review safety information regarding substances that can be harmful if they are used in the wrong way or by the wrong person. Poisons include common consumer products that are safe if used according to the directions on the label, but can be dangerous if used incorrectly. Common sources of poisonings that affect children are medications, household cleaners, alcohol, cosmetics, and plants. Continue reading “National Poison Prevention Week” →

Heart Health Month

Posted on February 10, 2016February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

February is Heart Health Month

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What You Should Know About Heart Disease

Since it’s February, you may be thinking about sweetheart candy and heart-shaped boxes of chocolate. Did you know that it is also a great time to think about your own heart? February is Heart Health Month!

It’s important to know the risk factors and signs of heart disease as it’s the leading cause of death for both men and women with 610,000 Americans dying from heart disease each year. Continue reading “Heart Health Month” →

Find out how you can prevent Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Andover, MA

Posted on August 10, 2015February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

Hand, foot and mouth disease usually is found in children under the age of five. This disease is not as uncommon as you may think. The disease, which lasts around a week, causes fever-like sores to form on the hand, mouth and feet. Depending on the severity of the disease, sores might also form on the buttocks and legs.

Though hand, foot, and mouth disease can be contracted all year, it is most common in the summer. Continue reading “Find out how you can prevent Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) in Andover, MA” →

LYME DISEASE — What, How, When and Prevention.

Posted on April 16, 2015February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

lyme disease prevention

As Spring approaches and we think about enjoying the beautiful outdoors please keep in mind a few ways to keep you and your family safe from ticks and possible tick borne illnesses, such as Lyme disease. Knowledge is power, and the following is offered as a basic but thorough overview of what you should do to prevent this common and rather serious disease.

The WHAT

Lyme disease is an illness from a tick bite that has 3 stages:

Early localized disease: 3-30 days after a tick bite.

A large red ring (larger than 2inches across) or bull’s eye (called erythema migrans) that starts at the site of the tick bite and can last 2 weeks to 2 months. It is not itchy or painful and is seen in 80% of infected people.
A flu like illness with fever, headache, chills, fatigue, joint and muscle pain lasting a few days. Vomiting, diarrhea, abdominal pain and cold symptoms or cough are not typically seen with Lyme disease.

Early disseminated disease: 2-12 weeks after the tick bite in about 20% of people who did not receive treatment will develop these problems.

Rashes can be similar but smaller than the primary rash of erythema migrans (chronic migrating redness) with a flu-like illness of fever, fatigue, headache, muscle and joint pain.
Eye problems, meningitis, and palsies of the facial nerves can be seen with or without a flu-like illness.
Carditis (heart problems) such as heart block can develop.

Late disease: 6 weeks to 2 yr after the tick bite.

Arthritis, most commonly the knee but can be other large joints.
Rarely neurological problems develop (weakness, numbing/tingling, memory issues.)

Lyme disease is often diagnosed based on history and exams, as lab testing is not helpful in the first 4 weeks of infection and can be difficult to interpret. It is treated with a 2-4 week course of antibiotics. If you have been treated appropriately in the early stage of Lyme disease you almost never develop the later stages.

lyme-ex

The HOW

Lyme disease is caused by a bacteria which is transmitted by the blacklegged tick (in New England, the deer tick). These ticks are very tiny—often the size of a pinhead and do not fly or jump. Tick bites do not hurt or itch. A tick bite can only lead to Lyme disease if the tick is infected with the bacteria and if the tick has been attached longer than 48hrs.

The WHEN

Lyme disease is more common April through October with more than 50% cases occurring during June and July.

PREVENTION

Use repellent

Products that contain permethrin or picaridin (Duranon, Congo Tick Spray, Permanone) can be used on clothing and shoes, but not on skin.
DEET containing products (20-30%) for children 2mo and older applied on skin (except face and hands) and clothing.

Tick checks

Remove all clothing and, if possible shower/bath within 2 hr coming in from area where tick exposure is a concern.
Do tick checks especially checking scalp, neck, armpits, and groin.
Remove any tick (using tweezers grasp as close to skin as possible and pull gently and steadily straight upwards avoiding twisting and jerking.)
Check pets and any outdoor gear.
Place clothes in a dryer on high heat for 1 hr to kill any ticks.

A great website with more information is www.cdc.gov/lyme/

Also check with your child’s doctor’s office as they may have more information and handouts.

NATIONAL POISON PREVENTION WEEK

Posted on March 16, 2015February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

national poison prevention week

Did you know that poisonings are the #1 cause of injury related death in the US—most due to drug misuse or abuse?

In 2013 there were 2.2 million calls to Poison Control Centers concerning human related exposures to poisons with just under ½ of these calls concerning children under 6 yr old.
In 2013 more than 90% poisonings occurred at home.
In 2013 more than 70% of the calls to Poison Centers were treated at home thus saving billions of dollars in healthcare expenditure at emergency rooms.

Did you know there are 55 Poison Control Centers across the United States and they are available 24/7 every day of the year?

Poison Control Centers receive only a fraction of their funding through the federal government and have had significant funding cuts. Much of their funding is through state governments, hospital, and other agencies.

Did you know there is no such thing as a POISON PROOF home or environment? Children are often very capable of getting into what we, as adults, think are “child-proof”. ANY medication (prescription or over-the-counter) and almost any household product is potentially poisonous and capable of causing harm in some way.

KEEP 1-800-222-1222 programmed into your mobile phone and this number readily accessible by your home phone in case of any possible poisoning. AND CALL! They will give you advice on how best to handle the situation. It could not only be life saving it could be cost saving!

Eye Injury Prevention

Posted on July 7, 2014February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

Sight is one of our most trusted senses. 2,000 eye injuries occur every day and 90% of all of these injuries can be prevented by the use of protective eye wear to shield eyes from potential flying objects, fumes, dust, sparks or splashing chemicals. Protect your eyes and the eyes of your children with these simple reminders.

Use protective eye wear, especially when:

using hammers, power tools, or chemicals
welding
using household chemicals like bleach and other cleaners
always read labels carefully and work in a well ventilated area
while playing sports such as racquetball, paintball, lacrosse and hockey
when mowing the lawn, trimming or edging
while blowing leaves or sweeping

Be careful when opening bottles under pressure like a bottle of champagne, and avoid splashing while cooking with hot oils and other fluids.

Supervise children’s use of tools and toys. Pencils, scissors, knives, paperclips, bungee cords, wire hangers, rubber bands, fishhooks and small / flying toys can be dangerous. Teach children how to safely carry sharp objects, to never point flying toys at another person, and to never play with laser pointers!

And finally, always remember to protect your eyes from damaging UV rays by wearing broad-rimmed hats and/or sunglasses.

Aspirin for Primary Prevention

Posted on June 19, 2014February 22, 2022 by Pentucket Medical

How does your doctor help you avoid cardiac events like heart attacks or strokes? Establishing a prevention strategy is important to lessen the risk of such dangerous events. Doctors generally define prevention strategy as either primary or secondary:

Primary Prevention – No cardiac events have occurred in the patient. The doctor wants to prevent an initial cardiac event.

Secondary Prevention – A cardiac event has happened in the past. The doctor will try to prevent another event from occurring.

For instance, a patient who has had a heart attack or stroke is generally treated with secondary prevention using drugs like aspirin, cholesterol lowering medications to reduce the chance of another event occurring. Patients who have not yet had an event such as a heart attack or stroke are at much lower risk. Finding the appropriate level of prevention in these patients is often difficult because of this lower risk.

Aspirin for Primary Prevention

It has been the practice for decades now to use low-dose aspirin, particularly for adults over age 50. This approach has been felt to reduce the chance of a heart attack or stroke, mostly by providing a slight blood thinning effect. Aspirin acts as a blood thinner by inhibiting the actions of platelets in the blood. This antiplatelet effect has been shown to be very significant for patients having a heart attack or for after having a heart attack. The logic therefore was extended to include patients who are at risk for heart attacks.

We have generally recommended aspirin at low dose (81 mg) for primary prevention for patients over age 50. The data was felt to be reasonably strong for men and less strong for women.

New FDA Recommendations

Now, the FDA no longer recommends that this practice be continued. The May 2014 FDA statement says:

“The FDA has reviewed the available data and does not believe the evidence supports the general use of aspirin for primary prevention of a heart attack or stroke. In fact, there are serious risks associated with the use of aspirin, including increased risk of bleeding in the stomach and brain, in situations where the benefit of aspirin for primary prevention has not been established.”

Here is the link to the FDA statement from May 2014.

The FDA did caution patients not to stop aspirin without consulting their physician. They also tried to educate the public about the differences between primary and secondary prevention and have clearly stated that this new recommendation only pertains to primary prevention. Patients who had prior evidence of vascular disease with heart attack, stroke, prior angioplasty or other vascular procedure, or even with imaging evidence of significant vascular disease in the carotid arteries or vascular disease of the legs, should continue aspirin if recommended by their physicians.