Category: Pediatrics

The importance of childhood obesity prevention: a doctor’s perspective

I’m starting to see this trend of podcasts and articles that seem to be raising the white flag against childhood obesity. We should all agree with physicians that these conversations should be approached carefully and thoughtfully. We should agre…

Why your intuition is key to better physical and emotional health

In residency, we are trained to follow our intuition. In pediatrics,  this translates into learning how to recognize a sick kid. Of course, we are taught what to look for on the physical exam and the labs and what protocols to follow, but we are also t…

Moving beyond weight-centered approaches in childhood obesity [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we sit down with guest Wendy Schofer, a pediatrician, to discuss the current state of childhood obesity and the need for a change in approach. Over the past two decades, th…

Candy weed: no protection for marijuana child poisoning

Timmy’s eyes were rolling side to side in his head as his limp body did not respond to his mother’s calling. He was rushed to the hospital and admitted to the ICU. The 4-year-old ate one of his mother’s cannabis-infused, rainbow-sherb…

The middle road to childhood obesity treatment: Empowering kids with healthy habits

The new American Academy of Pediatrics guidelines for childhood obesity have shifted from a “watchful waiting” method to “early and aggressive treatment.” Coverage of the guidelines in the Washington Post, the New York Times, an…

3 hospitalists’ struggles with board certification: a tale of ineligibility, cancelled tests, and unfair fees

When I finished my pediatric residency almost 20 years ago, I embarked upon a career in general pediatrics because I didn’t enjoy any particular subspecialty enough to commit my career to it. After spending several years in a mostly outpatient se…

From toys to tragedy: the threat of button batteries to children’s health

According to a study published in Pediatrics, it is estimated that between 2010 and 2019, more than 70,000 emergency department (ED) visits in the United States were related to battery ingestion, mouth exposure, and ear or nasal insertion among childre…

Navigating complex medical issues: one family’s story of advocacy and hope [PODCAST]

Subscribe to The Podcast by KevinMD. Catch up on old episodes! In this episode, we have a special guest, Laura Fernando, a patient advocate, who shares her heart-wrenching story of her daughter Lily’s medical journey with COVID-19 and other healt…

Don’t neglect the power of clinical examinations in modern medicine

I intended to write an essay endorsing the clinical examination (CE), but recent personal events have made me reconsider. I had outpatient sinus surgery and developed chest pain the next day, leading me to my local rural hospital’s emergency depa…

Finding the right balance: Fleishman is in Trouble takes on parenting in the 21st century

For those who haven’t yet seen Hulu’s dramatic series Fleishman Is in Trouble, it’s really about the different forms of existential crises people face in middle age. The show contemplates the challenges of maintaining a marriage, pare…