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Periodic
well child visits and are offered to children starting at birth
and have three general purposes. One is to screen for physical
or developmental concerns and to answer parents’ questions
regarding these topics. The second is an opportunity to provide
education on preventative medicine such as solid food introduction,
immune support, fever management and sleeping patterns. The
final goal is for your child to establish a comfortable relationship
with Dr. Bonnie when he/she is feeling well. |
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Vaccines
and vaccine counseling are offered at well child visits. It
is the right and responsibility of parents to determine which
vaccines to give to their children and when they would like
these vaccines administered. Dr. Bonnie will help parents wade
through the available information on the effectiveness and risks
of vaccines and support parents in developing a plan for their
child. |
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Sports
physicals as required by schools can be a good opportunity for
your older children to get to know Dr. Bonnie. While younger
children are more routinely seen by doctors, older children
may benefit from a relationship with a physician who can knowledgably
answer health questions they may not discuss with their parents.
Helping your adolescent establish good preventative health measures
is one more way you can assist their transition to responsible
well adults. |
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My
goal as a doctor is to provide education that allows you to
treat yourself and your family for most acute infections, fevers,
rashes and other minor complaint. The first time you apply home
remedies for a specific illness, you may choose to make an appointment
to confirm or determine what you are treating and to learn effective
therapies. The next time one of your family members has a similar
condition, you will have more skills to help balance their health. |
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When
should you bring a child in who you are treating at home? Bring
your child in if they have not recovered within 5-7 days. Healthy
children will recover quickly from acute conditions except when
there is an underlying issue that is distracting their immune
systems. Possible concerns are allergies, fungal infections
and parasitic infections. Another cause for delayed recovery
is a deeper illness such as lung, sinus or ear infections which
may need further assessment and treatment. |
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Allergies
may be the source of a variety of symptoms including seasonal
hay fever, daily sniffles, allergic shiners, eczema and other
rashes, chronic sinus infections, asthma and attention deficit
disorder. Allergies may be caused by anything in the environment
including foods, airborne pollens, molds, animals, cleaning
supplies, soaps, jewelry and building materials. When treating
allergies my goal is to identify and remove the cause, cool
the heated immune response, heal the damaged tissue and help
the body develop tolerance to its environment. |
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Eczema
is caused by an overactive immune response to the child’s
environment. Generally there is a family history of eczema,
asthma or chronic sinus and tonsil infections. While there is
generally an intolerance of food which triggers eczema, deficiencies
in essential fatty acids, infections with molluscum or yeast
and stress all contribute to flairs and difficulty healing. |
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Asthma,
enlarged tonsils and chronic post nasal drip have the same underlying
causes as eczema but may be additionally triggered by airborne
allergens, air temperature and activity. |
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Mood
instability including inability to concentrate, unreasonable
irritability and aggressiveness, and depression can make home
and school life difficult or intolerable. These conditions tend
to be multifactorial and will often need a comprehensive treatment
approach to alter. We will assess allergies and nutritional
deficiencies, consider supportive herbs and homeopathy and find
ways to alter the child’s social and environmental triggers.
Physical medicine such as cranio-sacral may help reduce stress
and increase vascular and neural flow to the brain to bring
balance to the nervous system. |
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Acne
is one of the main reasons young people seek medical advice.
Acne is often brought on by the hormones of puberty and aggravated
by poor diet, lack of sleep, stress, facial products, nutritional
deficiencies and dehydration. By improving lifestyle and educating
teens about skin care, the young adult will have both clearer
skin and better general health. |
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Menses
in young women can be very erratic and can cause severe cramping,
heavy bleeding, and radical mood swings. The general medical
approach is to override the hormones with birth control pills
so that the symptoms resolve. While this is often effective
in treating the condition short term, a woman may find that
later in life when she chooses to discontinue hormonal treatment,
the menstrual complaints return. By listening to her body and
balancing the hormones with lifestyle alterations, herbs, homeopathy
and nutrition, a woman can optimize the function of her female
organs and bring better life long reproductive health. |
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Fatigue
is often a concern for high school students who start school
early and tend to get a second wind late at night. While it
seems an easy solution is to go to bed earlier, the hormones
of puberty including growth hormone are responsible for this
late energy surge and may make earlier sleep impossible. Increased
exercise and a balanced diet can help bring about a better sleep
balance. Other contributing factors to fatigue include low iron
status and social stressors which a young adult may have difficulties
expressing. |
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