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February 2021
This Month's Newsletter

We are well into February, and the beginning of Spring is right around the corner! The snow will eventually melt, it's just a matter of time.
 
In this month's newsletter, we remind you of our in-house rapid Covid-19 testing - available to all patients and their families. We address how to decide if you need to take your child to the ER. We bring awareness to eating disorders and the difference between anorexia and bulimia and what to look for - sometimes the signs are not always obvious. To recognize American Heart Month, we offer fun ways to keep heart-healthy. We continue to include information on our Covid-19 office procedures, new return to play guidelines and free new mom and baby classes.
 
The Pediatric Center is here for all of your urgent medical needs, even when the office is closed. There is always someone available from our practice. All you have to do is call: 908-508-0400.
 
Our goal is to further develop our relationship with our patients and create an open forum. We welcome your comments and ideas. If you would like to see something included in this newsletter, please email us at pedcenter.com@gmail.com with ideas only, please no medical requests.
 
As always, we welcome you to share your experience with our practitioners with an online review. 
 
Sincerely,
The Pediatric Center Staff
In-House Covid-19 Testing & Guidelines
The Pediatric Center continues to offer Covid-19 testing for all patients and their families. Please visit our Covid-19 Testing page to learn more about the types of tests, what to do if you are exposed to Covid-19 and isolation and quarantine guidelines.
When Should I Take My Child to the ER?
Seeing your child sick or injured is nerve-racking – and your first reaction might be to run to the emergency room. It’s important to stay calm, look at the symptoms and their severity, then make an informed decision about whether you should go to urgent care or the emergency room.

What’s the Difference Between Urgent Care and the Emergency Room?
Your primary pediatrician is the best person to see if you’re child is sick or hurt because they know your health history. However, if you think you need to see a physician immediately and it is outside of normal office hours, an urgent care may be the best option. Urgent care can offer immediate evaluation and treatment for a variety of conditions, including:

  • Minor injuries and lacerations
  • Eye irritations
  • Minor fractures
  • UTIs
  • Low-grade fever
  • Flu
  • Sore throat
  • Skin rashes and infections
  • Upper respiratory infections

Most urgent care centers are open after normal business hours, including late evenings, weekends, and holidays. A lot also offer on-site diagnostic tests.

When is the Emergency Room the Best Option?
A trip to the emergency room is the best place for treating severe and life-threatening conditions, such as:

  • Deep cuts that are bleeding excessively
  • Severe bone fractures
  • Pregnancy problems
  • Coughing or vomiting blood
  • Severe burns
  • Seizures
  • Severe abdominal pain
  • Abnormally high fever
  • Chest pain that is out of the ordinary

Emergency rooms have the largest access to treatment options including diagnostic tests and specialists.

The most important thing is to think rationally and use your best judgement. Keep in mind, The Pediatric Center is available 7 days a week, with an on-call doctor at all times after office hours.

Call our office first at (908) 508-0400 for help accessing the best option. If our offices are not open, we partner with an urgent care of record who has access to our practitioners and your health history. Please try to refrain from taking your child to a new urgent care that we do not participate with currently. You will get much quicker care if we are able to alert a center that you are on your way.
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The Clues May Be Subtle

When a child starts to hit pre-teen or teen years, they often start to pay more attention to how they look, especially in comparison to others. They start to care more about appearance and wanting to be attractive. Social media can exasperate these feelings as they are bombarded with messages of what looks good, what is cool and the importance of having a good body and feeling pressure to “keep up.”

All too often, these concerns of looking good can transition into a larger obsession with appearance, which can manifest as an eating disorder. There are two main categories of eating disorders:

Anorexia is the act of eating a very small number of calories to achieve thinness. In addition to extreme weight loss, it can have other effects including loss of menstruation, a slowing of the body’s metabolism and other physical and psychological changes similar to starvation victims. Symptoms can also include a low body temperature, purple coloration in hands and feet, and orange tinge to the skin.

Anorexics can often be very animated and energetic, despite a low caloric intake. They may exercise for hours on end to burn off the calories from something they’ve eaten. Many have trouble sleeping. Most are severely constipated because the body’s metabolism slows down and the intake of food, fluid, and fiber is not enough to keep the bowel moving. Some people with anorexia drink large amounts of water or find ways to add weight with hidden metal objects under clothing before medical examinations to try to hide weight loss.

Without treatment, a person with anorexia develops severe nutritional deficiencies. In extreme cases (up to 5 out of every 100) the final result is death due to abnormal heart rhythm causing a massive heart attack or other effects of starvation.
 
Bulimia is the act of binging and purging food regularly to try to rid the body of food and calories. Up to one in four U.S. teenagers binge and purge regularly. Continuing this behavior for three months or more would classify a person as bulimic.

Half of all anorexics have episodes of bulimia at one time or another. Similar to a child starving themselves, the bulimic is dissatisfied with her body and obsessed with slimming down. A bulimic may start to diet and exercise excessively, however will ultimately give in to their food cravings. Stress or strong emotions can set off a binge, in which a bulimic will devour whatever food is available, even up to seven thousand calories in an hour. In a cruel irony, bulimics barely derive any pleasure from eating; as if possessed, they chew and swallow almost mechanically. Afterward, feeling guilty and ashamed, they attempt to rid their body of the food before it is digested by inducing vomiting by sticking their fingers down the throat or taking an excessive amount of laxatives, diuretics or emetics. Bulimics tend to plan their secret binges in advance—usually for times when nobody else will be home.

Some signs to look for in identifying anorexia and bulimia:

  • Avoiding eating with others
  • Hiding food or pretending to be full
  • Hostile or sullen attitude
  • Preoccupation with food or weight
  • Distorted body image
  • Anxious about eating
  • Spending a long amount of time in the bathroom for bulimics
  • Depression
  • Become withdrawn or isolating from others
  • Excitability, difficulty sitting still, easily distracted
  • Dramatic fluctuations in weight, from alternately dieting and bingeing
  • Symptoms of throwing up (bulemics) such as puffy throat, calluses on fingers and knuckles, swelling, sore throat, tremors
  • Irregular menstruation
  • A constant sensation of coldness, especially in the hands and feet, because the body has lost its “overcoat” of fat and muscle (if underweight)
  • Hair loss

Anorexics and bulimics can often hide their disorder, especially bulimics as their weight does not fluctuate as drastically as anorexics. Each condition can take a heavy toll on vital organs such as the liver, kidneys, intestines and heart.

Treatment can include in-patient therapy, group therapy and family therapy. Outpatient behavioral management that focuses on nutritional rehabilitation and normalizing eating behavior with the help of a multidisciplinary team is generally regarded as the best approach after the patient is medically and nutritionally stable.

If you suspect that your child is starving themselves or binging and purging – it’s important to get help immediately. It is harder to recover from an eating disorder the longer it continues. Sometimes, a child could be looking for a way to control their surroundings, and if they get the proper help, they can recover more quickly. These disorders can be life-threatening, especially anorexia, and can hinder a child’s decision making process. Please call our office to make an appointment to speak to one of our practitioners: 908-508-0400

Source: HealthyChildren.org
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Staying Heart-Healthy

February is recognized as American Heart Month, which ties perfectly into Valentine's Day!

The earlier you start with healthy behaviors, the better the chance of continuing them through adulthood and never having to face cardiovascular disease. Most children do not
show symptoms of heart and blood vessels issues, unless there are genetic factors involved.

Keeping heart-healthy isn't all just eating well and exercising - although those are key components. There are some fun ways to protect your heart and keep healthy.

Pets have an incredible impact on reducing stress. Studies have shown pet owners have lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglyceride levels which help reduce your risk of heart issues. If you already have a pet, you are ahead of the game - give them lots of extra hugs and loves. If you are considering getting a pet (we know it's a big decision!), this is one of the many benefits along with giving you a stronger immune system. If you do not have your own pet, visit a friend who does for a quick fix.

Sleep, sleep, sleep. A good night's sleep changes everything. It's when your body goes into repair mode and generates new cells, increasing your concentration and memory. Most kids, especially teens, do not get enough sleep. A good sleep routine also protects your heart.

Eat chocolate. You heard that right. Now, we are not talking about any processed chocolate. The higher the cocao content, the better. Chocolate can help in lowering your risk of heart problems. Dark chocolate has less sugar and higher cocao ratio, which means more antioxidants to reduce your bad (LDL) cholesterol levels and boost your good (HDL) cholesterol levels which reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure.

Dance! Dancing at a moderate intensity can have greater benefits than walking for cardiovascular health! It is good for your mind and body by increasing blood flow and strengthening the heart. Not to mention, dancing tends to make us happy, which reduces stress and benefits mental health too.

Laugh! Laughter lowers blood pressure and the risk of heart disease. There is an emotional response to humor that helps combat distress, depression, anger, anxiety and stress- all of which can lead to a strain on your heart. Find ways to keep things light and humorous. Tell each other jokes during dinner.

Morning fuel. It's so important to start the morning by fueling your body with a good breakfast and water for hydration - especially if there are 8 hours of school ahead of you. Dehydration can make you lethargic and foggy. Drink a full class of water first thing in the morning. A good, healthy breakfast will give you a boost of energy in the morning and set you up for long-term heart health. It also keeps you from grabbing high calorie or unhealthy choices when you are starving from skipping meals. Make a list of healthy breakfast options to choose from every day, or repeat the same meals for each day of the week.

Source: Brit.co
New: Covid-19 Clearance to Return to Sports

Any youth that plans on returning to sports after being diagnosed with Covid-19 should be evaluated and cleared for cardiac symptoms including chest pain, shortness of breath, fatigue, palpitations or syncope. This new guidance is in response to the potential impact of the disease on children and adolescents and the growing literature about the relationship between Covid-19 and myocarditis.

Source: American Academy of Pediatrics
Covid-19 Office Procedures
Our strict CDC guidelines continue, Our office is completely sanitized and treated before each appointment. We continue the following protocols:

  • Phone screening prior to a visit
  • No patients in the waiting rooms
  • Suspension of walk-in visits - all appointments must be scheduled
  • Patient clearance prior to entering the office
  • Car visits, when needed
  • Virtual telemedicine, if requested
Please continue to limit your visit to one adult per family, wear a face covering/mask while in the office and maintain social distancing (at least 6 ft apart). Please do not make an appointment or come to the office if you have, or show any symptoms of COVID-19.

We look forward to seeing you!
Virtual New Mom Support Group
The Pediatric Center offers a weekly Virtual New Mom Support Group every Friday at 10 am. The classes are facilitated by our own Dr. Mckegney via Zoom. Simply register here. The support group is open and free to the public.
Virtual Prenatal Class
On-Site Lactation Support Center

The Pediatric Center's Lactation Support Center and lactation suite are available to you to support breastfeeding your child.  
 
We offer complimentary lactation consultations and are now offering virtual visits.
 
To schedule your lactation consultation, attend our free prenatal class or make an appointment please call us at 908-508-0400.
Find More Topics On Our Blog
The Pediatric Center's blog is an invaluable resource for pediatric and parenting topics. The blog is right on our website. It includes topics such as "12 Super Foods for Lactation Aid", "Best Winter Skincare Tips" and so much more. 
Patient Portal

The Pediatric Center's patient portal provides personal access to your family's medical records. 
 
You can access information such as immunization records, visit summaries, request appointments, view dates for upcoming appointments and pay your bill.
 
Sign up is quick from our website. Click here.
Do You Need A Pediatric Specialist?
The Pediatric Center works with a wide network of doctors we can refer to a pediatric specialist if you need one. 
 
As part of our practice, we specialize in developmental & behavioral health and focus on positive parenting practices. We can offer guidance on depression, eating disorders, developmental concerns and many other issues. You are not alone. 
 
Please call to make an appointment to meet with one of our physicians: 908-508-0400.
The Pediatric Center Online Bill Pay

Online Bill Payment
The Pediatric Center offers the ease and convenience of online bill payment from our Bill Payment & Insurance page on our website. 
 
Payments Over The Phone
If you prefer, you can still make a payment over the phone by calling The Pediatric Center's billing department,

Office: 908-508-0400
Billing Department: 786-249-1234
ImPACT Concussion Testing

The Pediatric Center offers on-site ImPact concussion testing.
 
ImPACT, an FDA cleared tool for baseline and post-injury testing, measures visual and verbal memory, reaction time, and processing speed to help determine if a patient (ages 12-59) can safely return to activity.
Vaccine Education Center

Did you know our website includes a Vaccine Education Center where you can find the immunization schedule for your child?
 
Reminder - we offer all students going to college the Meningococcal B vaccine. This vaccine is covered by insurance. It is recommended it be administered to all students starting college as part of their pre-college physical. Please also discuss the new Gardasil vaccine with your practitioner. View all the details here.
We Love Your Feedback!

Your feedback is very important to us! We would love to hear about your positive experience with our doctors and nurse practitioners. You can  write and post a review right on our website or on our Facebook page.  Thank you for your kind words!
Free Virtual Prenatal Class
Join our free, virtual prenatal class on the 3rd Thursday of every month with our own
Dr. McKegney!
For Parents
Resources for breastfeeding, immunization schedules, what to do if your child is sick, online references & much more!
New Mom Support Group
Are you a new mom and want to connect with other moms while learning about your newborn? Join our weekly support group.
Follow Us On Facebook!

Keep up to date with pertinent news information and important announcements on Facebook including time sensitive topics and office closings, etc.
 
Simply like us
by clicking on the button to the right!
 
Announcements will also be posted on the home page of our website under "What's New".
The Pediatric Center
556 Central Avenue, New Providence, NJ 07974
908-508-0400