Importance Of Vaccinating Your Children

Currently, there is controversy surrounding vaccinating your child. Many celebrities have spoken out about the “dangers” about vaccinating, but what about the dangers of not vaccinating your children? At Just Kids Pediatrics, located in Oklahoma City, OK, we want to educate you and your family about the dangers of skipping these crucial vaccinations. We encourage your children to get flu shots and vaccines to eliminate the possibility of getting life threatening diseases that have already been cured. Read below about the importance of your kids getting flu shots and vaccines to ensure your children’s health safety.

Reason One: Saving Your Child’s Life

This is the number one reason to have vaccines for your kids. If you don’t vaccinate your child they can end up getting very sick. Due to medical advances, we are able to protect children now more than ever from various diseases. Some of the diseases that used to be an issue are eliminated because of the effectiveness of vaccines. The biggest example of showing how kids are safer now due to kids vaccination is polio, one of the most feared diseases in early 20th century America. The reason you don’t hear about polio anymore is because of vaccinations. Influenza is another virus that has a preventative cure. To save your child’s life, get flu shots and other essential vaccines so they don’t have to deal with diseases that have already become extinct.

Reason Two: Protecting Your Family

This goes hand-in-hand with saving your child’s life. To prevent the spread of diseases, such as measles and whooping cough, it’s important to get you and your family vaccinated. There are many babies who get diseases too young because they’ve been exposed to germs that could be prevented, had the people around them gotten vaccines. In addition, there are also people and children who have almost no functional immune system due to cancers and other life threatening diseases. If you aren’t severely allergic to the vaccines, then we encourage immunizations for your children and family to protect the people who have weakened immune systems. By getting vaccines for your children, you are also protecting your family, friends, and the people you come into contact with everyday.

Read more about what kinds of diseases your child can get when they are not vaccinated. For more information on getting your children’s flu shots and vaccines contact us.

Diseases Your Child Can Get When Not Vaccinated

As we see advances in medical science in some places, we also see areas of medicine degrading, specifically with people who are against vaccinating their children. At Just Kids Pediatric, located in Oklahoma City, OK, we want to encourage you to vaccinate your children with flu shots and vaccines to ensure their safety and the safety of the people around them. Learn below about the different diseases that we are starting to see again due to the lack of immunization for children.

Measles

You’ve probably heard of what happened at Disneyland when there was a Measles outbreak. In addition to there being an outbreak in Disneyland, there have been reported cases in New York, Massachusetts, Illinois, and California. Before the availability of measles vaccines, almost everyone in the United States got it. Measles also lead to further complications, such as pneumonia, diarrhea, and ear infections. Out of 1,000 kids who get measles, at least two of them will die. With the high amount of kids who aren’t vaccinated, a massive epidemic is possible, similarly to before the measles vaccine came out.

Mumps

Recently, there have been confirmed mumps cases on a few college campuses. Patient zero is thought to be an unvaccinated student who traveled throughout Europe and brought it back to the United States. Usually, there are less than 20 cases a year, but the number seems to be skyrocketing due to the lack of children getting vaccines. Mumps is spread through saliva and feels similar to the flu.

Polio

At one point, poliovirus was the most feared virus in the United States, but with the invention of the polio vaccine there have been close to no cases at all. If there would be a discontinuation of polio vaccines, then immunity would decrease and the risk of this disease coming back would become just as big of an epidemic as it was in the turn of the century. Polio is a highly contagious viral infection that can lead to paralysis, breathing problems, and death. One can get polio from being exposed to an environment with someone’s feces who is infected.

To make sure that your children don’t get any of these diseases, make sure to get vaccines for your children. The moral of the story is to get your kids vaccinated. If you have any questions, please contact us.

Should You Give Your Child a Multivitamin?

If you’re seeing a Pediatrician in Oklahoma City for your child’s health, you’re absolutely on the right track. Health care for kids is unquestionably vital because their bodies are growing, but what should you be doing to supplement the care they’re receiving from a pediatrician? Simply giving your child a multivitamin can make a big difference.

Providing your child with a healthy, balanced diet is your number one priority, but it’s also important to cover your bases. Most of the vitamins your child needs should come from their food; dairy, leafy greens, protein, and whole grains will provide you with necessary nutrients. Because so many parents are short on time, filling in the gaps with a multivitamin can help. Multivitamins shouldn’t be seen as an excuse to let you children eat mac and cheese or chicken fingers every day, but instead as insurance against missing nutrients. Be sure to choose a multivitamin formulated specifically for children.

Chewable vitamins are a great choice for young children, but be sure that you don’t use them as a reward for good behavior. If a child thinks of a multivitamin as candy, he or she could take too many. Additionally, be certain that you give them to your children after dinner as a “dessert” of sorts so that the multivitamin can be properly absorbed.

Of course, checking with your Oklahoma City Pediatrician for advice is always a good move. Health care for children is extremely important, so contact us today to schedule an appointment at Just Kids Pediatrics.

We’re Opening A New Location!

Just Kids children and kids’ pediatric health care is opening a new center in Oklahoma City! We are excited to expand our practice to help make it more convenient for our many patients who have been traveling across the city to our office on SW 89th Street.

As soon as June 1st, patients can begin visiting our new office on North May Avenue.

Just Kids Pediatrics
13913 N. May Avenue
Oklahoma City, OK 73120

We’d also like to take this opportunity to remind our friends and family in Moore that you don’t have to drive into OKC because we have very wonderful doctors in town with you.

Just Kids Pediatrics
400 N. Eastern
Moore, OK 73160

Our Primary Care Services

As a primary children and kids’ pediatric health care provider, we take care to ensure your children are generally healthy, growing correctly, vaccinated properly, and more. We welcome walk-ins during the sick days or if you’d like to visit our practice to see if it’s right for you. We have electronic medical records to conveniently send to schools, coaches, and you.

Our Urgent Care Services

Sometimes, children need a bit more attention than a parent can stand, waiting all night with a sick child for the primary care center to open the next morning, but the child is not quite ill enough to warrant a trip to the emergency room. That’s when an urgent care center is best put to use!

Our Values

As a team, we have 14 core values that drive our practice. Check out our values webpage to read them all, but here is number one: We think and do things “outside the box.” We want to be better than everyone else in our business, not like everyone else in our business. We don’t want to be different just to be different, but be different to be better.

Your children matter to us. Please visit us at our new location; we are happy to serve you.

Fun Ways To Get Your Kids Moving

The (not-so) secret to a good, healthy life is to keep moving. Exercise is absolutely essential to anyone and everyone’s health. As your pediatrician, I am here to share a few of my favorite ways to get my kids moving.

Great Movements For Kids

Bike Rides

This is one of our favorite activities to do as a family. We all strap on our helmets, back our bicycles out of the garage, and head down to the park for a few laps on the bikes. It’s about one mile to the park. Many times, we park our bikes and play at the playground. All of us play together; the parents are not exempted from the extra play!

Dancing

I love to combine this movement with chores. We’ll wake up on Saturday mornings, crank up the radio, and dance around the house as we pick up toys, clothes, and sweep the kitchen. Not only are you listening to great music and cleaning house, but you and your kiddos will be laughing as you dance together.

All too frequently, our kids graduate high school, head to college, and forget everything they learned about moving and playing as children, which can lead to weight gain and an unhealthy life. I encourage all of you parents to interchange the words commonly associated with exercise (play, work out, exercise, condition, go to the gym, etc.) as you raise your children with these healthy habits in order to show that you don’t have to only “work out” to be healthy.

Get movin’ and raise your heartbeat during everyday tasks. As your pediatrician in Oklahoma City, I want to see all kids healthy and happy.

Enjoy these movements!

Get Facts on the Zika Virus

Our pediatrician in Oklahoma City is getting a lot of questions about the Zika virus. The Zika virus has been in the news a lot recently due to the fact that it is quickly spreading through the Americas and there appears to be a link in the increased number of cases of Zika and microencephaly. Microencephaly is a condition where children are born with unusually small heads and often have underdeveloped brains, which can result in major issues as they get older. While the link between Zika and microencephaly hasn’t been 100% proven, it does seem very likely.

So do you need to worry about Zika? If you aren’t pregnant, probably not. Most people (4 out of 5) who get Zika don’t experience any symptoms and their body takes care of the disease on its own. Occasionally, people who exhibit symptoms may get pink eye, experience muscle pains, and have a fever or rash. These symptoms last no longer than a week normally. If you are pregnant, you don’t need to worry about Zika unless you’ve recently traveled through a South American country where cases have been reported.

The best way to protect yourself from Zika is to prevent mosquito bites. The Aedes mosquito are responsible for spreading the disease. To prevent bites, you can:

• Use bug spray before going out

• Wear clothing that covers your arms and legs

• Stay away from stagnant water where mosquitos breed

Currently, there isn’t much reason to worry about the disease in North America. If you are concerned about Zika, you can call our pediatrician in Oklahoma City for more information at 405-212-4379 and we’ll help you get the answers you need to put your mind at ease.

When to Bring Your Child into After Hours Care

Making the call to go to our after hours pediatrics center in OKC can cause a lot of parents anxiety. Are they overreacting? Can it wait until tomorrow? Will their child be harmed if they wait? It’s important to remember that our urgent care center is here to help; we know that you want the best for your child and we will never chastise you for bringing them in for an issue you felt needed attention. Sometimes, though, it’s hard to make that call whether to head for urgent care or wait until your doctor’s office opens in the morning. In general, if you are concerned about waiting until tomorrow, it’s better to get your child the care they need tonight.

Here are some reasons to make the trip to urgent care:

• Strains and sprains

• Minor cuts

• Minor asthma attacks

• Fevers

• Diarrhea

• Vomiting

• Dehydration

• Earaches

• Mild stomach pain

• Headaches

• Dizziness

• Mild burns

• Pink eye

• Coughs

• Allergies

• Urinary tract infections

If any of these symptoms become life threatening, however, you should immediately take your child to the emergency room or call 911.

Remember to follow your instincts when it comes to getting your child the care that they need; it’s better to error on the side of caution. Our after hours pediatrics centers in OKC are open from 5pm to 9pm Monday through Friday and 9am to 9pm on the weekends. Knowing that your child can get the after hours care that they need seven days a week is often a huge relief to parents.

What To Do If Your Child Has Pink Eye

Is your child’s eyeball bright red with yellow goop crusting in the corner and on the lid? Chances are your son or daughter is infected with conjunctivitis, commonly known as pink eye. It’s a common occurrence for school-aged children because it is highly contagious, and kids are known to spread germs quickly. Luckily, the symptoms and treatments of pink eye are very mild and simple. The most important step is to take a quick visit to Just Kids Pediatrics, your local pediatrician in Oklahoma City. Schedule an appointment online at our OKC or Moore offices!

In the meantime, it’s important that you follow a few crucial steps that can help fight this infection and prevent your child from spreading it to peers and family members.

Ensure Your Child Is Comfortable

If you’ve ever had a sick child, you know it can be troublesome if he or she is in pain or uncomfortable. We recommend making a compress with a warm wash cloth (lint-free) and holding it to the infected eye. If your child has conjunctivitis in one eye only, do not use the same cloth on both eyes to prevent spreading.

Come Visit Us!

Like we said before, we want to make sure your kids are the end of the contagious virus. Come visit us for prescription eye drops that eradicate the infection.

Wash Your Hands

Pink eye usually starts with direct contact of infected secretions and then hand-to-eye contact, but it can also spread through the nose and sinus. The easiest way to prevent gaining this infection is by washing hands frequently! Avoid touching eyes if a family member or classmate has conjunctivitis. And again, wash your hands – with soap!

Clean Personal Items

Since the infection is contagious, it’s important to wash all personal items that may have come in contact with the infection. This commonly includes wash cloths, pillow cases, blankets, and any face makeup.

Beware, adults, you are not immune from the infection. Take care to follow these steps yourself, and be sure to bring your child to Just Kids Pediatrics. Our local pediatricians in Oklahoma City and Moore are always happy to stop the spreading of contagious infections.