PediaCast 128 * Tonsils and Adenoids * 347-404-5437

Posted by Dr Mike on Jun 16 2008

3 Responses to “PediaCast 128 * Tonsils and Adenoids * 347-404-5437”

1. on 21 Jun 2008 at 3:16 am 1 Lizzy said …

   
   

   Thank you for this episode.
   My friend’s daughter wakes up many mornings with sore throats and frequently misses school because her Mom is concerned that it’s not just from snoring. After hearing this episode, I told her about the recommendations the ENT made for preventing the snoring. Her family doctor has discussed with her the possible need to remove the tonsils and adenoids. However, my friend is wary of jumping right into the surgery option.
   In addition to what the ENT discussed, I’m wondering if the “gargles” available on the market for moisturizing the throat would be appropriate for kids who snore bad enough to have chronic sore throats. Also, are any of the “stop snoring” products advertised for adults either appropriate for kids or available in a pediatric form?

2. on 29 Jun 2008 at 12:06 am 2 Tony said …

   
   

   O.K., now that Dr. Mike has confirmed that he did not mean what he said in show 124, and I quote, “For me it’s all about the science. Show me in a controlled and reproducible fashion and I’m on your side.” He has changed his mind and now has informed us “You’re not going to change my opinion no matter how many so-called research articles you cite.” Therefore I will address the listeners and not Dr. Mike, because his opinion and clinical experience now appears to be more important than the evidence.

   Regarding the “cry it out” (CIO) method of getting a child to sleep, please consider the following before implementing.

   CIO teaches parents to respond less or stop responding all together to a waking, crying baby at night thereby, teaching the baby to stay asleep. And although, as Dr. Mike indicates, it works, is it safe? Shouldn’t the goal of health care advice be first, do no harm?

   At the March 2007 Biennial Conference of the Society for Research and Child Development, Macall Gordon presented a poster session outlining a review of the research literature found on the use of extinction (CIO) in the first year.

   Here are the main points found from this literature review, (a link to a pdf of the session is at the end of this post):
   1. Crying it out is the most studied intervention for infant sleep problems.
   2. CIO is increasingly endorsed by popular parenting books and magazines for infants 3-6 months of age
   3. Research on CIO with infants

3. on 29 Jun 2008 at 10:29 am 3 Tony said …

   
   

   For some reason my entire post did not make it. Here is the rest:

   4. Prolonged crying may not be biobehaviorally benign
   5. Infant mental health perspectives are needed.

   Perhaps the most important finding that parents and professionals need to consider before implementing or recommending CIO is that “In the absence of adequate data on the effects of prolonged crying and extinction on infants, the safety of CIO in the first year cannot be supported.”

   While CIO may be a sleep method that appears to work on the surface, “there is very little research to support its use and science does not yet know how safe this method is or what its long term effects are. Science does tell us, though, about the importance of being responsive to a crying infant. Parents have a natural inner drive to respond to a crying infant. Follow what is in your heart and what you feel is right for you and your baby.”

   http://www.talaris.org/research_july2007.htm
   http://www.talaris.org/pdf/research/CIOPoster.pdf

   Dr. Mike and others encourage the use of CIO as an antidote to the fear of spoiling the child. However the belief that you can spoil a baby is a myth. “The spoiling myth seems to have begun in the 1920’s, when experts began telling parents that they should refrain from picking up their babies every time they cried. These experts believed that if parents were “too responsive” to infant crying, the child would become clingy and dependent. But there was no scientific evidence for this theory. It was based on opinion, not fact, and subsequent research has proved the myth wrong. However, despite new information, it seems that the spoiling myth has been handed down from generation to generation and still influences many parents today.” http://www.talaris.org/research_aug2006.htm

   Sadly, Dr. Mike and others perpetuate the myth despite evidence to the contrary.

Leave a Reply

Name (required)

Mail (will not be published) (required)

Website