Acıbadem Maslak Hospital Pediatrics Specialist Dr. Dilek Çoban talked about 6 important mistakes made in children's health, gave important warnings and suggestions.
Stating that viruses cause most of the infections of children, antibiotics do not work in viral infections and are used in the treatment of bacterial infections. Dilek Çoban said, “Unnecessary antibiotics not only affect children's intestinal flora badly, but antibiotics become useless when we really need them due to antibiotic resistance. Therefore, do not use antibiotics without the advice of your doctor. If your doctor deems it necessary, he will administer antibiotic treatment.” said.
Vitamin and omega supplementation without consulting a doctor can do more harm than good. Child Health and Diseases Specialist Dr. Dilek Çoban “Vitamins and omega; It is very important for a healthy metabolism and immune system. However, every child's vitamin needs are different. Giving unnecessary vitamin supplements to the child can cause serious problems in the long term, especially the liver and kidneys. For this reason, it is necessary not to make random vitamin supplements without consulting a specialist and having the necessary examinations done. When you enrich the daily diet of children with foods with high nutritional value such as fresh fruits, vegetables, fish, hazelnuts, walnuts and almonds, and ensure that they get enough sleep and exercise, you will also strengthen their immunity. he said.
One of the misconceptions in society is to dress children in thick clothes, to keep the temperature of the house high, and even to think that if they do not take their children outside, they will not get sick! “Children do not get sick because they are cold. The microbes that cause infection are more easily transmitted and cause disease because we spend more time in cold weather and crowded areas. Since sweating increases when we dress children in thick clothing, they get colder and get sick more easily when they go outside," said Dr. Dilek Çoban said that the children should be taken to the open air and they should be provided with fresh air.
I have to bring his fever down right away, or he'll have a seizure!
Child Health and Diseases Specialist Dr. Dilek Çoban stated that when the children's fever rises, parents are most nervous because of the possibility of relapse, and said:
“Fever is seen especially in the first 5 years of age and heredity plays a big role. If there is a similar history in the family, this possibility does not change with the child's temperature being 37 or 40 degrees. Fever is actually an indication that our immune system is working well. It is also an important weapon in the fight against microbes and getting rid of them. Therefore fire; If it disturbs the child, becomes too high and cannot be lowered with the first precautions (such as thinning the body, cooling the environment, showering with warm water, giving plenty of fluids), medication should be given.
School is as much as the education and training of children; It is also important for their socialization, energy release and the development of their immune systems. Stating that the thought that children start school later, the less they will get sick due to closed and crowded environments, is not true. Dilek Çoban said, “The child will encounter these microbes sooner or later, and as they encounter them, their immune system will become stronger by recognizing and fighting these microbes.”
I have to stop your cough, runny nose right now!
Child Health and Diseases Specialist Dr. Dilek Çoban stated that one of the most common mistakes is to try to stop the cough and runny nose in the child immediately and gave the following information:
“However, fever, cough and runny nose are not diseases, they are the remnants of the war our immune system starts when it encounters microbes and the ways to remove these residues from the body. Just like fever, cough should be treated when it is severe enough to impair the child's sleep quality or daily activity. However, it is necessary to consult a pediatrician before giving cough syrup or cold medicine because some coughs can be a sign of serious lung diseases such as pneumonia and bronchiolitis. Let's not forget that trying to stop this cough with a syrup may cause a late diagnosis of a serious infection and therefore delay in treatment.”