October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Our friendly, dedicated medical providers and medical assistants are ready to schedule your mammogram! Just give us a call at (707) 964-1251 or ask us during your next visit about scheduling this important, life-saving screening.
According to The New York Times, new guidelines suggest that young children should mostly drink just dairy milk and water. Plant based milks are not recommended due to added sweeteners. The idea is to stop children from developing a taste for sweet drinks when they are young that could lead to health problems later in life.
Here are the new recommendations by age group:
Birth to six months: Infants should drink only breast milk or infant formula. They should not drink juice, milk, flavored milk, so-called transition or weaning formulas (also called toddler milks, growing-up milks or follow-up formula), low-calorie sweetened beverages (diet or “light” drinks, or those sweetened with Stevia or Sucralose). These children also should not receive plant-based and nondairy “milks,” caffeinated beverages (soda, coffee, tea, energy drinks) or sugar-sweetened beverages (soda, fruit drinks and fruit-flavored drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, sweetened water, and sweetened coffee or tea).
6 to 12 months: Babies should still rely on breast milk or infant formula. Once they have begun eating solid food, they can start sipping water. Parents should avoid juice, milk, flavored milk, transition formulas, low-calorie sweetened beverages, plant-based and nondairy milks, caffeinated beverages, and sugar-sweetened beverages.
12 to 24 months: Children should drink one to four cups of water daily, and they can start drinking plain pasteurized whole milk. They should have no more than four ounces of 100 percent fruit juice per day; the juice may be watered down. Parents should avoid other drinks (flavored milk, transition formulas, caffeinated drinks, plant-based and nondairy milks, sugar-sweetened beverages and low-calorie sweetened beverages).
2 to 3 years old: Toddlers should drink one to four cups of water daily and transition to fat-free or low-fat (1 percent fat) milk. They should drink no more than four ounces of 100 percent juice and should not be given other drinks.
4 to 5 years old: These toddlers should drink 1.5 to five cups of water a day, skim or low-fat milk, and no more than four to six ounces of 100 percent fruit juice. They should not be given other drinks.
You can read the whole article here.
Your Wellness Challenge for September is to have at least one serving of protein in each of your meals, 5 days per week. Wondering what a serving is? For lean protein, it’s 3 ounces, or about the size of your palm.
Wondering what protein does for your body? One or two things:
• It is a component of every cell in your body. In fact, hair and nails are mostly made of protein.
• Your body uses it to build and repair tissue.
• You need it to make enzymes, hormones, and other body chemicals.
• It is an important building block of bones, muscles, cartilage, skin, and blood.
Wondering how to get this important nutrient into your diet? Here are some ideas.
Have a happy and healthy September! #behealthywithus
With school starting on August 14 in Fort Bragg and August 26 in Mendocino, those with school-aged children should be scheduling their yearly child wellness checks and sports physicals. Connecting your child with medical care each year is an important way to prevent some health problems and to catch others while they’re still relatively easy to manage. Does your daughter need glasses? Can your son hear well (maybe he isn’t just ignoring you)?
PREVENTION IS THE BEST MEDICINE
One of the most important things we can do for our children is to vaccinate them. Decades ago, many families had to experience the tragedy of losing a child to polio, whooping cough, or other infections, but thanks to modern vaccines, this is no longer the case. Today, children can be protected against measles, chickenpox, rubella, HPV, meningitis and more.
When we all vaccinate our children, we help create what’s called “herd immunity,” protecting not only those who receive the vaccines but also the most vulnerable people in our communities—those who cannot be vaccinated such as babies younger than six months old and people with weakened immune systems. We are lucky to live in a time when we don’t see the devastating effects of these diseases very often. Let’s keep it that way!
TRACK GROWTH AND DEVELOPMENT
Another important reason to check in with a medical provider every year is to measure your child’s growth and development for their age and stage. If your child is not reaching common milestones, it may indicate a problem. Often, the younger the child, the easier it is to help them catch up. If a problem exists, your healthcare provider can take care of it or send your child for the right therapy or specialized care.
Here are five main areas of development providers consider:
SPORTS PHYSICALS
Children’s bodies change a lot during between the ages of 12 and 18, and an annual checkup is a great time to make sure those changes are going well. During the tween and teen years, sports can be a healthy way for adolescents to release stress; the key is to make sure it’s safe. Intense physical activity like the kind required during competitive school sports can bring to light problems no one knew about. A thorough sports physical can identify symptoms that prevent catastrophic medical problems.
Since sports physicals are often the only time adolescents see a medical provider each year, these appointments can also provide a critical opportunity to provide health education or diagnose problems that might not come up otherwise. Many providers ask parents if the parents would be willing to step outside for a few minutes, so teens can discuss health concerns privately with providers. Providers can provide a safe space for teens to discuss life stressors or behaviors related to social pressures, drug use, alcohol, sex, anxiety, and mental illness. Providers can help keep teens healthy by sharing accurate information. At Mendocino Coast Clinics, we have male and female clinicians, so teens can choose whichever they are more comfortable with.
BRING YOUR QUESTIONS
Sports physicals and annual wellness checks are a good time for parents to ask questions, too. If you have questions about development, behavior, sleep, eating, or social interactions, note your top three to five concerns and ask your child’s clinician about them at the start of the visit.
Just because children don’t exhibit any obvious problems doesn’t mean they shouldn’t see a healthcare provider. When we identify problems early, they’re usually easier to fix.
It’s that time of year! If your child needs a back to school, sports, or camp physical, just give our Pediatrics office a call at (707) 964-5696.
Appointments are available daily with one of our three pediatricians – the only pediatricians on the Mendocino Coast. And until August 2, make an appointment and receive a free swim pass or Cowlick’s gift card for your child! You will also be entered into a weekly drawing for an even bigger prize.
Come on in and see us at 510 Cypress Street Suite D for the #bestcareanywhere for your child!
Happy Farmers’ Market Day! Today’s special, made by our very own Registered Dietitian Susie, is tomato bisque soup. Enjoy the summery flavors of tomato and basil, and take the recipe with you to try at home. This vegetarian delight can easily become vegan by omitting the yogurt and using vegetable broth.
Come by and try a sample of delicious soup, ask Susie your health and wellness questions, and ask our Advocate Albert about Medi-Cal, Medicare Part D, Covered California, and Cal Fresh. They have the answers to all those important questions!
They will also be giving away Market Bucks to children up to the age of 18 and adults 60 and up. These can be redeemed for fruit and vegetables at the Fort Bragg Certified Farmers Market. And don’t forget: If you receive CalFresh, you can double your buying power at the Farmers’ Market. See you there! #behealthywithus
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Did you know? Mendocino Coast Clinics has a weekly support group for existing MCC patients who are experiencing chronic pain. It’s every Wednesday from 5:00 to 6:00 pm in the conference room at 205 South Street.
No reservations are needed, and there is no cost to attend.
The group is led by our Chronic Pain Manager and dedicated therapists. Come, learn, and connect. Snacks are provided.
Questions? Call (707) 961-4094.
In 2000, when the scientific community declared measles had been eradicated in the United States, people were understandably overjoyed, especially people who had seen the devastating effects of the disease first-hand. For many, often children, measles had caused an unpleasant rash and a fever, sometimes developing into pneumonia. But for the most part, they recovered. For some, however, measles had infected the brain causing deafness, blindness, mental retardation, or even death—its effects were usually swift and irreversible. Parents watched as their children’s brains swelled and they began to convulse, drool, or lose their ability to interact with others. In the 1960s, when the measles vaccine was developed, the breakthrough was hailed as a miracle and people rushed to get vaccinated.
During the decades that followed, measles all but disappeared and in 2000, we thought we were done with it here in America. Unfortunately, we were not.
Measles is a highly contagious disease and to truly banish it, 95 percent of the population must be immunized. This provides what’s called “herd immunity,” protecting the most vulnerable in our communities who cannot be vaccinated such as babies younger than six months old, as well as those who receive the vaccine. As the details of the disease faded from memory and misinformation about the dangers of the vaccine spread, people stopped vaccinating their children. Which brings us to today, where measles outbreaks are currently happening in different parts of California.
In Mendocino County, we’re an independent bunch. We don’t like to be told what to do (by the government or anyone else) and we don’t always trust the scientific establishment. Some people hold religious or philosophical beliefs that discourage them from following the advice of doctors, and still others believe they are protecting their children from harm by avoiding vaccines. Clearly, when it comes to protecting children (and adults) against potentially life-threatening diseases, not everyone agrees on the best approach.
Here’s the thing: people who really want to know about whether vaccines are safe and effective have done study after study, and those studies continue to prove vaccines are both safe and effective. Scientists have disproved any link between vaccines and autism, even in populations where children have a genetic predisposition toward autism. Pediatricians and other doctors vaccinate their own children, and the dramatic decrease in the incidence of measles since the vaccine was developed certainly indicates it works. Maybe it’s time to revisit the belief that vaccines aren’t safe.
It can be hard to let go of something we believe, especially when we’ve held on to that belief for a long time. But for the health of your children and our whole community, please consider talking to someone who believes differently from you, who has the knowledge and/or experience to provide another point of view. Talk to a parent whose child has suffered from measles. Talk to a pediatrician who has tried to save the life of a child with measles.
When I spoke with pediatrician Dr. Chris Robshaw, he told me that if parents decide they’d like to bring in their unvaccinated child in to get vaccinated, the Pediatrics Office makes it really easy and convenient. They create a “catch-up schedule” tailored for each child. Once the doctor meets with the child once, future vaccination appointments can be made with nurses only, speeding the process along.
The MMR vaccine, which protects against measles, mumps, and rubella, is only one of many recommended vaccines. As a parent, you can choose to vaccinate your child against all the most dangerous diseases, or simply against some. At Mendocino Coast Clinics, we’re here to work with you as you care for your family.
Ever since we were children, we were taught to have good hygiene habits, like bathing or showering every day, brushing and flossing our teeth, and washing our hands.
Summer is here! And there’s so much to look forward to at summer gatherings — food, drinks, games, and sunshine.
