Flu Shots are Here!

Today we received our first shipment of flu vaccines. We have the inactivated flu vaccine available for our patients with private insurance. The live nasal flu vaccine should be available in the next few weeks and we are uncertain when our Vaccines for Children vaccines will arrive. (The Vaccines for Children (VFC) provides immunizations for children who are uninsured, underinsured, or have AHCCCS, Kidscare, or CMDP insurance) Call and make an appointment today.

Immunization Cards Save you Time and Money

Whoever invented the immunization card deserves a Nobel prize in my eyes. My first child (now an adult) was born in Ohio and I accumulated a bunch of different papers that had his immunization dates on it. It was a pain to keep adding to the collection. Then my daughter was born here in Arizona and they gave me a blue card for me to take to the doctor each visit and have her shots written in it. I was delighted! I promptly had the doctor make up a card for my son as well. Those cards have gotten a lot of use over the years when kindergarten, jr. high, high school, and even college asked to see their records.

So, how does a simple blue card save you time and money. By having a current record of your child's shots it makes it unlikely that they will get duplicates of shots they have already received. Also by bringing it to the doctor each visit you also save yourself time by not having to make another trip back to the office to get it updated. Then, when school, day care, or camp asks for a copy you simply hand them the card. If you don't have your child's record you otherwise have to spend time calling our office, getting and signing a release (HIPAA rules), and then waiting for us to fax it.

Don't have a blue card for your child? Just ask and we will make you one! If we have time we will do it while you are in the office but if not we will put it in your child's chart for the next time you are in the office or in the area. Then put it in a safe place at home and your life too will be easier!

Adults Need Shots Too!

I am frequently asked by parents, "When is my child done with their shots?" My answer is, "Never, you continue to need immunizations throughout your lifetime." Talk to your doctor about what you might need but I wanted to discuss two immunizations for adults that can help protect your children. The flu vaccine is now recommended for everyone older than 6 months of age. Also there has been a pertussis (whooping cough) vaccine available for adults since 2005 but it is not widely used. Both the flu and pertussis will make an adult very sick but are usually not life-threatening to you. The problem is when you give these diseases to a young child they can become very ill. By immunizing yourself you can help protect your child.

Whooping cough (pertussis) is an illness that we still see frequently. Our office generally sees several cases a year. Until 5 years ago there was no immunization for pertussis for people older than age 6 so most people lost their immunity to pertussis by the time they were teenagers. When an older child or adult has pertussis they have a chronic cough that lasts a month or more. Most people who have pertussis never know they have it unless they infect a young child who gets very sick and is then tested.

The immunization for pertussis is combined with the tetanus shot (Tdap). If you have had a tetanus shot in the past 5 years you might be protected. Unfortunately many hospitals and doctor's offices are using the old tetanus vaccine (Td) that does not protect you from pertussis. Ask your doctor which vaccine you received. The pertussis vaccine is especially important for adults who will have contact with young children and new babies. It can't be given to anyone older than age 65. It is not commonly given to pregnant women(ask your OB) but it is safe to receive while breastfeeding.

The flu vaccine is recommended for everyone every fall. The strains in the vaccine change each year based on what strains are expected. H1N1 is included in this year's vaccine. Even if you had H1N1 or the vaccine, it is recommended that you get a flu shot this fall.

Our office is now providing pertussis vaccines for parents and family members of our patients. In the fall (most likely October)we will be offering flu shots as well for adults. Please call the office for more information.

Parenting Classes for Parents of Teens

You would think that parenting would get easier after you get past temper tantrums and waking at night. Noooooooooooo, the teenage years come along to challenge you. Here's information about some free classes. You can pick and choose which ones you want to attend. Contact information to register for the classes is at the bottom of the post.

New Parent Resources in Maricopa County – PARENT WORKSHOPS focusing on SUBSTANCE USE and ABUSE

Partnership for a Drug Free America – AZ Affiliate is excited to be able to offer this new free resource for parents. Our research has shown us that substance abuse is the greatest threat to our children and that parents feel inadequate when it comes to recognizing, understanding and helping their children with substance abuse and supporting their efforts to stay “clean and sober”. Our Parent Workshops address these issues and more in a series of 12 one-hour workshops. See below and attached for registration information and additional details.

AZ Parents Connect Presents its Parent Workshops

Parent Workshops are designed for those parents or caregivers of tweens and teens at risk for substance abuse to give them information and practical tools to assist them in their efforts to help their children. We are offering these Parent Workshops free of charge. The limited size of the workshop is designed for maximum participation and space is limited. Reservations are necessary.

Workshops are led by Master Level Professional Counselors and are held on Saturday’s from Noon to 1:00 PM in Central Phoenix.

Topics and Session Dates:

Session 1 It’s Just a Little Pot, Right?

Aug. 21 Find out if your child is at risk for Adolescent Substance Abuse and Dependency

Session 2 What’s in Your Child’s World?

Aug. 28 Identifying drugs and other chemicals most commonly abused by our children, and their effects

Session 3 What Happened to my Teen’s Brain?

Sept. 11 Understanding the mind of a teen and understanding the underlying reasons kids use drugs

Session 4 Is My Child Addicted or Just Experimenting?

Sept. 25 The four stages of addiction and the phases addicts go through

Session 5 My Teen Doesn’t Talk!

Oct. 2 Ways to get your child talking to you and how to make the conversations meaningful

Session 6 “We can handle it: It’s not like it’s a big problem or anything.”

Oct. 9 Understanding the effects of drug use on family, relationships, health, finances and legal issues

Session 7 The Toughest Assignment Your Child Will Ever Have: Staying Away From Drugs and Alcohol

Oct. 16 Re-thinking your expectations

Session 8 Will We Ever Have a Normal Life Again? Adding Fun Back into the Family

Oct. 23 Recreation and sporting activities, education in areas of interest, activities with family and (non-using) peers, learning to have fun sober

Session 9 “Stress?? – My Teen has stress?? I have stress!”

Oct. 30 How to help the family create a balanced life

Session 10 My Child’s Drug Use is Wreacking Havoc on Our Lives!

Nov. 6 Coping skills and family support systems to deal with the emotional roller-coaster of living with a child using drugs

Session 11 “Yes, I Believe in You! Now Tell Me the Truth – Are You Drinking or Using Drugs??”

Nov. 11 How you can support your child’s efforts to stay sober

Session 12 “Oh No! Not Again!” Don’t Miss these Warning Signs!

Nov. 20 Relapse: Keeping an eye out, what to do, and how to managing the disappointment

The 12 Sessions will be repeated 3 times over the next 12 months.

To Reserve your space contact Kim Obert at 602-264-5700 ext 103 or via e-mail to Kim.Obert@PartnerUpAZ.org. Please include your name, session dates and number of reservations you are requesting, phone number and e-mail address.

Seafood and Kids

Is it ok for your child to eat fish? Such a simple question but without a simple answer. There is no consensus as to what seafood and how much is safe to eat. Seafood is very healthy for you. It is a great source of protein as well of omega 3 fat which is "good" fat. But there is mercury in seafood as well. What is a parent to do? It is recommended to avoid large fish for young and small children. Large fish such as shark and swordfish have lived longer and eaten more contaminants than smaller fish so they have higher mercury levels.

Here are some great resources to help you when deciding what kind of fish to eat.

http://www.kidsafeseafood.org/faq.php

http://www.montereybayaquarium.org/cr/cr_seafoodwatch/sfw_health.aspx

I hope you find these links helpful. I am delighted that my kids will eat seafood. Now we just need to work on the veggies!