July 23, 2010

School’s out for summer! And while parents of young children are busy coordinating family vacations, summer camp and play dates at the pool, an unexpected summer cold can put the brakes on all those activities.  

Pre-school and elementary school children may get up to 12 colds per year, and while colds are more common in the fall and winter, summer colds occur more frequently than you might think.  Exposure to air conditioning, airplane travel and summer-camp playmates may put your child at risk.  

Summer colds can be particularly annoying – fever, sore throat, and other aches and pains disrupt the very activities your child looks forward to most in summer. However, treating a summer cold this year may be a source of confusion to parents because of the recent recall of many over-the-counter products for children. 

Dr. Gregg Alexander, a pediatrician and father of two, discusses way to treat kids’ summer colds. He addresses topics that are often a point of confusion amongst parents, such as: 

- RECOGNIZING AND TREATING A SUMMER COLD

- THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN A SUMMER COLD ANDALLERGY

- THE MOST EFFECTIVE WAYS TO TREAT A FEVER

- HOW TO HELP PREVENT GETTING SUMMER COLDS   

Gregg M. Alexander DO (Doctor of Osteopathy) is a pediatrician and medical director of the Madison County/London City Health Department in London, Ohio.  He is also director of theAmerican Academy of Pediatrics’ Pediatric Office of the Future educational exhibit for their National Conference and Exhibition. He is a regular blogger for HIStalkPractice.com as well as ModernMedicine.com.