From the Experts

• Pregnancy, Nursing and the Safe Use of OTC Medicines

  

  David L. Keefe, MD

  Obstetrician and Gynecologist David Keefe, MD, provides pregnant and nursing mothers with tips on using over-the-counter medicines safely.

• 10 Worst Cities for Spring Allergies

  

  Bill McLin

  Springtime is here – and for more than 50 million Americans – so are nasal allergies. What are allergies? “Allergy” is disease of the immune system that causes an overreaction to substances that usually cause no reaction in non-allergic individuals. One of the most common forms of allergies is allergic rhinitis (AR) caused by an allergic reaction in the nose and sinuses that may occur only at certain times of the year (seasonal) or year round (perennial). Springtime allergy triggers – primarily tree pollen – cause symptoms including itchy runny nose, nasal and sinus congestion, repeated sneezing, watery eyes, inflamed sinuses and, in severe cases, difficulty breathing due to all of these symptoms. In fact, where you live can be directly correlated to the severity of your allergy symptoms.

• What You Need to Know to Prevent Poisonings

  

  Elisa H. Gladstone, MPH

  This week marks the 50th annual National Poison Prevention Week. It is a good time to remind ourselves of the dangers of poisonings and how to prevent them. Any kind of medicine or even vitamins can cause harm if taken incorrectly, even medicine you can buy without a prescription. In fact, every year more than 60,000 young children end up in the emergency room because of unintentional poisoning from medicine.

• Childproofing Your Home and Medicine Cabinet

  

  Tricia Jean (TJ) Gold, M.D.

  We doctors are always careful to tell parents to use the correct dosage when giving medicine to children. This helps ensure that the medicine will be effective and safe. A part of medicine safety that we don’t often talk about, but is just as important, is how to properly store medicines in the home. While there’s no such thing as a completely childproof home and medicine cabinet, there are many steps you can take to help keep your children from finding medicines and accidentally ingesting them.

• Important Changes to Infants and Children’s Acetaminophen

  

  Tricia Jean (TJ) Gold, M.D.

  On October 14, the Consumer Healthcare Products Association hosted a blogger call to help increase awareness, particularly among parents, of the recent changes to infants and children's acetaminophen. The purpose of call was to address questions and concerns and provide the key information on the recent changes to these medicines. This recording of the call includes an overview of the changes, a review of key information, and a Q&A session with participants.

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