Scott Webb (Host): Most of us get sick in the winter, and that's especially true for our kids. And my guest today is here to discuss the signs and symptoms of the most common illnesses and how he and we as parents can help our kids. I'm joined again today by Dr. Matthew Chamberlain. He's a Pediatrician with Acton Medical Associates.

 This is the Health Works Here Podcast from Emerson Health. I'm Scott Webb.

Doctor, it's great to have you back on again. Today we're going to talk about ways to help parents, you know, with sick kids and what to be on the lookout for, how to help them, how to help them feel better, all that good stuff. So let's just start with just the most common illnesses that children experience in the winter months?

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: Well, the most common one that we see is just the common cold, which can be caused by a number of different viruses. So sometimes when kids have a little sniffle, it's just the common cold. Sometimes they can develop pneumonia. That's another one we've been seeing a lot. Walking pneumonia has been going around.

Then we also have typical pneumonia. So those are two things that I've been commonly seeing. I would say those are the top three, amongst all the other infections that are out there.

Host: Yeah. And I'm sure you're also recommending vaccines, the various vaccines that are out there for kids if they're eligible and so forth. Let's talk about the signs and symptoms. I know one of the issues we started talking those greatest hits, the cold, flu, pneumonia, RSV, so many of the signs and symptoms sort of resemble each other, you know, and so that's why we have experts and you guys do what you do in terms of diagnosing. But what should we be on the lookout for and what should concern us as parents?

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: The biggest things that we'll notice with kids is that they're coughing or they're having trouble breathing, or they have a runny nose. And that could be a sign of a virus, could be a sign of pneumonia. Viruses and pneumonia tend to go together. So what you have to do is really just look at your kid and how they're acting. A cough, you know, if a cough is mild, it's annoying. It's waking them up at night, but they're otherwise breathing okay; nothing big to worry about. Get them hydrated. Use a humidifier. But when they're really struggling to breathe, you can see their chest pulling. You can see retractions. Retractions are when you can see the stomach kind of pulling under the ribs. They look like they're working hard to breathe. That's a red flag that there might be a more serious infection going on.

 Either a pneumonia or in the younger babies, RSV, those are very important to watch out for.

Host: Yeah, I just want to stick with RSV for a minute. I know you wanted to talk about that and how important it is that, you know, especially for the little ones, if we suspect that, you know, that we get them into the doctor, we get them tested, that sort of thing. So just briefly about RSV. Why is it important that that's diagnosed and treated?

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: So RSV is, you know a disease of infants, in kids under two. So it's really important to identify it because these kids really need supportive care, and sometimes they need supportive care in the hospital when they get it. It's not an illness that we can treat with antibiotics. So sometimes when the kids have those retractions, they need some extra support sometimes in the hospital.

Not all the time, but they should be followed closely by doctors just to ensure that they're getting better and fighting off the illness on their own. Now, one way to protect against that is with the RSV antibody, that has come out and we've been giving. It's called Beyfortus, and we've been giving that to infants at birth to try to give them passive immunity against RSV so that they already have antibodies to attack the virus if it does encounter their immune system.

Host: Yeah, it's so important, especially for the little ones, the infants, and let's stay with sort of respiratory illnesses and just talk about just generally speaking, because we start getting into, well, is it a virus? Is it bacterial? You know, but in general, with respiratory illnesses or illnesses in general for kids, how are the medical professionals treating them?

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: So when kids get sick, and you don't really know what it is, it's hard to identify as a parent. So that's when you need to come to a doctor so that we can help figure out what exactly we're treating. Is it a pneumonia? Is it a virus like the common cold? Is it the flu? What medications can we give? So to do that, we kind of need to have an evaluation, you know, typically with the doctor in the office. Listen to their lungs, maybe get a chest x-ray, maybe swab for COVID or flu. See what's causing the fever, see what's causing the cough.

 And that way, we can help guide you with either antibiotics, for flu there's Tamiflu, that's another topic, certainly discuss that with your doctor. But there's a lot of different things out there, a lot of different treatments. So you definitely need doctor's guidance to kind of figure out what's what and what the best plan is for treating your illness.

Host: Yeah, I see what you're saying, right? The important thing is the diagnosis, and so in terms of diagnosing, what is it? Is it something that can be treated? If it can be treated, great, if not, then we're left to, you know, take care of our kiddos at home, and let's go there next, let's talk about that, like, so we've got a sick child, there's no magic pill, There's no cure for it. It just needs to run its course, so to speak. So how can we help them? How do we help them recover and be comfortable and stay hydrated? All that good stuff.

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: So for kids that we've told you that you have the common cold, if you're not already on antibiotics for an ear infection or a pneumonia; then the best thing to do is what we call supportive care. And that's essentially keeping kids comfortable.

So the best way to keep kids comfortable is by first of all, giving Tylenol or ibuprofen if they're feeling uncomfortable, achy, they have a fever. Those medications can certainly be helpful. Ibuprofen's great because it does what Tylenol does, but also does inflammation. So if you have an ear infection, it does great for reducing inflammation.

 What's great about those is you can also alternate them. You know, take Tylenol, and then three hours later, take ibuprofen and alternate them every three hours, um, switching off the medications. It's very helpful at making kids feel better. And if you have questions about dosing, ask your doctor, because sometimes it's difficult to, know what the correct dose is based on kids' weight.

We always make sure we do updated, weight based dosing for your kids. So talk to your doctor if you're not sure what dose to give. Otherwise kids often will develop dehydration when they're feeling sick. So keeping them hydrated, giving them really, whatever fluid they would like. Pedialyte, juice, whatever they want is a great way to just make sure that they can stay hydrated,

Host: Any final thoughts, takeaways, the different things that we will experience as parents with our kids, or that you're seeing in the office, best advice.

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: So yeah, I mean the biggest thing is, you know, don't be afraid. Your doctor is here for you. Ask questions, especially in New England, respiratory season can be tough. Your kid can be sick pretty much the whole season off and on. Keep us in the loop. Let us know, what's working, what's not. Every kid's different, so come see us.

Host: Yeah, that's great advice. When in doubt, go see the doctors. That's where the medicine is, if you will. And sometimes there are no medicines. Sometimes there is nothing that anyone can do other than try to make our kids feel more comfortable. And help things kind of run their course. So Doctor, as always, appreciate your time. Thank you so much.

Matthew Chamberlain, MD: Pleasure to be here, Scott.

Host: And to learn more about Dr. Chamberlain or to make an appointment, visit actonmedical.com.

And thanks for listening to Emerson's Health Works Here podcast. I'm Scott Webb. And make sure to catch the next episode by subscribing to the Health Works Here Podcast on Apple, Google, Spotify or wherever podcasts can be heard.