Pediatric growth and developmental disorders
- Chronic constipation
- Asthma
- Chronic ear infections
- Faliure to thrive
- Growth disorders
- Pediatric hypothyroidism
- Cretinism
- Mild adrenal deficiency
- Precocious or delayed puberty
- Food allergies
- Celiac’s
- Obesity
- Diabetes type 2
I find real solutions for my pediatric patients by approaching each patient’s case with an open mind and commitment to find the underlying causes of their health concerns. I interpret each patient’s lab results within the context of age appropriate reference ranges. Also I consider that lab results are only a tool that only makes sense within the context of the patient’s whole case. Lab testing alone cannot make or exclude a diagnosis in most situations. Finding the true causes of disease requires considering physical exam findings and lab results, the patient’s and his parent’s concerns and experience, as well as the physician’s experience, knowledge, and intuition. This requires taking the time to listen to the patient and to study all of the information available to me.
Unfortunately children often go misdiagnosed or improperly treated when they suffer from underlying problems that are not commonly recognized by pediatricians.
I recently treated a 2 year-old boy who was extremely small for his age. Shortly after birth he was diagnosed with “Faliure to Thrive.” He had suffered from fatigue and chronic constipation for most of his life. His pediatrician ordered numerous lab tests at the request of the patient’s parents including a several thyroid evaluations. All test results were “within the normal range” so the child never received any treatment.
After doing a physical exam, reviewing the patient’s history and previous labwork, it became apparent that the cause of this child’s symptoms was Hashimoto’s hypothyroidism that he had suffered from since birth. Even though this diagnosis would have been obvious to the pediatrician if the patient’s thyroid labs had been flagged as “abnormal” on the lab report, the patient’s abnormal thyroid hormone levels were not “flagged” because the lab was comparing this child’s thyroid hormone levels to “standard adult” reference ranges. That child went undiagnosed for 2 years because his pediatrician was personally unfamiliar with the levels of thyroid hormones that are normal for a healthy 2 year old and because he relied exclusively on lab tests to make the diagnosis for him. This situation can occur because of the common problems with lab reference ranges. Please see my article on lab reference ranges.
I prescribed natural dessicated thyroid appropriate for this child’s age, size, and level of deficiency and prescribed a special diet that eliminated common food allergens from his diet. This patient responded extremely well: his constipation resolved within 2 weeks, his parents noticed dramatic improvements in energy within one month, and at his 6 month follow up he had begun to grow in both weight and stature.