Doctor
ASK THE
Introducing our new monthly feature, Ask the Doctor. Our healthcare partners
will be answering your questions. To submit a question, please email
[email protected].
Dr. Meredith
Brazell, DO
Dr. Brazell is a Pediatrician at
Flagler Health+ Primary Care
and Pediatrics at Palencia,
120 Palencia Village Drive,
Suite 107, (904) 819-3200
How can parents
tell if their child
has allergies? What
course of action
should they take?
Allergies can have a variety of signs. One sign is our
“salute” sign – if a child is constantly sneezing or having
an itchy nose, they will push up constantly on their nose
to rub it and create a dark crease above the nose and
we call that the “salute” sign. Another sign is what we
call “allergic shiners”– dark circles under the eyes that
can be caused by pooling of blood or fluid under the
eyes. This is actually coming from swelling of the tissue
around the nose. Red, watery, or itchy eyes are also
another sign of allergies. Sometimes, drainage goes
back to our throat and we get tickling in our throat or
a constant cough trying to clear that drainage. Even
the ears can get itchy or feel full. Allergies usually
correspond with a season – some children have them
in the winter and some in the summer or some flare
every time a season changes. We know they are allergies
verses a cold due to their mild symptoms and no fever.
Either way, parents should bring their child in to be
evaluated by their doctor because there are some
ways to help allergies, such as a cold mist humidifier
at night, saline nose sprays, changing pillow cases or
allergy medications like Zyrtec, Claritin or others. It is
also important to have a doctor help decide between
symptoms caused by allergies versus an illness. Allergies
can also cause a child that has asthma to have flare ups
so a doctor will also want to discuss how to handle this.
Does my child have asthma? What should I
be looking for? Can I treat this myself?
Asthma can be a hard diagnosis to make and should be
determined by the pediatrician or sometimes an asthma/
allergy specialist. It can be present in obvious ways such
as wheezing or difficulty breathing but it can also be
present as fatigue, tight chest, or even trouble with
feeding. There is cough-variant asthma and exercise-
induced asthma as well. The best thing to do is to keep
a diary of your child’s symptoms, when it started, what
8 | V O L U S I A parent M A G A Z I N E
was happening when it started, how long it lasts, and
what made it better or worse. Present this diary to your
physician. Treatment usually requires medication that
only a physician can prescribe.
Carey Smith, RRT, registered
respiratory therapist and lead
asthma educator for THE PLAYERS
Center for Child Health at
Wolfson Children’s Hospital.
Asthma is the number-one reason
children miss school and the
third leading cause of pediatric hospitalizations. It is
important to know if your child has asthma.
Asthma is a chronic disease of the airways characterized
by inflammation, tightness in the chest and increased
mucus production. Scientists do not know what causes
asthma, but it is likely due to a combination of genetics
and environmental factors. Asthma cannot be cured, but
it can be controlled.
Common warning signs and symptoms of asthma
include:
• Coughing at night
• Wheezing
• Shortness of breath
• Tummy aches
• Sneezing
A child can go for weeks, months or even years with no
warning signs and then have an episode. Even when a
child is not having symptoms, he or she still has asthma.
It is important to know your child’s warning signs.
Every child is different, so their signs and symptoms may
be different as well. Always have an updated asthma
action plan. These action plans should be discussed
with your child’s doctor and an updated plan should be
provided to your child’s school.
Find your flu vaccine:
Influenza (flu) is a contagious respiratory illness caused
by flu viruses. It can cause mild to severe illness, and at
times can lead to death. The best way to prevent the flu
is to get a flu vaccine each fall. Find your flu vaccine at
your doctor’s office or these locations: