Equipoise Healthcare

Tired? Cold? Feel like your thyroid is low but it isn't? It might be iron deficiency. Iron is a critical element used in virtually every part of the body. 25 years ago, it was thought that iron primarily mattered for red blood cells, thus if you weren't anemic, you were "fine." Now we know better.

Around 2001, research demonstrated that iron is incorporated directly into the developing brain of children, especially under age 2 years, making this a critical time for optimal iron status.

Since then, the role of iron has been demonstrated in multiple other tissues, including your immune system, brain, hormones (including thyroid), and basically everything else.

Laboratories continue to report the storage transporter for iron, "ferritin," as being normal if it's above 12 or 15. However the medical literature has long disputed this. Kids who are otherwise healthy should have a ferritin above 30. Kids with neurologic, psychiatric, developmental, or connective tissue disorders should target a ferritin above 50. Kids with a history of significant or refractory iron deficiency will likely also benefit from a higher ferritin, above 50. Last year, the American Gastroenterological Association recommended that the lower limit of ferritin be set at 45 for adults. In our practice, we generally set the upper limit around 100, although some people consider 150 to be acceptable.

Note that ferritin is an inflammatory marker, so it can be spuriously elevated even in situations like having a minor viral illness. In fact, it's a pretty labile molecule that acts kind of like a prima donna. This can make it hard to pin down, and you might have levels that seem pretty good but which are actually reflecting inflammation rather than excellent iron status. One clue is to look at your iron saturation. If it's low, but your ferritin is normal or high, then this might be a sign of inflammation.

Did You Know...
..That you can purchase lidocaine cream over the counter? Apply this to a kid's arm or leg prior to vaccinations, IV starts, or blood draws to numb the pain. Simply apply a similar amount as you would use for toothpaste on a toothbrush. Put the cream on the area where the kid is going to have a needle. Cover with a bandage. Go to your doctor's office. When it's time for the needle, remove the bandage and clean the cream off. Voila! The kiddo will hardly feel it. 💉

Links We Love

The Child Mind Institute is a parent-friendly resource for all things mental health in kids. This is a reliable resource for support and information, and they offer mental health treatment as well.

Check it out!

Child Mind Institute | Transforming Children's Lives. The Child Mind Institute is an independent nonprofit dedicated to transforming the lives of children struggling with mental health and learning disorders.

NEVER SAY NEVER

Parents, you've been asking for years if Dr. Stauffer will work you up for the medical disorder you almost certainly passed down to the kid that she already diagnosed, and she's finally saying yes.

Dr. Stauffer used to say that she would "never" see adults as patients. But it started with a 19-year-old. Then a 20-year-old. Next thing you know, our oldest patient just turned 30, and we had to choose a new upper age limit.

While we don't provide primary care beyond the pediatric age range (which ends somewhere between 18-25 years old), Dr. Stauffer was pleasantly surprised to find that these adult patients generally don't bite and will let a person examine their ears anytime without a struggle, so she is expanding her specialty care to include young adults up to age 35. These specialty services include: hematology (blood disorders), oncology (cancer), palliative care, and rare/complex disease, such as medical mysteries, primary immunodeficiency syndromes, genetic disorders, adult survivors of childhood cancer, connective tissue disorders, and more.

Note: If you are an adult, you will still need a family medicine or internal medicine primary care home. This expansion is for specialty services, not primary care!

Is this because Dr. Stauffer is bored and needs more work? No! It's because she can't stand watching you all suffer when she has the ability to do something about it. To that point, however, please be KIND and CONSIDERATE and PAY YOUR BILLS and SHOW UP and just generally be a good patient and remember that our staff are people too. Remember that Dr. Stauffer is a mortal human who is trying her best and can get busy, tired, distracted, or sick and who also has a rare, complex disease and a family, and also there's only one of her. In other words: be kind, be responsible, and let's be humans together. We heal through community, mutual partnership, and relationship, not through consumerism or termagancy.

*Check with your insurance plan to find out whether or not you need a referral.*

Inclement Weather!
We will close early at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 22, due to the storm coming.
Stay safe and warm!

We are CLOSED on Monday Jan 19 in honor Martin Luther King, Jr.

media1.tenor.co

We are CLOSED on Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. We will re-open the day after Christmas, Friday Dec. 26. Happy Holidays!

media1.tenor.co

Who We Follow

Dr. Beachgem is a pediatric emergency physician who is as entertaining as she is informative. Follow her on social media if you want to see emergency medicine behind the scenes while learning at the same time.


https://www.facebook.com/drbeachgem10/

Dr.Beachgem10 Pediatric ER doc. Mom of 4 kids(&cats). Tiktok . PO Box 57, St.Pete FL 33731.

We are excited to announce that Megan Bergman will begin her new role as Physician Associate (PA) on December 15 with her own schedule! This means we will have double the appointment slots that we currently have! Most of you have already met Megan around the office as she has been in a training role the last three months. Starting December 15, you can book an appointment with her.

Links We Love

The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has a website devoted to parents and kids. Check them out when you're looking for information about medical topics!

HealthyChildren.org - From the American Academy of Pediatrics HealthyChildren.org - Powered by pediatricians. Trusted by parents.

Equipoise Healthcare will begin to offer in-person classes for a variety of common medical and parenting topics for $25 per person. Classes will begin in January and will be held at our office. Group size will be limited to 15 participants per class. We welcome any adults who want to learn, as well as teens who are old enough to begin learning about their own health. You don't have to be a patient here in order to sign up, however, RSVP will be required!

Since it's hard to focus with little kids running around, you may be better served by having little ones stay home with another adult. However, we are a pediatric clinic literally built for kids. So if you need to bring your little one, we can handle that.

Leave a comment with which of the following topics you'd like to attend:

Newborns
Early childhood development
Fever
Asthma
Allergies
Eczema
Living as an immunocompromised person
Sleep problems in kids
Constipation
Connective tissue disorders
Vaccines
Upper respiratory infections
Nausea and vomiting
Ear infections
Iron
Autism
ADHD
______________?

media1.tenor.co