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We now understand the importance of controlling pain in children, and we understand better how to control it safely.

Wheeler D et al: Arch Dis Child 2003;88:688

Q I have treated an 8-year-old boy and his 5-year-old sister in my practice for the past two years. They have always been healthy and seem to have good interactions with each other, their mother, and me when they are in the office. However, at a routine well-child examination, the boy's mother informed me of two concerns about her son and even broke down in tears when describing them.

Q I have a 9-month-old boy in my practice who doesn't sleep through the night. I advised the parents to let the baby cry and then go to his room at intervals of five, 10, and 15 minutes to check on him and talk to him, but not to hold him.

Pediatric vaccines have been much in the news recently, with new FDA approvals and the release of data on immunization coverage as of 2002 by the National Immunization Program (NIP) of the CDC.

A 22-month-old boy is brought to you with an asymptomatic, linear scaly rash that developed on his right elbow four months ago. Two weeks after onset, the eruption had extended down his right arm to the top of the hand and onto the fourth finger.

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Pediatricians increasingly are recognizing a mandate to treat pain aggressively. Psychotropic drugs have new pediatric uses, broadening clinicians' options.

Serving as an international medical volunteer can be immensely rewarding. The authors, volunteers themselves, offer a practical guide to embarking on the journey.

The cause of your patient's chronic headache may be the very thing she is taking to relieve the pain. The solution sounds simple but is often challenging--complete discontinuation of headache medication.

New products of interest to pediatricians

Some brilliant observations and more than a little luck have given physicians their most powerful weapons against infectious disease. Can we keep the upper hand?

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We now understand the importance of controlling pain in children, and we understand better how to control it safely.

Complementary and alternative medicine is one component of a comprehensive approach to treating chronic pain in children. The authors examine the use of CAM for managing headache, recurrent abdominal pain, and neuropathic pain.

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