Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.

According to the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, one in 200 children and adolescents suffer from obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD), an anxiety disorder characterized by “recurrent, intense obsessions and/or compulsions that cause severe discomfort and interfere with day-to-day functioning.”

Alicia Doolin, lead psychiatric therapist in St. Margaret Mercy Healthcare Centers’ behavioral health department, says that while the disorder is more common in adults, kids as young as 10 have been known to show early signs of OCD. Well before the disorder becomes apparent in adulthood, she says, an individual may show some anxiety tendencies in childhood. They may be worriers or desire a high level of order in their room and their lives. The thoughts, she explains, are usually based on a fear; sufferers cope with the fear by developing compulsive behaviors that relieve the anxiousness when performed.

Roughly 15 to 20 percent of lupus cases occur in children under the age of 16. Early diagnosis of this autoimmune rheumatic disease, critical to reducing damage to tissues and organs, is difficult, spelling out a need for more awareness of the disease.

Phyllis Simko, president and CEO of the Lupus Foundation of America, Indiana Chapter, says there’s a need for more awareness about lupus. In an effort to educate doctors and health care professionals about a sometimes puzzling and difficult to diagnose disease, the Lupus Foundation of America recently sponsored a medical conference at the Methodist Hospitals Northlake Campus.

But the need for more awareness goes for parents as well as doctors. The Lupus Foundation of America offers some facts about this disease.

Sensitive skin is a hallmark of babyhood, it seems. It’s a rare parent who hasn’t seen bumps, blotches, dry patches and irritation show up on tiny faces, limbs and bottoms at one time or another.

Eczema is an umbrella term for a group of skin conditions, the most common of which is atopic dermatitis, a term often used interchangeably with eczema.

Pediatrician Dr. James Goldyn, of Northwest Family Health Care in Hammond, estimates that about 30 to 50 percent of babies are affected by eczema in their first year. Though the cause is unknown, the condition tends to run in families, especially those genetically predisposed to allergies and asthma. Like allergies and asthma, eczema is an overreaction by the immune system to unknown triggers.

At back-to-school time, lots of time and attention is spent on teaching youngsters to avoid spreading cold and flu viruses by hand washing. Giant bottles of hand sanitizer are a staple on classroom supply lists these days.

For some families, back-to-school also means back to swim lessons or the swim team, which brings up another important point: viruses also thrive in the warm moisture of pool decks and public showers—specifically, the human papillomavirus (HPV), which causes another common childhood nuisance: plantar warts.

Plantar warts are noncancerous skin growths that form on the bottoms of feet, typically when the HPV virus has entered through cuts or broken skin. Depending on where they are, they can cause discomfort and pain and can take a long time to resolve.

The American Podiatric Medical Association (APMA) says plantar warts occur most frequently in kids between ages 12 and 16. Crown Point podiatrist Dr. Michael Nirenberg adds that children are more susceptible because their immune systems aren’t as developed as an adult’s.

In Grandma’s day, inconsolable babies who cried incessantly for no apparent reason were labeled as “colicky.” Today, doctors have a different name—and some new insights—for many of those irritable infants who exasperate their parents with more than the occasional episodes of crying, vomiting and spitting up.

Dr. Gloria Buentello, a pediatric gastroenterologist who sees children and adolescents in Hammond and Munster, says the diagnosis of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) has come about in only the last 30 years, providing some answers for scenarios which previously yielded a shrug of the shoulders and a nondescript label of “colic.”

Commonly known as reflux, GERD is a condition in which the stomach contents back up into the esophagus during or after a feeding, resulting in vomiting or spitting up.

Parents of small children frequently question themselves when it comes to using analgesics to relieve their ill child’s discomfort. Dyer pediatrician Dr. Parul Pathak offers some sound advice to help parents in their decision-making.

Over-the-counter choices include aspirin, ibuprofen and acetaminophen. Pathak defines aspirin and ibuprofen as non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, which are designed to reduce fever, pain and inflammation. She says acetaminophen, more commonly known as Tylenol, is designed to reduce fever and pain, but not really inflammation (redness, swelling).

“For the typical fever and pain, I usually recommend acetaminophen first,” she says. “When children are sick, they usually are not eating or drinking well, and acetaminophen is easier on the stomach.”

When choosing an analgesic for the child, Pathak says parents should be aware of the appropriate ages for each. She says acetaminophen can be used from two months on, ibuprofen not until around six or nine months of age, and aspirin should never be given before twelve years of age, because of the risk of Reye’s syndrome. Doses vary for each child, and this should be discussed first with the child’s doctor.

Dr. Steven Levin, a Whiting-based developmental optometrist, says an estimated 30 to 40 percent of the school-aged population suffer from some type of visual disorder that is likely holding them back academically.

Eighty percent of what a child learns in the classroom is received through the vision system, he says, and 80 percent of that comes from doing close work. Vision is so much more than how clearly a child recognizes a letter at 20 feet away, he says, yet most eye doctors don’t evaluate children beyond the standard 20/20 vision exam.

Levin’s specialty is looking at how the eyes process visual information. He explains that information is taken in through the eyes and is sent to the brain, which organizes and interprets it before sending it to other areas.

Specialists in developmental vision disorders look for problems with an individual’s close range ocular motor skills, such as visual tracking, how well the eyes team together, the ability to bring the eyes together and more—all critical skills necessary for reading, comprehending and learning.

NWI Parent talks to: Dr. Sanjay Patel is an asthma and allergy specialist with Medical Specialists of Indiana. Board-certified in internal medicine and allergy and immunology, Dr. Patel was educated at Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Chicago. He completed his residency at Northwestern University McGaw Medical Center in Chicago and a fellowship at the University of California. Dr. Patel sees patients in Merrillville and Munster.

With bugs and bees just waiting to pounce with the coming of spring, Dr. Sanjay Patel addresses some common concerns about allergies to insect venom.

How do I know if my child is having an allergic reaction to an insect sting? Many people confuse a large local reaction to a bug bite or sting—such as severe redness and pain—with an allergic reaction. Typically, an allergy would be indicated by a more systemic reaction, such as severe swelling, shortness of breath or hives on areas of the body other than the site of the sting. While these reactions aren’t common, they would typically occur within one hour after the sting, and would require medical assistance. A local reaction by itself doesn’t warrant an emergency room visit. Simply treat with over-the-counter pain medications and watch it closely for a secondary reaction such as a fever.

Can some children be more prone to allergic reactions than others? There appears to be some genetic predisposition to insect sting allergies. Children with asthma or other allergies and those with allergic family members seem to be more prone to an allergic reaction. Still, there isn’t much that can be done for prevention until a reaction is observed.

Munster duo ‘cranking’ out films, has sights set on Hollywood

Christian Moffitt, left, and Mike Gauthier check a shot while filming a scene last week at Family Christian Center in Munster. The two are producing a $20,000 film in the Chicago area. Filming since the sixth grade, they plan to skip college and head straight to Hollywood. (Photograph by John J. Watkins/The Times.)

As a film crew bustles about the gymnasium at the Family Christian Center in Munster, preparing to shoot a scene for an Easter production, a bright-eyed young director surveys the set.

To better frame the shot, he peers out from under hair strategically coiffed to cover one eye, achieving the progressive, edgy look that precisely matches his cinematic style. His trendy, for-fashion-purposes-only dog tags glittering in the camera lights, he describes his vision for the flashback scene, featuring a disgruntled mall Easter Bunny on the job.

Clearly, this is the operation’s creative talent, the idea man.