pediatric housecalls Robert R. Jarrett M.D. M.B.A. FAAP

Hello, and welcome to Pediatric House Calls. I am…
A Physician board certified in Pediatric medicine with Clinical experience including caring for infants, children and teens – well these days mostly children and teens up to twenty-one;
An Administrator experienced in top medical management for several national health insurance companies;
An Author of health care manuals, newspaper columns and even children's stories;
A Business Medical Consultant for drug companies, insurance companies and physician practices;
A Veteran of the US Navy in the Vietnam era;
And…
I make House-Calls.

Peanut Allergy – Possible Treatment

Peanut allergy is, for some unknown reason, rising in numbers every year. Perhaps we were merely naïve when I was a child, but we certainly didn’t have any “special table” in our lunch room as a “peanut free zone.” I never once, in my entire school years, had a teacher or classroom even mention that there even was such a thing as kids who couldn’t be around peanuts let alone prohibit them from entering… not any more! They’re everywhere and every school has them.

See the video…

Getting Kids To Stop Lying – A Mom’s Perspective →

Here is a link to an article on another web site which discusses the “lying issue” some children have, particularly those with ADHD. As previous articles have shown, lying is a part of nearly every child’s life-copeing mechanism but a bit more problematic in children with attention deficit. Here is a fairly professionalized web page, by that I mean “monetized,” but not particularly “in-your-face.” I found the information useful if you have any problems with it please let me know.

Follow link to:  Getting Kids To Stop Lying – A Mom’s Perspective →

Cardiac Arrest in a Child Athlete

Children's cardiac arrest due to chest impact becoming increasingly more common

Most of you let your children participate in sports so it’s critical that you know this. Bear with me, it’ll be fun – and something you want to talk to the coach about.
Read more →

How To Tell When Your Child Is Lying

All children in all countries of all races and sexes – lie. Can you tell when they are lying? Watch this and lying will never be the same again.

At two years of age 80 percent of toddlers will cheat and peek at a toy they were asked to leave hidden – and 30 percent will lie that they hadn’t peeked. At three years of age, 50 percent lie. At four years of age more than 80 percent lie and after that most lie.

See the video…

Brain On Legalized Marijuana, Cannabis, THC

Fictional representation, large syringe aspiration of head

Medicine is a profession which responds to human misery by discovery and the innovation of solutions. We’re “hampered” in some ways, of course, by ethical considerations for how we treat humans.

For example we don’t go around concussing peoples heads, removing their limbs with explosions or injecting poisons to see how they damage their developing brains. For that we must wait until people do that to themselves or others – like in war, football… and now open, legalized marijuana use!
Read more→

Sudden Cardiac Death in Child Athletes

Marathons affect hearts

Sudden Cardiac Death is, by definition, both sudden and unexpected – especially in a child whose life is supposed to revolve around “play” and “fun.” Unfortunately, it is also increasing.

Just as unfortunate, children’s “play” is often “industrialized” into major competitions with adult methods, standards and expectations leading to unintended consequences.
Read more→

Child Cardiac Arrest: Intro/Index

sudden cardiac arrest in a child

This was a fun series of articles to write, but about an almost terrible experience on a 17-year-old boy athlete. It made the papers when he ostensibly had a “heart attack” on the baseball field.

The reader gets to “see the patient” and make a diagnosis (and see my humorous side) while learning about the four causes of sudden cardiac arrest in a child.

In follow-up we see some of the emotional side-effects of the near-death experience, exacerbated by viewing social media; and learn methods of problem-solving the correct way.

5 Posts in "Child Cardiac Arrest" Series

  • Sudden Cardiac Arrest in a Child: Intro/Index – 25 Jul 2016
    A heart attack or death of a child is always a major and emotional event; but, when it occurs in an otherwise healthy child participating in a sport even it often makes the news. These posts explain most of the why, who and how's of these dramatic occurrences.

  • Sudden cardiac death – 26 Jul 2016
    Sudden cardiac death in children is an "eye-opener" and shouldn't happen, especially to a healthy athletic one… right. But it does happen, all too often; and when it does it often make the newspaper. This article lets you be involved with a 17-year-old athlete who does just that— good luck!

  • Sudden cardiac arrest - case – 7 Aug 2016
    A somewhat interactive educational article about the four most common causes of sudden cardiac arrest and collapse in a child: Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, Myocardial infarction, Long-QT syndrome and Commotio cordis.

  • Commotio Cordis: Treatment and Prevention – 26 Aug 2016
    You made such an impression on that 17-year-old boy who nearly died on the baseball field last week that he's now back for his followup with the question: “When can I go back to playing baseball?” Well, how about it?

  • Commotio Cordis: Prevention and Return to Play – 9 Sep 2016
    HEEES BAAAAACK! The 17-year-old who you've (well I've) been treating for his heart problem: Commotio Cordis. He's several weeks now from his near-death experience and is back for his second follow-up and a discussion about: Survivability, Prevention and Return to Play.


If you’ve enjoyed this little romp through children’s sports issues you might like to read about children’s fitness.