Transcript
Dr Cris here with The Ask Dr Cris show. Today’s question comes from a Mum and she would like to know when is the best time to take my kids to the doctor, and do I see a paediatrician or GP?
In Australia the general process it that you do see your GP with your children first and from there if there is the condition that needs further investigation then your children are then referred to a Paediatrician. In the States it is a bit different, Paediatricians are often the first point of call but here is Australia it is your local family doctor who become that local person. I would say bring your child as soon as possible, start to develop that relationship where they are use to taking care of their health, and talking about their health with someone that they trust as well.
Often we have a process where kids are screened and they are immunised and they have seen quite a lot of the first few years of their lives up until the age of 4 and then we don’t see them again until 12, 13 – with period trouble for girls, and you know different acne troubles for boys. So it is that big age gap that I think creates the little bit of a mismatch then when the when the teenager comes to see you and they don’t know what to say to a doctor and they don’t know how to approach it, so if you can continue do it continuously.
There are some warning signs in children that they need to come sooner and that is asthma, or if they have got allergies, or they have darkish eyes underneath their eyes it is called allergy shiners, they are probably having an allergic reaction to something they are either eating or in contact with. The same with a crease across the nose, if they have a crease across the nose that is allergies too and it has been unrecognised and may be impacting on their learning. Also if there have been any concerns raised by teachers, or by family members, do bring them in for a screening it might be something simple as they have tummy pains or there is something happening at school that they are anxious about. That is also another point I was going to make, anxiety in children also goes unrecognized and it often presents itself as tummy pains so if the child is complaining constantly of tummy pains it is often an anxiety and you do need to bring them in so we can work through that together as a holistic approach.
Those are just some of the suggestions. Do bring your child in sooner we love seeing kids and I hope that answers your question. Thank you for asking it and if you have any further questions please ask them below. I hope you are loving The Ask Dr Cris Show if you would like to see more of The Ask Dr Cris Show please press subscribe.
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Dr Cris
Holistic Medical Doctor, Author ‘Healthy Habits, 52 Ways to Better Health‘
