By Emily Moser

Vitamins in the kitchen cupboard. Ibuprofen in the bathroom drawer. Maybe even a bottle of old prescription medication in the nightstand.

Welcome to Many-a-Home, U.S.A.

Annual sales of vitamins, diet supplements, over-the-counter drugs and prescription medication are measured in the billions of dollars. It’s difficult to go any length of time without seeing or hearing advertisements for them. It seems as if whatever ails us – or for that matter, however we might want to better ourselves, like getting an energy boost or building muscle – there’s a pill or concoction that’s touted to help.

Our kids are aware of this reality, and it presents a great opportunity to engage in an open, ongoing conversation with them about this simple fact: What we put in our bodies has an effect on us.

It’s a prime chance to talk about why certain medications or supplements are sometimes helpful, when we should take them, and why sometimes it’s better if we don’t. As parents, it’s also important to consider the attitude and approach we model when it comes to taking pills, from vitamins to Vicodin.

The importance of this issue is underscored by the increase in prescription drug abuse. A national survey shows nearly one-third of people aged 12 and older who used drugs for the first time in 2009 began by using prescription drugs non-medically. And the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has identified prescription drug overdoses as a national epidemic.

As parents, how do we shape healthy values in young people when it comes to vitamins and medications? Here are a few tips:

• Start talking about the importance of a healthy diet when children are young. Medical professionals largely agree that the best way for healthy children to get vitamins and minerals is through the food they eat. Eating meals together can help. If you choose to give your kids vitamins and other dietary supplements, take time to explain, in language they can understand, what the vitamins are and why some kids take them.

• Help young children understand that medication is not candy and any medicine they ingest has an effect on their body. Use visuals to help them recognize the difference between an over-the-counter cold pill, for example, and hard candy. Young children are information sponges and your messages to them establish an important foundation for healthy living.

• Model healthy use. Do you sometimes take over-the-counter medication for a cold or flu? Have you had an accident that precipitated taking prescription drugs for pain? Whatever the case, the good example you set, including following a doctor’s instructions and dosage recommendations, is invaluable. Explain to your child why you take medication and that you are careful about it. When it comes to prescription pills, make it clear they should never be shared and that it’s important to have a doctor’s approval to take them. Also discuss the importance of not mixing medications without a health care professional’s approval.

• Monitor prescription drugs at home and keep them in a secure place by locking them up. Keep track of how many pills are in a bottle or packet and keep tabs on refills. Remember this is not a matter of trust. It’s all about safety. A recent national study underscores one reason securing medication is so important: According to Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, the number of young children admitted to hospitals or seen in emergency departments because they unintentionally took a potentially toxic dose of medication has risen dramatically in recent years. Exposure to prescription products accounted for most of the emergency visits, admissions and significant harm.

• Help your kids think critically about what they see, hear and read in the media. TV ads for prescription medicine listing the numerous side effects that seem as bad as or worse than the original health problem may elicit chuckles. Other ads promote supplements and powders as ways to perform better or get healthier or in better shape. Use these and other moments as teaching opportunities.

• As a family, consider natural ways to stay healthy. This can include everything from deep breathing and taking walks for stress management to using natural remedies for illnesses. This underscores the important message that while medication is and can be helpful in many cases, there often are steps we can take before opening the medicine cabinet that benefit our bodies.

Emily Moser is the director of parenting programs at Oregon Partnership, a statewide nonprofit that exists to prevent substance abuse and suicide. For more information and parenting resources, please visit www.parentingforprevention.org, or call 503-244-5211.

By Colleen Hermann-Franzen, American Lung Association in Oregon

Did you know that secondhand smoke in a car can be up to 27 times stronger than in a smoker’s home? When smoking in a car, some people may think cracking a window is enough to get rid of the smoke, but sadly, it’s not.

When a child is in a car with a person who is smoking, she is being exposed to high levels of toxic secondhand smoke. Exposure to secondhand smoke leads to many negative health effects in both children and adults. Children are even more at risk to the effects of secondhand smoke because their bodies and lungs are still developing.
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By Ellen Tilden, R.N., C.N.M., M.S.

Many pregnant women seek to experience a positive, natural birth and to find confidence and balance in mothering, but some find themselves unprepared for the work of birth and the transition to motherhood more complex and solitary than expected. Standard prenatal care doesn’t always help. It can be a rushed and superficial experience, inadequate to address the concerns that emerge during pregnancy. Several studies demonstrate that the dominant model of prenatal care in the United States lacks scientific evidence and doesn’t serve families as well as it could.
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By Dr. Kelly Leaf, Doctors Express of Lake Oswego

Unfortunately, people get sick and injuries happen. When your child is crying and in pain, it can be hard to decide whether to make an appointment with your primary care physician, rush to the emergency room or head to an urgent care clinic.
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Teaming up with other parents can help ensure a fun and healthy break
By Oregon Partnership

Many area kids are counting the days until Spring Break. Excitement reigns. For parents, however, the reaction can be mixed.

Maybe Spring break means a reprieve from the typical busy week of homework and shuttling between school and activities, but for parents who will clock in at work during Spring Break, kids’ time off can present challenges. How can you ensure a fun and safe Spring Break for your kids amid your busy workweek?
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By Jennifer Adams

We protect our children from any number of dangers: strangers, traffic, household chemicals – the list goes on and on. But recent news reports have highlighted a new hazard – medical radiation.

So what is radiation, and how can we protect our kids from unnecessary exposure?
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By Emily Moser

Imagine you’re fixing dinner and you hear a television news story about a product recall. You take action, making sure the product isn’t in your home and talking with your children so they stay safe.

Those same simple, effective steps – getting informed, sharing what you know and guiding your kids – also apply to alcohol and other drug trends. Even if your children are very young, it’s never too early to prepare.
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By Patrick S. O’Hollaren, M.D.

If you or someone you know has a child with nocturnal enuresis, better known as bedwetting, you know it can be a stressor not only on the child, but on the entire family.
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Why Sleep Medication Doesn’t Work for Teens

By Emily Puro

Dr. Joshua Ramseyer, director of the Legacy Sleep Disorders Center, sees many teens who have tried medication to promote sleep without success. That’s because they don’t suffer from insomnia, he says, they have Delayed Sleep Phase.

“If you give a kid (with Delayed Sleep Phase) sleep medication at 10 o’clock at night,” he says, “of course it’s not going to work. It’s like taking sleep medication in the middle of the afternoon for one of us. You have to take it proximal to a realistic sleep time.” Instead, we need to help them advance their phase to a more reasonable schedule with a consistent wake time, bright morning light, low evening light, and assistance in managing their schedules and their stress levels.

Teens – To Nap or Not to Nap

By Emily Puro

Naps can be helpful for sleep deprived teens as long as they don’t sleep long enough to delay bedtime. Instead, encourage power naps. “Research shows a 20 or 30 minute nap can be very restorative,” says Dr. Kyle Johnson, co-director of the OHSU Sleep Disorders Program at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital. Make sure they set their alarm for 30 minutes and get up when the alarm sounds. If they can’t do it, naps should be avoided.

Recognizing Sleep Apnea in Children

By Emily Puro

Sleep specialists are on a mission to raise awareness about obstructive sleep apnea in children.

“It is under recognized and can lead to significant difficulties,” says Dr. Kyle Johnson, MD, co-director of the OHSU Sleep Disorders Program at Doernbecher Children’s Hospital.

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How to Protect Kids – and the Community – from the H1N1 Flu

An open letter to Metro Parent readers from Dr. Paul Lewis, deputy tri-county health officer (Clackamas, Multnomah and Washington counties), Dr. Molly Burchell, chief of pediatrics, Legacy Emanuel Hospital and Dr. H. Stacy Nicholson, physician-in-chief, Doernbecher Children’s Hospital

Dear Parents,

After a summer lull, the H1N1 flu virus has now returned to the Portland area. As you may know, few of us under the age of 65 have immunity against H1N1. Epidemiologists estimate that one-third of the region’s population could become ill with the H1N1 flu this season if we do not act to prevent the spread of H1N1.

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