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My child has a cough – when do I call 911?

May 20, 2015
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Babies 0-2, Children 5-12, Toddlers 2-4

"My child has a cough - when do I call 911?"  This guide should help answer this question!  These are general recommendations based on the best-practice guidelines in 2015 and could change - so always follow your physician's advice first.  Your doctor should give you detailed instructions on when it is appropriate to seek medical attention for your child given their specific health needs. When to seek immediate medical attention: My child is coughing AND...

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Vegetable and Protein Containing Snack and Lunch Ideas

May 15, 2015
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Children 5-12, Toddlers 2-4

Most kids, at one point in their lives or another start being pickier with what they will eat. Throw in the fact that they are no longer sitting at your kitchen table but instead are at school seeing everyone else’s lunch options and you may just find you have a revolt on your hands. What is a health-conscious caregiver to do? Here are some great vegetable and protein-containing meal ideas, which work for home or school and for most meals of the day. (Why is it so important to have veggies and protein included in your child's diet?  Read our article: How...

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How to improve your child’s behavior with blood sugar control

May 15, 2015
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10
Children 5-12, Nutrition

Are you struggling with behavioral issues in your child? Have you ever wondered if blood sugar control is affecting them? So often I see a parent come in with a child who needs behavior modification - and the schools of course want something to be done about it. I get it! Schools are over populated, with not nearly enough teachers to students. Their job has become a large mix of behavior management and teaching. What I don’t get, is the lack of awareness of how much this behavior modification can be influenced by dietary choices. When I talk with parents, they describe to me...

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What kind of Diaper Rash is that?

April 30, 2015
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Babies 0-2

Many first-time expectant moms are already prepared with creams and ointments to fight diaper rash before baby is even born. Diaper rash, or diaper dermatitis, is a common ailment that affects most babies and can range from fleeting to severe. It can be a real challenge to treat if not properly identified. The following information will help you tell the difference between the top three causes of diaper rash, many of which can be easily treated at home: Irritant dermatitis: The most common cause of diaper rash is due to the use of the diaper itself. This is from wet skin being...

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Treatment for Children’s Constipation without Miralax

April 16, 2015
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Children 5-12, Constipation, Toddlers 2-4

In January of this year the FDA announced it would fund research into the safety of the very popular constipation medication Miralax. Though Miralax has been approved for use in adults and adolescents for less than 7 days, it has never been approved by the FDA for use in children.  Despite this Miralax has been a mainstay treatment by conventional pediatricians for use of constipation in children. Polyethylene glycol 3350 (PEG 3350) is the active ingredient in Miralax.  Just so we are on the same page, ethylene glycol - or antifreeze - is not the same as polyethylene glycol.  Though polyethylene glycol is simply a string of...

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Springing Forward

April 8, 2015
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Naturopathic Tricks and Tips, Parenting

Springtime celebrations across cultures share the theme of resilience & renewal.  Children have a natural ability to ‘bounce back’ when they encounter significant challenges and parents can play a critical role in helping to further develop this skill.  When resilient kids are faced with life's obstacles, they can use them to spring forward. As parents, we are accustomed to focusing our caring attention towards the little people that surround us.  So much so that, we often find it difficult to turn that attention towards ourselves - even when we need it!  When we start to feel that we are easily fatigued, having a hard time making it through 3-5pm,...

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Colic – is it reflux, gas or an over-sensitive baby?

March 6, 2015
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Babies 0-2

The "C" word in baby circles.  It brings terror to the hearts of parents everywhere.  But what exactly does "colic" mean? Colic is actually defined as excessive crying: an otherwise healthy and well-fed infant who cries more than three hours daily more than three days a week for more than three weeks.  However, the term is thrown around loosely, and often implies tummy aches.  Regardless of the definition, if your baby, or a baby you know, cries even close to that amount, you may want to read on. Here are the medical facts about colic: birth order does not affect colicmethod of...

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What is Molluscum and What Can Be Done About It?

February 16, 2015
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Adolescents 13-18, Babies 0-2, Children 5-12, Toddlers 2-4

Molluscum contagiosum, usually just referred to as Molluscum by your family doctor, is a viral infection of the skin. It is usually seen in school aged children and looks like pearly/skin colored bumps with small indents (known as umbilication) in their centers. Location: They show up seemingly 'out of the blue' in all sorts of areas but usually they stick to places where two skin areas rub together such as elbow creases or fingers. In my practice I often see them on legs as well. Symptoms: Generally the only symptoms will be the presence of small skin colored bumps but at times they can...

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How to Treat Cradle Cap Naturally

February 1, 2015
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Babies 0-2

Whether it's a few specks or a thick yellow coating, most babies have some cradle cap at some point.  It is a common condition that causes no problems, and eventually (usually) goes away on it's own, but it can be quite irritating to parents. Facts about cradle cap, or seborrheic dermatitis: It's the pediatric version of Seborrheic Dermatitis, and it typically appears in the first month of life.  We don't really understand why it happens.  It is typically not itchy (as the adult version is) and it bothers no one but the parents.  It usually resolves on its own, within weeks to...

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Tummy Massage for Every Body

January 19, 2015
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General Health Tips, Naturopathic Tricks and Tips

One of the best ways to help your little one and yourself is through the use of therapeutic massage. I often suggest Tummy Massage (or to be technical, abdominal massage) to my patients and their parents. Tummy massage can be helpful in a few different ways: a gentle tummy massage for your infant can help to soothe them and also help gently stimulate their gut to move along gas that may be causing them undue pain. Older children and adult patients greatly benefit from abdominal massage to help stimulate a bowel movement when they are having issues with constipation. Constipation...

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Ear Infections and Naturopathic Medicine

January 11, 2015
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Babies 0-2, Children 5-12, Toddlers 2-4

We've all known that poor girl who had to have tubes put in her ears.  Or that poor boy who's taken more rounds of antibiotics than his weary parents can count.   Ear fluid buildup, and ear infections, are all too common for children.   Tubes and antibiotics, though sometimes necessary, are over-prescribed by well-meaning doctors.  Is there a naturopathic solution? (NOTE:  this article addresses middle ear infections, not outer ear infections, or "swimmer's ear" as they are commonly called.) Why Do Kids Get So Many Ear Infections? The main reason is anatomy.  Adults have ear canals that slant down towards the nose and mouth...

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VIDEO – Successfully treating earaches with homeopathy and other natural medicine

January 11, 2015
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Babies 0-2, Children 5-12, Toddlers 2-4

This video is a special one-hour webinar done for the National Center of Homeopathy by Dr. Amy Rothenberg.  The video includes slides on diagnosing and treating otitis media (ear infections) with homeopathy and natural medicine. This is an awesome freebie video - check it out! Enjoy!  ...

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5 Tips to Get Your Family Healthy for the New Year

January 1, 2015
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General Health Tips

While not necessarily easy, intentionally forming healthy habits—and having your family get onboard with you—is possible! You just need to be armed with the following strategies: 1.) Create a plan. Focus on one area at a time. If you get too ambitious, you run the real risk of overwhelming your clan! Maybe you want to get active, eat more healthy food, and simplify your life, but you’ll need to pick only one and hone in on that to start. For example, begin by upping your activity level and scheduling regular family bike rides, hikes, joining the local Y, etc- three days a week. Action: get...

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Meet Dr. Currey

December 7, 2014
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0
Uncategorized

Welcome, my name is Danielle, I am a mother of two middle schoolers, doctor, teacher, wife, knitter, and human being.  My family and I call Clackamas, Oregon our home, and we love, love, love living in the Northwest.  I have been practicing naturopathic medicine in my private clinic since October 2013, and living the principles of naturopathic medicine far longer.  My family and I focus on staying active, eating nourishing whole foods, being life-long learners, and doing what we love everyday.  This wasn’t always so easy. After some turmoil in our family life, a few moves, and a remarriage, my children...

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A naturopathic approach to infant GERD/reflux

November 18, 2014
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1
Babies 0-2

GER(D) is often the first diagnosis a baby receives, which can make it quite scary. What is GERD? GER(D) is gastroesophageal reflux (disease); it’s also called heartburn, reflux, or acid reflux. It occurs when the contents of the stomach reflux up into the esophagus. The pH of the stomach contents is quite low, or very acidic. The acid burns the esophagus, which is built for a much higher pH.  To clarify, a diagnosis of GER means that the symptom of reflux is occurring; a diagnosis of GERD indicates a larger disease process that includes reflux as a symptom. Why do stomach contents go...

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What would happen if a second grade class took a trip through the digestive system?

November 10, 2014
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Nutrition

Over the past several years, I have been working with school age children in the classroom, and I have had  the opportunity to teach nutrition, digestion, and elimination to the second graders of my husband's class three years in a row now.  This is a lot of fun, and and we all learn a lot. As a class project, one group wrote a book about an imaginary trip through the digestive system.  Here is the transcript: “Second Grade Digestion Adventure!” It was a normal day in second grade.  We were transcribing our Riggs words into our English Notebooks.  The words all had to do...

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What to do if your child has a vaccine reaction

October 30, 2014
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Uncategorized

  So first of all, I want to say that vaccine reactions do happen.  Serious vaccine reactions for most standard children's vaccines are estimated to be quite rare, ranging from 1 in 100,000 to less than 1 in a million doses given.  (The exception to this is febrile seizures with the MMRV combination vaccine, or measles-mumps-rubella-varicella, which occur in an estimated 1 in 1,250 children.  Though febrile seizures do not cause permanent complications, they are scary as heck.  Unless a child has an urgent need to receive both vaccines at once there really is no reason to give both at the same...

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Why I Practice and Why I Blog, by Dr. Teresa Neff

October 17, 2014
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Naturopathic Philosophy

People ask me why I love working in pediatric naturopathic medicine so much. Well, aside from the babies being adorable and snuggly, and the kids being creative and inspiring, I love it because the strength of body and the inner healing power of a child is remarkable to observe. Naturopathic medicine holds that nature and the human body possess innate healing power, which we call the Vis Medicatrix Naturae, or the Vis for short. This means that left alone, nature and the human body will try to heal. Thus, we look to achieve healing by removing obstacles to healing, allowing nature...

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Why you should not rely on lab tests alone.

October 6, 2014
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Naturopathic Philosophy

Don't get me wrong, when I have a piece of paper that tells me when something is off- that is wonderful. Lab values are useful in the evaluation of disease and the monitoring of treatment. But, and this is a big but, laboratory tests are not supposed to be a doctors first line of gathering information. Medical labs are more common place than physical exam in many medical offices these days. I am not sure if this is because of insurance dictating time, or our over reliance on something "smarter" than us to diagnose disease. I would never dispute that it is...

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What’s in Your Lunchbox: Tips and Tricks from the Experts

September 28, 2014
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Adolescents 13-18, Children 5-12, Parenting, Toddlers 2-4

Packing healthy lunches that kids will eat can sometimes be tricky.  Many factors make it even more difficult: conflicting dietary advice, financial and time restrictions, food sensitivities or strong preferences, and school lunch policies. Our family faces all of the above issues, and has found an approach that works. We are gluten- and dairy-free, and we also exclude peanuts. (For everyone’s olfactory comfort!)  School lunches are obviously not an option.  Throw into that a tight budget and the rigorous schedules of a Naturopathic doctor, a second grade teacher, and two children who attend a school with high expectations for homework, and...

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Introducing Solid Foods

September 21, 2014
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Babies 0-2, Nutrition

This is an exciting event in a new parent’s life, but it can feel overwhelming and produce anxiety. There are different ways to introduce solid foods, and each method has ardent supporters and vehement detractors. Five different sources may give you five different “best” or “only” ways to do it. My goal is to provide clear information based on the latest scientific research. Evidence regarding solid food introduction is evolving as new research takes place. Some information you find is based on old research. The guidance I give is based on my understanding of the most current research in this...

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