The Alternative Press

Host Dr. Rosalie Greenberg Interviews Huma Quraishi, MD, Director of Pediatric Otolaryngology at The New Jersey Medical School in Newark

            “Every child gets ear aches, sore throats, sinus infections and now that we’re exiting flu season and entering allergy season, hardly a week passes that something isn’t going on.  I want to help parents determine when the ear, nose and throat symptoms that their child is experiencing are deserving of more intense medical attention,” explains Kids First host, Rosalie Greenberg, MD.  Joining her is Dr. Huma Quraishi, a pediatric otolaryngologist, a specialist in disorders of the ears, nose and throat.

            Dr. Quraishi explains how when very young children, usually under the age of three, have more than three ear infections in a year, or fluid remains in the ear after antibiotic treatment, they often have small tubes surgically placed into their eardrum to allow air to enter the middle ear and reduce infection.  Unless properly treated, the buildup of this fluid can adversely affect the child’s hearing.

            In addition to numerous ear infections at a young age, parents should be aware of any other sign of hearing loss, such as the delay of language, a child asking “What?” more frequently or sitting closer to the television.  An audiologist can conduct age appropriate hearing tests on the child to determine the possible source of the problem.

            An increasingly common condition seen in children is sleep apnea, which is often left undiagnosed and passed off as loud snoring.  There are many possible causes as well as treatments, but leaving it untreated can be harmful.  The doctors also discuss the change in medical thinking about the need for tonsillectomies and adenoidectomies, although they are still not an uncommon childhood procedure.

This episode airs during April on HomeTowne television, Comcast – Channel 36 and Verizon - Channel 33, at the following times: Sundays at 10:30 p.m., Mondays at 12:30 p.m., Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m., Fridays at 10:00 a.m. and 9:00 p.m., and Saturdays at 8:30 p.m. It, along with past episodes, is also available for viewing at www.kidsfirstrgmd.com.

Kids First with Rosalie Greenberg, MD is the recipient of a 2012 Telly Award in the category of TV Programs, Segments or Promotional Pieces on Health and Fitness.

The host of Kids First is Rosalie Greenberg, M.D., a board- certified child and adolescent psychiatrist and the author of Bipolar Kids: Helping Your Child Find Calm in the Mood Storm. She is the co-producer of the DVD Rescuing Childhood: Understanding Bipolar Disorders in Children and Adolescents, and has been consistently selected by New York Magazine as one of the top doctors in her field in the New York metropolitan area.