Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
My good friend asked about his newborn who had some shaking
spells of his arms. While this can be a sign of birth defects
and problems in brain development, this is usually apparent
at birth in the nursery. Sepsis -- severe bacterial infection
-- can also be a cause. This should manifest with fever or
feeding problems. Barring that, there is something called
fifth-day fits, in which babies at that age shake and it goes
away. In this case it did, boruch Hashem.
Acupuncture does work for some; I personally found no benefit
from it when I learned about it in medical school. If there
is no other solution to the problem -- especially pain
syndromes -- it may be worth a try.
TB is rampant in Israel? Could be. I haven't seen a case in a
long time in Tel HaShomer or Shaarei Zedek. There seem to be
some outbreaks among Russian immigrants from rural Russia.
Most of these people from rural villages are not Jewish and
do not circulate in our communities.
Shigella is, however, rampant in our country, spread through
contaminated water supplies, mostly from sewage dumped in
wadis and children with dirty diapers playing in playgrounds.
I do not think there is a role for cleaning disposable
diapers as recommended by the reader.
A British reader asks about the sleep disorder machine. It is
called a BiPap machine that keeps airways open during sleep.
Losing weight is always the best option. Dr. Dagan offered to
write you about his problem. Contact me with your email and I
will b"n put you two in touch.
Hiccups -- believe it or not there was a massive article on
this in an obscure journal about ten years ago that I copied.
It is about thirty pages long. Best bet is thorazine-taractyl
in Israel, but some may be resistant. Sneaking up and crying
"Boo" does not help. Write me in care of the Yated.
A message from GlaxoSmithKline, sponsor of this
column. While you have other choices for Shigella in
adults, in kids, Zinnat is the way to go: safe, effective and
not as expensive as the alternatives. Shigella and salmonella
are covered by this antibiotic, and it is given twice a day -
which is easier. Taste is not bad, and few side
effects.
