Pediatrician At Hand

“I love being a pediatrician, it makes me feel young being around children. As a mother and grandmother myself, it is very easy to relate in dealing with little ones as well as teaching and helping them. If I were to train all over again, I definitely wouldn’t change a thing,” shares Dr. Generosa “Gening” Solano, a highly respected pediatrician based in Cebu City.

Having trained in the US for five years (three years in pediatrics residency, one year rotating internship, one year of pathology plus years of experience), Dr. Solano admits that she first wanted to become an OB. “But I really enjoy caring for young children from birth onwards and looking after their development, so Pediatrics was and is really for me,” she shares.

Being very dedicated, Dr. Solano has always believed that maintaining good health for your child cannot get any more important. Since younger children, most especially babies, are more susceptible to common viruses and illnesses, Dr. Solano would always tell the parents or guardians of her patients to avoid crowded places or have close contact with other children who are sick, coughing especially.

As diseases and viruses are preventable with the help of vaccinations, it is also helpful to know that vaccines nowadays are more purified in comparison to ones that were available on the market years ago. “For example, when children get their DTP shots (a combined vaccine of diphtheria, tetanus and pertussis given at 2 months old, 4 months old and 6 months old), it is expected that a child would develop side effects such as fever, which is the most common, but this doesn’t happen anymore since the newer vaccines use fewer antigens. This acellular vaccine is more purified and considered safer, but also more expensive,” she says. “It’s true that diseases can come and go anytime. For example, measles used to be very common some years ago but through vaccination, this has become less common. As for small pox, this virus is almost non-existent. But it is still very important to get your child immunized nonetheless. I’ve always believed in the saying, ‘an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure’, which is very true.”

“Good hygiene on the other hand such as washing hands before and after eating is also very important for children. This also includes that food is well prepared to avoid diarrhea and typhoid”, says Dr. Solano. “To maintain good health, a child should always have a balanced diet. This means a mix of carbohydrates, vegetables and protein and of course milk for calcium. The five-a-day is very important for a growing child, you cannot argue with that. Avoiding junk food, which contain empty calories or fried/salty food is better to do. It’s true that children need fat, but good fat is what they need. If you can also avoid fast food especially at a young age, this will lessen to clog arteries at a later stage.”

With regards to disciplining children, from her experience, (Dr. Solano has five children and three grandchildren), this should be implemented at a very young age. “Once your child reaches the age of five, the age when they start to have a mind of their own, then it will be very difficult to revert the situation. Parents should be reminded that they are controller and not the other way around,” says Dr. Solano.

As a highly experienced professional, Dr. Solano would always advise anyone to never follow myths when it comes to health. If in doubt, speak to a pediatrician who can give you the best advice.