mothers & family | parenting

TODAY'S MOM:

CONNECTING & CONNECTED

By LUANNE J. HUNT

A GENERATION AGO, parents seeking medical advice to help their sick children had a limited number of options. A family physician, sure, but for remedies to treat a child’s sniffles or tummy aches, moms and dads often turned to friends or the books of famed author/pediatrician Dr. Benjamin Spock.

Today, thanks to the information superhighway, a world of sources is easily available — great news for parents like Carrie Lassiter.

"If I’m not able to get answers on the Internet, then I will call the doctor," said the Rancho Cucamonga mother of two boys, ages 2 and 5. "I’d rather do the research first because usually the doctor is on such a tight schedule, and you have very little time to ask him or her questions." Another source Lassiter finds helpful is Mothers of Preschoolers, an international organization established to meet the needs of mothers who want to be the best moms they can be.

"What’s so great about MOPS is that it provides a place to be with other mothers who understand what you’re going through," said Lassiter, coordinator of a MOPS group that meets the second and fourth Thursdays of every month at Flipside Church in Rancho Cucamonga.

"One of the ladies who attends our group has a child who was diagnosed with the possibility of having Cystic Fibrosis," she said.

"Another mom gave her some great advice and pointed her to some online resources. Between the Internet and the support from the other moms, she feels a lot better." The organization’s Web site — www.mops.org — features articles, forums, contests and personal stories of struggle and triumph.

In fact, wellness has taken on a whole new meaning today, judging by the traffic at www.kidshealth.org, said Dr. Neil Eisenberg, the Web site’s founder and editor-in-chief.

"We get about 600,000 visits a day," said Eisenberg, whose Delaware-based site provides doctor-approved health information about children from before birth through adolescence.

"We don’t even advertise, so it’s all word of mouth," he added. "Over the last several years, there has been a whole paradigm shift in the way people look at health care.

Our site is one of the first places they go for help." Eisenberg founded his site in 1995 after realizing what a great teaching tool it could be.

Although Eisenberg said only 7 percent of the population was online back then, he felt confident that number would grow substantially.

He was right. Every year since 1995, www.kidshealth.org has seen a 20 to 30 percent increase in traffic.

The site’s database holds more than 8,000 articles and features on everything from infections and first aid to nutrition and fitness.

There are separate areas for kids, teens and parents, each with its own design, age-appropriate content and tone.

Articles are written by medical professionals from around the nation, and all content is reviewed by physicians and other health experts. Additionally, all content is re-reviewed on a regular basis.

"When a health crisis comes up and a parent doesn’t have immediate access to a doctor, they can go on our site and possibly get some of their questions answered," Eisenberg said.

"The Web has helped to bring the expertise outward and into a language that people can understand. And it’s available day and night." Although the Internet is helpful and informative, Eisenberg said it should never be used as a tool for self-diagnosis.

He recommends reading the section on www.kidshealth.org that explains what symptoms constitute a call to your physician.

"It’s a bit hazardous trying to self- diagnose on the Web," Eisenberg said.

"Your doctor will ask questions, probe a little deeper and test when necessary.

Nothing takes the place of face-to-face interaction between the patient and doctor, so don’t hesitate to seek medical attention for yourself and your children."