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Q: How can I protect my baby from SIDS?
Dr. Lisa Yoshikawa, Pediatrics, Hawaii Permanente Medical Group: SIDS, or Sudden Infant Death Syndrome, is a medical disorder that causes the sudden and unexplained death of an infant who otherwise appears healthy. It is the leading cause of death in babies between the ages of one month and one year.
SIDS often seems to happen when a baby is sleeping. However, it's not the same as suffocation or accidental death.
Scientists don't yet understand what causes SIDS. However, some research suggests that it may be linked with abnormalities in the brain that affect breathing, heart rate, blood pressure and waking from sleep.
Fortunately, research has shown that taking specific steps can help reduce your baby's risk of SIDS.
The single most significant risk factor for SIDS is stomach sleeping, so always place your baby on their back when putting them down at night or for naps. Babies who usually sleep on their backs but are then placed on their stomachs are at the highest risk, so make sure any caregivers, including relatives or babysitters, know how to put them down to sleep safely.
Other steps you can take include putting babies to sleep on a surface that's firm and flat, keeping soft bedding, toys and crib bumpers out of the crib, and making sure baby doesn't get too warm while sleeping. Sleeping with a fan or using a pacifier both help to reduce the risk of SIDS.
Exposure to cigarette smoke, both in the womb and in the environment, can increase the risk of SIDS. So take steps to quit smoking before you get pregnant, and don't let others smoke around your baby.
Finally, you can reduce your baby's risk of SIDS by ensuring they have enough tummy time every day. While your baby is awake, place them on their tummy for a few minutes two or three times a day. This helps strengthen their neck and shoulder muscles and improves their motor skills.
SIDS is scary, but by taking steps for safer sleep, you can reduce the risk and protect your baby.
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Q: Can I take antibiotics for a cold?
Chrissy Miller, RN, Employee Health and Wellness Manager, Maui Health: If you have a cold, you might want to try anything to feel better. But it's not a good idea to take antibiotics. That's because, while colds are caused by viruses, antibiotics treat infections that are caused by bacteria. Antibiotics will have no effect on a cold virus whatsoever.
You might think there's no harm in taking antibiotics anyway, but that's not true. That's because, over time, taking antibiotics unnecessarily can cause it to become less effective, as the bacteria adapt and become resistant. When that happens, the drug might not work when you really need it someday.
Before COVID, it was much easier to distinguish a common cold from the flu, or RSV. Now with COVID, it is always best to get tested if you have symptoms consistent with COVID, even if they could also be symptoms of a cold or the flu. COVID is also a virus and cannot be treated with antibiotics. Once you rule out COVID, the best remedy may be drinking lots of liquids and getting lots of rest.
If your cold lasts longer than a week or becomes more severe, please make an appointment with your doctor right away. It might be a sign that it has developed into a bacterial infection that does need antibiotics. At Maui Memorial Medical Center, our Emergency Department is extremely busy with COVID, flu and RSV patients who have severe symptoms and need emergency care. We are also seeing a lot of patients who have not taken the best care of themselves over the past few years and one or more of their medical issues have worsened. Please don't delay care -- avoid a trip to the ER by talking to your doctor right away about your symptoms and the best way to treat your illness.
* Physicians, providers and administrative staff who practice at Maui Health hospitals and clinics answer questions from the public in Healthwise Maui, which appears on Thursdays. Maui Health operates Maui Memorial Medical Center, Maui Memorial Medical Center Outpatient Clinic, Kula Hospital & Clinic and Lana'i Community Hospital and accepts all patients. To submit a question, go to the website at mauihealth.org/healthwise.