Back to School
August is back to school month and an exciting time for kids to get new clothes and school supplies. While crayons, paper, backpacks, and notebooks are all on the school supply list, going from the swimming pool to the back-to-school germ pool can be more messy than a leaky glue bottle. By taking basic measures, you can help keep your child healthy which means less missed school days.
Hand hygiene: If your child is old enough and the school allows it, pack their bag with hand sanitizer and teach them to wash their hands throughout the school day, especially before eating. This will help limit exposure to germs and help reduce the amount of colds.
Allergies: In the late summer and fall, allergy season is still ongoing, with grass and weed pollens being predominant. When your child breathes the pollen into their nose, it triggers a histamine reaction that can cause swelling and a runny nose. This can lead to narrowing of the sinus openings contributing to sinusitis. By effectively controlling allergies, you can help reduce the number of sinus infections. At ENT Specialists, we take allergies serious and can safely test and treat allergies so that your child is not the “runny nose kid” at school.
Hearing tests: We frequently evaluate children who have had failed hearing screens at school. Often, failed hearing screens are due to the child not testing well at the school or from active infections or fluid in the ear. At ENT Specialists, we can help facilitate getting your child back on track. Our offices all have an audiologist and audio booth for simple, accurate hearing testing and can make referral to speech therapists if needed.
Strep Throat and frequent tonsillitis: Children with frequent tonsillitis and strep throat may be need to have their tonsils removed surgically. Other signs of enlarged tonsils are difficulty swallowing and snoring. Should your child need to have their tonsils out, expect them to be out of school for two weeks so they can recover. Most teachers and schools do a great job of providing school work and focused assignments so that your child does not get behind when they are recovering at home.
We hope that you and your family have the best healthy school year to date. Should you need our services, our staff at ENT Specialists in Canton, Jasper, and Blue Ridge are all ready to evaluate and effectively treat your child, so you can get them back on the bus.