This how-to book teaches parents that there are healthier, more effective ways to solve their children's ear infection problems than surgery or repeated courses of ever stronger antibiotics. Today's standard therapy is not preventive but reactive. Kids typically have each ear infection treated with an antibiotic by their pediatricians. Then, as the numbers of infections rise, children are referred to a specialist for surgery. There is nothing in between. Over the past 35 years, the author has developed preventive medical strategies to fill that therapeutic gap. His "cookbook" is a commonsense compendium of readily implemented step-by-step "recipes" to prevent and control children's ear infections with logical and strategic medical therapy and without the need for surgery. The book details medical recipes that first clean up the ears and nose and then prevent subsequent ear infections. This maximal medical management regimen is called Dr. Smith's VIP Program. V stands for ventilation and IP stands for infection prevention. The ventilation cleanup process eliminates old debris and swollen linings using washing, decongestion, humidification, and healthy feeding strategies. The infection prevention process aggressively prevents and treats the colds, nasal allergies, and stomach reflux that cause ear infections and ear fluid accumulations to occur and persist. Ear infections are the most common affliction of infants and younger children. These infections occur now more often than ever as more infants, toddlers, and young children are socializing in greater numbers at younger ages. More children are spending their days in day care and pre-school programs where the "common cold" viruses and some nasty bacteria run rampant. They are the chief reason for pediatric "sick" visits, and recurrent and persisting ear infections frequently lead to one of the most common surgical procedures performed in children which is ear tube insertion. The book is targeted toward parents, grandparents, and other caretakers of infants and children who are experiencing recurring ear infections. Secondary audiences would include day care staff, pre-school teachers and staff, and teachers of school age children. This book would also be of interest to health care professionals including pediatricians, pediatric nurse practitioners, general ear, nose, and throat specialists, and those training for these professions. The author, Howard G. Smith, M.D., is a pediatric otolaryngologist, a specialist with advanced training and experience treating the ear, nose, and throat problems of infants, children, and adolescents. In addition to practicing medicine, Dr. Smith has a long and continuing interest in educating the public about health care issues. A former radio medical editor and talk show host, he currently produces an internationally distributed podcast "Dr. Howard Smith OnCall."
About the Author: Howard G. Smith, M.D. is a pediatric otolaryngologist, a specialist with advanced training and research interests in the ear, nose, and throat problems of infants, children, and adolescents. He is a graduate of Princeton University and the Harvard Medical School with an additional advanced degree in Immunology from Harvard University. Dr. Smith completed his general surgical training at the Brigham and Women's Hospital and his otolaryngology training at the Massachusetts Eye and Ear Infirmary, both Harvard Medical clinical training programs sited in Boston. Joining the staff of Boston Children's Hospital, he founded the Boston Children's Deafness Network and served as director of otolaryngology at the Eunice Kennedy Shriver Center for the developmentally disabled in Waltham, Massachusetts. Following recruitment to Southern California, Dr. Smith served as Pediatric Otolaryngologist and Medical Director for the Ross-Loos Medical Group in Los Angeles and Orange Counties. He was an attending otolaryngologist at the Children's Hospital of Orange County. Since returning to New England, he has been in private practice at Pediatric Ear, Nose, and Throat Associates in West Hartford, Connecticut, an attending surgeon at the Connecticut Children's Medical Center in Hartford, Connecticut, and a member of the clinical faculty at the University of Connecticut. Dr. Smith has long been interested in educating the public about health care issues. He is a former medical editor and talk show host at WBZ-AM, WRKO-AM, and WMRE-AM, all in Boston, Massachusetts. He may currently be heard on the podcast "Dr. Howard Smith OnCall" available on Apple's iTunes store and at http: //drhowardsmith.libsyn.com/.