• As we have discussed many times, kids need more exploratory self-engaged time without parental overlords. My friend, Dave, sent me this excellent link to a well written article on this topic. Give it the 20 minutes of digestion needed to stimulate a conversation in your house.

The Fragile Generation: Bad policy and paranoid parenting are making kids too safe to succeed: Lenore Skenazy & Jonathan Haidt from the December 2017 issue at http://reason.com/archives/2017/10/26/the-fragile-generation

• I think that it is always a good idea to try an elimination diet if you are suffering from fatigue, chronic congestion, irritable bowel symptoms, muscle and joint aches, headaches, heartburn, weird chronic rashes and brain fog. Gluten and dairy are the most common irritants followed eggs and corn. Peanuts, tree nuts, soy and shellfish are also potential players in the food reaction arena. Check out the app Intolerances. It has a really well laid out system for understanding food issues.

• If you are planning on conceiving a child, get a dog and increase the bacterial friend burden in your home. Your child’s immune system will thank you.

• Influenza: the predominant strain is an A (H3N2) which is notoriously bad for the elderly and the very young. The CDC has put out a report that can be viewed on the main CDC site.

The synopsis is as follows:

1) This years influenza vaccine has a 30 percent effectiveness against this A strain which is clearly not good.

2) The use of antiviral medications known as neuraminidase inhibitors for this illness may be necessary if you are in a high risk group.

3) The use of medication should occur within 48 hours of infection symptom onset to be effective.

4) Continue to use hand hygiene, cough etiquette and remain home if you are ill to prevent the spread of disease.

Dr. Chris Magryta is a physician at Salisbury Pediatric Associates. Contact him at newsletter@salisburypediatrics.com