Pediatrics and Pediatrician in Ocala, Citrus Springs, Dunnellon, and The Villages, FL: Family Doctor Services

What Premier Pediatrics offers for children’s health

An Overview of our Approach to Treatment

While there are a multitude of varying opinions, policies and procedures concerning pediatric care, Premier Pediatrics has always approached treatment by first asking one simple yet vital question:

What will provide the best immediate and long-term results for the child?

In many instances, there may be multiple modalities that would provide equal results. That’s one of the primary reasons we share and communicate all possibilities with the parent and/or legal guardian of a dependent child. We take the time to present the best choices based on a comprehensive evaluation of diagnostic results, answering all your questions and addressing any concerns you may have. When more than one option exists, a parent may choose a particular treatment for any number of reasons. While our recommendations are based on the rational analysis of available data, ultimately, we can only make recommendations.

We also believe in taking advantage of every available asset if it will help your child. By working with professional counselors throughout our community, we ensure each and every child receives the benefit of the best available care. Our 360-degree approach provides real-world treatments that have a positive impact on the life and wellbeing of your child, from changes in nutrition to behavior modification. Premier Pediatrics always offers treatment that brings the best immediate and long-term results for your child.

Medical Truth or Fiction

It’s the facts that matter

True or False: Medication is the best way to treat illness.

Answer: FALSE

Premier Pediatrics maintains that no medication is the best approach. Unless we’re convinced your child needs medication we won’t prescribe one. The younger the child, the higher the risk of medication side effects. Rather than prescribe medications, we’ll provide symptom relief and education. Remember: our role is to recognize and manage serious conditions. If we find none that require medication, that’s a good thing!

True or False: Antibiotics are the best approach in treating a cold.

Answer: FALSE

Most colds, ear infections, coughs, bronchitis and bronchiolitis and pneumonias are caused by viruses and usually require no antibiotics. Antibiotics cannot kill viruses, so viral infections aren’t treated with antibiotics. Today’s highly effective universal immunization programs have nearly eliminated serious bacterial infections requiring antibiotics except for only few(bacterial ear infections, bacterial pneumonia, strep throat, sinus infections, urinary tract infections, bacterial endocarditis, etc.)

True or False: Medication is the only way to treat ADHD.

Answer: FALSE

There are a variety of approaches available in treating ADHD. It’s important to understand that accurate diagnosis is the first step in determining treatment options. If a preschool-aged child is diagnosed with ADHD, you may find through observation that it’s simply a matter of age. If you can interact and engage your child with a little effort, structure the day, be firm and consistent, praise and reward good behavior and discipline for undesired behavior, it may be best to take a wait-and-see approach.

Studies have proven positive results in controlling behavior and mood symptoms with

• Exclusion of artificial food coloring (e.g red dye) (Sonuga-Baker et al. Am J psychiat,2013)
• Use of omega-3 (fish oil with a high EPA to DHA ratio) (Sonuga-Baker et al. Am J psychiat,2013),Bloch et al.JAACAPN,2011.

Although not specifically proven by research, there are many anecdotal claims that ADHD symptoms are reduced by:

• Restricted elimination diets (e.g sugars, gluten).
• Introducing high caffeine drinks (e.g. coffee, Mountain Dew)
• Using supplements like L-Carnitine, DMAE(dimethylaminoethanol), megavitamines

American Academy Of Pediatrics recommends the following ADHD management practices:

• Ages 4-5:     Parent Training in Behavior Management+/or Classroom behavior management, Medication used only if behavior therapy insufficient or unavailable or child’s functioning continues to be moderately-severely impaired
• Ages 6-11:   Behavior Therapy plus Medication preferred, medication alone next best
• Ages 12-18: Medication and/or Behavior therapy, preferably both

Premier Pediatrics offers a host of services, including:

Our Procedures include:

• Skin Tag Removal – Avoid scarring, infection and unnecessary pain with professional in-office removal. Skin Tags contain blood vessels and should NEVER be removed by anyone other than a medical professional.
• Wart Removal – Always let a medical professional examine and remove warts to ensure it isn’t another type of growth, such as skin cancer.
• Molluscum Contagiosum Freezing – This small, contagious rash often appears as one or more small growths or wart-like bumps. Freezing is a quick and painless method of removal.
• Incision & Drainage of Abscesses and/or Boils – quick and sterile procedure in the comfort of our office.
• Suture & Staple Removal – let’s make sure the wound has healed properly when we remove the staples
• Chronic Ear Pain / Ear Clogging – while you’ll find dozens of suggested home remedies, only a medically trained professional can accurately diagnose and treat the cause of an ear pain or symptom. Don’t risk your child’s hearing: let us provide the necessary treatment.
• Tongue-Tie Clipping – when the connecting skin under your baby’s tongue is short or extends too far toward the front of the tongue it can cause problems with feeding, swallowing and speech. A frenotomy (tongue-tie clipping) is a simple, safe and immediately effective procedure.
• Dental Fluoride Treatments – an excellent way to help prevent the occurrence of cavities and tooth decay.
• Vision Testing – many times academic problems can be attributed to poor eyesight that has yet to be diagnosed and/or corrected.
• Allergy Testing – We now do in-house allergy testing and immunotherapy. The patient is being tested for 58 allergens and 2 controls, controls are used to make sure there are no antihistamines in the body to block the test. 60 scratches are done in total: cat, dog, guinea pig, hamster, horses, feathers, 2 types of dust mites, several different trees, several weeds, molds, fungus and about 10 different grass pollens. Refer to FAQ page for more information.

Premier Pediatrics is proud to be a Preferred Provider for most major insurance companies. Contact us today to schedule an appointment

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