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For Release: January, 2009 or anytime thereafter
Getting Through Gastroenteritis
A Guide for Parents
by Charlotte Cowan, M.D.
Coming to the rescue of the millions of parents whose children suffer every
year from gastroenteritis (stomach flu) is Dr. Charlotte Cowan, a board-certified
pediatrician and a Fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics.
As part of her award-winning Dr. Hippo Series of children’s books, Dr.
Cowan has written Getting Through Gastroenteritis: A Guide for
Parents. This is included with her latest title, The Moose with Loose
Poops ($17.95 hardcover, www.drhippo.com).
The Guide for Parents is an 8-page laminated pamphlet that answers
parents’ most frequently asked questions. It offers clear suggestions about
what to do and when to call for help with a sick child.
Among the questions covered, the most basic one is:
How will I know that my child has gastroenteritis?
Dr. Cowan writes:
You will know that your child is sick if he:
- Develops a fever, vomiting, or diarrhea
- Gets unusually cranky, hard to settle down
- Appears to have a stomach ache that comes and goes
- Loses his appetite
- Changes his normal stooling pattern
- Seems very tired
In the Guide she offers special boxed TIPS, one of which is:
Gastroenteritis often frightens a sick child. Knowing what is
wrong (and that it will be over soon!) will reassure him.
On the sample page, shown here, Dr. Cowan answers the
question: When should I worry/call the doctor?
She addresses several other questions in the Guide, each with reassuring advice. They include:
What is gastroenteritis?
What are the complications of vomiting/diarrhea?
What about medications?
How can I help my child feel better?
How can I keep the rest of my family from getting sick?
When may my child return to day care or school?
Another TIP explains the biggest problem with gastroenteritis —
dehydration. This occurs when a child loses more fluid (through
vomiting and diarrhea) than he is able to drink. The best way a parent
can help a child with gastroenteritis is to give him lots of fluid. “But
avoid sugary drinks like full-strength juice or soda,” urges Dr.
Cowan, “since these can make diarrhea worse.”
Dr. Cowan makes clear that the purpose of her pamphlet is to educate parents and other caregivers. While
every effort has been made to ensure the accuracy of the information, the content of the pamphlet (and the
book) should not be construed as definitive medical advice and is not a substitute for the professional
judgment of a child’s health care provider in diagnosing and treating illness.
However, the next time parents are concerned about their child’s case of “loose poops,” they can review
their copy of Getting Through Gastroenteritis: A Guide for Parents to remind themselves what to look
for and what to do.
Sample page and information reprinted with permission from Getting Through Gastroenteritis: A Guide for Parents, a pamphlet
available in copies of The Moose with Loose Poops by Charlotte Cowan, M.D., $17.95 hc, available at bookstores nationwide,
online or by calling 1-800-462-6420. Visit www.drhippo.com for additional information.
The Moose with Loose Poops
by Charlotte Cowan, M.D.
illustrated by Penelope Neal
Color illustrations throughout
32 pages • 9.25" x 8.5"
For children ages 2 - 7
ISBN-13: 978-09753516-5-9
$17.95 dust-jacketed hardcover
Publication date: January 2009
Published by The Hippocratic Press, Concord, MA.
The book will be available at bookstores nationwide with
distribution being handled by National Book Network (NBN).
It will also be available online or by calling 1-800-462-6420.
Read more about the Dr. Hippo Series at www.drhippo.com
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