As your daughter develops physically and emotionally into a young woman, she will also be developing a sense of privacy about her own life.  That is why you will want your daughter to have a consultation with a gynecologist before she has her first boyfriend, goes off to college, or before she is faced with a gynecological problem or concern that requires immediate attention. 

You will want to make sure that her first trip to the gynecologist is as pleasant and as free from anxiety as possible.  The initial visit to the gynecologist often does not involve a physical examination.  Typically the first visit requires only verbal interaction to discuss topics such as menstruation, sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s), sexual behavior, and contraception.  Other discussions include the subject of the Human Papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination and its role in preventing warts, cervical disease and cancer. 

Regardless of what topics are discussed the goal is to make sure your daughter knows she has a professional friend she can feel comfortable talking to and will return to and seek follow-up with if a concern arises.

Dr. Bernick has a reputation with adolescents of expressing an extra special sensitivity necessary to earn your daughter’s trust and respect while making the experience as free from anxiety as possible.

Consider making your daughter a consultation.

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn

Top Baby Names for 2011 … as released by website BabyCenter.com, where more than 300,000 new parents registered the names they gave new babies in 2011. The site’s 12th annual top-100 survey finds Sophia and Aiden (with various spellings) most popular again in 2011. New in the top 10 are Mason and Liam for boys and Emily for girls. 

Girls

1. Sophia

2. Emma

3. Isabella

4. Olivia

5. Ava

6. Lily

7. Chloe

8. Madison

9. Emily

10. Abigail

Boys

1. Aiden

2. Jackson

3. Mason

4. Liam

5. Jacob

6. Jayden

7. Ethan

8. Noah

9. Lucas

10. Logan

Source: BabyCenter.com

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Dr. Bernick has been awarded by his patients again as one of Florida’s favorite physicians for 2011!

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn

Officials urge children, adults to get Vaccinated

A 2-month-old baby in Palm Beach County died recently from whooping cough at a hospital in the western part of the Palm Beach County, according to the health department.

The bacterial infection is relatively rare but has been on the rise in Florida and other parts of the nation in recent years. It is especially dangerous to infants whose immune systems are not fully developed, as well as others with weakened immunity, health officials said.

The bacteria, known as Bordetella pertussis, spreads through droplets expelled in a cough or sneeze from an adult or child who may have few or no symptoms and may not even know they are infected.

“We’re still investigating how the baby got it,” said Tim O’Connor, a spokesman for the Palm Beach County Health Department. “The assumption is a family member or some adult passed it along.”

The disease can be prevented with a common vaccine called Tdap or DTaP, which also protects against tetanus and diphtheria.

Doctors give babies Tdap shots at 2, 4 and 6 months of age to build immunity. Children get another shot at 18 months and another before entering school. Health officials recommend they get a booster shot before or during high school.

But the vaccine is thought to wane after about 10 years, and many adults have never been vaccinated against the infection, which can easily be mistaken for a common cold in its early stages, officials said.

“It’s really important now, more than ever, for adults to get the Tdap vaccine if they haven’t been immunized recently,” Dr. Alina Alonso, director of the county health department, said in a statement.

Officials urge any adult who will be around an infant — including parents, siblings, grandparents, baby sitters — to be vaccinated.

“All adults are encouraged to consult with their medical provider and get the tetanus/pertussis booster if eligible,” Alonso said. “The more people are protected greatly reduces the chances of passing pertussis along to a baby.”

Whooping cough killed thousands annually decades ago, before the vaccine came into wide use. Since then, the disease has a cyclical pattern of re-emerging in some regions every three to five years, said Jeff Dimond, a spokesman for the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

A major outbreak in California last year — with 9,100 cases and 10 infant deaths — pushed the number of U.S. cases to 27,500.

Florida has seen a steady rise in cases over the past decade, from 67 in 2000 to a record 497 in 2009, then down to 329 last year. So far this year, whooping cough is up by about 10 percent to 227 cases, the state Department of Health reported.

Palm Beach County has had 16 cases so far this year, up from 4 during the same period last year. But Broward has had just one case this year and Orange County is down to 12 infections from 16.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) and the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology recommend all parents or expecting parents of newborns to be vaccinated with the Tetanus, Diptheria and Pertussis booster.

This booster shot is available in our office.  Please call (561) 362-6789 to schedule your appointment.

By Bob LaMendola, Sun Sentinel

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn

To most people a baby crying might not be the best sound. But to Talisha Torres it was music to her ears after little Christopher Whelan started choking on a green bean.

“I whipped off his table and I unbuckled him and threw him over my knee,” said Talisha.

It may not sound like the typical Heimlich manuever but it’s the correct way to give the life-saving technique to a child. And Christopher’s babysitter knew how to do it because she had taken the Infant CPR class at Boca Raton Regional Hospital.

When Christopher’s mom heard the news she broke down in tears, thankful for her babysitter and thankful for her little boy.

Less than 1 percent of people know CPR and the Heimlich, luckily Talisha was one of those people because in the end Christopher’s life depended on it.

Click to view video

Boca Raton Regional Hospital – Infant/Child Safety and CPR Learn the basics of infant and child safety and cardiopulmonary resuscitation. The class includes infant and child CPR/accident prevention, and management of life-threatening situations such as choking, suffocation, near drowning, and poisoning. Co-sponsored with the American Heart Association. Time: Dates and Times vary, please call Place: Boca Raton Regional Hospital, Charles E. Schmidt Education Center Phone: 561-955-4468

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn

If you’re pregnant during flu season, you’ve got an extra reason to get a flu shot. Expectant mothers who received the influenza vaccine were less likely to have premature or smaller infants, according to a new study released Tuesday in PLoS Medicine. Researchers found that those who had received an influenza vaccine were 72% less likely to have a premature birth and 69% less likely to have a smaller than expected baby.

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn

A story was published in the South Florida Sun-Sentinel on March 17, 2011 suggesting several local doctors have a policy of turning away patients above a certain weight limit or that are considered obese. Dr. Bernick believes strongly that healthcare professionals have an obligation to help improve the quality of health of all individuals and does not deny care based on weight or other prejudicial reasons. Dr. Bernick cares for women irrespective of race, religion, sexual orientation, medical condition, age, weight or other discriminatory factors.

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Dr. Brian A. Bernick will be featured in the July 2011 book release, Most Recommended Physicians – as Chosen by Peers and Point Ranking

Press Release – April 6, 2011

Finding the best doctors in a particular medical field in your area can be a tough decision. This book, Most Recommended Physicians – as Chosen by Peers and Point Ranking is a comprehensive guide to finding the best doctors in Florida. These top doctors are listed through an extensive research and verification process. The list is based on voting by peers and a point ranking system developed by National Consumers Survey.  We are proud to announce that Dr. Brian A. Bernick has earned that distinction and will be featured in the 2011 edition.

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Dr. Brian A. Bernick has been named by South Florida Super Doctors magazine as one of the top doctors in South Florida for 2011.

Press Release – March 16, 2011 Dr. Brian A. Bernick has been named by South Florida Super Doctors magazine as one of the top doctors in South Florida for 2011. Only five percent of the doctors in the South Florida are named by Super Doctors. The selections for this esteemed list are made by the research team at Super Doctors, which is a service of Key Professional Media, Inc. Each year, the research team at Super Doctors undertakes a rigorous multi-phase selection process that includes a survey of doctors, independent evaluation of candidates by the research staff, a peer review of candidates by practice area, and a good-standing and disciplinary check. Dr. Bernick will be listed in the 2011 South Florida Super Doctors special section that will be seen in the September/October 2011 issue of City & Shore Magazine.

The Super Doctors Selection Process

In selecting physicians for Super Doctors, Key Professional Media employs a rigorous multi-step process designed to identify physicians who have attained a high degree of peer recognition and professional achievement. Super Doctors is a selective yet diverse listing of outstanding doctors, representing consumer-oriented medical specialties. Survey of Doctors Key Professional Media sends a ballot to more than 10,400 medical professionals in South Florida asking them to nominate colleagues they know to be exceptional in their specified field. Physicians are asked to consider the following question: “If you needed medical care in one of the following specialties, which doctor would you choose?” Numerous safeguards are in place to prevent ballot manipulation and doctors may not self-nominate. ResearchNext, each nominee in the candidate pool is evaluated by Key Professional Media research staff, using a set of 10 established indicators with varying point values. Doctors are evaluated on the indicators of peer recognition and professional achievement including:

Years of experience

Hospital appointments

Fellowships

Professional activities

Leadership positions

Academic achievements/positions

Board certifications

Publications, lectures & presentations

Honors and awards

Other outstanding achievement

Blue Ribbon Panel Review Nominees are then grouped into specialties. Doctors, in each area, who have the highest scores from the nomination and evaluation steps are invited to serve on a “blue ribbon panel.” Each panelist is asked to review and evaluate a list of nominees from his/her area of focus. The Final Selection The last step is to total the points received from nominations, research, and blue ribbon panel review. Only the highest-scoring doctors are included on the Super Doctors list. The Super Doctors list is limited to 5% of the physicians within the respective state or region. Before Publishing Prior to publication, the research staff also independently reviews the discipline record of each candidate before publication and verifies with the Florida Department of Health and The American Board of Medical Specialties (ABMS) that the doctor is active and in good standing.

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn

Below is a policy appearing in the April issue of Pediatrics, the peer-reviewed, scientific journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP).

For Release: Monday, March 21, 2011

In a new policy published in the March 21, 2011 issue of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) advises parents to keep their toddlers in rear-facing car seats until age 2, or until they reach the maximum height and weight for their seat. It also advises that most children will need to ride in a belt-positioning booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years of age.

“A rear-facing child safety seat does a better job of supporting the head, neck and spine of infants and toddlers in a crash, because it distributes the force of the collision over the entire body,” said Dennis Durbin, MD, FAAP, lead author of the policy statement and accompanying technical report. “For larger children, a forward-facing seat with a harness is safer than a booster, and a belt-positioning booster seat provides better protection than a seat belt alone until the seat belt fits correctly.”

While the rate of deaths in motor vehicle crashes in children under age 16 has decreased substantially – dropping 45 percent between 1997 and 2009 – it is still the leading cause of death for children ages 4 and older. Counting children and teens up to age 21, there are more than 5,000 deaths each year. Fatalities are just the tip of the iceberg; for every fatality, roughly 18 children are hospitalized and more than 400 are injured seriously enough to require medical treatment. New research has found children are safer in rear-facing car seats. A 2007 study in the journal Injury Prevention showed that children under age 2 are 75 percent less likely to die or be severely injured in a crash if they are riding rear-facing. “The ‘age 2’ recommendation is not a deadline, but rather a guideline to help parents decide when to make the transition,” Dr. Durbin said. “Smaller children will benefit from remaining rear-facing longer, while other children may reach the maximum height or weight before 2 years of age.” Children should transition from a rear-facing seat to a forward-facing seat with a harness, until they reach the maximum weight or height for that seat. Then a booster will make sure the vehicle’s lap-and-shoulder belt fit properly. The shoulder belt should lie across the middle of the chest and shoulder, not near the neck or face. The lap belt should fit low and snug on the hips and upper thighs, not across the belly. Most children will need a booster seat until they have reached 4 feet 9 inches tall and are between 8 and 12 years old. Children should ride in the rear of a vehicle until they are 13 years old.  A car seat guide for parents is available at www.healthychildren.org/carseatguide

Boca Raton Ob/Gyn