Pediatrician Harry Banschick on vaccinations and a child’s psychology

Demarest resident Dr. Harry Banschick had originally planned to be an internist, but while treat-ing patients as chief resident of Brookdale University Hospital and Medical Center in his home borough of Brooklyn, he says, he "saw the circular path that life takes." That's when he realized his true passion was in pediatrics, where he could treat patients at the start of their lives.

"You're catching people on the way up as opposed to the way down," Banschick says. Working with bright young patients, Banschick says he feels 35 — not his true age, 62. It's also rewarding, he adds, to see kids he's treated for years grow up and bring their own children in. Although all three of his sons were patients, however, Banschick is staying out of the way when it comes to his grandchildren.

"I'll only be on call," he says. "At about 10 months, babies figure out you're the guy with the shots, and I don't want to scare them away."

Today, Banschick is director of pediatrics at Holy Name Medical Center in Teaneck and practices out of Fort Lee. Here, he discusses why parents should vaccinate their children and what areas of health to focus on as a child gets older.

Q. What has changed most in your field in the past decade?

The Internet has had a tremendous effect. Adults have so much information available to them that is not always correct. Take this new epidemic of enterovirus, for example. It's put some kids in the hospital in the Midwest, but it's a virus we've known about since the 1960s. It's definitely bad for kids with respiratory illnesses, but the sensationalism [causes] undue burden. Everyone calls up wondering if their kid has it. I also find parents worrying about autism. I think that the increased incidence is due to increased awareness.

Q. What do you think will change in the next decade?

Video medicine will be more prevalent. There are smartphone apps [like HealthTap] that let you send pictures and videos to doctors. This is where medicine is really heading, especially in more rural places or even [for] chronically ill patients in cities [who can't leave the house].

Q. What do you tell parents who don't want to vaccinate their kids?

I have many who don't. Vaccines are the most effective way of keeping kids alive.

Q. Do you put kids on a diet?

I beg them to go on diets if they're overweight, but sometimes it's futile. I recommend the common sense diet: You can't give a child everything they want.

Q. Do you think it's important to know your kid's cholesterol level?

Our recommendation is to test a child's cholesterol three times: at age 5, 11 and before they go off to college. If high cholesterol runs in the family or there's an abnormality, then we check more frequently.

Q. Your most heartwarming case?

I've had a patient who had metastatic bone cancer and survived. The cure for childhood cancer has gotten so much better. I've been around 30-something years. And the prognosis for premies is also so much greater. Every 10 years, it gets better. I've had babies who were in the hospital 60, 50 days.

Years ago, they'd have cerebral palsy or respiratory issues, but these babies were perfectly healthy. I get to follow those kids and see the difference [in medical advancements].

Q. What's the most important thing to pay attention to for your child's health?

Their self-esteem. Parents usually detect physical problems very quickly, but making sure the child feels good about themselves is important. I've learned that anxiety is a big part of all their problems.

Q. What problems do you typically see in each age group?

Preschool age, you see upper-respiratory issues — colds, coughs, wheezing. They're being exposed to everything and the immune system is still being developed. In elementary school, the infectious stuff: strep, bronchitis. Adolescence is more psychology; as they get older, behavior and self-esteem becomes a bigger part of what I [address]. Some are more comfortable talking to me than their parents – they feel more open talking about sexual preference, drug use, etc. It goes from treating infections to becoming a behavior specialist, in a way.

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