![\"\"](\"http:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2012\/12\/Witham-Nancy-214x300.jpg\" "\\"Witham,")
<\/a>For many adults, having an annual physical is routine and an important gauge of their health.\u00a0 These exams are also beneficial for children.\u00a0 They allow parents to keep up with health issues the child is already experiencing as well as new ones that may turn up during an exam.\u00a0 Annual physicals also provide children the opportunity to ask medical questions as they grow.\u00a0 Physicals are part of the back-to-school routine for athletes, but all children can and should benefit from these exams.<\/p>\n
Through their conversations with young patients, doctors can help to identify worrisome issues that might otherwise be overlooked by even the best parents.\u00a0 A routine exam can save a life.\u00a0 Typically, all major body systems are checked during these visits.\u00a0 Your child\u2019s growth and development will also be evaluated.<\/p>\n
Your child\u2019s doctor will also look for the less obvious.\u00a0 Sometimes these minor concerns have the potential to develop into big problems if left unaddressed.\u00a0 \u00a0Screenings can sometimes uncover \u201csilent\u201d issues, such as elevated blood pressure.\u00a0 Additionally, your child\u2019s doctor can take this valuable opportunity to counsel children and teens on how to take better care of themselves.<\/p>\n
Routine exams help put parents on the right track to better health for their children.\u00a0 At first they may not want to get regular exams, but once a routine is established, children will grow to understand the value of time spent with their physician every year.\u00a0 Seeing the pediatrician only when sick or at required visits for immunizations and school forms deprives both parents and children of the valuable information their doctor may have at a routine check-up.<\/p>\n
Routine exams are a way for families to become partners in their child\u2019s health.\u00a0 Some of the most common concerns that come up are sleep problems, diet, allergies, and bowel-function issues.\u00a0 Sometimes children will be reluctant to listen to their parent\u2019s advice, but when they also hear the same things coming from their doctor it helps to send the proper message.<\/p>\n
Dr. Nancy Witham, M.D., is a board certified pediatrician with Lee Physician Group.\u00a0 Her office is located at 260 Beth Stacey, Suite C, in Lehigh Acres.\u00a0 Additional offices are located in Fort Myers, Bonita Springs, and Cape Coral.\u00a0 \u00a0She can be reached at 239-343-9888.<\/em><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" For many adults, having an annual physical is routine and an important gauge of their health.\u00a0 These exams are also beneficial for children.\u00a0 They allow parents to keep up with… <\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":8,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[99],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16372"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/8"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=16372"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/16372\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=16372"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=16372"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/thelehighacresgazette.com\/news\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=16372"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}