The nose and sinuses are designed to protect us from viruses using small, finger-like projections called cilia that literally beat back infections. Cilia love humidity; when your sinuses and nasal passages get too dry, the cilia have a hard time doing their job and microbes get stuck in there. This is why pediatricians love humidifiers and saline nasal spray. Help your cilia help you: avoid decongestants, irrigate your nostrils and humidify your air.
Author: Elizabeth Bird
Elizabeth Bird, MD, FAAP, graduated from The Yale University School of Medicine where she was awarded both the American Medical Women’s Association Glasgow Memorial Award and New England Pediatric Society Prize. She went on to complete her residency at the University of Michigan where she also served as Chief Resident of Pediatrics with distinction.
Upon completion of her training, Dr. Bird worked in the Hasbro Children’s Hospital Emergency Department and as a hospitalist in the pediatric inpatient wards. During that time she was Associate Program Director for the Brown University Department of Pediatrics Residency and was awarded the Brown Pediatric Faculty Teaching Award.
Following approximately 15 years of academic pediatric practice, Dr. Bird began exploring integrative and complementary modalities when two of her children were diagnosed with celiac disease and she sought a comprehensive approach to their healing. Thus began a fascination with gut health and pursuit of IFMCP (Institute for Functional Medicine Certified Practitioner) status; she is due to complete her IFMCP requirements in the Fall of 2020. Dr. Bird is board certified in Pediatrics by the American Board of Pediatrics and a fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics. She maintains privileges at both Yale New Haven Hospital and Connecticut Children’s Medical Center.
“Through the Functional Medicine model, I am able to pursue the kind of investigative practice that makes my job far more fulfilling. I have a passion for finding and facilitating the body’s innate healing response whenever possible. I have learned that incremental improvements in health often have a kindling, snowball effect on a child’s overall well-being. Facilitating a child’s wellness and watching it ripple into all aspects of his or her life is the most gratifying thing in the world.”
