"What makes family easier" by Nora Imlau
Many people already know that Doc is a big fan of Nora Imlau. So it goes without saying that he was delighted with her new book "Was Familie leichter macht". It's also clear that he read it straight away.
To summarise: he is very, very, very satisfied. With just one small caveat.
What's great about the book and the way Nora Imlau writes her books? The ease with which she writes is admirable. It is very pleasant to read her books - which are very rich in content without ever being pretentious or pompous in terms of style and language. You can read the books smoothly and take a lot away with you.
It's also great how parents are reliably picked up by her at those points where worries traditionally arise, where you might worry too much. In this book, she once again succeeds very well in saying to parents: "Hey, think about what beliefs you carry around with you, where you have worries about the children that are perhaps not so appropriate." This is done in such a pleasant tone that it is simply very beneficial for the reader.
And what totally blew the doc away: The chapter on neurodivergence. It's one of the best things he's ever read on the subject - and he's read a lot about it and discussed it a lot. Nora Imlau has a very insightful view of the topic, good tips for dealing with it and, most importantly, makes a clear statement that neurodivergence and a medical diagnosis are not mutually exclusive. On the contrary, it is perfectly okay for neurodivergent children to receive a clear diagnosis and this can also be helpful for the families. Ultimately, however, it all boils down to the same thing when dealing with the children.
A small caveat at the end: there is one point on which the doctor cannot fully agree, and that is the issue of mobile phones/media. Of course, we in the practice also try to relieve parents of stress on this subject and tell them that it is simply part of the world of children and young people and that we shouldn't be too strict about it. But we have to recognise that there are an incredible number of families where the issue is getting extremely out of hand and they are suffering greatly as a result. On this point, Doc sometimes finds the tone of the book a little too casual or, for his taste, it doesn't convey enough that this is an issue that can put a lot of strain on families and that a certain amount of restriction is perhaps a good parenting approach after all. But of course this is open to debate.
Bottom line: absolutely recommended reading.
Further interesting tips
RSV
Today we're talking about a topic that is currently on everyone's lips - and not just a challenge in terms of pronunciation: We're talking about the "respiratory syncytial virus", or RS virus for short, which is keeping paediatric practices and clinics particularly busy this year.
Advertising ban for sweets & co
In the UK, there has been a ban on advertising extremely unhealthy foods since January 2026. Specifically, products with significantly too much salt or significantly too much and too densely packed sugar may no longer be advertised on television before 9 p.m., and not at all online. Do we need the same in Germany?
Paediatric myths
Have you ever heard these phrases or said them yourself? "The child has such yellow snot, it's probably something bacterial!" "The urine smells so bad, it's probably a urinary tract infection!" "The child is coughing so badly, it must be pneumonia!" You hear all these sentences over and over again and they are all, you guessed it, rubbish.