The day will come when your child will need to swallow a pill. Some children have no problem swallowing pills; others flatly refuse or are terrified. Here are some strategies for helping your child master this important skill. Pills vs Liquid Medicine Medicines for...
The holiday season is the perfect time to collect information from relatives about your family health history. “Knowing your family health history can help identify your child’s risk of developing certain serious diseases and health conditions,” says Dr. Lisa Gaw,...
Essential oils are booming in popularity. Parents are looking for natural remedies without the side effects of prescription drugs. People’s Pharmacy in Austin reports a dramatic increase in essential oil sales over the past few years. Worldwide essential oil sales are...
Domestic violence can happen to anyone in an intimate relationship — regardless of gender, sexual orientation, age or race. Also called “intimate partner violence,” domestic violence can happen in all types of intimate relationships, whether married, living together...
Every year, respiratory syncytial virus (or RSV, an illness in the lungs and breathing passages) causes over 2 million doctor’s visits among young children in the US. About 57,000 of these children are so sick, they need to be treated in a hospital. The American...
We want our children to be healthy. When they’re at home, we offer nutritious food, encourage exercise and promote wellness. But once school begins, our kids spend many of their waking hours at school. So, does your child’s school support or sabotage health and...
You probably know it’s important to protect yourself from the sun’s harmful rays at the pool or beach. But did you know you’re at increased risk from ultraviolet (UV) radiation in your car? About 53 percent of skin cancers in the US occur on the left side of...
Did you know that one out of 40 people in the US has scoliosis? The condition is a deformity of the spine — instead of being straight, it curves sideways and may look like an “s” or a “c.” June is National Scoliosis Awareness month. One goal of this campaign is to...
You may or may not have heard of lotus birth. It’s the practice of not cutting a baby’s umbilical cord soon after birth, and instead leaving it and the placenta attached to the baby. For some people, the umbilical cord and attached placenta look like a lotus flower,...
Your child’s body contains trillions of microscopic organisms. These organisms include bacteria, viruses and fungi. Most of them live in the gastrointestinal (GI) tract or “gut.” The GI tract is a long, muscular tube about 30 feet long. This is where food and drink...
“My son can’t seem to stop worrying,“ an Austin mother lamented recently. “He worries about things even when there’s no reason.” Excessive worrying that lasts for at least six months can be a symptom of anxiety. Fifteen to 20 percent of children and adolescents have...
Ear infections in children result in more trips to the pediatrician or other healthcare provider than any other illness. The American Academy of Pediatrics reports that every year, there are over 5 million cases of acute ear infections in children. About 80 percent of...
