Children's Health

The tendency to be allergic is inherited, but the specific allergens that one is allergic to are not necessarily inherited. For instance, one family member can be allergic to pollen and another to dust mites, f... continue reading  about  Are some allergies and asthma inherited? My sister and I seem to be allergic to the same foods and pollens. Also do children ever outgrow these conditions?

I'm SO glad that your family is remembering sunscreen! The most recent statistics from the Center for Disease Control (CDC) show that approximately 70,000 people in the United States are diagnosed with melanoma... continue reading  about  My son is in school all day, then jumps into a car to travel to an outdoor swim practice. He has about five minutes to get ready. If we apply sunscreen in the morning, is it still effective eight hours later? What sunscreens are best for his situation?

Teens in organized sports, such as soccer, football and lacrosse, are particularly vulnerable to concussion. Approximately nine percent of all high school athletic injuries are concussions.Before enrolling your... continue reading  about  I'm concerned about my child getting a concussion while taking part in organized athletics. What can I do?

"Pink eye" is a very common patient complaint and usually refers to the experience of eye redness, swollen red eyelids, itching or burning, or drainage from the eye. The patient is most often diagnosed with con... continue reading  about  What are the symptoms of pink eye? How is it treated?

Our society certainly sends a mixed message when it comes to our weight: the media bombards us with images that equate being beautiful and glamorous with being thin - and yet we are bombarded even more with ads... continue reading  about  My body seems to have found its favorite weight and its hard to budge it from there. Do people have a normal weight for their body, despite media pressure to be thinner or heavier?

What a good question with a big answer. Puberty is an important rite of passage for both kids and parents. The average age for puberty is around 11 years old. Precocious puberty is defined as puberty body chang... continue reading  about  My six-year-old niece began to smell strongly of B.O. My sister-in-law mentioned this to their pediatrician who then diagnosed my niece with "precocious puberty." What are the causes and long term affects of this condition?

The pneumonia vaccine helps protect you from S. pneumoniae, a bacterial germ that causes serious lung infections like pneumonia as well as blood infections and meningitis. It protects you from the most common t... continue reading  about  At what age should I have a pneumonia vaccination? Thank you!

Swimmer's ear is a term commonly used to describe an infection of the ear canal. People who repeatedly wet the ear canal (swimming, surfing, scuba diving) can develop persistent dampness that allows either bact... continue reading  about  What is "swimmer's ear" and what is the best way to deal with it?

The short answer to your question is that for healthy kids, melatonin is probably safe and effective in small doses, under the direction of a physician, for two to four weeks. Outside of these conditions, thing... continue reading  about  My sister-in-law's pediatrician recommended melatonin to help her three-year-old go to sleep at night. She says it works well. But how safe can this type of thing be for toddlers?