Your teen’s doctor just suggested the birth control pill. Before you mutter “I don’t think so,” hold on a minute. There might be a good reason — a medical reason — and it doesn’t mean your teen is going to go out and start having sex. Teen girls often go on the pill (or another…
The surest way to know whether you are maintaining a healthy weight is to know your body mass index (BMI). An unhealthy BMI can lead to many serious health conditions. It also can keep you from living the life you want to live. You have the power to change your life. Find your BMI here…
Turmeric, a beautifully colored relative of ginger, is a spice commonly used in curry and added to foods for color. It also has a host of health benefits, mainly thanks to its anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Curcumin, a compound found in turmeric, can help with heartburn and indigestion, joint pain, pelvic pain, and even depression…
Spring is here and participation in organized sports or playing in the neighborhood offers tremendous social, emotional and physical benefits for children. We know it is no fun for kids to sit on the sidelines with an injury. Here are a few simple things parents can do to help reduce injuries so kids can continue…
I came across a news article that finally validated my coffee habit. The study touts that drinking coffee is tied to a lower risk for developing multiple sclerosis (MS). And we’re not talking one cup, but upward of five full cups of coffee a day. But then that little voice of reason that likes to…
We’ve all done it: overslept and skipped breakfast or worked through lunch. Schedules get hectic and suddenly eating is dropped from our to-do list. However, skipping meals undernourishes your body and mind, and can lead to at least seven health consequences: Decreased immunity, which makes you more likely to get sick Overeating when you finally…
I’ve been a practicing pediatrician for 13 years. I feel like I’ve seen it all — from the normal bumps and scrapes to some of the rarest syndromes and diseases on this planet. But there’s one thing that always shocks and upsets me as a physician and as a parent: child abuse. An abused child…
Anyone who has ever heard the words, “You have cancer” — or who loves someone who has heard them — will tell you these are life-changing words. Less than two years after my mother heard those words in 1988, she died from lung cancer that had spread to her brain. She was only 57 years…
As you probably know by now, I have two children: my kind, silly, dramatic and oh so rambunctious Jude, age 6; and my precious, affectionate, sassy and bossypants of a girl, Bryce, age 3. My husband and I work full-time; our kids go to two different schools and are into their own extracurricular activities (that…
Any parent would agree: There are milestones in our children’s lives that give us thrills and chills. Watching our children take their first steps, play a team sport for the first time, receive an honor from a teacher — the list goes on. What about the onset of puberty? For many boys and girls, this…
Giving up a newborn baby may seem unimaginable. But for some Kentucky moms, they are faced with having to make that heart-wrenching decision. Up until now, they had only three days after giving birth to do so. That’s about to change. The Kentucky General Assembly has passed an expansion of Kentucky’s Safe Infants Act, also…
Cranberries, blueberries, raspberries, oh my! Berries promote urinary tract health and provide protection against infection with an important compound that helps fight bacteria and keeps it from sticking to the lining of the urinary tract.