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  • Why Teens Need the HPV Vaccine Now

    Human papillomavirus causes at least 26,000 cases of cancer every year in the United States: about 18,000 in women and 8,000 in men. In 2006 a vaccine was licensed to prevent most of these cancers as well as venereal warts. First recommended for girls, the victims of more HPV-related cancers, the HPV vaccine was soon recommended for boys as well. The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends HPV immunization for all preteens between the ages of 11 and 12 years, prior to any risk of exposure.

  • Car Seat Safety Guidelines: what you need to know.

    There are few things in parenting as complicated as the rules and regulations of car seats. And yet, there are few things as important for the safety and well being of our kids.

  • Postpartum depression in young fathers

    A recent study published in the journal Pediatrics showed that young fathers, those who became dads at an average age of 25 years, have a 68% increase in depression symptoms within the first five years of becoming dads. This applied to young dads who lived with their children and their wives or girlfriends. Dads who lived away from their children and older fathers did not show that same increase in rates of depression. So why might “postpartum depression” happen to dads? Isn’t that a “hormonal thing” that happens to new moms? But now that we know that this is an issue, can we and should we do something about it?

    What could cause postpartum depression in dads?

    The study carefully made clear that these results only show an association between becoming a dad and an increase in depression. The results do not show that becoming a father actually causes depression in young dads, but it makes sense that it might. They don’t suffer the same physical changes that are going on in new moms, but lots of aspects of parenthood are very stressful for a young dad. First, they are sleep deprived; exhaustion is a known cause of depression. Second, they suffer a kind of loss of their mate. Now mom is busy loving another person, often more than she loves her partner/spouse. Young dads may feel displaced, jealous, and guilty about that at the same time. The relationship between mother and baby is so intense and so culturally unique and special, that a young dad may really feel like a third wheel. Young dads, in particular, may have been enjoying a sort of fantasy new-love relationship with their beautiful partner, and now all of a sudden the rest of life has to do with spit up, dirty diapers, less sex, and a great deal of long-term responsibility. Young dads are also less likely to be secure in their jobs and their income. They may not feel strong in their ability to provide for their new family. All of this can certainly contribute to depression.

    Why does this matter?

    Depressed fathers “read and interact less with their kids, are more likely to use corporal punishment, and are more likely to neglect their kids. Compared to the children of non-depressed dads, these children are at risk for having poor language and reading development and more behavior problems and conduct disorders.” According to lead study author Dr. Craig Garfield, an associate professor in pediatrics and medical social sciences at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, “Parental depression has a detrimental effect on kids, especially during those first key years of parent-infant attachment. We need to do a better job of helping young dads transition through that time period.”

    What can we all do about this?

    Just being more aware of how dads might feel when their babies are born is a start. So much of our focus is on the baby and on how mommy is doing. Dads are usually assumed to be fine, and to be there to help mom. The solution can start with the family and friends. Grandparents, aunts and uncles can offer to change a poopy diaper or two so that dads are not the only ones doing that. It may be a proud role for some new dads to be the diaper guy, but some may really hate it. Friends can take mom out for a walk so that dads can have some quiet, loving, alone time with the new baby if they want that. Or, if dad just needs to get out of the house for a while, friends can offer to watch over mom and the baby so that dad can get a break. Nights can be tough too, especially if dads have to go to work every day. Many young dads cannot afford to take leave from work when a baby is born, so they work all day and then try to spell mom during the night. Family and friends can spend a night here or there filling in for dad so that he can get a few full nights of sleep if that is an issue.

  • Itches and sneezes: Understanding allergies in children

    As I prepare to write about allergies, my poor daughter is sitting next to me sniffling away, red-eyed, stuffy-nosed, and miserable. If you don’t live with allergies yourself, it can be hard to understand how bad this common medical problem can make people feel. But allergy sufferers know that as their season draws near, they can count on disrupted sleep, trouble smelling and tasting food, itching out of their skin, and blowing through boxes of tissues.

    Types of allergies

    Allergies can be perennial, meaning all year long, or they can be seasonal. Perennial allergies are to things like: pet dander, dust mites, molds, and, believe it or not, cockroaches. Here in Florida, where humidity reigns, most of these allergens are everywhere. Seasonal allergies are pollen allergies, and involve trees, shrubs, grasses and weeds. In Florida, where things bloom and pollenate year-round, some unfortunate allergy sufferers can react to multiple pollens during multiple seasons, with little relief between seasons.

    Symptoms to look for

    Symptoms of allergies are many, and are sometimes hard to tell from viral or other illnesses. A common cold follows a rather predictable course: sore throat with or without fever at first, followed by runny nose, followed in another few days by cough. Things get worse over the first week, and then improve over the second week. The flu is marked by high fever and body aches. The hallmark of allergy is the lack of fever, itching of eyes, nose, throat, and/or skin, and the ups and downs of symptoms. Some people have classic allergic rhinitis, with itchy, sneezy, runny nose. Some have allergic conjunctivitis, with red, runny, itchy eyes. Some patients have maddening itching in the back of the throat.  Cough is common in allergy sufferers, and can be from post-nasal drip or from bronchospasm (allergy-induced-asthma is wheezing caused by allergic inflammation). Some allergy sufferers also have itchy dry skin, or eczema.  Complications of allergies can include infections of the ears, sinuses, lungs, and skin.

    How are allergies treated?

    Treatment of allergies may involve determining triggers and eliminating or preventing whatever you can. Sometimes, identifying triggers is easy; for example, if every time your child visits grandma and curls up with the cat she starts to tear and sneeze, your child is allergic to cat dander. You don’t need a test to prove that. On the other hand, allergy tests, which can be blood tests and/or skin tests, can be very helpful in patients with severe symptoms. For example, if your child is often congested and has recurrent sinus or ear infections and turns out to be allergic to dust mites, you can remove carpeting and curtains from his bedroom, encase his mattress and pillow in allergy-control casings, limit plush animals in his bed to one or two, and even run a dehumidifier to kill dust mites. Prevention is considered to be preferable to treatment with multiple medications.

  • Andrew's story- finding joy in unexpected places

    Just days before going into labor on December 23, 2007, Steve and Betsy were anxiously awaiting the birth of their little bundle of joy. All of their doctor’s visits and checkups had been normal, and they were expecting to bring home a healthy, happy baby just a few days after giving birth. Like many other first-time parents, they felt nervous, excited, and a little scared as they awaited the new addition to their family. What they didn’t know was that they were about to go through the most challenging time of their lives.

  • ADHD medications: Things you should know as a parent

    Attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common conditions among school-aged children, affecting roughly one in 25 kids. Children with this disorder often have trouble controlling their behavior, which can have wide-ranging effects on their home and academic lives.

  • Button batteries: a hidden hazard in your home

    Over the past two decades there has been a dramatic increase in the number of children’s emergency room visits due to battery-related injuries. A recent study tracked battery-related ER visits in 100 hospitals across the U.S. and found that over a period of 20 years, the number of these visits had almost doubled. They also found that 84% of these visits were related to button batteries.

  • Could cyberbullying be the cause of depression in your teen?

    Nearly everyone is familiar these days with the terms "cyberbullying" or "online bullying". This is a form of bullying where someone is harassed, threatened, or humiliated through the internet, usually through various social media networks. It is becoming increasingly common; statistics say about 58% of kids admit someone has said mean or hurtful things to them online. More than 4 out of 10 say it has happened more than once. These figures sound about right to me. At Teen Xpress, I have several students every week tell me that they are dealing with some sort of online bullying.

    Cyberbullying can lead to depression in teens

    Being intimidated, verbally abused, or harassed online can wreak havoc on a young person’s psyche, causing a multitude of issues, especially depression. When looking specifically at depression, it’s hard to know the exact numbers or relationship between the two because bullying is usually underreported (with an average of only 1 out of 10 young people telling an adult).

  • If news headlines have made you feel like a bad parent, you aren’t alone

    You are a bad parent.

  • Emotional Eating: Parenting and its effect on our children’s eating behaviors

    I was asked to speak on TV recently about an article entitled “Eating Your Feelings? Your Mom Might Be to Blame.” Of course, for TV, the story had to sound catchy, so the TV host really played up the blaming mother and grandmother aspect. That made me sad; parenting is really a hard job and it is rough to be blamed for errors we make while doing our best. The data, though, really does suggest that how we were parented may affect eating behaviors and those of our children. The issue is important, since at least a quarter of preschool children in the United States are overweight. Obesity at the age of five is a very strong predictor of whether or not someone will be obese as an adult. So how we feed our young children and how we teach them to eat really matters for their whole lives. My take is that this information is not an opportunity to point fingers, but an opportunity to learn and to do better as parents.

    What the study has to say

    The article was based on a study done by researchers at the University of Illinois and published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics. It showed that primary caregivers (usually moms) who had an insecure attachment to their own mothers are more likely to have young children with unhealthy eating habits who are overweight or obese. “Insecure attachment” is a term from psychology that has to do with how we feel about parents who don’t respond consistently to our needs. Parents who grew up insecure tend to have more trouble dealing with their own children’s needs, especially when it has to do with negative things like distress, anger, or sadness. That in turn is connected with some unhealthy behaviors surrounding food and eating.

    Real life examples

    The study clearly showed that homes where children’s sadness or anger are dismissed are also homes where there are fewer family mealtimes, more television viewing time, and more “comfort feeding.” These behaviors are known to lead to obesity in even the youngest of children. For example, an overwhelmed mother might respond to a temper tantrum by feeding her toddler snacks to make him stop crying instead of using appropriate parenting techniques to deal with the tantrum. Another example might be the parent who puts her four-year-old in front of the TV to eat dinner instead of having a family mealtime, since the TV keeps the child quiet and makes her sit still longer than sitting at the table for dinner. Sadly, this also leads to overeating in the whole family.

    So, what do we do with this?

    Well, if you have a two-year-old who is already overweight, maybe there is room to work with your parenting behaviors around food. Look at how you respond to your child’s negative behaviors. Do you tell your child, “that’s nothing to be angry about?” Or do you find yourself saying, “don’t be sad?” Instead you could say, “I hear that you are angry” or “you seem to be sad.” It’s hard to do. If you need to, ask your pediatrician for suggestions to deal with (and to help your child to deal with) those negative feelings. Could you tolerate a little tantrum or some tears instead of abandoning the family table for a meal in front of the TV (we call it the brain sucker in my house)? Could you give up feeding your child snack foods or treats to console them when they are angry or sad? Could you let go of the expectation that your small child will sit still to eat and will clean her plate? Could you serve a healthy, well-balanced meal and deal with it if your “picky” toddler gives you a hard time about it or refuses to eat?