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  • Look Before You Lock

    Last summer, after I took my kids to see the pediatrician for their regular check-up, I’ll never forget what my doctor told me at the end of the appointment. My pediatrician said, “Please remember to have your car keys in your hand every time you get out of the car.” I nodded and knew what she meant. We all hear about kids who’ve been locked in cars that become very sick, or even die from heat stroke.

  • My Healing Harmony

    As a kid, being hospitalized can be a scary thing. Being in an unfamiliar place without the comforts of home, undergoing surgery, or dealing with pain that is unimaginable to most people is tough. The days can become monotonous, as kids start to feel less and less themselves, and more defined by their illness. Sometimes, kids can’t express their pain or what they are feeling, making it difficult for those around them to understand. Amidst these daily struggles, My Healing Harmony, the music therapy program at Arnold Palmer Hospital, brings hope and healing to patients and families.

    What is My Healing Harmony?

    My Healing Harmony was started two years ago by the Fatone Family Foundation as a way to bring the healing powers of music to patients. After starting their own foundation, the Fatone family was looking for a way to share their love and knowledge of the music industry with kids in need. And what better place to bring hope and joy to kids than at Arnold Palmer Hospital? My Healing Harmony comes to life through music therapist Holly Solis, whose angelic voice brings smiles everywhere she goes. Whether it is comforting a child while going through a procedure or bringing relaxation to a patient’s bedside through peaceful melodies, Holly shares her gift of music to brighten a child’s day.

    The benefits of music therapy

    There are many ways that kids can benefit from music therapy. Music has been found to promote healing in patients recovering from surgical procedures or battling life-threatening diseases. Therapists are able to use music as way to relate to what kids are going through and help distract them from the pain they are feeling. Music is frequently used as a relaxation method to calm a patient’s anxiety and fear. When Holly makes her daily rounds to patient rooms, she says, “I always look at the vital signs when I walk in to the room and as I am playing a song, because I can see a difference from the time I start to when I finish. It’s a great way to know the patient is relaxed”.

  • Does swimming cause ear infections?

    This blog post was originally published in June 2014

  • Should I be concerned about West Nile virus?

    This year’s outbreak of the West Nile virus could be the worst our nation has ever seen. With 1,118 cases of the disease in 38 states reported so far this year, the incidence is nearly three times that of previous years. Seventy-five percent of the reported cases have been concentrated in five states: Louisiana, Oklahoma, Mississippi, South Dakota, and Texas. According to the newest figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, 41 people in the United States have already died from the illness in 2012.

    What is West Nile virus?

    Although identified in Uganda in 1937, the first reported case of West Nile virus in the Western hemisphere occurred in the New York City area in 1999. Since that time, it has spread to nearly every state.

  • The silent scars of emotional abuse

    Most children of abuse don’t know they’re being abused. It’s all they know- it’s seems normal to them. For most of us, the word “abuse” refers to someone else, something worse than what we’ve been through.

  • Touching other family’s hearts through Emma’s story

    Emma is a giggly 7-year-old with an infectious smile that can light up an entire room. She’s just a normal kid who loves to dance, run around with friends, and have fun with her younger brother. What you wouldn’t know is that Emma’s journey has been nothing short of extraordinary. She was born with multiple heart defects, leaving her parents to wonder if she would even make it to her first birthday.

  • What does health care reform mean for kids?

    Just those three little words - health care reform - have the potential to give me a headache. That’s not because of my personal political views one way or the other, but because of the ongoing debate that continues to rage in the public forum. The sensational news headlines, the talking heads on television, the doomsday predictions: it’s simply too much. I don’t want to argue or hear others argue about it.

  • Arsenic in rice: is it safe?

    Last week, Consumer Reports issued a warning to consumers regarding potentially harmful levels of arsenic found in rice and rice products. The Food and Drug Administration also released preliminary data from an in-depth study which seemed to be in line with those conclusions. But, don’t run to the pantry to purge your home of your favorite cereal just yet.

    What is arsenic?

    Arsenic is a chemical substance found in our environment that can be naturally occurring (due to the erosion of rocks or volcanic eruptions) or can occur due to the use of arsenic-containing pesticides. Low levels of arsenic are found in air, soil and water, which means that it can also be taken up into plants as they grow.

  • Debunking the flu shot myths

    You may have heard some of these concerns about the flu shot, but are they really true or merely common misperceptions?

    “I got the flu from my flu shot.”

    MYTH. The flu shot is an inactivated vaccine, which means that it is made of killed influenza virus. Sometimes people may have picked up another type of virus that produced mild symptoms shortly after they received their flu shot, and they may assume that because they are “sick,” then they have the flu.

  • Follow Aiden's Heart Surgery As It Happens

    We followed 16-month-old Aiden through heart surgery to repair a heart defect called Atrial Septal Defect (ASD) that enables blood flow between the left and right Atria through an abnormal opening. We captured his surgery through Instagram as it happened, posting updates and pictures every few minutes so that his story could be followed in real time. Below are the photos and a timeline of events throughout the surgery. Aiden's surgery was successful and we wish him the best as he gets back to being a normal little boy again.