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  • Should I worry about my child’s stuttering?

    We both remember the days when our daughters were so excited and had so much to say all at once that their mouths couldn’t keep up with the thoughts soaring through their little minds. We recall how they would get stuck on words or phrases such as, “and then, and then, and then.”

  • The FDA wants to ban trans fats.

    On November 7, 2013 the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it would like to ban trans fats in food.

  • Get to know Dr. Bornstein, pediatric gastroenterologist at Arnold Palmer Hospital

    As chief of the Pediatric Center for Digestive Health and Nutrition at Arnold Palmer Hospital, Dr. Jeffrey Bornstein has been an integral part of our medical team for more than 14 years and has helped thousands of children with gastrointestinal disorders. We sat down with Dr. Bornstein to find out a little more about the man behind the medicine. Here’s what he had to say:

    What exactly do gastroenterologists do?

    We take care of patients who have problems with their liver, stomach or intestines. Some are minor and often get better, like babies with reflux or children with constipation. Many people have abdominal pain or stomach aches. Others are more serious - patients who are unable to eat, or who have inflammatory bowel disease (inflammation in the intestines or colon), or who have liver problems.

    Where did you grow up?

    I grew up in Brockton, Massachusetts about 30 miles outside of Boston.

    Where did you go to school?

    I received my bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering from MIT in 1985 and then went on to medical school at George Washington University in Washington D.C. I then continued with a pediatric residency at the U.S. Air Force Medical Center and a Pediatric GI and Nutrition fellowship at Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

    What hobbies do you enjoy outside of work?

    I play basketball, and I also enjoy reading. James Michener is my favorite author. I like to do yard work and gardening, and I love to cook.

    What's your dream vacation?

    One month of touring Europe and ending in Israel.

    Do you have a favorite book?

    Lord of the Rings. I read the trilogy with my son when he was in 5th grade. We've shared the books and movies as a special bond since then.

    How about a favorite movie or TV show?

    I don't have a favorite, but I prefer comedies- happy shows and movies. My work days are filled with worrying about my patients. I don't like to see bad things happen to people when I don't need to, even if it's not real.

    Do you have a favorite sports team?

    I'm a Boston boy, so the Celtics, of course!

    If you could meet anyone (alive or not) who would it be?

    The answer to that question has changed, as I've gotten older. At one time, it was sports heroes, and then it was our ancient rabbis. Now, I think that I'd like to meet Ghandi and be able to better understand inner peace.

    Why did you choose pediatric gastroenterology as a specialty?

    It allows me to see patients with many different types of problems. For most of them, I can help make them better. Many of my patients have chronic diseases. I may not be able to cure them, but I can play a part in making them, their quality of life and their family's life, better. I get to have long relationships with many of my patients and their families. I also get to do procedures, which offers a little bit of change from the office.

    What do you enjoy most about your job?

    My relationships with my patients and their families.

    What's one thing that your patients and their families probably don't know about you?

    I love to cook and entertain family and friends.

    Do you have a favorite memory from working at Arnold Palmer Hospital?

    I don’t have a single favorite memory, but the memories that make me feel best are when a patient or family tells me thank you because I have affected their lives in a positive way.

  • Communicating with your child about the death of a family pet

    I am an animal lover. For years, my pets were my “furry kids.” I played with them, loved them, and took care of them. They were my babies, especially my favorite cat, Zip. Then, like many other parents, I had an actual baby, and my “furry children” sort of slipped off their high-status pedestals!  However, Zip was always special to me. She was a true member of our family.

  • Movies are more violent than they used to be

    My daughter’s fourth birthday is coming up soon. A few days ago as we were driving home from school, I asked her what type of presents she might like for her birthday. I knew the grandparents and great-grandparents would soon be asking so I’d better get some ideas.

  • New laws allow schools to give life-saving care to children with severe allergies

    On November 13, 2013 President Obama signed into law the School Access to Emergency Epinephrine Act, a law that will help schools become better prepared to care for children with severe allergies in the event of an emergency. Earlier this year, Florida also passed a law that allows schools to offer life-saving treatment to those children in need.

  • Why I’m a different parent to my second child than my first

    My son was born three months ago, and already I’m amazed how different the experience has been with my second child than it was with my first. The first time around, I don’t think I could reliably recite my own name and address for the first few months. Much of that first year my brain felt like a mess of scrambled eggs- like someone had shaken up my whole life until I no longer could tell which way was up. I went to work, I took care of my family and life went on, but I lived in a fog of emotions and exhaustion.

  • We Love Isaiah: Little boy battles life-threatening brain tumor

    At 2 years old, Isaiah was diagnosed with a brain tumor wrapped around the stem of his brain. Follow his entire course of treatment as a patient of the Brain Tumor Program at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children and you'll see why we love Isaiah.

  • How do you know when you’ve crossed the line from effective parenting to control freak?

    Growing up, it seemed like most of the parents I knew were struggling simply to manage the basics for their kids. Perhaps it was where and with whom I was raised, but it stands out to me in stark contrast to my parenting peers today. We aren’t struggling for the basics, but we are certainly struggling.

  • January: National Birth Defects Prevention Month

    January is National Birth Defects Prevention Month. One in every 33 babies is born with a birth defect. If you are thinking about becoming pregnant in the near future, there are a few things that you can do to improve your health and reduce the chance of your baby being born with a birth defect.

    Start taking a prenatal vitamin with folic acid.

    Folic acid is a B vitamin that our body uses to make new cells. This vitamin is important because when you have enough folic acid in your body, that helps reduce the risk of birth defects of the brain and spinal cord in your baby (also known as neural tube defects such as anencephaly and spina bifida). Folic acid works best in preventing neural tube defects if taken before pregnancy and during the first few weeks of pregnancy, before most women even know that they are pregnant.