Menu
Virtual Visit Request an Appointment ER Wait Times
Search
Back

Filter By

All Search Results

  • Eye screenings recommended for young children

    An eye patch is commonly used for one of two reasons in young kids. One, your child is impersonating Johnny Depp and playing “pirate for the day”. Or two, the patch is being used to treat a condition known as “amblyopia”, also known as “lazy-eye”. Amblyopia is a condition that is easily preventable, which is why pediatricians are now urging eye screening for children as young as 1 year of age.

    What is amblyopia?

    Amblyopia occurs when the brain is not using one eye because it doesn’t see as well as the other eye. This condition only occurs in children and if left untreated, can result in permanent loss of vision. Amblyopia is the most common cause of vision problems in children, affecting 2 – 4% of the US population and is preventable.

    If it's easily preventable, then why is it so common?

    Good question. Currently, the U.S. Preventative Services Task Force (USPSTF) only recommends testing children for amblyopia between the ages of 3 and 5, stating there is insufficient evidence to recommend testing for younger children. However, a recent study published in the journal Pediatrics shows otherwise.

    The Study

    The goal of this study was to help provide the USPSTF with the evidence needed to include toddlers in their recommendations. Data was collected from a photoscreening program called “Iowa KidSight”, a program that has been offering photoscreening to children as young as 6 months of age since 2000. Over 200,000 screenings of children’s eyes were conducted from May 2000 to April 2011. Of the children screened, the youngest were 6 months old and the oldest were between 7 and 8 years old. Researchers used the data collected by this program (over 11 years worth of data) to compare screening results of young children with that of preschool-aged children.

  • 3 Things to Know About Baby’s Tummy Time

    1. Tummy time is an important playtime for babies!

    Tummy time is playtime for babies when they are awake. When your baby is awake and can be supervised by an adult, they should be placed on their tummy on a firm surface for about 5 minutes to play. This activity can start as soon as you bring your baby home from the hospital, and babies should have tummy time about 2 to 3 times per day. Tummy time helps strengthen a baby's muscles.

  • Is going "gluten-free" just a fad?

    I remember when my great-aunt Sally came to visit, she would often bring her own bread and a tub of margarine or stick of butter. If we went out to eat to a place like Pizza Hut, she would order a salad with no croutons. When the salad arrived with croutons, she would send it back and have them remake it without them. Aunt Sally had celiac disease; a condition that damages the lining of the small intestine, causing malabsorption of nutrients after a protein called “gluten” is consumed. Even the tiniest crumb of a gluten-containing food caused Aunt Sally a lot pain.

    How common is celiac disease?

    An estimated 1% of the population in the United States has celiac disease, and 97% of those affected by celiac disease are undiagnosed. In Florida, that means approximately 195,000 people have celiac disease, but fewer than 6,000 of them know it. In one study looking at the prevalence of celiac disease in the U.S., 29 of the 35 people found with celiac disease did not know they had it prior to the study. 

  • Prevent those "terrible twos" by easing communication frustrations

    One of the most frequent referrals we receive for a speech-language assessment is for the two-year-old child who “does not talk.” The parent interview usually reveals that both the parents and the toddler are at their whit’s end, experiencing daily frustrations due to communication breakdown. Luckily, there’s usually a pretty easy way to alleviate this problem; an augmentative means of communication (AAC).

  • Is violence an infectious disease?

    Newtown. Aurora. Oak Creek.

  • Kids are consuming too much salt.

    When my colleagues and I decide to meet for lunch, the first thing we request is the nutrition facts for the restaurant we visit. More times than not, I am disappointed when I can’t find an entrée that had less than 1,500mg of sodium, even on the children’s menu. I usually settle for the lowest sodium option that I can put together. However, while looking around the restaurant, I can’t help but notice that some patrons still add salt to their meal, despite the higher-sodium choices.

  • Summertime snack ideas for kids

    Summer is here, which means more time spent at home (and in the kitchen), while kids are on summer break. Not only are parents’ concerned with finding ways to entertain their kids, but also with what to feed them.  And it always seems as if kids are hungrier in the summertime, as they have the freedom to “graze” all day long.

    What, when, and how much

    Snacking can be, and should be, a healthy part of any kid’s diet. But, it’s not just about what you feed your kids, it about when and how much. According to Kids Eat Right, an initiative of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics that focuses on kids’ nutrition, there are several scenarios in which snacking can actually be harmful to a child’s diet: Unplanned, random snacking can lead to weight gain. This is one of the major contributing factors to the issue of childhood obesity, as kids have more access to food at all hours of the day. When kids have the freedom to snack all day, and at any time of the day, the natural instinct that lets them know when they are hungry, or full, is disrupted.However, snacks that are offered at the right time and in the right amount, can help kids achieve a healthy weight, as their bodies are continually growing and are in need of energy. Here are some guidelines for healthy snacking for kids: Most kids, and teens, need to eat every three to four hours in order to achieve a healthy, balanced diet throughout the day. For younger kids, this is equivalent to about three meals and two snacks a day. Older kids need to eat three meals and at least one snack a day. Older kids who are going through a growth spurt, or are very physically active, may need two snacks a day to make up for the additional output of energy. Consistency is key. A good rule of thumb is to offer a snack a few hours after one meal and one to two hours before the next. By doing this, kids are less likely to refuse food at mealtime, only to beg for snacks later, and will be ready for their next meal if snacking is limited beforehand. Remember, it’s not just when kids snack, but how much they are eating during snack time. This guide is a great tool for parents, as it shows healthy snack portions based on various food groups for kids.

    Snack ideas for kids

    One advantage of kids spending more time at home while on summer break is that they tend to eat healthier at home, given they are not surrounded by the endless options of junk food found in the vending machines at school. Here are some healthy snack ideas for the whole family: Ants on a log. Cut a piece of celery into segments, spread with peanut butter (or other nut butter of your choice), and top with raisins. Fruit and dip. Cut up your favorite fruit, or a variety of fruit, and serve with a small portion of Greek yogurt, mixed with cinnamon and a drop of vanilla extract. Keep in-season fruit on hand for a quick snack on the go! Summer fruits include: berries, cantaloupe, honeydew melon, grapefruit, watermelon, and peaches. For a full list of in-season produce, visit here. Veggies and dip. Cut up an array of veggies and serve with a “homemade” ranch dip. Combine a packet a dry ranch mix with Greek yogurt for more staying power, as Greek yogurt has almost 2x the amount of protein as regular yogurt. Craving chips? Think about dry-roasted edamame or soy nuts instead. You can still get the salty, crunchy goodness found in chips, with less fat and added fiber!Want more snack ideas for the whole family? Check out our Arnold Palmer Hospital “Fun Eats for Kids” Pinterest board.

  • Why I gave up eating French fries for a whole year.

    It was New Year’s Eve, 2012. My husband, son, and I were hanging out on the couch, waiting for the ball to drop. We started to talk about resolutions, which I usually don’t do. I took a deep breath and announced something that I had been thinking about for the last couple of days - my resolution for 2013. I WAS GIVING UP FRENCH FRIES. Probably not for forever, but at least for the year. This may or may not seem like an insurmountable feat to you, but I, in my mid-thirties, had never done anything like this. I had been eating (and loving) fries, on average, a few times per month (maybe more) my entire life. My husband and son looked at me like I was truly nuts. The expressions on their faces were priceless, and telling. I realized if they were that shocked by my plan, then from a health perspective, this was definitely something that I should do.

  • Getting her tonsils and adenoids removed

    My daughter, Hannah, is a typical 10-year-old girl. She loves spending time with her friends and family, doing gymnastics, reading, being silly and taking self-photos. She’s a girl who’s always on the go, except when she is not feeling well. Hannah’s tonsils have always been enlarged, and when Hannah is sick, she almost always has strep throat. Hopefully, fighting bouts of strep throat will be history, now that she’s had her tonsils removed.

  • Should my child take swim lessons?

    Summer is in full swing, and many families in central Florida are heading to the pool or the beach to cool off. While you are having fun with your family, it’s important to use layers of protection to help keep your children safe when they are playing in or near the water.