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  • Is it safe to get the flu shot when you're pregnant?

    Answered by Dr. Jessica Vaught, Director of Women's Services, Advanced Gynecologic Surgery and Pelvic Medicine, Winnie Palmer Hospital

  • Tips to help your child maintain a healthy diet throughout the school year

    With so many things to do when getting ready for school, it’s important to remember to place good nutrition at the top of the “to do” list. Planning out your child’s menus will help ensure that they will have nutritious meals and snacks available throughout the day, and will help them to have more energy and mental power to be successful at school.

  • Does your child need the Hepatitis B vaccine?

    Written by David Sunnenberg, pediatric hospitalist at Arnold Palmer Hospital

  • Have you heard? The Nutrition Facts label is getting a facelift.

    I’ve seen countless news articles and blog posts encouraging people to read the Nutrition Facts label to help make better food choices, and many even explain what to look for. But if you’re like me, it can still be confusing and overwhelming at times. I mean, the food labels were created over 20 years ago and haven’t been updated since, other than to add trans fats to the labels.

  • How my son’s diagnosis is changing me

    Other than the occasional cold and runny nose, both of my children have been perfectly healthy. Until now, that is. Last week, my 7-month-old son had a severe reaction after eating eggs, and he’s been diagnosed with an egg allergy.

  • Is your child lactose intolerant?

    Lactose intolerance is a common problem that affects millions of people worldwide. It tends to affect certain ethnic groups more than others, and occurs more frequently in black, Hispanic, Asian, American Indian and Ashkenazi Jewish people.

    What is lactose intolerance?

    Lactose intolerance is when your body can’t digest lactose, a sugar found in milk and milk products. In order to properly digest lactose, the enzyme lactase must be present within the small intestine. Those who don’t have enough of the enzyme lactase have trouble digesting lactose, which leads to a variety of symptoms such as abdominal pain, bloating, nausea, cramping or diarrhea.

    Know the difference between lactose intolerance and milk allergy

    Lactose intolerance is not an allergy. Some children do have an allergy to the protein found in cow’s milk, but this is entirely different than lactose intolerance. Allergies involve an overactive immune system, and a milk allergy can result in damage to the digestive tract over time. Lactose intolerance is a deficiency in lactase and doesn’t involve the immune system. While lactose intolerance can be very uncomfortable, it doesn’t usually cause damage to the digestive tract.

    Symptoms to look for in your child

    The symptoms of lactose intolerance can occur suddenly, but more often develop over time. If a child experiences abdominal pain, gas, nausea, bloating or diarrhea after consuming milk or dairy products, lactose intolerance could be to blame.

  • Learning to slow down and enjoy quality time with my son

    About two weeks ago, my 8-year-old son was feeling yucky. The excessive amounts of pollen floating in the air caused his nose to get stuffy, his throat and head to hurt, and his eyes to water. We gave him a day off from school to rest. On that day, he lay down on my bed to chill out. He wasn’t really tired enough to fall asleep, but at the same time, didn’t really feel up to doing much of anything. I lay down next to him.  We talked a little, I stroked his hair, handed him tissues.  It was the first time in a long, long time that we were still together, not doing anything. Despite the fact that he wasn’t feeling well, it was really nice. It reminded me of when he was really little, and I realized that I missed doing that with him.

  • Txting and driving among teens.

    April is National Distracted Driving Awareness Month and what better way to bring awareness than to talk about the dangers of texting and driving among teens? Studies show that a large number of accidents can be attributed to distracted driving, more specifically, texting and driving. Now, I’ll be the first to admit that I am guilty of this, too. There have been several times that I have caught myself texting or emailing while driving, only to find myself barely escaping what could have been an accident. And every time, I tell myself, “That was a close one. I am never picking up my phone again while driving.”

  • Does your child have abdominal pain?

    As a young child growing up just outside of New York City, I complained of stomachaches every Wednesday afternoon before going to ballet class. I vividly remember those days. Initially, my mother was very concerned because I had repeatedly begged to enroll in ballet school and was clearly very excited about the opportunity. Little did I realize what I was getting into! This particular Manhattan-based ballet school was bent on creating professional ballerinas. As a shy, cherubic, roly-poly newbie to the dance scene, I was not prepared for the intensity of the class. My mother quickly picked up on the pattern and realized that I was having a physical reaction to the stress from the rigorous dance class. Fast forward many, many years later, and here I am, a pediatric gastroenterologist, taking care of hundreds of children each year with chronic abdominal pain.

  • In the midst of flu season: Everything you need to know about the flu vaccine

    Have you and your children had your seasonal flu vaccines yet?