All Search Results
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Get to know Dr. Patricia Wheeler, pediatric geneticist at Arnold Palmer Hospital
You could say that a pediatric geneticist is a modern-day Sherlock Holmes, working to solve the mystery of a child’s medical condition. Geneticists work with families to help determine whether a child’s illness could be caused by a change in a child’s DNA, the hereditary material that carries a person’s genetic information. Accompanied by a team of professionals, a geneticist also helps figure out whether this disorder is likely to be passed on to future generations and helps patients and families seek the best care for their condition. Some common inherited disorders that geneticists diagnose include autism, neurofibromatosis, Down syndrome, sickle cell disease and many more.
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How should we communicate with other parents as our kids get older?
As a parent of a big kid, one who is not quite yet a teen but close to it, my husband and I have found that we are starting to allow our child more freedom to do things. He is hanging out with other kids more at our house and their houses. He’s riding his bike to his friend’s houses alone. This means that more and more often, we are trusting other parents to keep an eye on our kid and in turn, we are watching not only our son but his friends, too.
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Four things to know about concussions in kids
Concussions happen all the time. According to the American Academy of Pediatrics, an estimated 3.8 million recreation and sports-related concussions occur in the US each year! And as brain injuries, every concussion needs to be taken seriously. Research is ongoing into the long-term effects of traumatic brain damage in both youth and adults, but in the meantime, here are some things you should you know about the injury and its implications for your child returning to school and play.
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What to tell your kids about vaping
One of the most challenging aspects of raising a teen or pre-teen is this: the environment in which they are growing up looks dramatically different than it did when we, their parents, were young.
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How should you clean your breast pump?
If you’re a nursing mom, you may choose to use a breast pump to provide breastmilk for those times you’re away from your baby. Whether you’re going back to work, heading out for the occasional date night or simply need to give yourself a break from nursing, your breast pump can be an indispensable tool in helping you continue breastfeeding as long as you choose.
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What is music therapy and how is it used in a hospital?
I am a music therapist in a pediatric hospital and a hospital for women and babies. That is often what I say when I’m asked my occupation by friends and family. While most people generally understand what goes on in a hospital, it can be difficult to conceptualize what music therapy is and how it functions in the medical setting. Follow-up questions and comments from those unfamiliar with music therapy often include: “I didn’t know that was a thing” and “So you play music for patients in the hospital?” My answer is yes, it is a thing, but it is so much more than just playing music for hospitalized individuals.
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How and why to talk to your kids about their private parts
Later that night as I thought back on the conversation, though, I realized I wasn’t quite sure what my daughter would call her private parts. For boys, it’s often a different story since the opportunity (or necessity, rather) to discuss boys’ private parts presents itself more readily. If you have boys, you know what I mean; if you don’t, enjoy your ignorance. For girls, though, it seems many of us avoid the conversation while they’re young due to fear of our kids embarrassing us in public with their newfound vocabulary or because we just don’t know what to say. Then, before we know it we look at them and realize they’ve grown up, and we should have had the conversation long ago.
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Five things every kid needs to be mentally healthy
Lately there seems to be an increased focus on the needs of our children, especially when it comes to their mental health. Sure, everyone is different, but according to Martin Seager, a renowned clinical psychologist, psychotherapist and activist, there are five universal musts for all children to grow up mentally healthy.
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How breastfeeding benefits you and your baby
I’d like to let you know about some of the benefits of breastfeeding and offer some resources for breastfeeding moms. Before we get started, though, I want you to know that this is not meant to make you feel like you have to breast feed or that you failed if you stopped or didn’t want to breast feed.
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You can save a life: what you must know as a bystander of a traumatic injury
For those among us who have dedicated their lives to caring for others within the hospital setting, life and death are regrettably very familiar topics. Our Emergency Department personnel have the responsibility and the privilege of caring for families in their most vulnerable moments, and because we are a Level One Trauma Center our dedicated staff is expertly trained to care for patients who have suffered accidents or injuries of the most critical nature.
