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  • What we do now may affect our future children’s genetics

    We are all aware that mothers who smoke while they are pregnant run a higher risk of having children who are premature, smaller than they should be, or stillborn. This is likely due to reduced oxygen supply to the baby through mom’s diseased body and to toxins shared by mom with baby. We also know that children who are exposed to second-hand smoke have a higher risk of developing respiratory diseases like asthma, chronic lung disease and even cancer due to direct lung damage from inhaled smoke.

    What you do with your body early in life can affect future generations

    But recent data suggests that a father’s behavior even years prior to conception may affect the health of his children and future generations. For example, early paternal smoking has been associated with increased body mass in children. Paternal alcoholism has been associated with smaller birth weights in babies, and hyperactivity in children. Most recently, smoking even early in life has been found to be associated with an increased risk of certain forms of asthma in a man’s children. A study which was recently presented at the European Respiratory Society International Congress looked at 13,000 men and women and found that non-allergic asthma was significantly more common in children whose fathers smoked before the age of 15. In addition, the longer the father smoked, the higher the risk of his child having this kind of asthma. Interestingly, the same link was not found in children whose mothers smoked before they conceived.

  • It’s flu season! Here’s what you need to know.

    This post was written by Dr. Tom Ruffin, pedatric resident at Arnold Palmer Hospital

  • What you must do to prevent medication errors in your home

    Every 8 minutes, a child experiences a medication error.

  • How technology helped Katie overcome her fear of needles

    Written by a Pediatric Nurse Practitioner at Arnold Palmer Hospital

  • Get to know Dr. Karen Bender, pediatric anesthesiologist at Arnold Palmer Hospital

    Knowing that your child needs surgery can be difficult for any parent. One of the most frightening aspects for parents is knowing that your child will be under anesthesia. How will my child respond to the anesthesia? Will he or she recover well? Will you keep my child safe? These are just a few of the many questions that parents have as they prepare their child for surgery.

  • Meet Dr. DeCampli and Dr. Nykanen, Co-Directors of The Heart Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital

    Dr. DeCampli, pediatric cardiac surgeon, and Dr. Nykanen, pediatric cardiologist at The Heart Center at Arnold Palmer Hospital, are best known for their skill and precision in the operating room, as well as their dedication to the care of kids battling congenital heart disease during outpatient visits and procedures.

  • Blankets can kill your baby

    Putting your baby to sleep in unsafe bedding could cost your child his life, but according to a study from the American Academy of Pediatrics, half of parents are doing just that.

  • Making Kids Feel Like Kids: What it’s like to be a Child Life Specialist

    Most kids don’t want to step foot inside of a hospital. Luckily for the children treated at Arnold Palmer Hospital for Children, the Child Life staff improves the hospital experience. And for the kids being treated at the Center for Children's Cancer and Blood Disorders, Child Life Specialist Lauren Hamed and team focus on making extended stays and routine visits full of therapeutic interactions.

  • Do you think your child may have ADHD? Here are the next steps to take.

    Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) is one of the most common medical issues affecting children, with an estimated 5 to 11% of children in the U.S. diagnosed with the disorder. Despite its prevalence (or perhaps because of it), an ADHD diagnosis for a child often brings with it feelings of stress, frustration, confusion and fear for parents. There are multitudes of conflicting opinions floating around about ADHD, and many parents find it difficult to decide which voices to listen to and how to make the right decision for their child.

  • Epilepsy patients: sleeping on your stomach may be associated with sudden death

    New research published in the Journal Neurology brings to light an association between patients with epilepsy who experience sudden unexpected death and their sleep positioning. As researchers reviewed studies pertaining to sudden unexplained death in epileptics, they determined that victims of this tragedy were much more likely to be found lying on their stomachs, especially if they were under 40 years of age.

    What does this study mean? 

    First, it’s important to know what it doesn’t mean. This study cannot and does not tell us that sleeping on your stomach will kill you, whether you suffer from epilepsy or not. When a scientific study shows an association between two things, it doesn’t necessarily mean that one thing causes the other. It means that two things are somehow associated and more work needs to be done to determine exactly what is causing the two to coexist.