Babies will strain from time to time to move the stool along through the intestines. If you want to do something when babies grunt, push, or strain, try picking them up to get gravity to help them in their efforts, or try holding the knees against...
Keratosis pilaris is a common mild condition in which the backs of the upper arms look rather like dried out, plucked chicken flesh. Click here for more information about this hereditary skin condition.
Immune-mediated or type 1 diabetes most often strikes young people, especially between the ages of 5 and 7 (when viruses run through the schools), or at the time of puberty (when so many hormones change). For this reason, it used to be called...
Summer is upon us once again (at least in the northern hemisphere), and it's family vacation time! Ah, yes, family vacations -- those times filled with memories of long days being together and having fun, or memories of long days being together with...
Trisomy 13, a genetic defect caused by the presence of an extra 13th chromosome, can be a devastating blow to a family. Click here for more information on trisomy 13.
Trichorrhexis (pronounced trick-o reck sis) is not a word you are likely to hear tossed around in casual conversation. It comes from two old Greek words: trichos -- meaning hair, and rhexis -- meaning fracture. People with trichorrhexis have hair...
When the mosquito stabs her needle-like mouthparts through the skin of her victim, she injects her saliva -- teeming with digestive enzymes and anticoagulants. The first time a person is bitten, there is no reaction. With subsequent bites, the...
Sources of childcare information have very different recommendations for care of uncircumcised penises. Some advocate aggressive wiping using cotton swabs and alcohol to clean under the foreskin. At the other extreme, some authorities suggest doing...
The anterior fontanel, or soft spot on a baby's skull, is a cause of concern for many parents. Elsewhere, the baby's brain is protected by a wall of bone; here only soft, squishy tissue separates the brain from the traumas of the outside world. The...
Many parents wonder how many poops their baby will have each day - some because they’re concerned about constipation and others because they’re hoping to avoid lots of diaper changes.
The pinworm, or Enterobius vermicularis, is one of the most common parasitic infections of humans. Somewhere between 10% and 40% of children have pinworms at any given time (Pediatric Consult, Williams and Wilkins 1997). Click here for more...
During the febrile seizure, leave your child on the floor, although you may want to slide a blanket under him if the floor is hard. Move him only if he is in a dangerous location. Loosen any tight clothing, especially around the neck. If possible,...
All children should be taught to wear sunglasses, especially between 10 AM and 2 PM, when ultraviolet exposure is the most dangerous. This is true even for children with darker eye colors, even though their darker pigments afford partial protection...
Tongue-tie isn't just a cartoon caricature or picturesque description of an embarrassing moment; it is a relatively common physical condition. But when is it necessary to surgically correct a tongue-tie? Click here to see what Dr. Greene has to say...
The umbilical ring is a small hole (about 1/2 inch in diameter) through which the umbilical cord passes into the belly. If the umbilical ring remains open after birth, the child has an umbilical hernia. Click here for more information on umbilical...
Coxsackieviruses belong to a large family called the enteroviruses (named for their tendency to thrive in the human intestine). The most famous member of this family is polio, which has caused childhood paralysis dating back from at least 1350 B.C....
Umbilical hernias are quite common. They are found in about 10 percent of all babies, and as many as 90 per cent in some ethnic groups. They are also much more common in girls and in premature babies.
Hives occur when the body's capillaries and tiny veins get leaky. Fluid escaping from some of these blood vessels gets trapped in parts of the skin and lining membranes of the body, causing the localized swelling in the hives. Click here for more...
We humans are all born colorblind! At about 4 months old, babies undergo a gradual transformation that is as remarkable as the scene in the Wizard of Oz when Dorothy leaves the black-and-white world of Kansas for the brilliant colors of Oz. Click...
Keratosis pilaris is a common mild condition in which the backs of the upper arms look rather like dried out, plucked chicken flesh. Click here for more information on this hereditary condition.
Most of us have some sort of picture collection from our childhood. There's the wonderful shot of those tenuous first steps; the picture of a grinning baby covered ear to ear in not only a smile, but green peas, yellow squash, and smashed banana;...
Pinworms are so common that children with nighttime anal itching are often treated without any lab test at all. Click here for more information on pinworms and how to treat a pinworm infection.
A young mother recently called me. She had seen my story on the web and wanted to talk because she hadn’t been able to find another survivor of “her kind” of breast cancer. She needed to connect with someone who could hold out hope for survival. I...
