It’s shocking how little sleep most people get. It’s the trend in today’s busy, electronic, always-on culture. It’s almost a badge of honor. But it’s not healthy for anyone.

For many parents, especially new parents the night-after-night routine of 2 a.m. (and 4 a.m. and 6 a.m.) wakings goes from “missing a little sleep” to sleep deprivation. In my practice and here at DrGreene.com, I hear from parents that it’s one of the things they are most concerned about — and for good reason. When we sleep our bodies heal from the days’ workouts and injuries and our minds have time to carefully log all that’s taken place since the last time we slept.

The good news is, there are natural ways to encourage a good night’s sleep. They include the right light and temperature at the right time.

In this video, I discuss how you can work with your own (or your child’s) body rhythm to help your body and mind fall asleep and stay asleep.

These tips are not the cure for every sleep issue. Newborns will still wake up to be fed. There will still be trips to the bathroom in the middle of the night. But working with nature makes it easier to fall back asleep when night time sleep disturbances do happen.

When was the last time you felt truly rested? How would having natural energy that comes from a good night’s sleep change your life?

For more information on sleep:

When Baby Won’t Go to Sleep on Her Own
When Children Can’t Sleep
Adolescents and Sleep
Sleep Deprivation and ADHD
Sleep Well. Do Well.

When I was a child, it was commonplace to remove tonsils. The thinking of the day was that tonsils didn’t serve much of a purpose. Much like the thinking of the day about the appendix.

Now we know the tonsils serve as filters keeping bacteria, viruses, and foreign bodies that enter the mouth from making their way into the digestive system. When they do their jobs well, the trapped bacteria or viruses can cause a great deal of discomfort. In that regard, a sore throat is a sign that the tonsils are doing their job.

For some people, especially adolescents, the tonsils can trap “mouth debris” (isn’t that a nice term?) in tiny (or in some cases deep) crevices in the tonsil surface. This can build up and become what’s known as tonsil stones. The result isn’t typically a medical issue, but it can cause problems.

Watch this week’s video to find out how to get rid of tonsil stones if you have them, and more importantly, how to avoid getting them.

What do you find works best to remove tonsil stones? After you’ve gotten rid of them, have you been able to keep them from coming back?

For more information on tonsil stones:

What are Tonsil Stones
Treating Tonsil Stones
Tonsil Removal

Ever wonder why a 9-month-old will put anything in her mouth and the same 19-month-old refuses to eat anything new? This activity is so common that there’s even a name for it – neophobia or “the fear of new things”.

After observing my patients go through this over and over again I had to ask myself why? And I came to the conclusion kids were actually designed that way.

In this week’s video, I describe food neophobia and why it has an important place in childhood development.

If you have a baby who is still in the “hummm, let’s see what dust-bunnies taste like” phase of life, i.e. about six months old to about the time she begins to walk, here’s some great information to help you keep her from becoming a picky eater. If your child has already entered into the food neophobia phase and has a limited palate, there are ways make changes that will help you and your child though it.

Either way, I’d love to hear your picky eater story.

My child has lots of food allergies, is it safe to give them probiotics?

Are probiotics safe for kids with food allergies? Absolutely! In fact, I especially recommend probiotics for children with allergies because some studies have shown that probiotics can lessen the immune reaction against proteins in foods.

While there’s no guarantee that probiotics will help (not all studies have demonstrated positive results), no serious adverse effects have been reported. Probiotics are very safe.

But, as you are probably learning from dealing with allergies to milk, eggs, nuts, and shellfish, it’s important to at least check the label of any product you use to look carefully for any of his allergic triggers — by their various names — that might be used in the processing or as non-active ingredients.

Should Breastfeeding Moms Take Probiotics? Can babies take them directly?

I’m a big fan of nursing moms taking probiotics because many studies have shown benefits to babies’ immune systems. Most of these studies have used a strain of probiotic called LGG (found in a product called Culturelle). It may prove that a product with more strains or higher culture counts would be even more effective.

Not only do probiotics pass through into breast milk, they can usually be given directly to babies as well for similar beneficial effects. We all used to get more beneficial bacteria in our diets before pasteurization and sterilization of food (something that can be especially important for safety when food comes from overcrowded farming operations, travels great distances, or needs to stay fresh a long time). We benefit from regular exposure to beneficial bacteria — and all the more so in certain situations, such as when a baby needs to be treated with antibiotics.

Do probiotics really make a difference in your health?

Promoting healthy, diverse gut bacteria appears able to make a big difference in keeping us healthy. That’s why I regularly recommend probiotics to my patients. Which ones do I recommend?

Here are several nice options:

• Garden of Life’s Primal Defense for Kids- a total of 16 billion CFUs of 4 species of beneficial cultures in a teaspoon of powder.
• iFlora for Kids Multi-Probiotic – a total of 8 billion CFUs of 7 species per teaspoon of powder.
• Florastor Kids – each packet contains 5 billion CFUs of a single probiotic
• Udo’s Choice Children’s Probiotic – each capsule contains a total of 4 billion CFUs of 8 strains
• Nutraelle Digestive Care – a total of 10 billion CFUs of two species in a capsule
• Good Belly – a tasty juice drink that contains 10 billion CFU’s of a single probiotic in a 2.7 ounce shot
• In-Liven Probiotic Super Food by miessence – An organic option that contains 13 species of probiotics in a powder, along with Spirulina, Rolled Oats, Brown Rice, Wheat Grain, Pearl Barley, Linseed, Kidney Beans, Mung Beans, Adzuki Beans, Red Lentils, Chick Peas, Wheat Grass, Barley Grass, Alfalfa Grass, Beetroot, Sweet Potato, String Beans, Zucchini, Cabbage, Silverbeet, Spinach, Chinese Cabbage, Asparagus, Broccoli, Malt Liquid, and Molasses.

I grew up eating very different food than my children eat. I’m not just talking about different items on the menu, but an apples-to-apples comparison of the same foods shows a substantial difference in nutrient density.

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard my wife say “tomatoes just don’t taste the way they did when I was growing up”. They don’t. And they don’t have as many nutrients, either. The soil our tomatoes (and every other agricultural product) grow in is far less nutrient rich than it was even 30 years ago.

Unless you and your family are getting a solid diet of organic fruits and vegetables, vitamin supplementation has become the name of the nutrition game

In fact, a lot more than just our fruits and vegetables have changed since then.

Even something as commonplace as sunscreen changes the way our bodies experience sun (the mechanism used by our bodies to generate Vitamin D). While I agree that sunscreen is needed, it also impacts our body’s uptake of this critical nutrient.

Another example – antibiotics. They can be life saving, but they can also kill positive bacteria that our bodies need to maintain a healthy digestive system. This is another area where supplementation, in the form of pro-biotics, has gone from forward thinking to defensive maneuver.

Lower nutrient density in food, different exposure to sun, and antibiotic use are three reasons I recommend certain vitamins for kids. Watch this week’s video for details:

Life is different than it used to be. Some parts are much better. Some are worse. I’m thankful for high-quality vitamins and supplements to help make up for some of the negative changes in today’s wonderful world.

If you’ve got any questions that I didn’t cover in the video, tell me in the comments and I’ll be happy to get back to you.

For more information:

What nutrients, vitamins and minerals are on your list of “the Greene 13″?
Probiotics: Powerful Prevention
Health Check: Are Your Kids Getting Enough Vitamin D?

When I was a kid, none of my peers had type 2 diabetes. I didn’t know anyone with a life-threatening peanut allergy. The label ADHD was rarely used.

Today more kids will live with a chronic medical condition in childhood than won’t.

Read that again. It would be unbelievable if it weren’t so pervasive.

Allergies, asthma, ADHD, autism, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes are all on the rise. All threaten our kids.

Watch this video to find out why there has been a sudden rapid increase in childhood diseases and easy ways to change the odds in your child’s favor.

It’s not a guarantee for any child, but what you do as a parent makes a difference and that’s good news.

Does your child have a chronic disease? How many of your child’s peers have a chronic childhood disease?

Have you taken any of these steps to help improve your child’s condition or to help prevent one?

For More Information on How You Can Change the Odd In Your Child’s Favor

• Three Simple Rules to Help Make Choices that are Great for Families & the Environment
• Is Organic Food Really Different
• The Importance of Child’s Play
• Fast Facts on Indoor Air Quality

We’ve come upon a great solution for night terrors in my house (OK, my wife actually came up with it :) that worked with our son and thousands of others. If you’ve ever run in to this with your child, you’ve probably noticed that your kids are stuck in a state of unfamiliarity, making it not only scary for them, but for you as well.

One night when this was happening to our son, it occurred to Cheryl (whom may of you have chatted with in the comments – she’s ‘MsGreene’) that the issue may be related to potty training. The two often occur in toddlers at around the same age, there was certainly a decent chance they were related.

So we ran a little test, and of course she was right. Her idea solved our son’s night terrors instantly. It was pretty awesome. Watch the video below for our ‘secret’ solution to night terrors!

If your kids are experiencing night terrors, give this a try. It’s an easy, effective solution to night terrors without incident.

Has this tip helped you? Let us know in the comments. If your kids are having other sleep issues, feel free to drop us a question about those as well.

Until next week!

At 3am a triangle of light slices the darkness in two, and a child’s tired, raspy voice whispers “Mom? Moooooom?” It’s now that you realize, this will not be the night of restful sleep you’ve been fantasizing about since your water broke.

Many parents find it tough to send their kids back to their own room when this happens. After all, your child is simply asking to be close to you. Tough to say no to that.

But the truth is, parents need space, privacy and alone time, and it’s important for your child to learn to comfortably sleep alone.

There’s a method I developed with my kids when they were youngsters that helped my wife and I to rediscover restful nights. I call it the “free pass.” In this week’s video, I teach you get your kids to chose to sleep alone, and feel safe and secure in that choice.

Sounds pretty crazy, right?

Well, watch the video below, and try the “free pass” with your kids for just a few days, and I’ll bet you’ll find your kids make the same choice.

If you do decide to give it a shot, leave us a comment below and let us know how the experience went for you. If you’ve tried it with your kids to no avail, let me know, and I’ll try and provide some additional tips!

There’s been lots of news (and a good deal of misinformation) about gluten, and in particular the benefits of gluten-free products. As with fat-free, sugar-free, sodium-free, etc. almost always something highly processed is replacing what is being substituted. Many gluten-free products are no exception to this rule.

If you have celiac disease, be sure to avoid gluten. There appear to be many benefits for the rest of us who minimize our gluten intake as well. However, it’s important also ensure we’re making the right choices of what to eat when ditching gluten.

Here’s the real message: Eat whole, real food. It’s amazing how many health issues this solves. A box of gluten-free cookies is not the same thing as a plate deliciously prepared, whole food. This is true no matter who you are.

We’ve collected the following list of recipes from DrGreene.com to help you make healthy, gluten-free, whole food meal choices. If you’ve got any gluten-free recipes you’d like to add, leave a comment below!

Same goes for any questions about gluten and gluten-free, pipe in to the conversation if you’d like to know more!

Gluten-Free Recipes at DrGreene.com

• Butternut Squash Latkes to eat all year round
• For something fun, try Carrot Banana Muffins Recipe with Almond flour!
• High-protein, Glutten-free Porridge (lots of oats!)
• Outrageous coconut macaroons

Finding a lump on your child’s body is not necessarily a bad thing, in fact most of the time little lumps it’s a good thing: healthy lymph nodes swell when they are attacking foreign invaders.

The question is how to tell if the lump is well-behaving lymph node or something more serious.

With just a couple of quick checks, you can either quickly rule out anything serious, or know that you and you child should follow-up with a doctor.

Watch the video below tell you how to determine which you’re dealing with.

More information on lumps and lymph nodes:

• Breast lumps
• Q&A on lymph nodes

If there is anything you’d like to know about lumps or lymph nodes that I didn’t address in the video, drop me a comment and I’ll try and shed some light on your question.