African American doctor looking into the ears of a young girl. Antibiotics are often prescribed for ear infections. Some times needlessly. This is part of the reason we have an antibiotic epidemic.
    Ear Infections and the Antibiotic Epidemic

    We?re finding more and more that the prolific prescription of antibiotics is not the panacea it was once thought to be. Not only do antibiotics disrupt healthy digestion, but overuse can even lead to …

    Cotton Swabs and Ear Performations
    Cotton Swabs and Ear Performations

    I heard from a reader about an extremely common practice that most of us have been warned never to do: My wife was cleaning our three-year old daughter's ear with a cotton swab. She turned into the sw…

    Dangers of Parental Smoking
    Dangers of Parental Smoking

    Dr. Greene's take on parental smoking... (hint: don't do it!) A study in the August 2000 issue of the Archives of Disease in Childhood found that parents who smoke increase the risk of meningococcal m…

    Ear Infections - Predicting Them! Preventing Them?
    Ear Infections – Predicting Them! Preventing Them?

    No one has fun when babies' ears are in pain. Testing a baby's cord blood for levels of maternal antibodies to pneumococcal bacteria can predict the frequency of ear infections. Information presented …

    How Secondhand Smoke Affects Children
    How Secondhand Smoke Affects Children

    The Great American Smokeout is the American Cancer Society's call to stop smoking. We all know that smoking leads to serious health problems for adults, but many people just don't get that being in a …

    Fast Facts about Meningitis
    Fast Facts about Meningitis

    Bacterial meningitis can occur at any age, but 95 percent of cases are in children under 5 years old. Boys are more likely to get it than girls. (more…)…

    Fast Facts about Ear Infections
    Fast Facts about Ear Infections

    Since ear infections are the most common diagnosis in pediatrics, it is worthwhile for a parent to learn to become a Sherlock Holmes -- able to notice the clues and suspect an ear infection before it …