Steriods, Asthma and Bones
    Steroids, Asthma and Bones

    Dr. Greene's take on the effect of steroids on bones... Sometimes accepting some side effects can help prevent worse side effects. We know that when a child is having an ongoing asthma attack, taking …

    Cholesterol, Drugs, and Kids
    Cholesterol, Drugs, and Kids

    Controversial new guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics call for more children to get their cholesterol checked, starting as young as age 2, and for some kids to be started on statin drug…

    Choosing a Green Pediatrician
    Choosing a Green Pediatrician

    As you did when choosing an ob/gyn, you want to find a pediatrician who is top-notch medically. How much better if he or she is also on the journey to an environmentally sustainable perspective on ped…

    Seawater, With a Grain of Salt
    Seawater, With a Grain of Salt

    Washing the nasal passages with a saline solution is better than OTC cold meds both at treating and preventing common colds, according to a study published in the January 2008 Archives of Otolaryngolo…

    How Much Dark Honey for Cough
    How Much Dark Honey for Cough?

    Nighttime cough is rough for kids and for parents. I'm not surprised that people spend billions of dollars on over-the-counter cough remedies, even though the most common ingredient, dextromethorphan …

    Tonsils, Time, Throats, and Outcomes
    Tonsils, Time, Throats, and Outcomes

    Taking out the tonsils for throat infections isn't nearly as common as it used to be, but tonsillectomy remains one of the most common operations in kids. When is the procedure worth it? When might it…

    When Teens Are Depressed
    When Teens Are Depressed

    About 5 percent of children become clinically depressed at some point during the transition to adulthood. Depression is a burden both for the adolescents and their families and carries a number of ris…

    The Ponseti Method for Club Foot Treatment
    The Ponseti Method for Club Foot Treatment

    I recently received a wonderful letter from the mother of a 10-month-old boy who had been born with a left clubfoot. She wanted to be sure I would let parents everywhere know about a gentle, effective…

    Ear Drops for Some Ear Infections
    Ear Drops for Some Ear Infections

    If fluid from the middle ear space is draining out of the ear in a child with an acute ear infection (acute otitis media), there must be an opening in the eardrum - the air-tight membrane that separat…

    Fever Under Age 3
    Fever Under Age 3

    What's the best thing to do when a healthy-appearing child who is 3 to 36 months old has a fever of 102.2 or higher, with no clear source of the fever? Is it best just to treat them all with antibioti…

    Acetaminophen and Liver Failure
    Acetaminophen and Liver Failure

    Acetaminophen is one of the most commonly used medicines in children. One brand name, Tylenol, is known by most parents in the U.S. Often used by itself to relieve pain or to reduce fevers, it is also…

    MRSA Ear Infections
    MRSA Ear Infections

    MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staph aureus) is the name of a feared, antibiotic resistant, species of bacteria that can cause serious infections, especially in hospitals or in those whose immune systems…

    Dark Chocolate Treats Diarrhea?
    Dark Chocolate Treats Diarrhea?

    Dr. Greene's take on the wonders of dark chocolate... The medicinal use of cocoa to treat childhood diarrhea and other intestinal problems was common among the Mayans and Aztecs. Europeans began writi…

    Eczema Treatment Warning
    Eczema Treatment Warning

    The breezy television ads for certain steroid-free eczema treatment products have always bothered me. While they don.t say anything untrue, they do incorrectly imply that this treatment is gentler and…

    Who Gets Antibiotics?
    Who Gets Antibiotics?

    Whether or not your child leaves a doctor's visit with an antibiotic prescription sometimes depends on who your doctor is as much as it depends on your child's illness. Antibiotics were among the most…

    Canada Bans Adderall XR
    Canada Bans Adderall XR…

    - and the United States does not. Adderall XR is a popular drug for treating ADHD. The active ingredients are amphetamines and dextroamphetamines. When used for ADHD, this drug has been linked to 20 k…

    Acupuncture for Allergies
    Acupuncture for Allergies

    Nasal allergies are common in children, and appear to be getting more common all the time. In Chinese medicine, acupuncture is often used to treat allergies. People report great results, but there hav…

    Beach toys in straight lines and order. Children need help for OCD.
    Help for OCD

    At moments of stress, such as getting ready for bed or for school, some kids feel the need to touch certain objects, say certain words, or to wash and wash their hands. Some children have an overwhelm…

    Beyond Medicine For Asthma
    Beyond Medicine For Asthma

    Changes in the home environment can be as powerful as medications in treating asthma, according to an exciting study in the September 9, 2004 New England Journal of Medicine. Researchers in the Inner-…

    Pregnant and Depressed?
    Pregnant and Depressed?

    Health Canada has issued an August 2004 advisory that certain anti-depressant medicines taken during the third trimester of pregnancy may cause symptoms in the baby at birth. Health Canada is the coun…