Ear infections appear so common that at times they seem almost like a childhood rite of passage. Often associated with redness, swelling, and pain within the ear, they are the number one reason antibiotics are prescribed for children. However, we’re finding more and more that the prolific prescription of antibiotics is not the panacea it ...

My son is in daycare and seems to pick up everything that anyone gets — colds, flu, ear infections — you name it. And then he brings it home! I’ve heard you say that a daycare of 6 or fewer would help, but switching to a smaller daycare is just not practical. What else can I do to prevent the cycle from continuing to infect us all? I don’t want my son to be sick and I can’t miss any more work! San Mateo, California ...

In this episode: Dr. Greene and Ms. Greene discuss their experience at the ACT telescope located in the Atacama Desert at an elevation of 17,200 feet. Above 9,000 feet the body may be impacted by lack of oxygen. Altitude sickness is common and can range from uncomfortable to dangerous. O2 supplementation can be used to ...

Introduction to tonsillitis: If you look into your child’s throat, you might see what look like small, dimpled, pink golf balls on either side of the throat. These are the tonsils. If they get infected, it is called tonsillitis. The tonsils are the visible part of the immune system’s ring of protection that surrounds the ...

Introduction to head banging: When children develop a habit of head banging, their parents are often concerned. They express fear that this habit might hurt their child, perhaps even causing brain damage. The unspoken fear is that their child might have autism. ...

Sexual activity can be fun and meaningful (this is why people do it!), but oral, anal, and vaginal sex can also result in sexually transmitted diseases, and some kinds of sexual activities can lead to unplanned pregnancies. That’s why we’re providing this must-know birth control info. But first … How Pregnancy Happens: During unprotected vaginal ...

Kids are not small adults. That may seem like something so obvious that it goes without saying. Yet for decades the doses for many medicines, including over the counter cough and cold medicines were set by just starting with adult doses and reducing them according to children’s smaller size. It turns out, this often does ...

When it comes to food, the colors you see in plants provide powerful information. They often signal the rich nutrient density of the plant. When you look at a blueberry and see that color, you see delphinidin-3-galactoside. When you look at a carrot and see that color, you see beta carotene. Our eyes are adapted ...

What is a CT Scan? A machine whirs in an arc around a patient, snapping a rapid-fire series of x-rays from different angles. These x-ray snapshots are combined by a computer to produce virtual cross-section images of the body. These are called CT scans, which stands for computed tomography (computer-generated cross-sectional images). CT Scans Compared ...