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 ...

I have a son, now just turned 9 years old who is in need of some help to increase calorie intake. He weighs 47 lbs. now, but has only gained 4 lbs. in 4 years. Since birth he has had eating issues and has never been over the 5th percentile and most of the time is 15-20% below the growth chart for weight-age-height. First off, he is allergic to many foods limiting his choices and secondly, he has never been able to eat more than a few bites of food at a time and honestly does not care whether he eats or not – he could go all day and not ask for anything. My problem is mainly that doctors and nutritionists are not getting us past the “just try to get him to eat more” or “try to add calories to his meals” phase. We changed pediatricians due to a move and the new doctor was not curious enough about my queries to look into possibly prescribing something to stimulate his appetite. The doctor says “he’s just skinny.” My son has always complained about his stomach hurting when he eats. He also has developmental delays in school, and has more recently complained of tiredness, legs hurting, etc. so I am getting more concerned. I have 4 other children who have all been normal growth curves and getting them to eat is literally a piece of cake, but this one does not have the normal hunger urges… hope that makes sense. Any advice? Heather ...

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 ...

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 ...

Listen to the Podcast or Read the Transcript [00:00:03] Hi I’m Dr. Alan Greene pediatrician and I’d like to talk with you tonight about The Brain Stage. [00:00:10] I remember vividly when I was a pediatric resident in training go to a Grand Rounds about a surprising topic. [00:00:18] The function of the brain and ...