School Age
Childhood Obesity and Quality of Life
We hear in the news that the percentage of American children who are obese has doubled in the last twenty years, and that the rate of increase continues to rise. Today about 1 in 7 children are obese …
Background Noise
I am a news junkie, curious to learn everything I can about what is happening in Iraq. But if a radio is on in the kitchen or in the car, or the television news is repeating itself in the background, …
Children Need More Play!
We know that active play improves school performance, concentration, mood and behavior. We know that obesity in children in skyrocketing. HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson's report, "Physical Activity F…
Organic Lunchbox Challenge
Dr. Greene on the Organic Lunchbox Challenge... Students I speak with observe that school food is often either unappetizing (overcooked cafeteria veggies) or unhealthy. Tasty junk food at school has b…
Sleep. It Does a Body Good!
It was a delight attending the October 2002 meeting of the American Academy of Pediatrics in Boston. A special session there highlighted the partnership between the AAP and the National Center on Slee…
Bottled Energy
I've often heard parents comment, when watching their toddlers or school-aged kids jet giddily around the home (or restaurant), "I wish we could bottle their energy and sell it!" I wish we could, too.…
Diabetes Options for Children
On Tuesday, August 27, 2002, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) announced that it had approved the Glucowatch for use in children and teens with diabetes. (It had been approved for adults in 20…
Higher Fiber, Later Periods
Girls who eat foods rich in fiber can reduce their risk of having their first period early by almost 50 percent, according to a study published in the April 2002 issue of Public Health Nutrition. (mor…
Vegetarian Kids
I often hear from parents who are concerned because their children will not eat meat, for one reason or another. A study published in the May 2002 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Me…
Secondhand Smoke Blunts Learning!
At the May 2002 meeting of the Pediatric Academic Societies, researchers from Cincinnati Children's Hospital reported their research showing that secondhand smoke damages learning abilities, weakening…
Dyslexia – Changing the Way the Brain Works
Scans that detect brain activity show that when people read, a part of the brain called the left superior temporal gyrus (STGp) becomes very active. However, in children with dyslexia, there is little…
Day Care and Colds — Good News!
On average, kids in day care during the first three years of their lives get about twice as many colds as their peers during those years. But each time a child fights off a cold, she develops immunity…
Ulcers: A Pediatric Disease?
When do people "catch" ulcers? Many ulcers are caused by a type of bacteria called Helicobacter pylori. When does this infection occur? A study published in the March 16, 2002 issue of the Lancet foll…
Role Models Pave the Way
One of the most powerful ways that children learn is through imitation. I'm not surprised that a study appearing in the January 2002 issue of the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine suggest…
8 Recommendations For School Safety
Preventable injuries cause about two thirds of all deaths among school-aged children and adolescents. Motor-vehicle injuries lead the pack, causing 70% of unintentional injury deaths. Other unintentio…
Dry Nights
Several of the nation's leading bedwetting experts gathered earlier this year to candidly discuss the issues surrounding the millions of school-age children who wet the bed. I participated in what pro…
Deadly Fruit Gel Candies
When we want to emphasize something in writing, we use bold, italics, underline, or end the sentence with an ! When the US Food and Drug Administration wants to emphasize something, they issue a secon…
Let’s Give Nicotine to Kids!?
Because nicotine is both dangerous and addictive, physicians have been reluctant to use it in young children to help them quit smoking. It has not been studied in children younger than 16 -- leading t…
Cookies n’ Creatine?
Many children would like to build muscle, improve their appearance, and enhance their athletic performance. Supplement marketers are convincing them that they can do it all by taking creatine. And it'…
Confusional Arousal
A confusional arousal begins with the child moaning and moving about. It progresses quickly to the child crying out and thrashing wildly. The eyes may be open or closed, and perspiration is common. Th…