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Health Conditions

Too much screen time has long been linked to an increased risk of emotional and behavioral problems, especially when kids engage for long stretches — like watching TV for hours or playing too many video games­. The long-term health effects of being constantly connected to smart devices isn’t as well understood. But several recent studies show that these screens can have a negative impact on social behavior, sleep quality, and mood. And one study links attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) to teen use of digital devices. Understanding ADHD According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), ADHD is one of the most common neurodevelopmental disorders of childhood, affecting 8%‒10% of children and teens. The causes of ADHD are still unclear. Research does not show a link with eating too much sugar, parenting, or social and environmental factors like poverty. But these factors, and many others, can make symptoms […]

Your teenager is sick to his stomach. Really sick, throwing up as much as four or five times in an hour. If your teen is a heavy marijuana user, he might have cannabinoid hyperemesis (CHS). What Is CHS? Cannabinoid hyperemesis syndrome is a scientific way of describing the body’s reaction when someone uses a lot of marijuana (cannabis) over a long period of time. Emesis means vomiting. Hyper means excessive. It’s a clinical way of saying that people with CHS throw up a lot because of heavy marijuana use. Some people take years to develop CHS. But 1 in 3 people with CHS have used marijuana for less than a year. The only way to stop CHS is to stop using marijuana. Why has CHS become a problem in recent years? A blog post published in The Lancet suggests it might be because marijuana produced today is much stronger than in […]

Autism diagnoses are on the rise, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) says in a new report. Autism rates have gone up since 2016, and 1 in 59 U.S. kids have some form of autism (also called “autism spectrum disorder” or “ASD”). Many parents are asking why — and wondering if they should worry. What Does the Rise in Autism Rates Mean? Experts say that the higher autism rates do not mean more and more kids are developing autism. Rather, ways to recognize, diagnose, and treat autism spectrum disorders have greatly improved. Ideally, doctors should look for signs of autism in babies and toddlers at every routine well visit, and perform an autism screening at the 18- and 24-month checkups. However, this may be challenging to accomplish in a busy practice. The CDC also reports that some groups were previously underdiagnosed. Black and Hispanic populations, for instance, have often […]

In recent years, sports-related concussions in children and teens have helped to raise public awareness of concussions and their long-term effects. As a result, concussions are now being reported and diagnosed more than they were in past years. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 2010 that there were 400,000 concussions and brain injuries per year among high school athletes. This increased awareness means that providers are more able to properly diagnose and treat concussions in kids. Why Playing Sports Is Important for Kids When your kids play sports, either on a team or individually, it’s incredibly good for their health and well-being. Sports are a powerful tool that breaks down barriers while also helping kids feel good about themselves, both physically and mentally. Sports also play an important part in a child’s formative years and some schools are more aware of this than others. These schools employ […]

There are steps you can take to avoid the flu coming into your house. While there’s no guaranteed way — including being vaccinated — to have 100% protection from the flu, there are things you and your family can do to make spreading the flu less likely: Wash your hands well and often with soap, especially after using the bathroom, after coughing or sneezing, and before eating or preparing food. Never pick up used tissues. Don’t share cups and eating utensils. Stay home from work or school when you’re sick with the flu. Cover your mouth and nose with a tissue when you cough or sneeze, then put it in the trash. If a tissue isn’t available, cough or sneeze into your upper arm, not into your hands. But what if your child does catch the flu? When should you switch from R&R to the ER? Nemours pediatric pulmonologist Dr. Chris Makris, […]

Contributed by Darcy Galnor, whose daughter is a patient of Nemours Children’s Specialty Care, Jacksonville. The morning our daughter was diagnosed with Crohn’s Disease started like any other. We woke up as just a regular young(ish) couple with two kids, jobs and life’s typical stressors. (I guess maybe not entirely typical, unless taking our 5-year-old daughter for a colonoscopy is considered an everyday event). We’d been chasing the cause of her diarrhea for months, maybe even years. Dairy? Nope. Gluten? Nope. Strawberries (her favorite food)? Nope. As we sat in the waiting room, anxiously watching for the doctor to tell us the results, we attempted to distract ourselves with work. Both of us had tablets rested on our thighs, cell phones on the arms of our chaisr. My husband downing coffee. Me biting my nails. Then, the doctor appeared. “She has inflammation throughout most of her GI tract. We’ll wait […]