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Sugar tends to be a hot topic in the world of nutrition. It’s important to realize sugar can be a natural part of the food we eat. For example, lactose in milk and fructose in fruit are considered natural sugars. But sugar also implies added sources that tend to be in most of our packaged foods and beverages, with the key word here being “added.” One challenge with our current food label is there is no way to distinguish natural sugar from added sugar unless you review the ingredient list. It’s hard to believe, but there are over 60 terms for added sugar that are approved for use by the FDA. Some common labels for added sugars (besides sugar) include honey, sucrose, high fructose corn syrup, cane juice, and glucose. Other labels for sugar you might see and not recognize include barley malt, maltose, and buttered syrup. Where do most sources […]

Back-to-school is approaching fast. If you’re like many parents, that means back-to-school physicals and possibly vaccines or blood draws for your kids too. For some families, this topic makes kids and parents alike cringe. We know the critical importance of vaccinations, but it doesn’t make it easier on a child who is frightened of needles, or on parents as they watch their kids squirm, scream, and cry in anticipation of the shot or needle. Thankfully, research doesn’t stop at the safety and efficacy of vaccines. Dr. Christine Chambers and Anna Taddio are well-known pediatric psychologists who study pain and have worked to get the message out publicly that pain management in kids is important and accessible, especially in the case of vaccine! The campaign, “It Doesn’t Have to Hurt” is an excellent resource for parents. Currently, fewer than 5% of kids receive any pain management during vaccines. It’s reassuring to […]

Let’s play a game. When I say “organic,” you say the first words that come to mind. Ready…Organic! Okay, let’s check your answers. Did you say something like healthy, nutritious, clean, natural, expensive, and/or safe? These are common words used when we talk about organic versus non-organic foods. But is this always the case? Is all organic food healthier, cleaner, more expensive and safe? Before we fully answer this question (spoiler alert: the short answer is no), let’s breakdown what it means when food is “organic.” What is Organic Food? The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) certifies and labels certain foods as organic if they are produced “using methods that preserve the environment and avoid most synthetic materials, such as pesticides and antibiotics.” Pesticides and antibiotics are used to extend shelf life in the grocery store, reduce plant spoilage and mutation, and prevent illness in livestock. They are GRAS, or […]

For many years, Dr. Stephen Dunn, Chair, Department of Surgery and Chief, Division of Solid Organ Transplant at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, has volunteered his time and expertise to assist colleagues in Bolivia with life-saving liver transplantation for their pediatric patients. In early May, Dr. Dunn and fellow Nemours team members traveled to Bolivia as volunteers to continue this important work. On this particular trip, interventional radiologist Dr. Deborah Rabinowitz performed a radiologic procedure for a child who had complications after a liver transplant at Clinica Incor in Santa Cruz, Bolivia. It was the first time a pediatric invasive radiology procedure of this type had ever been performed in Bolivia. Dr. Rabinowitz joined the team of physicians for this project specifically to assist this child. In this case, an obstructed bile duct had caused a serious infection that threatened the child’s life. In the past, treatment in Bolivia would have required […]

Dr. Tamar Goldberg, a second-year pediatric resident at Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children, reflects on volunteering with Hands Up for Haiti. In July 2017, Dr. Goldberg will start her subspecialty training in pediatric neurology and neurodevelopmental disorders at Boston Children’s Hospital. Children in orange and plaid school uniforms with hair neatly parted in matching bows shout “blanc, blanc,” and wave at our rickety van as we pass. Palm trees grow at the roadside along with banana trees and rows of cactus bushes displaying that afternoon’s clean laundry. Locals push wheelbarrows full of coconuts or steer their donkeys carrying lumber. Goats and chickens mill around in vast green fields leading up to lush mountains. In February 2017, I had the opportunity to travel to Haiti with a team of pediatric residents from Nemours/Alfred I. duPont Hospital for Children to provide medical care for children in partnership with the organization Hands Up […]

Recently, a 16-year-old high school student collapsed at school and was pronounced dead an hour later. His parents were devastated, and the time they should have spent together as a family was now being spent on making funeral arrangements, procuring a Batesville casket, and grieving for the loss of their son. How could this have happened? Spontaneous death is a rare occurrence that few parents will have to worry about. Though sudden death is often caused by the introduction of a food or chemical into the system. During the investigation into the student’s death, no drugs or alcohol were found in his system. However, he was known to have ingested a significant amount of caffeine in the two hours before his death, including soda, coffee and energy drinks. The cause of death was determined to be cardiac arrest due to arrhythmia, caused by excess caffeine ingestion. With arrhythmia, the heart […]