For many families, summer means longer days, less routine and more time outside. That’s not all good news, one expert says, because it could jumble a family’s sleeping habits. Even without the rigorous and often hectic school-year schedule, it’s important to ensure that everyone gets enough sleep, according to Dr. Cheryl Tierney, chief of behavior… read on >
Young American children are being sickened — and even dying — after being poisoned by a drug used to fight opioid addiction, a new report contends. Investigators reported that between 2007 and 2016, more than 11,000 emergency calls were made to U.S. poison control centers after a child or teen was exposed to buprenorphine, a… read on >
It’s important for children to socialize during their summer holidays, a family medicine and psychiatry expert says. “Kids deserve a break during the summer. They’ve worked hard during the school year and this is their time to relax, but they should continue interacting with their friends and meeting new people,” said Dr. Jin Han. He’s… read on >
Babies exposed to antidepressants during their mother’s pregnancy may face a slightly higher chance of having problems with their motor skills, a new review suggests. But the Australian researchers cautioned that more research is needed before firm conclusions can be made, since the studies they analyzed varied widely in the way they were carried out.… read on >
Before your child goes to a friend’s home to play, find out if there are guns in that home, a leading U.S. medical group advises. Gun injuries are among the top three causes of death among children and teens in the United States, the American Academy of Pediatrics says. “About one-third of families in the… read on >
The first confirmed human case of Keystone virus has been diagnosed in a Florida teen, but it’s likely that infection with the mosquito-borne disease is common among state residents, researchers report. The virus can cause a rash and mild fever. It’s named after the location in the Tampa Bay area where it was first identified… read on >
Michael Wright was just 16 when he was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes, and although his friends supported him, he always felt different. “I would do my injections and testing in private [in another room or even the bathroom] to avoid having conversations about diabetes with people,” he said. It was also to avoid stares… read on >
Using the psychiatric drug lithium early in pregnancy may raise the risk of birth defects — but not as much as previously thought, a large new study suggests. Researchers found that women who used lithium during the first trimester were more likely to have a baby with a birth defect, compared to pregnant women who… read on >
Most kids don’t get enough sleep, and that may put them on a path to future heart trouble, a new study finds. Young teens who slept less than seven hours a night tended to have more body fat, elevated blood pressure and less healthy cholesterol levels — all bad for the heart, researchers say. Heart… read on >
It’s a parent’s worst nightmare: While spending a fun-filled family day at an amusement park, you suddenly lose sight of your child. As terrifying as that can be, a new survey finds that many American parents don’t talk with their child about what to do if the youngster becomes lost in that setting. One in… read on >
