GDS Infographics
The word on the street is that autism affects 1 in every 68 kids in America. A few years ago, the number was pegged at 1 in every 150 kids. What in this world caused the monumental jump? [Read more…]
Is This the Cure for Autism?
10 Triggers of Heartburn
XoMEoX via Flickr
Sometime it takes walking in someone’s shoes to fully understand what they are going through. I treated heartburn AKA acid reflux for years without knowing what the sufferers were going through.
That changed with my first pregnancy. I suffered from heartburn so bad that I lived on bland foods and Tums for half of my pregnancy. [Read more…]
10 Signs You Have A.D.D
© Andrew Taylor | Dreamstime Stock Photos
1. You offer up a burnt offering anytime you attempt cooking. The fire department actually came knocking the last time you lit the stove.
2. You show up at the airport to find out that your flight left on time – yesterday.
TMI with TLC- Too Much Information, Too Little Context
marsmet481 via Flickr
It happens everyday. Since the advent of widespread use of online sites like WebMD and Google the past 5 years or so, patients are more anxious than ever.
The simple curiosity of looking up a symptom can lead to abject fear and open avenues of death that had never even been imagined or considered.
Typing the symptoms like stomach ache or rash gives you everything from passing virus to death in graphic written and visual detail with a dramatic anecdotal “testimony” from a personal blog or support group. [Read more…]
Commercial Free Programming
Modern Britain via Flickr
Believe it or not, my kids have never been “branded or marketed to” via TV commercials. Why?
I wish I could say this was all planned out by my husband and I in our wisdom, but in truth, this occurred by serendipity and out of sheer exhaustion.
While our twins were still infants, we happened to move to a more remote area in the foothills where there was no good TV signal.
The only channel that came on was the local commercial free PBS station.
5 Surprising Ways Using the Pill Could Help You (Even if You Don’t Need Birth Control)
© Sherry Tetens Long | Dreamstime Stock Photos
I don’t know how we got wrapped up with the term “birth control” but a more accurate job description of the pill would be “pregnancy control”.
Pregnancy control however is just one of the many things taking the pill can do for you.
I would actually say up to a quarter of women taking the pill use primarily for it’s other benefits while the pregnancy control aspect is simply the icing on the cake.
Here are some of the lesser known reasons for taking the pill; [Read more…]
Expect Cancer- Say What!
© Ragne Kabanova | Dreamstime Stock Photos
I know this sounds heartless, but once in a while I do have to prepare patients that in this day and age, with our cummulative lifetime risk factors and increasing longevity for those in the baby boomer generation that most will likely be diagnosed with one type of cancer or another. [Read more…]
Do Americans Go Overboard With Celebrations?
Beverly & Pack via Flickr
Recently, we hosted a young foreign exchange student for the last week of her 2 month stay in the states at our home.
Since it was near the end of her US experience I asked her what she thought was the biggest difference in her education back in her homeland compared to here.
Anticipating predictable answers like “ the curriculum is easier here”, or “the school day is shorter”, I was stunned to hear her insightful and sincere answer instead. [Read more…]
7 Worrisome Signs Your Child Might be Autistic
Rod Waddington via Flickr
Most moms worry about giving birth to a healthy baby while pregnant. Not me, I went through those nine months without a care in the world but earned my worry stripes at delivery.
After pushing for 2 very long hours, my son came out limp and blue with the umbilical cord wrapped tightly in two loops round his neck. You guessed it- [Read more…]
Be Still My Heart
brykmantra via Flickr
Once in awhile, in my chest area, it feels like something is flip flopping around. Other times a boxer seems to be punching me from the inside out- jab jab cross.
Now, as physician I know these are palpitations but I still take notice of them as sometimes it happens several times a day. [Read more…]
