Eczema and Asthma: Why Allergy Testing Is So Important
Did you know 50-80% of kids with eczema and asthma also have environmental allergies? So doesn’t it make sense to do some allergy testing to identify what they’re allergic to so we can strategically minimize their exposure? You might’ve seen one of my emails about the different types of allergens and why it’s key to […]
Allergies and Inflammation During Pollen Season: What Parents Need to Know
If you or your child have seasonal allergies it’s imperative to understand how allergies and inflammation are related – especially if you live in the southeast (North Carolina, to be exact) like I do. When it’s pollen season here, it covers EVERYTHING. This is unfortunate for me because people already accuse me of waiting too […]
What Every Parent Should Know about Eczema and Gut Health
I’ve often shared the three things I wish I’d learned in medical school about treating eczema: the importance of the gut microbiome, the skin microbiome, and nutrition. In this blog, I’m going to take more of a deep dive into the relationship between eczema and gut health. Eczema (and other skin conditions) is a reflection of […]
Mold in Schools: How to Fight Back Against Environmental Toxins
Here’s a not-so-fun fact about mold… According to recent studies, up to 50% of schools in the U.S. have indoor air quality issues, which often lead to mold growth and contribute to exacerbations of asthma, allergies, and eczema among children.1 It’s definitely not an ideal situation, but no need to add a hazmat suit to […]
Food and Environmental Allergy Testing Part One
General pediatrics is filled with kids who have chronic runny noses, poorly controlled eczema and asthma, and many of them need allergy testing.
What Role Does Genetics Play in Illness?
The outdated use of genetics says that our genes are fixed and we will likely have the same diseases our parents or grandparents had.
Inflammation and Recurrent Illness: A Parent’s Guide
Inflammation is an intricate, complex response by the whole body to what it perceives as a threat.
Eczema: Much More than a Skin Condition
As an integrative pediatrician I have learned that eczema is a complex interplay between our genetics, immune system, skin integrity, and the microbiomes of the skin and the gut. Learning how to treat illness using the best of both conventional and integrative medicine has absolutely transformed the way I am able to help kids with eczema.
Reflux: Common, but Not Normal
In 2006, when I was a year out of residency, I prided myself on the fact that I could manage my pediatric patients’ symptoms—whatever they were—with medications. I did what I had been trained in medical school and wrote prescriptions for laxatives, antihistamines, antibiotics, antacids, and steroids (topical, inhaled, oral, or even sprayed into the […]
Grounding: Five Reasons to be Outside and Barefooted
Being barefooted and outside has many health benefits. My entire life, I have always gone barefooted as much as possible. It makes me feel good, and now that there is a growing body of research on grounding or earthing, I can justify my desired shoeless existence. And yes, I find it comical that we have […]
