Household Triggers of Eczema: How to Reduce Irritants
Is your home making your child’s eczema worse? Let’s explore the hidden household triggers of eczema. I’ve talked a lot about how both the skin and the gut microbiome affect eczema. While these do have a profound impact on eczema, I want to shine a light on something that we often see fly under the radar: the environment inside your […]
No Sick Days: How to Keep Kids Healthy at School
The new school year is right around the corner (or has already begun!) and that means books, homework, and sometimes a sick child. Around this time of year, I get a lot of quesitons from parents who want to know what I recommend to help keep kids healthy at school. I can’t help with books or homework (sorry […]
Back-to-school Checklist: Start the School Year Strong
Summer is nearly over, and it’s time to start getting your back-to-school checklist together. For some of you readers, you are gearing up to send your child off to college. This guide is tailored toward kids who are going to college, but it is a great checklist even if your kids are still in gradeschool. Regardless of what […]
Summer Constipation: How to Find Relief
If you read my blogs often, you know I talk a lot about diarrhea and bowel movements. Today, we’re talking about the other end of the spectrum… summer constipation. Constipation might not seem like a “summer thing,” but you’d be surprised how often it shows up when children (and adults) are out of their usual routine. This can be […]
How to Avoid Post-Pool Day Meltdowns
Have you ever Googled: “Why is my child losing it after swimming?” Your child is sobbing over a soggy Goldfish cracker. You’re gripping the steering wheel like it’s a stress ball. Sound familiar? Let’s talk about why pool days often end in total emotional chaos, and, more importantly, how to stop the meltdowns before they start. Here are three surprising […]
How to Treat Mosquito Bites: Our Body’s Histamine Response
Camping season is here… which means s’mores, swims, and… swarms of mosquitos (and their bites, unfortunately). So if you’re wondering how to treat mosquito bites, then you’ll want to keep reading. What is a mosquito bite, anyway? When a mosquito bites, it injects a tiny bit of saliva into the skin. This saliva contains proteins […]
Molluscum Contagiosum: What Parents Need to Know
It seems about once a month, I get an email from parents asking how to treat their child’s wart(s). Typically, these parents are asking about molluscum contagiosum. These are common, yet irritating skin conditions that are common in childhood. They are caused by a virus and are easily transmitted through direct contact with the skin […]
Summer Colds: How to Prevent and Combat Them
We were taught in medical school about the immune system, digestive system, and nervous system, but we learned about them as separate entities. However, that’s not really how the body works. Everything is connected. We don’t have fences in the body so inflammation in one area is inflammation everywhere. Dysfunction in one system, eventually leads […]
Healthy Bowel Movements: How to Stay Regular on Vacation
What’s more uncomfortable than talking about constipation or diarrhea? Actually experiencing it! But don’t worry, this blog breaks down a few things we can do to maintain healthy bowel movements on vacation so we can keep the focus on fun… not tummy troubles! It’s hard not to catch the travel bug, especially with spring break […]
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 […]
