A heart murmur is a condition in which an audible whooshing or swirling sound is heard by your doctor while listening to your child’s heartbeat. In an ideal scenario, we don’t hear anything except the strong dull snapping of the classic “lub-dub, lub-dub, lub-dub”. The “lub” portion, also called S1 or systole, is caused by the
The dreaded words we all wish to avoid with every fiber in our being…”Your child has lice.” The words themselves seem to crawl across the page, no? I mean bugs that grow in hair…on our child’s head? That can then somehow get on our own head? And LAY EGGS? Wow, that’s alot to process. But,
We love to welcome the crisp fall air, but unfortunately a lot of seasonal viruses feel welcomed this time of year too! Croup is an obnoxious companion of many of these viruses that love to start popping up as the leaves change colors and the holidays roll in. Most identifiable by a loud, seal-like barking
Spiders and humans have one thing in common—they like to avoid each other! For this reason, harmful bites from spiders are, thankfully, very rare. In the upstate, spiders are numerous but only a handful are potentially harmful. The two types of potentially harmful spiders in North America, and therefore the Upstate, are the infamous black
Well care visits are one of my favorite parts of being a pediatrician. I love getting a chance to talk to my patients and their families, and I truly cherish getting to know each one of them on a deeper level. Your child’s well exam will look different depending on their medical history and your
What is the leading cause of sick visits to the doctor and the most common reason for children to get antibiotics? You guessed it—which probably wasn’t too hard since it’s the title of this post, but I’ll cut you some slack—ear infections, or acute otitis media, are truly what we see most as pediatricians. So,
Cradle cap is an extremely common skin condition in babies. Cradle cap, or Seborrheic Dermatitis, appears as red patches with oily, yellow scales (or even crusts) on the scalp. The not so cute patches can also be in the diaper area, armpits, forehead or face. Cradle cap often begins in the first few weeks of
One of the most common reasons that parents call their healthcare provider is for fever. This guideline will hopefully answer a lot of your questions surrounding fevers and help you know what to do when your child has one. First off, What is a Fever? Fever is a symptom of an illness, not an illness
Asthma is a chronic disease of inflammation of the lungs. When the lungs are exposed to a trigger such as a cold or allergen, the tubes in the lungs (or bronchi) will spasm, causing narrowing and difficulty breathing. Nearly 1 in 12 children have asthma in the United States today so, while it is definitely
Have you seen that movie about the constipated kid? Nope? Me either. That’s because it hasn’t come out yet! Ha! Potty humor at its best! While I’m channeling my inner middle school kid for a cheap laugh, true constipation in your child is no laughing matter. Constipation can cause pain, discomfort, and make it especially