Do you need to pick up some quick snacks for those always-hungry and busy kids? Snacks can be a helpful addition to a day’s meals if good choices are made. Children should eat every 3-5 hours during the day in…
We’ve heard it over and over again: “Breakfast is the most important meal of the day.” But let’s face it — it’s not always easy to get your kids moving in the morning. Here is a great motivator: According to…
As a fair-skinned mom to three fair-skinned children, all of whom love to be outdoors, pediatrician and internal medicine physician Cara Vasconcelles, MD, is particularly attuned to proper sun protection. “I usually start applying sunscreen whenever the kids can be…
All parents want their babies to grow up happy and healthy. From the moment of birth, humans are social and emotional beings. This means infants, toddlers and young children have mental health needs. Although thinking of infants and mental health…
If you are the parent of a child who has been diagnosed with autism, or suspect he or she may fall on the autism spectrum but have not yet received a diagnosis, the symptoms your child is exhibiting may be…
Remember the saying ‘You are what you eat?’ Well, it also rings true for your mood. Nutrition plays an important role in physical health, but it also affects your behavior and brain function. “The brain is a metabolically active organ…
You can feel it coming on. Light hurts your eyes. Whispers grate on your ears. The pounding in your head reminds you of a construction zone. Yep. It’s a migraine. And according to Benjamin Montgomery, MD, with Memorial Physician Services…
You might think a winter virtually free of ice, snow and bitterly cold temperatures means fewer people coming down with the flu. But here in central Illinois, the above-average temperatures have just delayed the onset of what is typically considered…
Before you take that daily vitamin, you should ask your doctor if it’s necessary. Joe Bilyeu, MD, a family medicine physician with North Dirksen Medical Associates, part of Memorial Physician Services, says the practice of taking daily vitamins has been…
The December holidays are a great time for sharing traditions and making new memories, often while hovering over plates of appetizers, holiday meats, sides and desserts. That last thing you want to do is wake up with an upset digestive…