Long about 1993, when the nicotine patch was introduced as a way to help smokers quit, a story made the rounds about a fellow who tried to kick the habit. Asked by a friend how the patches were working for him, he replied, “Not that great. They’re really hard to light.” Nicotine patches are still […]
Pediatrics
Seeking Educators for Dyslexic Children
Lindsey Ballenger and her partner, Renee McCaslin are on a mission. Both mothers, they noticed that there was a real need for more professionals who specialized in educating dyslexic children. Together, they co-founded the Orton-Gillingham Center of Charleston, an independent 501(c)(3) organization dedicated to elevating the Orton-Gillingham approach in the Lowcountry. Orton-Gillingham is intended primarily […]
What to Know About Fevers
We all recognize the following scene: A child claims he or she “doesn’t feel good,” and a concerned parent immediately puts his or her wrist up to the child’s forehead to gauge its heat and determine whether a fever is present. A fever, especially in young children, is one of the telltale signs of a […]
The New MUSC Children’s Hospital
MUSC Children’s Health is less than a year away from officially opening the doors to its state-of-the-art children’s hospital at Calhoun and Courtenay streets in downtown Charleston, a 10-story, 625,000-square-foot facility that promises to provide vital medical services unavailable anywhere else in the Palmetto State. By the time they are operational, probably in October of […]
Toe Walking in Children
As a child, I tiptoed. Not just through the house on Christmas morning but always. It was my trademark, my “funny characteristic” that made people notice me. It got to the point that my mother and grandmother decided it was time to find out why, exactly, I was walking on my toes. They refused to […]
Zuckers Gift Play Area for Children at MUSC
Gift of Play: Zucker Family Gives $5 Million to MUSC for Children’s Play Area Being in the hospital can be a time of anxiety for children. Just ask Laura Zucker, daughter-in-law of local business leader Anita Zucker. By the time she left home for college, she had undergone 18 surgeries to fix a cleft lip […]
Lice. An Itchy Scratchy Nit-Picking Nightmare
You’re Not Going To Like Me Very Much After What I Say Next Lice. Easily one of the worst words a person can hear, it immediately signals our brains to embark on a nonstop assault of our unsuspecting scalps. As a parent, there isn’t a more dreaded call home from the school nurse. Tell me […]
How Ignoring Childhood Obesity Harms Our Children
Remember when you were a kid at the dinner table and Mom urged you to eat those Brussels sprouts you’d tried to hide under the corner of your napkin? She might have asked you to “Think of all those starving children in…” some real or fictional developing nation where children your age would clamor for […]
Coastal Pediatric Associates: Mother’s Helper
Parenting is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week challenge. Little ones don’t come with instruction manuals. Parenting is a 24-hour, seven-day-a-week challenge. Little ones don’t come with instruction manuals, and that means lots of questions, often after-hours or on weekends. When your baby has a fever, your toddler seems lethargic or your grade-schooler flips off a skateboard in […]