This year has been especially difficult, but in the midst of the pandemic, there’s one silver lining.As of Dec. 5, hundreds of children have been tested for flu and RSV at Cook Children’s Medical Center, and none have come back positive. Ramon Kinloc...
COVID-19 vaccines are widely considered essential to returning to some sense of normalcy and an end to this pandemic. In the latest findings of the probability-based online Gallup Panel Survey, 63% of Americans say they are willing to be immunized ag...
A video shared in September of Cook Children's patient Aiden Yielding, 13, and his dad, Chuck, dancing together from a distance during Aiden’s chemo treatments quickly went viral and captured the hearts of millions around the world. The latest set of...
Normally for holiday gifts for children I would recommend outings or experiences over things. However, the pandemic has made us adjust everything this year. So, my advice is to make the outing/experience at home instead. Movie night with popcorn, piz...
As Tarrant County continues to see record COVID-19 cases, doctors across Cook Children’s Health Care System urge the community to avoid large gatherings for Thanksgiving. Instead of traditional celebrations, our physicians offer advice on how to conn...
It’s supposed to be the most wonderful time of the year but, for many, the holidays can be a difficult season when feelings of depression, anxiety, stress, loss and grief are at an all-time high—and that’s in a normal year. But 2020 has been anything...
COVID-19 cases are increasing at Cook Children’s Medical Center and across North Texas.
As of Oct. 12, the number of patients who have tested positive reached 1,657, with four of those patients currently in the hospital.
Pediatric cases of COVI...
Desperation or neglect, whatever the reason the story is devastating.
In the wake a baby is dead and her mom has been charged with her murder. In addition, the baby’s dad has been charged with aggravated battery and cruelty to a child for diluting...
“His cough is sooo croupy!”
When parents report a croupy cough, it means different things. Some parents call bad/deep/dry/wet/rattly coughs croupy.
When I think of “croupy cough,” I mean “barky” like a dog or a seal. We are seeing quite a bit o...
For pediatrician Dr. Halley Hogan, news of Cook Children's expansion into east Denton County is a welcomed relief. She sees patients daily at her growing office on Prosper Trail, some with medical needs more complex than what a primary care office li...
I read the report on essential oils from the Tennesee poison center with great interest. The report said that reports of toxic exposure to essential oils doubled from 2011 to 2015.
I've been interested in essential oils for a while now, beginning ...
Previously, I looked at the safety and research of essential oils and children. Today, I will answer more questions asked on my Facebook page.
Effectiveness/General Use
Do they really work or is it a mind over matter thing?
I think that ther...
I decided to tackle the subject of essential oils. I know many people out there are firm believers in how effective they are. So before I approached this topic, I did some pretty significant research into what is out there on the use of oils in child...
“You have plenty of courage, I am sure,” answered Oz. “All you need is confidence in yourself. There is no living thing that is not afraid when it faces danger. The true courage is in facing danger when you are afraid, and that kind of courage you ha...
"Never put anything in your ear smaller than your elbow."
And yes folks, that means Q-tips. Look at what our medical director of Emergency Services has to say:
“Q-tips and cotton-tip swabs cause numerous ER injuries we see at Cook Children’s,” ...
The Texas Department of State Health Services has issued a letter warning parents and cheerleaders from 39 states and nine counties that they may have been exposed to mumps at a cheerleading competition last month in Dallas.
The Dallas Morning Ne...
A new study shows Texas ranks 47th in cancer-preventing vaccine coverage, showing that Texans aren’t getting the message about the dangers of the human papillomavirus (HPV).
Out of 50 states and the District of Columbia, Texas only ranked higher t...
Let’s Not Send Zombies Off to School: Work on Sleep Schedules NOW
My kids are currently out of town for their annual summertime week with my mother, and that leaves us parents with some time to relax, eat out, watch Game of Thrones, and —drumr...
Football season has officially started.
While it’s a fun time of year that many student-athletes look forward to, it's also time to freshen up on our knowledge about concussions so that we don’t put our kids at risk for severe long-term symptoms.
...
A new study shows that injuries to cheerleaders don’t happen often, but when they do occur they are usually serious.
Researchers in Pediatrics found that only track and field and swimming were safer as far as the number of injuries to athletes, bu...
Imagine you are 5 years old. It’s a beautiful day and you are stuck in the house with a fever. Your wonderful mother gives you little orange tablets that taste like oranges. You think taking these little tablets that look a lot like M&M’s will make y...
A study published in Pediatrics shows an increase of kids in the U.S. going to the ER for treatment of self-inflicted injuries, such as cutting. From 2009 to 2012, self-injuries increased from 1.1 percent to 1.6 percent of all visits.
While the in...
As a parent, your instinct is to protect your child at all costs.
However, some moms and dads may not realize the harm they are doing their newborn by not getting themselves or their older children vaccinated for whooping cough, or pertussis.
B...
Nearly all children dabble in picky eating. But, severely picky eaters take food selectivity to a different level. Severe selective eating is a disorder that prevents the consumption of certain foods or food groups and is associated with complete int...
So, your baby can’t sleep on his side, but your mom says he will sleep better that way.
You decide to seek out some information online and you find this:
“Although data to make specific recommendations as to when it is safe for infants to sleep...
It’s midnight. You wake up with a tear-streaked face staring at you.
“Mom, my legs hurt.”
It wouldn’t be so concerning except that it’s happening four nights a week, for months. Right?
So, what do you do?
Watch The Doc Smitty in Cook Chil...
Unless you are one of the 80 to 120 parents whose baby has been born with congenital hyperinsulinism (CHI), odds are you’ve probably never heard of this rare and severe disorder.
Even skilled physicians may not be on the lookout for something as u...
Give it to the Jenners, they sure know how to get attention. But right now 17-year-old Kylie Jenner may not be enjoying the spotlight as much as usual.
A disturbing trend on social media, the #kyliejennerchallenge, has left some teenagers in pain ...
When is a stomach bug not just a stomach bug?
How do you know when it is something else or when it could be more dangerous?
A report last week from the CDC described a cluster of infections caused by shigella, a bacteria that can cause severe d...
How does one go about picking a pediatrician these days?
If you want to start, visit Cook Children's guide to choosing a pediatrician. Then, go check out your doctor on healthgrades.com or vitals.com or any of the other rating sites you can find. ...