Parenting in the age of fake news: 5 things you can start doing today
When I was in 7th grade, we did a unit in English class about how to read the newspaper. We learned where the most important stories were placed (to the right) and about how the stories were written so that the most important points were covered first (before the reader lost interest). They didn’t teach us how to figure out if the stories were true, because back then it just didn’t occur to us that anyone would publish fake news. Now, it happens all the time. It’s not that there have never been untrue stories published. But with the rise of the Internet, where anybody can post anything — and in an age when, in the ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 9, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Claire McCarthy Tags: Health & Wellness Parenting Teen Health Adolescent Medicine Claire McCarthy Source Type: news

All in the family: Returning to the dance floor
Kristina Peitzch jokes that with four daughters her family keeps the local dance school in business. It started with Jessica, now 13. Jessica fell in love with ballet when she was 3. A few years later, Danielle followed, then Madison and finally Abigail. Going to the studio on a nearly daily basis is a family affair. But when Jessica was 9, she started experiencing mysterious ankle pain. Dancing felt a little less enjoyable. “It was random at first and seemed to happen more with activities like gym class or ballet,” says Kristina. The pain would disappear for a few weeks, so Kristina attributed it to growing pains. Ove...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 5, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Boston Children's at Lexington Dr. Dennis Kramer Dr. Gregory Melkonian Lower Extremity Program Orthopedic Center osteochondritis dissecans Source Type: news

All in the family: A big sister returns to the dance floor
Kristina Peitzch jokes that with four daughters her family keeps the local dance school in business. It started with Jessica, now 13. Jessica fell in love with ballet when she was 3. A few years later, Danielle followed, then Madison and finally Abigail. Going to the studio on a nearly daily basis is a family affair. But when Jessica was 9, she started experiencing mysterious ankle pain. Dancing felt a little less enjoyable. “It was random at first and seemed to happen more with activities like gym class or ballet,” says Kristina. The pain would disappear for a few weeks, so Kristina attributed it to growing pains. Ove...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 5, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Boston Children's at Lexington Dr. Dennis Kramer Dr. Gregory Melkonian Lower Extremity Program Orthopedic Center osteochondritis dissecans Source Type: news

4 things you and your teen may not know about marijuana — but should
Massachusetts is now among eight U.S. states to legalize marijuana for adult (21+) recreational use, a decision that’s created a relaxed stance on use of the drug and left many parents worried. The simple, clear and empowering message we suggest parents share with teens is that avoidance of marijuana is best and here’s why. Marijuana is harmful to adolescents. Repeated use of marijuana during the critical windows of brain growth and development of adolescence is associated with anatomic changes in the brain, drops in IQ, serious mental-health disorders and overall poorer functioning. While these harms are dose depende...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 4, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Sharon Levy Tags: Health & Wellness Kids' Safety Teen Health Adolescent Substance Abuse Program adoloscent substance abuse Dr. Sharon Levy marijuana medical marijuana Source Type: news

Post-transplant tips & tricks from families who ’ve been through it
Transplant recipients typically feel stronger and more energetic following transplant recovery. But returning to regular activities, sports and travel can be challenging. A few “transplant moms,” who’ve already been through the experience, share their wisdom and advice. Charlene, mom to Brent, 19, liver transplant recipient Planning a first vacation post-transplant is easier said than done. Charlene Newhall knows. And, she has a handful of advice, following a family summer trip to Arizona from their home in Maine: Work with your pharmacy to ensure you have enough medications. Research the closest major hospitals. ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - January 3, 2017 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Health & Wellness Parenting heart transplant Heart transplant program kidney transplant Kidney Transplant Program Liver transplant Liver Transplant Program Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) Source Type: news

Year in review: Our most popular Thriving stories
As the year comes to a close, we look back on some of the most popular stories — from basic tips to second chances to ground-breaking surgeries. Thank you to the many families and patients who kindly contributed to the success of Thriving in 2016. As always, you inspire us. Happy New Year! You’ve heard that the hormone melatonin can help kids sleep. But is melatonin for children safe? Does it work? Learn more from sleep expert Dr. Judith Owens, director of the Boston Children’s Hospital Sleep Center. Actress Jennifer Garner portrayed Anna Beam’s mother in the movie “Miracles from Heaven.” R...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 30, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Diseases & Conditions Health & Wellness Our Patients’ Stories Research and Innovation ACL reconstruction ACL repair ACL surgery ACL tear Bridge-Enhanced ACL Repair encephalocele melatonin pseudo-obstruction sleep Source Type: news

New FDA-approved drug is offering hope in spinal muscular atrophy
Sofia, now almost 3, was not predicted to live to age 2, let alone stand or walk. All signs were positive when Sofia Wylie was born: normal term delivery, great Apgar scores. “But at her two-month checkup with the pediatrician, she wasn’t lifting her head well, and her reflexes were weak,” says her mother Natalia. “She was like a rag doll.” The pediatrician referred the New Hampshire family to a neurologist. Sofia received genetic testing, and the news wasn’t good: she had spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), a rare paralyzing disease. Even worse, she had the most severe form, SMA Type 1, which starts in infancy. Usu...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 28, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Nancy Fliesler Source Type: news

Past meets present: Christmas at Boston Children ’s
.twentytwenty-before-label:before {content: "c.1940" !important; }.twentytwenty-after-label:before {content: "2016" !important; } More than 60 years ago, Boston Children’s Hospital welcomed children from around the world with wishes for a “Merry Christmas” from a chalk-board-drawn Santa Claus. Today, the elves from our Information Services Department use video-chat technology, so that Saint Nick can interact with children and their families all the way from the North Pole. The post Past meets present: Christmas at Boston Children’s appeared first on Thriving Blog. (Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston)
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 23, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Flashback Christmas Cisco Santa Source Type: news

Christmas with the Applebees: A story of loss, love and gratitude
From left, Marc, Ivy, Wyatt, Max and Nicki Applebee Marc and Nicki Applebee pull their rented, 12-passenger van up to the Boston Children’s Hospital main entrance. The couple, along with family friends and their three bundles of joy — Wyatt, 2, and twins Max and Ivy, 1, travel over five hours from their hometown in Surry, Maine, to deliver several hundred new and donated toys to the hospital. Their annual holiday visit, called “Christmas for Olive” is a labor of love, and one dedicated to the memory of their two-and-a-half-year-old daughter Olive Hope, who passed away in July of 2013, due to complicat...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 22, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Maureen McCarthy Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Hydronephrosis Richard Yu urology Source Type: news

Stronger together: Families of girls with SPG47 find support in each other
Imagine your child is diagnosed with a rare neurological condition. So rare that there are only a handful of reported cases, and those are from halfway around the world. This was the case for Chris and Kasey Edwards of Massachusetts and Kevin and Angela Duffy of Pennsylvania. Their daughters’, Robbie and Molly, are among only 11 children in the world to be diagnosed with an extremely rare genetic disorder, called spastic parapalegia-47 (SPG47). “When they told us how rare this was, our minds were going in a thousand directions,” says Kasey, Robbie’s mom. “We didn’t know what to think.” The two families though...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 20, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Ellen Greenlaw Tags: Diseases & Conditions Our Patients’ Stories Department of Neurology Dr. Basil Darras hereditary spastic parapalegia HSP type 47 living with rare disease SPG47 Source Type: news

Happy birthday to my heart
In the foyer of the Geraghty house in Bedford, New Hampshire, 20 red heart-shaped balloons and a wall-to-wall banner welcome Erin Geraghty home from college. It’s not her birthday — she’s 21. It’s not her graduation — she’s a first-semester University of New Hampshire senior. And it’s not Valentine’s Day. It’s her 20th year with the same heart. Born with idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy — a condition that causes the heart to pump blood inefficiently — Erin received a heart transplant at Boston Children’s Hospital when she was just 1 year old. Her sister Katie, two years her senior, remembers Erin...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 19, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Emily Williams Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Elizabeth Blume heart transplant Heart transplant program idiopathic dilated cardiomyopathy Pediatric Transplant Center (PTC) Source Type: news

Beyond balloons: 6 ways to help a family in the hospital during the holidays
Sophie and Maddie pose with Santa There’s nothing like being home for the holidays. But for families with a child in the hospital, sometimes that’s just not possible. As a friend or family member, you may wonder what you can do to make the family’s holidays a little brighter. Some of the best advice comes from parents who have been there and know firsthand what can make a difference. Reach out “Don’t be afraid to let the family know you’re thinking of them,” says Boston Children’s Hospital Family Advisory Council member Katie Litterer, who’s spent more than one holiday in the hospital with her twin daught...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 15, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Ellen Greenlaw Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Family Advisory Council Family Parnterships Source Type: news

Midaortic syndrome takes Arizona teen to Boston for innovative surgery
Justin with his father in Boston Justin Kibler is tall, strong and lean. At 18, he’s already a competitive rodeo star and an active member of Future Farmers of America (FFA).  Looking at him, “he’s the picture of health.” But what can’t be seen, just by looking, is that just four years ago, Justin developed an extremely rare and dangerous disease called midaortic syndrome (MAS). And he needed special care that no one in his entire home state of Arizona could provide. Midaortic syndrome is characterized by a narrowing of the parts of the aorta (the main artery that delivers oxygen-rich blood throughout ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 14, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Erin Horan Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Dr. Deborah Stein Heung Bae Kim Midaortic Syndrome and Renovascular Hypertension (MAS/RVH) Program Source Type: news

Too hip for dysplasia
Thirty-something moms Tosha LoSurdo and Jessica Rohrick have been friends since college, bonding over the typical trials and tribulations of young women. In 2015, both learned they were pregnant for the first time. They thought they might share similar sagas as new moms — diapers, sleepless nights and teething. They didn’t expect to bond over infant hip dysplasia. When Tosha’s daughter Carmela was born on Feb. 4 at Brigham and Women’s Hospital, the pediatrician noticed her hips were a little “clicky.” She was told the connection between the femoral head (top of her thigh bone) and hip socket wasn’t stable, a...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 12, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Lisa Fratt Tags: Our Patients’ Stories Child and Young Adult Hip Preservation Program developmental dysplasia of the hip Dr. Eduardo Novais Dr. Travis Matheney infant hip dysplasia Orthopedic Center Pavlik harness Rhino brace Source Type: news

Holiday travel got you down? A parent ’s guide for planning
The holidays can be a stressful time for all families, especially when it comes to traveling. Boston Children’s Hospital’s Dr. Jessica Tsai offers some quick tips to keep your children healthy–and family stress to a minimum, during your holiday travels. Safety first Discuss travel safety with your children in advance of your trip. If they become separated from you, identify a specific meeting place they should go and a phone number they should contact. If they are carrying bags, these should remain closed and secure. Reinforce that they should stay with your family as you travel about. Eat well, plan well ...
Source: Thrive, Children's Hospital Boston - December 8, 2016 Category: Pediatrics Authors: Maureen McCarthy Tags: Ask the Expert Health & Wellness Parenting Dr. Jessica Tsai Holiday travel Source Type: news