08-04-2019

Everybody should have a few common, key items in their medicine cabinet. These few items should help in a pinch, and save you from making trips to the store in the middle of the night. Here are the must haves to any medicine cabinet: Tylenol (generic is acetaminophen). You can buy the children’s or infant formula; (...)

03-20-2018

If your child is frequently ill, it may be due to a condition called neutropenia. Neutropenia is when your body doesn’t have enough of a certain type of blood cell that helps fight infection. The 30 second science lesson… In the blood, there are different kinds of cells, including white blood cells. The white blood (...)

08-28-2017

If you’ve ever heard the phrase, “all the (standard) ‘blood work’ was normal,” you’ve maybe wondered what that is supposed to mean? While there are innumerable blood tests that can be done/ordered, there are a few tests that are done much more commonly than others. Among these is the CBC, or complete blood count. In (...)

08-15-2017

Because August is National Immunization Awareness month, I thought I’d address vaccines. Parents are savvy and ask great questions. Vaccine concerns are no exception. I spend a huge part of my work day discussing vaccines. These are the most common questions I get. 1. Are vaccines safe? The short answer is: yes. The longer answer is that (...)

09-26-2016

Anemia happens when a person has low levels of red blood cells. Iron deficiency is the most common type of anemia (according to the American Society of Hematology). Iron is a mineral that the body needs to make a protein called hemoglobin. Red blood cells contain hemoglobin. Hemoglobin carries oxygen to all the parts of (...)

08-03-2016

Is your kid a bleeder? It might be Von Willebrands disease. Von Willebrands is the most common bleeding disorder and yet very few people actually know about it. It is estimated that 1% of the population has it. (In medicine, that’s a huge number; that means 1 or 2 people in your neighborhood have it). (...)

04-06-2016

It’s springtime, and that means time to register your kids for the upcoming school year. If you have a child that will be in kindergarten come this fall, you’ll need to schedule a Kindergarten Physical. Every state’s requirements are a little different. In Utah, there is a physical form, immunization form, and medication form (if (...)

03-22-2016

Having your child’s blood drawn is awful. If you’ve been through it, you know what I mean. If you haven’t, it’s worse than you imagine. Holding your child down and having her scream in pain and fear is downright terrible. If you’ve cried during your child’s blood draw, you are normal. Unfortunately, sometimes it has to (...)

01-26-2016

If you’ve recently had a baby, then you probably remember questions about your child’s bilirubin levels and concern about jaundice. Here are the facts: What is Jaundice? The medical term “jaundice” refers to the yellow skin color that your baby may experience. “Bilirubin” is the chemical in the blood that makes the skin look jaundice, (...)