Three first aid myths to ditch: Mom knows best, right? Well, not always. Some of the health advice she may have passed on isn’t so accurate. Here are three first-aid-related myths you should ditch and what to do instead. 1. Clean a wound with hydrogen peroxide. Save yourself the sting. Hydrogen peroxide and rubbing alcohol can damage the tissue and make it take longer for…
The Chester County Health Department encourages all parents and health care providers to use summer as a time to make sure children's vaccines are up-to-date. Parents are encouraged to contact their healthcare provider today to discuss vaccine needs well before the start of the new school year in the fall. Pennsylvania requires children to have certain vaccines before they enter school and are part of a…
Anemia is a condition you may not even know you have until an abnormality shows up on a routine blood test. In other cases, anemia can cause symptoms that send you to the doctor for a checkup. It may make you feel tired, faint and dizzy, or constantly cold. If you have anemia, you’re not alone. More than 3 million people in the United States…
Who has started counting down the days until back to school? Are the kids starting to bounce off the walls yet, complaining about their boredom? I have mixed emotions about the summer months. I love the first week after school gets out and celebrate no alarms or schedules and eat ice cream for dinner. Then it sets in. Lazy, hazy days begin to turn into…
It doesn’t matter how smart teens are or how well they scored on the SAT or ACT. Good judgment isn’t something they can excel in, at least not yet.The rational part of a teen’s brain isn’t fully developed and won’t be until age 25 or so. In fact, recent research has found that adult and teen brains work differently. Adults think with the prefrontal cortex, the…
Long-awaited relief from what felt like an eternal winter is finally here, and it’s time to get out and about in the sunshine again. It’s the season of outdoor street festivals, backyard BBQs and happy hour locations with abundant outdoor seating. As summer approaches, doctors are reminding everyone to keep skin health top-of-mind when their bodies are being exposed to the sun’s ultraviolet (UV) rays.…
For many people, the summer months are a source of happiness. It’s always fun to join your family for a picnic, enjoy a walk through the neighborhood or spend an evening sitting on your front porch. However, as the temperature climbs, so does the risk of heat-related illnesses and injuries – especially for children, seniors and those with chronic health problems. Heat-Related Illnesses "Heat…
Even chefs with world-class knife skills sometimes slice and dice a finger instead of the vegetable they meant to chop. If you’re a home cook, amateur baker, or backyard barbecue connoisseur, the dangers lurking around the kitchen are just as real for you. Cook a delicious meal without the trip to the emergency room. “Lacerations from knives make up the majority of hand injuries that…
I recently returned from the family vacation of a lifetime to Europe with my two daughters, ages 19 and 22. One is a recent college grad and the other, completing her freshman year. We had talked about this celebration trip several times — their high school graduation, turning 18 and 21 and various spring breaks but this was the perfect timing as the recent college…
Family systems psychiatrist Murray Bowen noted years ago the phenomenon of change back/push back in a family system when an individual in the system starts to shake up the status quo. This shift is in the service of higher integration and greater awareness. However, our tribal primal inclinations of the family want to keep the individual in check and not be so “different.” In my first…
Got fall allergies? Get prepped now. When the seasons start to change, it’s time for allergy sufferers to gear up for their fall allergies. Preparing in advance can help you get ahead of hard-to-fight symptoms later. While fall allergens might not be as obvious as those in the spring, there are plenty of triggers that can be in your day-to-day routine. Ragweed, mold and dust…