Have you ever listened to a song that took you back to the memory of a specific time in your life, reminded you of a special person, made you feel relaxed or gave you energy?

There is definitely a certain power associated with music. Music can bring up emotions, memories, or special connections that link us socially or spiritually. For children, music can be a fun way to learn, relax and get through tough emotional or physical situations. It can help with communication, social skills and with other abilities. In fact, it’s also been shown to reduce stress, which can help keep your immune system healthy.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, RN Remedies, School-Age on January 30th, 2012 | No Comments »

It can be very difficult for children using inhalers to coordinate pressing the inhaler and breathing in at the same time. Using a spacer with an inhaler can help your child get the proper amount of medicine into his or her lungs.

A spacer looks like a round plastic tube that fits on the mouthpiece of your child’s inhaler. Typically, spacers are prescribed by doctors.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, RN Remedies, School-Age on January 23rd, 2012 | No Comments »

Did you know one of the most effective means to keep your family healthy is probably the simplest? I’m talking about good hand washing.

You may have heard from your doctor and news reports, especially during flu season, just how important it is to wash your hands. In fact, proper and regular hand washing can also prevent sicknesses like most types of infectious diarrhea, hepatitis A and meningitis.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, Pre-teens, RN Remedies, School-Age, Toddlers on December 5th, 2011 | No Comments »

For parents, it’s often a shock when their child’s pediatrician returns with a diagnosis of asthma. They can feel overwhelmed because as of yet, asthma cannot be cured. However, parents and children alike should take heart in the knowledge that with preventative measures and appropriate treatment, asthma can be controlled.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, Pre-teens, RN Remedies, School-Age on October 10th, 2011 | No Comments »

My daughter told me during a phone call that she wasn’t feeling well. She was away at college and told me there had been sandwiches at a party she’d attended.

“I ate one and now I don’t feel good at all,” she confessed.

My nurse antennae went up because, in addition, to being allergic to penicillin, my daughter has food allergies. She is particularly allergic to nuts and shellfish. Typically, when she has eaten one of the offending foods, she feels a tingling in her tongue and on occasion, nausea.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, RN Remedies, School-Age on September 26th, 2011 | No Comments »

Some of my favorite memories of childhood are of picnics in the park, barbeques in the backyard and potlucks at church. I loved the fun and sharing of friendships, families and conversation around delicious food. What I didn’t know is that sometimes, we were also sharing bacteria! The bacteria were not invited to the party, but often showed up anyway.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, Pre-teens, RN Remedies, School-Age, Toddlers on September 4th, 2011 | No Comments »

The FDA recently announced new requirements for over-the-counter sunscreens. Prior to these changes, the regulations on sunscreen only addressed concerns with protection against Ultraviolet B (UVB) rays. New standards now include regulations for Ultraviolet A (UVA) rays.

Understanding what you may see on new sunscreen labels will allow you to choose the right sun protection for you and your family.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, Pre-teens, RN Remedies, School-Age on August 30th, 2011 | No Comments »

With summer here, many kids will enjoy the sunshine and warm weather by playing outside. Riding bikes, rollerskating, skateboarding and riding scooters are all ways for kids to get much-needed exercise outdoors. Children need to be taught to wear proper protective equipment while doing these activities, especially helmets.

Filed under: Adolescents & Teens, Pre-teens, RN Remedies, School-Age on August 15th, 2011 | No Comments »

In my last post, Hot Days, Cool Water: Summer Safety Tips, I shared important water safety tips for parents and really focused on what parents should remember when their children are playing in the pool. But it’s too easy to forget that the pool isn’t the only place where kids are at risk for drowning.

This post discusses the importance of being vigilant while your children are playing in hot tubs, containers of water and in the ocean. I’ll also discuss what dry drowning is and how to keep an open eye for its symptoms.

Filed under: Infants, RN Remedies, School-Age, Toddlers on July 25th, 2011 | 3 Comments »

Drowning is quick and silent. Victims cannot call for help as they do not have enough air. It is rare for a drowning victim to thrash. A child can drown in any amount of water in the time it takes to answer a phone.

For this reason, it is so important not to leave children unattended in or near water. Children can drown in just two inches of water, which can take place in bathtubs, toilets, buckets, anywhere free standing water is found.

Filed under: Infants, RN Remedies, School-Age, Toddlers on July 19th, 2011 | No Comments »