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There’s a new weapon in the battle against COVID-19. On September 1, 2022, the director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on its advisory panel’s recommended use of COVID-19 vaccine boosters. UPDATE: December 9, 2022 The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) approved the bivalent booster shots from Pfizer and Moderna for children ages 6 months and older on December 8. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) signed off on the approval one day later, making the shots available at your local pharmacy or healthcare provider....

Ecstasy, or 3,4-methylenedioxy-methamphetamine (MDMA), is a synthetic drug that affects perception and mood, producing feelings of euphoria, increased energy, and emotional warmth. The National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) estimates that 7.3% of people over the age of 12 will try ecstasy at some point during their lifetime. Research suggests that people who take the drug may develop memory problems, even after relatively short-term or occasional use. People who take the recreational drug ecstasy risk impairing their memory, according to an international study that surveyed 763 people, including 81 people who engaged in chronic use....

Tar is a chemical substance that is produced when tobacco is burned. It is the tar in cigarettes that contains most of the cancer-causing chemicals in tobacco smoke. When inhaled, this tar can have a damaging effect on the lungs and contribute to serious health problems. As of Dec. 20, 2019, the new legal age limit is 21 years old for purchasing cigarettes, cigars, or any other tobacco products in the U....

Trail walking offers different challenges than walking on flat, even surfaces like a track, sidewalk, or treadmill. Trails are uneven, rocky, and bumpy. Wearing proper trail shoes can keep your feet dry (many are waterproof), provide good traction for walking over rocks, and offer thick cushioning to protect your feet. Find trail shoes that fit your walking needs, are comfortable, provide good traction, are flexible, and fit your feet well. Some offer a wider foot....

A postpartum sitz bath is a special bath used in the early postpartum period to help ease the pain, promote healing, and give good hygiene to the perineal area. This is particularly helpful after an episiotomy or tearing during birth. A postpartum sitz bath can also help reduce swelling in the perineum or a swollen labia when there is no cut or tearing. Portable Sitz Bath In the hospital, you may be given a portable sitz bath....

At first glance, foster care and adoption seem very similar — both involve bringing a child into your home to care for and nurture. In fact, many prospective parents confuse the two when they attend foster or adoptive parent training classes. But there are two fundamental differences: permanency and parental rights. Permanency State agencies don’t want children to remain in foster care indefinitely, so foster care is temporary. The agency wants to repair the problems that existed in the child’s home or with his parents that resulted in him being removed from them....

A urinary tract infection (UTI) is an infection in any part of the urinary system, which includes the kidneys, ureters, bladder, and urethra. While you’ve probably heard of adults getting UTIs, children, including toddlers and infants, can also get them. Overview UTIs don’t resolve on their own. These infections need medical attention and prescription medication, but the good news is that they’re usually pretty easy to treat. The most important thing is to get timely diagnosis and treatment, because if left untreated, UTIs can cause damage to the kidneys or lead to more serious infections....

If you are getting ready to welcome your first baby or have recently given birth, you may be wondering what to expect for yourself. Sure, a lot of people talk about what to expect during pregnancy and how pregnancy changes your body, and even what to expect about your baby, but they have been a little fuzzy on the details of what you, the mom in the situation, are going to encounter....

Trauma. The word itself evokes stark images of car accidents, assaults, natural disasters, terrorism—acute incidents stored in our bodies and our memories for a lifetime. This, however, is a limited understanding of the concept of trauma, what it means to be traumatized, and living with that trauma on a daily basis. After two years of living in the midst of a pandemic, many of us have begun to understand that trauma can be ongoing, long-lasting, and perhaps not always identifiable as trauma while we’re living it....

Give Feedback About Your Experience If there’s a specific person in your life who always points out the potential pitfalls of your positive plans, gently point it out. In the “Ask a Therapist” series, I’ll be answering your questions about all things mental health and psychology. Whether you are struggling with a mental health condition, coping with anxiety about a life situation, or simply looking for a therapist’s insight, submit a question....

Starting at the beginning of the alphabet to name your baby could be a fun idea for the family. Names that start with the letter “A” are plentiful and include everything from the super popular to the unique. There are also a few ways to use “A” names for your new additions. Perhaps “A” names run in the family and you want to add to the collection. Or maybe you want to have each child’s name start with a different letter for a strategic reason....

It’s not uncommon for a parent to begin questioning options for a misbehaving teenager. Whether a teen is running away or refusing to attend school, many parents begin to think a military-style boot camp might be the only option they have left to straighten their teen out. Many parents turn to teen boot camps as a way to try and save their teen from incarceration, substance abuse problems, gangs, or even death....

If you’ve been following pregnancy posts on social media lately, you’ve probably come across a new trend of pregnant bellies plastered with colorful tape. This tape is less about decoration and more about pain relief for expecting parents. Brands like SpiderTech and Tummy Tape are creating a one-piece, adhesive fabric that can be applied on pregnant bellies. Pregnant people say this type of maternity tape helps them reduce pressure created from the extra weight....

Due process is a requirement under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) that sets forth a regulatory basis for a formal set of policies and procedures to be implemented by schools and districts for children in special education programs. Due process is intended to ensure that children with learning disabilities and other types of disabilities receive a free appropriate public education. These policies and procedures are typically described in a school district’s procedural safeguards statement and local policies....

The weight loss and malnutrition associated with anorexia can lead to dysphagia, which is defined as difficulty swallowing due to physical or mental illness. Dysphagia can result in additional medical problems that can be dangerous and even fatal. As a result, it’s essential to diagnose and treat dysphagia in a person with anorexia. This article will start by defining dysphagia and identifying the two kinds of dysphagia that people with anorexia are most likely to experience: functional dysphagia and oropharyngeal dysphagia....

Vaping is both addictive and harmful to your health, so of course, you don’t want your kids to pick up the habit. Once advertised as a method to quit smoking, some e-cigarettes are now being designed to appeal to children. These products may look like glow sticks, popsicles, or toys, and feature cartoon characters like Minions or The Simpsons. Key Takeaways The FDA sent warning letters to five different companies accusing them of unauthorized marketing of e-cigarette products....

Everyone has emotional needs, in relationships and outside of them. Many people turn to their partners to help fulfill these needs. But that is a lot to ask of a partner and of a relationship. While helping to meet each other’s needs is an important piece of any relationship, the ultimate responsibility for emotional fulfillment rests on the individual. Know Your Emotional Needs An emotional need “is a craving that, when satisfied, leaves you with a feeling of happiness and contentment, and, when unsatisfied, leaves you with a feeling of unhappiness and frustration,” says clinical psychologist and author Willard F....

Between school and downtime, most kids do one or more extracurricular activities. These classes, sports teams, and other programs allow children and teens to pursue a special interest that’s outside of the typical educational curriculum, including sports, the arts, special-interest clubs, and technology. They also help to bolster a teens college application, while offering a host of other academic, social, and physical benefits. If you have a busy family schedule already, you may wonder whether extracurricular activities are worth the time and money....

Whether your child is working on kindergarten readiness skills or is already in school, tasks requiring fine motor skills can often present difficulties. While many children don’t have trouble with gross motor skills such as running or jumping, fine motor skills require more control and more precise movements of smaller muscles. Ways to Build Fine Motor Skills You can invest in toys that use fine motor skills while your child is playing....

If you’ve ever experienced migraines or know someone else who has, you’ll be aware of how uncomfortable, painful, and debilitating they can be. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), over 15% of American adults have reported a migraine or severe headache in the previous three months—a statistic that has been stable for nearly twenty years. Medline Plus estimates that women are three times more likely than other folx to report migraines....