Bug bites are common at all seasons of the year, but most common in spring and summer. Most bites are caused by mosquitoes. Other bug bites are caused by flies, bees and wasps, ants and ticks. What causes the reaction? A mosquito and many other bugs do not actually bite the skin. Instead, they insert their stinger, or proboscis, into your child’s skin, like a needle. Then, the stinger probes under the skin to find a blood vessel. When the mosquito finds a blood vessel, it releases a substance that prevents your child’s blood from clotting, to allow the mosquito[Read more...]
What is a bruise? A bruise, also known as a contusion in the medical world, is damage of the soft tissues (i.e. skin, muscles, tendons, etc.) of the body caused by trauma. Trauma can be minor or major depending on how the injury occurs. When soft tissues are damaged the blood vessels under the skin can break and cause leaking of red blood cells under the skin. This leakage causes a blue, purple, red or black discolouration of the skin; this is a bruise. Why do bruises change colour? The changes in the colour of the bruising is related to[Read more...]
What is bed-wetting? Nocturnal enuresis, or bed wetting, is a condition in which your child cannot control their bladder while they are sleeping, and end up urinating (peeing) during their sleep. Bed-wetting is very common in children under the age of 6 years old, however 7% of 7-year olds, and 1% of 13-year olds still wet the bed. Generally children begin to stay dry during the night when they reach the ages of 3 to 8-years old. Unintentional urination at night is part of growing up, and a normal thing that each parent will encounter during their child’s development. Generally[Read more...]
It’s not quite official yet, but back to school is in sight, and summer vacation is wrapping up for another year. As exciting as it can be to head back to class, this time of year isn’t without its own kinds of health concerns. We’ve been collecting some of the best back-to-school articles from around the Web and we’ve complied them here for easy reference. Here’s to a safe, happy and healthy new school year! General Health “How to get ready for the flood of back-to-school illnesses” (Globe and Mail) “School-Age Years: Developmental milestones” (AboutKidsHealth) “Teens and sleep: Why you[Read more...]
