What Are Night Terrors? Most parents have comforted their child after the occasional nightmare. But if your child has ever had what’s known as a night terror (or sleep terror), his or her fear was likely inconsolable, no matter what you tried. A night terror is a sleep disruption that seems similar to a nightmare, but …
Along with obvious changes in physical appearance that come with puberty, your child’s voice will start sounding a whole lot different too. As the body goes through puberty, the larynx (or voice box) grows larger and thicker. It happens in both boys and girls, but the change is more obvious in boys. Girls’ voices only …
What Is Collagen? Collagen (KOL-uh-jin) is a protein in the body. Different types of collagen are in many body parts, including hair, skin, nails, bones, ligaments, tendons, cartilage, blood vessels, and intestines. What Does Collagen Do? Collagen has many different roles in the body. It: helps make bones strong lets the skin and tendons stretch helps with healing after …
What Is the Spleen? The spleen is a fist-sized organ in the upper left part of the belly under the ribcage. It helps protect the body by clearing worn-out red blood cells and other foreign bodies (such as germs) from the bloodstream. The spleen is part of the lymphatic system, which is an extensive drainage network. The …
Doctors use the medical terms “overweight” or “obese” to tell if someone has a greater chance of developing weight-related health problems. How Are Overweight and Obesity Defined? Body mass index (BMI) uses height and weight measurements to estimate a person’s body fat. But calculating BMI on your own can be complicated. An easier way is to use …
The first one appeared when Anna was just a few days old. I thought it was a diaper rash at first. As a first-time mom, I didn’t know one red spot from another. After another day or two, several more flat red spots appeared in and around Anna’s diaper area. I had never heard the …
What Is a Growth Plate? Growth plates are the areas of new bone growth in children and teens. They’re made up of cartilage , a rubbery, flexible material (the nose, for instance, is made of cartilage). Most growth plates are near the ends of long bones. Long bones are bones that are longer than they are wide. They include: …
What Are Growth Charts? Kids grow at their own pace. Big, small, tall, short — there is a wide range of healthy shapes and sizes among children. Genetics, gender, nutrition, physical activity, health problems, environment, and hormones all play a role in a child’s height and weight. And many of these things can vary widely from family …
What Do Vaccines Do? Vaccines work by preparing the body to fight illness. Each vaccine contains either a dead or a weakened germ (or parts of it) that causes a particular disease. The body practices fighting the disease by making antibodies that recognize specific parts of that germ. This permanent or long-lasting response means that if someone …
What Do Vaccines Do? Vaccines work by preparing the body to fight illness. Each vaccine contains either a dead or a weakened germ (or parts of it) that causes a particular disease. The body practices fighting the disease by making antibodies that recognize specific parts of that germ. This permanent or long-lasting response means that if someone …
