Young & Healthy

Anaphylaxis: Stay Prepared, Save A Life

Anaphylaxis, or a severe allergic reaction, is the stuff parents’ nightmares are made of. Seeing someone experience an anaphylactic reaction can be scary, but Dr. Tim Dribin advises that by staying prepared and knowing what to look for, you could save the life of someone experiencing this type of reaction.  
Today on the Young & Healthy podcast, we talk to Dr. Dribin, a pediatric emergency medicine specialist, and anaphylaxis expert. He and our host Kate Setter discuss myths and misunderstandings about anaphylaxis, the common triggers of anaphylactic reactions, symptoms to be aware of, and the importance of seeing an allergist. They also talk extensively about epinephrine injectors, commonly known as EpiPens, which are the first line of defense for a severe allergic reaction and a necessary prescription to have on hand for kids who have allergies. Be sure to check out the chapter markers to navigate to specific points of the episode.   

Diet Culture and Its Impact on Children

Dieting – people have been doing it for generations. Perhaps someone is dieting in your house right now. But have you paused lately to think about how exposure to diet culture or talk of dieting could be impacting your children? Today, on the Young & Healthy podcast, Dr. Jessica Lin and Dr. Sanita Ley sit down with us to discuss the impact of dieting and how other people’s opinions can have a negative impact on kids and adolescents. They bust myths, such as eating disorders are not specific to one body type and the influence of dieting affects kids of all ages, cultural backgrounds and genders. We learn how fitness guidelines and recommendations from influencers are not always safe and the long-term impact diet culture can have on a child’s relationship with food. Jessica and Sanita talk to us about how eating foods you like in moderation is good for you and so is having carbs and fats. After today’s episode, we hope listeners have quality information and feel empowered to find a value-based approach to healthy movements and foods and some ideas for what that can look like for you and your family.  
Resources:
For more information on resources available at Cincinnati Children's, visit Eating Disorders | Cincinnati Children's (cincinnatichildrens.org) 
For a guide to good, healthy eating, visit MyPlate.
For resources to help stop bullying, visit StopBullying.gov
For general guidelines for nutrition, visit the Center for Young Women's Health and Young Men's Health

What’s Your Favorite Scary Movie? Halloween and Kids

Calling all the ghouls, ghosts and goblins! It’s Friday the 13th and we are thinking about all the scary things. The exposure to all things spooky can be challenging for families to navigate. You may be wondering if it’s okay for your children to be scared? The short answer is, yes! On today’s episode of Young & Healthy, pediatric psychologist Dr. Shivali Sarawgi, joins us to discuss how to expose your children to scary things at the appropriate time, how to help kids understand the difference between reality and the unreal and to help them feel safe even when things are scary. We also talk about how to help kids navigate feelings of being scared and the importance of parental involvement when kids want to watch scary movies or play intense video games. Don’t miss this fang-tastic episode!  Happy Halloween! 

Infant Series: Postpartum & Maternal Depression

Did you know, 50-75% of new moms who have postpartum depression are never diagnosed? Welcoming a new baby is a life-changing experience that comes with significant hormonal, physical and emotional changes. Stress, anxiety, sadness and fear are all normal emotions during the postpartum period. You’re likely familiar with words like postpartum depression, perinatal depression, maternal depression, and baby blues. But what do they all mean?  
Today we have a profound and powerful conversation with Dr. Rachel Herbst, pediatric psychologist and therapist Kara Messmore about these types of depression and their impact on families and children. We learn how to identify symptoms of PPD and discuss psychosocial stressors that pre-dispose parents to depression. Kara and Rachel also provide tips on how families and friends can support new parents and ways for caregivers to take care of themselves, which is the most important thing a new parent can do for their own health and for their baby.  
Resources:  
For more information on Moving Beyond Depression at Cincinnati Children’s, please watch this video to learn more: Moving Beyond Depression | Cincinnati Children's 
For additional resources in the Greater Cincinnati Area, visit: 
Cradle Cincinnati: Cradle Cincinnati (squarespace.com) 
Queen’s Village: Queens Village (blackwomenforthewin.com) 

Heavy Menstrual Bleeding: What’s Normal?

It is well known that menstrual cycles can be stressful and painful – especially when a young person first starts their period. Most people learn from their family members about what to expect and how to be as comfortable as possible during menstrual cycles.  
But what if your family’s “normal” isn’t normal at all? Margo D’Agostino had excessively heavy menstrual bleeding for years – including some symptoms, that in hindsight, were quite alarming. But her mom had the same experience, so they together decided it must be normal. Spoiler, it wasn’t normal – Margo has a bleeding disorder called Von Willebrand’s disease, that other members of her family likely have too.  
On the podcast today, Margo and Dr. Maria Carter Febres, a pediatric hematologist, join us to talk about bleeding disorders and Margo’s journey to find answers about her health. We talk about typical menstruation experiences, the importance of normalizing conversations about monthly cycles and what to do if something doesn’t seem quite right with your own or your child’s health.