Dr. D. Mark Valentine, MD

SUNDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Significantly more U.S. children have a neurodevelopmental or mental health disability than did a decade ago, according to new research.

Disabilities that impair a child's day-to-day living have risen 16 percent, with the greatest increase seen in richer ...Full Article

SATURDAY, May 4 (HealthDay News) -- About 90 percent of pediatric specialists who diagnose and manage attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) in preschool children do not follow treatment guidelines published recently by the American Academy of Pediatrics, according to a new study.

SUNDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- About 16 percent of U.S. high school students are victims of cyberbullying, according to a new study.

The study also found that many high school students spend hours a day playing video games or using a computer for something other than schoolwork.

SUNDAY, May 5 (HealthDay News) -- Playing school sports is known to have many benefits for teens, but researchers have found a new reason to encourage kids to take up a sport: It may reduce teen girls' likelihood of being involved in violence and some teen boys' risk of being bullied.

In ...Full Article

TUESDAY, April 30 (HealthDay News) -- Young children are at high risk for accidentally strangling themselves with window blind cords and parents need to be aware of this threat, doctors report.

Children aged 16 to 36 months seem particularly vulnerable to this danger, because they have re...Full Article

THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Children with more severe concussion symptoms take longer to recover from their head injury than those with milder symptoms, a new study finds.

Most children recover from sports-related concussions within a few days, but so...Full Article

TUESDAY, April 23 (HealthDay News) -- More than 40 percent of American parents give over-the-counter cough and cold medicines to kids under age 4 even though they're too young for such products, a new survey finds.

In young children, these medicines can cause allergic reactions, increased...Full Article

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Contrary to conventional wisdom, a new Dutch study has found that the most likely way children get infected with the virus that causes warts is from close contact with family members or classmates, rather than from public places such...Full Article

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Older women who had their first baby when they were teenagers are more likely to be obese than those who were not teen moms, a new study finds.

Researchers analyzed data from the U.S. National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey and found that 44 p...Full Article

FRIDAY, April 19 (HealthDay News) -- Although breast-feeding is generally considered the best way to nourish an infant, new research suggests that in the long term it may lead to lower levels of iron.

"What we found was that over a year of age, the longer the child is breast-fed, the grea...Full Article

MONDAY, April 22 (HealthDay News) -- Although you might think being a member of the "clean plate club" is something that stops when a child is young, new research suggests that up to two-thirds of parents still encourage teenagers to finish all the food on their plates, even if the teen is overwe...Full Article

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- The best place for a crying baby is in its mother's arms, researchers suggest.

When fretful babies are picked up and carried by their mothers they experience an automatic calming reaction, they said.

This evolutiona...Full Article

WEDNESDAY, April 17 (HealthDay News) -- Less than one-third of the 4,700 annual underage drinking-related deaths in the United States result from road crashes, according to a new study.

The findings show the importance of preventing underage drinking even if the...Full Article

MONDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Lullabies have been used to soothe babies since time immemorial. Now, scientists say that premature infants in particular can benefit from combining this tactic with other forms of music therapy, such as simulated womb sounds synchronized to preemies' vital si...Full Article

MONDAY, April 15 (HealthDay News) -- Friends and family may be key in parents' decisions on whether to vaccinate their young children, a small study suggests.

The study, of about 200 parents, found that those who had opted not to follow the standard vaccine schedule often sought advice fr...Full Article