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Spring into Physical Activity as a Family
If your kids are bored and you don't know what to do, it's the perfect time to get the whole family moving! Exercising as a family is a great way to spend quality time together, enjoy the warm weather, and show your children that staying fit is an important priority at every age. “We, as parents, need to be good role models, if we want our children to view physical activity as important,” said Azra Shaikh, MD, a physician in Apex at Duke Primary Care Peak Family Medicine. “Being active benefits the entire family, and creates a special bond you simply can’t achieve by watching TV together.” The Centers for Disease...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - April 10, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Primary Care Source Type: news

Podcast: Terry Kim, MD, on Eye Health Screenings
In this podcast, Terry Kim, MD, the Duke Men's Basketball team physician, discusses the vision and eye health screenings he performs for the team and how it helps their performance on the court. Listen to the Podcast (Download audio) Podcast Transcript: Radio Announcer:  We’ve got a lot to cover on today’s show. We’re going to begin with a special guest who’s joining us up here in our “Crow’s Nest” position overlooking Coach K Court.  He’s Dr. Terry Kim who’s a professor of ophthalmology at the Duke Eye Center here on campus. Dr. Kim, I know you’re the team eye doctor for the Duke Men’s Basketb...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - March 22, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Eye Center Source Type: news

How Doctors Stay Healthy Year-Round and How You Can Too
Nobody likes being around people coughing and sneezing from colds and flu yet that’s what doctors do. Every day they are on the front lines, listening compassionately to complaints ranging from aches and pain to fever and persistent coughs. Yet they rarely get sick. How do they do it? Here, Matt Hayes, DO, at Duke Primary Care Waverly Place, reviews the top 10 ways he and his colleagues stay healthy throughout the year, and how you can too: Wash hands frequently. “It’s the most effective preventive measure,” says Hayes. Use hand sanitizer or soap and water frequently during the day. Don’t touch your eyes, nose o...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - March 15, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Primary Care Source Type: news

Lose Weight While You Sleep? Yes, Sleep is That Powerful
Late-night munchies can wreck havoc on your diet plans so the next time they strike, hit the sack instead. The more sleep you get, the less likely you are to succumb to delicious temptation, and the faster you’ll lose weight. More studies are showing a link between sleep deprivation and weight gain, says Meredith Barbour, MD, a family medicine physician at Duke Primary Care Brier Creek. “Lack of sleep triggers the release of hormones that stimulate hunger and appetite, especially for those high-calorie, carbohydrate-dense foods like cookies, chips and ice cream,” she says. Going to sleep is the best way to satisfy th...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - February 23, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Primary Care Weight Management Source Type: news

Heart Attack Symptoms Women Need to Know
Chest pain, shortness of breath, dizziness. Those are the well-known signs of heart attack. But what about the not so obvious signs? Many women experience heart attacks differently then men, and knowing the subtle differences may one day save your life. According to Radha Kachhy, MD, a cardiologist with Duke Cardiology of Raleigh, women are less likely to experience the crushing chest pain that some men describe as an elephant sitting on their chest. Instead, they may feel a persistent pain in their back, neck, jaw or even in their shoulder blades. “Where the pain is located is not as important as when it occurs,” expl...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - February 18, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Heart Services Women's Health Women's Heart Care Source Type: news

Good Posture Is Important But It Won’t Prevent Scoliosis
Remember when your parents told you to sit up straight? Slouching among adolescents hasn’t gone out of style and neither has the popular refrain. Sitting and standing tall remains important because it lengthens the spine, and strengthens the back, neck and shoulder muscles. But can good posture prevent the curving of the spine known as scoliosis? Unfortunately, it won’t, says Robert Lark, MD, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon with Duke Orthopaedics. “Scoliosis is not preventable,” he says, “but once we diagnose it, there are things we can do to prevent progression of the curve.” Scoliosis is an abnormal, left-to-r...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - February 14, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Orthopaedics Source Type: news

Kids Stash the Darndest Things
On occasion, one of my kids will present me with a particularly challenging problem, and I know exactly what to do. So rare and so perfect are these moments that I remember them with great detail for long after. Like the time nearly two years ago when my son, then three years old, came to me with a popcorn kernel lodged too far up his nose to grab. I didn’t hesitate. "Let’s do this,” I said to him, as I pinched closed the unaffected nostril, placed my mouth over his, and blew a sharp puff of air. I’m not sure why my son erupted into giggles a second later. It could have been that this medical maneuver tickled, or i...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - February 1, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Children's Health Children's Primary Care Source Type: news

Could that Juice Box Increase Your Child’s Risk for Diabetes?
The next time you hand your child a juice box, consider this: are you increasing their risk for diabetes? Sugary drinks are unhealthy food choices, advises Matthew Mathias, MD, medical director at Triangle Family Practice, a Duke Primary Care practice in Durham. When combined with a sedentary lifestyle, they are one of the main reasons why more children in the U.S. are considered at risk for obesity, and they are partly to blame for the rise in type 2 diabetes. But the prevalence of bad lifestyle habits can’t explain why type 1 diabetes is being diagnosed more frequently as well. “We’ve also seen a 3 to 5 percent inc...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - January 25, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Children's Health Children's Primary Care Duke Primary Care Source Type: news

Take a Stand: Why Sitting Too Much Is Bad for Your Health
Do you sit too much? Many parents do. Whether you’re sitting on the sidelines while your kids enjoy playtime, or spending your workday sitting at your desk, research shows that too much sitting is not only bad for your health, it also decreases your life expectancy. “When you sit for a long time there is a loss of blood flow to your lower extremities,” said Ismael Tamba, DO, MPH, at Duke Primary Care in Wake Forest “Sitting for longer than six hours increases the risk of blood clots, obesity, kidney disease, and heart disease. It also leads to a sedentary lifestyle.” How can you start taking a stand? Tamba recomm...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - January 15, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Primary Care Source Type: news

The Flu Shot Trifecta: Protects Mom, Fetus and Infant
If you’re pregnant and haven’t gotten a flu shot it’s time to get one, says Geeta Swamy, MD, a Duke Medicine obstetrician/gynecologist who recommends pregnant women get the vaccine before, during and even after the flu season peaks. “Maternal immunizations protect the mother, but have an even greater potential impact on your baby,” says Swamy, a nationally recognized expert on immunizations during pregnancy. “It’s only one vaccine but it has three very important benefits – it protects the mom, it protects the fetus by preventing the risks of preterm delivery and low birth weight, and it protects the newborn...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - January 14, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Children's Health Women's Health Source Type: news

Tips to Avoid Gaining Weight as You Grow Your Family
One of the not-so-joyful aspects of parenthood is weight gain. And the pounds add up with each addition to the family. According to Duke University Medical Center researchers, each child increases obesity risk by 4 percent for dads and 7 percent for moms.   “Kids take time,” said Truls Ostbye, M.D., a professor of community and family medicine at Duke. “Parents who may have been very disciplined before children, now find they have less time to prepare healthy foods, less time for physical activity, and overall less time for themselves.” Starting healthy habits early is key. “Be mindful what you eat during your p...
Source: DukeHealth.org: Duke Health Features - January 5, 2013 Category: Pediatrics Tags: Duke Primary Care Health & Fitness Center Health and Wellness Source Type: news