U.S. pediatricians reaffirm opposition to legalized pot (Reuters Health) – Despite moves by some states to allow recreational and medical use of marijuana, a large group of U.S. pediatricians says in a new statement that the substance should remain – for the most part – illegal. In an update to its 2004 position statement on […]
U.S. Twin Birth Rate Hit Record High in 2013
U.S. twin birth rate hit record high in 2013: CDC (Reuters) – American women are having twins at a higher rate than ever before, a trend health officials believe is due to their increasing use of fertility treatments and the fact they are having children later in life. The rate of twin births in the […]
Small Electronic Devices are Keeping Kids Awake
Electronic Devices Keep Kids Awake Before your child goes to bed, make sure their smartphone, tablet, iPod or any other gadget doesn’t come with them. A new study reveals that small electronics can take away from the time kids spend sleeping. The University of California study shows “children who slept with televisions of other small-screened […]
Learning to Play an Instrument
The Benefits of Your Child Learning to Play an Instrument We are a very musical family. I remember playing two leading roles in musicals when I was a kid: Tom Sawyer (I can still sing to myself “Well, it ain’t every day a boy gets a chance to splash white warsh on a big board […]
Delayed Cord Clamping
My Bradley Instructor was Right about Delayed Cord Clamping? 22 years ago, during our Bradley childbirth class, I remember our instructor teaching us about some crazy idea called delayed cord clamping. At the time I didn’t even know it was a thing. But we listened and begged our OB to delay the clamping of baby’s […]
Parenting Tips from Dr. Bill
Dr. Bill’s Top Ten Parenting Tips Parenting, in a nutshell, is giving your children the tools to succeed in life. Here are ten parenting tips that I have tried to teach our children and have used in my medical practice during the past 40 years. 1. Get behind the eyes of your child. Parenting is […]
ADHD and Nutrition
The Link between ADHD and Nutrition Are too many school kids being drugged for their D’s? We pediatricians dub October “D-month” because the kids have been back to school just long enough to get labeled. Most parents don’t understand how ADHD and nutrition are related. For example, a mother and her six-year- old son recently […]
Giving My Daughter Away
The Day I Gave My Daughter Away In the summer of 2014, Martha and I were delighted to add another son to our family when our beautiful daughter Erin married the love of her life, John. My role as father of the bride required me to give a toast to the happy couple during the […]
Swimming Pool Safety Tips
From the dangers of pool drains to preventing poolside slips, pediatrician Dr. Jim Sears, co-host of The Doctors, shares swimming pool safety tips. Dr. Bill SearsDr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his medical […]
The Many Benefits of Play
Remember mom’s medicine for boredom and bad behavior? “Go outside and play!” An exciting field of research, called the neuroscience of nature, validates Dr. Mom was right about the benefits of play. Enjoying the health effects of a walk in the woods or playing in the park is especially therapeutic in the modern age of […]
Raising Smarter Children
WREG News Channel 3 in Memphis, Tennessee recently interviewed Dr. William Sears on the topic of raising smarter children. Date Aired: March 18, 2014 Dr. Bill SearsDr. Sears, or Dr. Bill as his “little patients” call him, has been advising busy parents on how to raise healthier families for over 40 years. He received his […]
A Move Toward Fewer Surgical Births
Guidelines for fewer surgical births The March issue of the journal Obstetrics and Gynecology has a feature article entitled “Safe Prevention of the Primary Cesarean Delivery” in which the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (ACOG) and the Society for Maternal-Fetal Medicine (SMFM) issued a consensus statement listing ways to lower the increasing incidence of […]