health

By Smarty Kaylee

After having this on his to-do list for two months, my husband finally made it to school to have lunch with our boys back in November. While he was there, my youngest son, Charlie fell off of the slide and hurt himself. What are the odds of that happening on the one day he was there? We must have had an angel watching over us! My husband called to tell me that he brought him home from school and I needed to come meet them because Charlie needed to go to the doctor. My first instinct was not my proudest mommy moment. I thought…come on, he’s in kindergarten, shake it off and go back to class.

Needless to say, I felt like the worst mom on the planet when I arrived home to see that Charlie couldn’t put any pressure on his leg. I had heard wonderful things about OrthoCarolina’s Pediatric department so I immediately called them and we had an appointment within the hour.

By our Smarty friends at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates

Traditionally we think of allergies flaring up in the spring and early fall, but if you are currently suffering from a stuffy nose, itchy and or watery eyes and sneezing, do not immediately blame it on the common cold. More time is spent indoors during the colder months therefore you have more exposure to indoor allergens such as mold, dust and pet dander.

A cold normally only lasts 10-14 days, but allergies can linger on for several weeks. Another major difference between winter allergies and colds is the color of your nasal drip. If it is clear with an itchy nose than it is most likely due to winter allergies.

By Dr. Andy Johnson, Southpark Pediatric Dentistry

Dental trauma is likely to happen at some point in a child’s life. With all of the sports and activities that involve any combination of running, tackling, and hard surfaces, there are many opportunities to have a “tooth” emergency. Ideally, it is best to prevent, but what should you do if it happens to your child?

As a Pediatric Dentist, I see dental trauma all too often. As a Dad it is something I have experienced at home with my own child. A few weeks ago on a sunny Sunday afternoon, my 4-year old daughter fell over her tricycle handle bars onto the cement. Both front teeth were “dangling” in front of me. Fortunately, I was trained to handle this situation appropriately. However, most parents have not had any exposure to this kind of accident and would need assistance from a dentist.

At Levine Children’s Hospital, birthday parties for kids are common. But this month, the hospital is celebrating a different kind of birthday – its own. This December, Levine Children’s Hospital turns five years old!

And while the hospital is still young, it’s already accomplished a lot in its first five years. Since opening in December 2007, the hospital has treated more than 395,000 children from across the country and around the world. That’s a lot of kids!

By our Smarty friends at Charlotte Skin & Laser

Did you get a little too much sun this summer? Are you suddenly noticing brown spots or sun spots that you swear weren’t there in May?

We can help! We have not only topical products that can help; we have a wide variety of lasers treatments.

Laser skin rejuvenation refers to the use of laser and light treatments to restore aging skin to a smoother and more youthful appearance. This term includes several different non-invasive techniques used to treat wrinkles, sagging skin, brown spots, enlarged pores and more.

Different types of laser treatments are used to treat different skin conditions. Some of the most commonly used procedures to remove sun damage include:

• Intense pulsed light (IPL) – Light therapy that penetrates deep in the skin and does not injure the surface, used to reduce red and brown blotches and discolorations.

• Long pulse Alexandrite or GentleLase to remove unwanted freckles and sun spots.

By our Smarty friends at Charlotte Eye Ear Nose & Throat Associates, P.A.

With this the fall school season officially under way, it’s almost inevitable that one day soon your child will come home with a runny nose, watery eyes and a bad cough. These are the classic signs of a common cold, right?

Sometimes, but they may also be symptomatic of fall allergies. While most of us associate allergies with the spring, they can be just as common in the fall due to ragweed pollen, mold and dust mites. Ragweed, which begins pollinating in August, often lingers into September and October and is the most common fall allergy trigger.

Smarties, I get SUPER excited when we feature a Smarty Dad, we are long overdue! Meet Dr. Andrew Johnson with Southpark Pediatric Dentistry. We have gotten to know the team at Southpark Pediatric Dentistry recently and enjoyed their Halloween candy buyback efforts. Dr. Andy is passionate about his work – you’ll love his story of how he decided to follow his passion into dentistry.

Smarties, let’s get to know Dr. Andy!

Dr. Andy’s Smarty Dad Stats:

Dad of: Sam (6) & Lauren (4)
Married to: Heidi for 11 years
Years in Charlotte: 6
Hood: Myers Park
Hometown: Mequon, Wisconsin
Occupation: Pediatric Dentist, Small Business Owner

By our Smarty friends at Levine Cardiac Kids

Levine Cardiac Kids is excited to hold our 2nd Annual Silent Auction & Dinner, “Open Your Heart”. This year’s theme is “Boots & BBQ” on this Saturday, November 10 at 6:30 pm at Carolina Golf Club. Ticket prices are $40 per person and can be purchased by emailing Meghan Shelton at m.shelton@levinecardiackids.com. We welcome anyone interested in supporting Levine Cardiac Kids to attend this amazing event!

Last year we successfully raised over $23,000 and this year we again have wonderful donated items from many local establishments. This is LCK’s largest fundraising effort and the money raised at this event will benefit LCK and our members in many ways, such as paying for Camp LuCK in the spring, providing care bags to all children and families in the hospital and providing social/support events for our families.

By Dr. Andrew Johnson
Southpark Pediatric Dentistry

It’s that time of year again and Halloween is less than a week away, along with that never-ending bag of candy that finds its way into your home after a night of trick-or-treating. There are a few things that I typically tell my patients and their families in order to help minimize cavities:

• Separate out all of your chocolate/milk chocolate candy from everything else. This is the best selection to let kids have as it has milk (calcium) in it and melts quickly with no gooey residue on the teeth.

By Dr. Debbie Agisim
Charlotte Radiology Breast Center
Breast Imaging Specialist

Smarty Moms, let’s get to the bottom of this mystery called mammography. I’m 35 and my doctor has recommended a baseline mammogram. What is a mammogram, after all? Why do I need one? I don’t have a family history. I just don’t have enough time to take care of me. I’m a busy mom too – so I definitely get it. I hope that the following information will prompt you to finally schedule that baseline mammogram that your doctor’s been badgering you about for a year now. Or remind you to finally schedule your annual mammogram exam that you’ve put off for months now.