5 mins read

Cigarettes, Booze and Kids

Two Sundays ago, I picked up my nine-year-old daughter from a girly girl sleepover birthday party at her friend Jo-Jos, five minutes from our house. In addition to her rumpled pink sleeping bag, my daughter left the hosts front door carrying a purple balloon and a goodie bag filled with unicorn stickers. Before we got home, her eyes welled with tears.

3 mins read

How Does Cigarette Smoke Affect Growth?

Smoking will stunt your growth. It’s a warning that has passed from generations of parents to children. But does science support the claim? In fact, researchers have found that smoking can affect growth throughout a person’s life, sometimes in ways that may surprise you. But it should be no surprise that smoking poses the greatest threat to the development of children and unborn babies.

3 mins read

Side Effects of Starting Birth Control

Women have several options when choosing birth control, including hormonal birth control methods such as the pill, the patch, injections, vaginal ring, and an intrauterine device (IUD). Other popular types of birth control include barrier methods, such as a condom. Barrier methods may cause some women mild vaginal irritation, but there are usually cause few side effects. Women are much more likely to have side effects when starting hormonal birth control methods.