Children's Health

Preparing to welcome your second baby is a very exciting time. You may feel a little more confident knowing what to expect from a newborn.

[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Once thought to be a childhood disorder that disappeared in adulthood, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (AD..

Anaphylaxis is the most severe form of an allergy and can be life-threatening. It occurs when the immune system overreacts to a substance...

Scabies is a common skin condition which results in a red, intensely itchy rash. It's a highly contagious condition, and can spread easily.

Pain and fever are two of the most common symptoms experienced by individuals of all ages. Usually are a signal that something may be wrong.

Conjunctivitis is an inflammation of the protective membrane (conjunctiva) lining the inside of your eyelids and the whites of your eyes.

There are a wide variety of germs that can cause skin infections. The most common conditions are caused by bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Head lice infestation is a common problem particularly among children. 

The term Dermatitis is used to describe a number of skin irritations and rashes characterised by inflammation of the skin. 

Live Brave Mana Ora Do Blue Day aims to raise awareness and support for young Kiwis with Type 1 diabetes.

Compared to other countries, New Zealand has a low childhood immunisation rate.

Human Papillomavirus (HPV) infection is thought to be the most commonly sexually transmitted disease in the world.

Autism affects 1 in every 100 New Zealanders, however, this may be a conservative estimate. Internationally, the rate of autism appears to be rising..

All human brains are powerful, magnificent and unique. Neurodiversity is a term used to describe the way some of our unique brains work – thinking..

The usual back to school flurry includes getting clothes and books ready and finding the lunch box. This year there is also the consideration of mas..

When children first start school or daycare it's common to “catch everything” that is going around as they build their immunity.

The world has been plagued by pandemics as far back as written history and beyond. Countries have responded over the centuries by closing their bord..

Meningococcal disease is caused by bacteria. Three out of every twenty people in New Zealand carry the bacteria in their nasal passages, they don’..

Chicken pox is a common childhood disease caused by the varicella virus. It causes small itchy blisters to form on the skin and also makes people fe..

Cherry tomatoes, baby carrots and chopped cucumber with hummus, sliced capsicum, celery with cream cheese or peanut butter...

Finding creative ways to encourage your children to eat and enjoy fruit and vegetables can be fun for the entire family.

Hayfever – what is it?The medical name for hayfever is ‘allergic rhinoconjunctivitis’. So, it's not a fever and it's not an infection. Hayfev..

Hopefully the holidays put a stop to the headlice cycle at your child’s school. If you are one of the unlucky ones, the frustrating, time-consumin..

I’d love to say that school mornings in our house are some zen experience where I curate beautiful wholefood, waste-free lunchboxes...

Bedwetting can be upsetting for parents and children and yet it is a normal part of your child’s development as they learn to control their bladde..

Middle ear infections (also known as otitis media) occur when there is inflammation or infection of the air-filled space behind the eardrum. The inf..

Whooping cough is caused by a bacteria called Bordetella pertussis that infects the lungs and airways. Whooping cough is very contagious and is pass..

Hand, foot and mouth disease (HFMD) is a viral illness most common in children under the age of 10. It seems to be seasonal and often occurs in the ..

Also known as impetigo, school sores are a common bacterial infection mainly affecting school-age children and more common in warmer months of the y..

There will be many parents familiar with the seal-like bark of croup and its alarming tendency to hit children in the early hours of the morning. Wh..

Now that summer is finally here, prickly heat or sweat rash can sometimes make life a little uncomfortable. When we are hot, our bodies activate our..

Warts and verrucas appear as small lumps on the skin and range in size from 1mm up to around 1cm. They can appear on their own or in clusters, with ..

Chilblains (also known as pernio or perniosis) are itchy, sore, red or purple bumps that occur on the skin as a reaction to cold. Painful inflammati..

This healthy smoothie is a creamy sweet treat for toddlers and parents alike!

Toddlerhood is a time of rapid development that requires the right energy and nutrition. It is a crucial time in a young life...

Bacterial conjunctivitis occurs when bacteria infect the transparent protective membrane that lines the eyelid and covers the white part of your eye..

Parents are quite likely spending more one-on-one time with their kids than they ever have before, due to New Zealand’s Covid-19 lockdown. As a re..

Children’s day is held on the first Sunday in March every year, and what a perfect opportunity to spend some time celebrating children...

The medical definition of anxiety is “a feeling of apprehension and fear, characterised by physical symptoms such as palpitations, sweating, and f..

Glaucoma is the leading cause of blindness in New Zealand. It is a range of conditions that affect the optic nerve and cause blindness when not trea..

Eating disorders have one of the highest mortality rates of any mental illness; anorexia actually has a higher mortality rate than depression. Here..

Conjunctivitis is inflammation of the covering of your eye and inside your eye lids. This can be caused by an infection or by an allergy.

Nosebleeds are a fairly common occurrence, particularly in children, and are usually treatable at home without any medical intervention. They occur ..

The dreaded winter cough. It’s a pain in the, ahem, chest. Count yourselves lucky if you and your family have escaped one of the many viruses doin..

Hello, Winter! Hello, Cold! Hello, Snotty Nose! Hello, Sore Throat! We’ve all now (somewhat reluctantly) welcomed in winter...a season where some ..

A cough occurs when the throat or airway has been irritated, usually by mucus or foreign particles such as dust or smoke. It is the body’s way of ..

Many people say “I’ve got the flu” when really they have a cold. While a bad cold can make you feel pretty miserable for a few days, you will ..

Sore throatMost sore throats will not be helped by antibiotics whether they are an infection or not. Most sore throats are caused by a virus. A viru..

Cuts and wounds are a part of life, especially during childhood when falling from trees or tripping on concrete are a rite of passage.

We all have bacteria growing all over our skin. The skin is the first line of protection to keep the bacteria out of our bodies. When you get a cut ..

With the latest measles outbreak people are asking their local pharmacists questions about measles: How do I catch it? What are the symptoms ..

Chat to most acne sufferers, and they’ll most likely tell you that it is a complicated condition to treat and often a stressful journey trying to ..

Allergic rhinitis is the most common allergic disorder in both Australia and New Zealand and affects 10 to 20% of the world’s population. While no..

Sunny summer days have meant lots of swimming and therefore more ‘swimmers ear’. We have also seen more people coming into the pharmacy asking f..

When school is back in full swing, many parents start wanting to up the nutrition ante again, to fuel developing minds & growing bodies...

Ahhh summer, here at last. Long sunny days, bare feet, beach swims and staying up late to roast marshmallows after dark. All things that make wonderfu..

There was a recent death from meningitis reported in the newspapers. Although meningitis is more common in winter it is good for everyone to be aware ..

As the weather continues to become warmer we see more people coming into the pharmacy to ask for help with their fungal infections. Fungi are like mus..

While child cancer is rare it has a profound effect on the entire whanau. Around 150 children are diagnosed with cancer each year in New Zealand. So e..

World Breastfeeding Week is a global event between 1 - 7th August that aims to celebrate, protect, and promote the act of breastfeeding. Breast milk i..

Cold A cold is a viral infection that affects your nose, sinuses, throat and upper chest. It usually goes away by itself in 7 to 10 days. The symptom..

Winter sport season is a time to consider concussion.

Waking up to sick kids can throw even the most efficient of routines right out the window and send one’s week into a total spin!

Children as they grow up, learn to grapple with big feelings, but it takes a while to do that (hey, even us adults aren’t pros).

Depending where you sit on the age and with/without kids scale, school holidays will mean different things to you.

Looking for some expert approved, family friendly parenting advice? Well, let me help you there!

This winter looks set to be one to remember although maybe not for reasons we'd like to remember it. As well as setting weather records, notably for c..

Research shows that it can take as many as 10 to 15 tastes before a child learns to appreciate a new flavour or food.

I was recently reading an article about two mums who had both breastfed their babies, and had quite different experiences. Nothing new there – women..

Poisoning – it’s a major cause of hospitalisation for young children in New Zealand.

Dry skin – it’s a common winter thing At this time of year, as winter kicks in, I frequently talk to people asking for help to relieve dry skin. ..

Yeah, an altogether stunning start to an article, a title like that. I could just as easily change it to kutis (or cooties) or head lice, but…let’..

Headlice, kutus, nits – whatever you call them – most parents dread their discovery in their child’s hair.

Let’s talk threadworms. Something most children are likely to get at some time during their life – especially between the ages of 5-14yrs.

Every time I set off for an outdoor adventure, I think about how lucky we are in New Zealand that we don’t have real nasties.

It’s here! School is back. A new routine and regular rhythm starts to daily life. Are you ready? Are your kids?

The earlier you get your kids on a bike, the more confidence they will have to keep progressing through the stages.

Our dog has had toxoplasmosis. Altogether a bit scary. I last heard the word ‘toxoplasmosis’ some 21 years ago, when pregnant with my first baby, ..

I remember ‘back in the day’ as a student nurse at Middlemore in the 1980s being astounded at the amount of respiratory illnesses on the medical w..

Well it's that end of the year... the sharp end where all that learning is meant to come together efficiently and eloquently in an exam. Easy? No. Exc..

Producing milk to sustain life is a miraculous thing indeed. It can also be incredibly draining if you’re not looking after yourself properly and ea..

Ok, so yes, you might feel like you’ve had some Americanised mass market thing foisted upon you, your family and your neighbourhood...

Previous health crises in places like the Havelock North gastro outbreak, have shown how easy it is for some infections to spread. Thankfully an outbr..

World breastfeeding awareness week runs in the first week of August. One of the themes has been about how breastfeeding is a key element in getting us..

This term is almost done and dusted. Good thing if you’re in Auckland? Less traffic on the road. Bad thing? Quelling a quiet sense of rising panic w..

It's one of the basics we all need to teach our kids - how to wash your hands. That and brushing your teeth, how to use the toilet and saying please a..

Giving advice is a huge part of what I do as a pharmacist. One of the conversations I always try to make time for is to give advice...

Colic is when a baby cries for several hours a day and there is no obvious cause.

Skin is made up of different layers and substances which make it supple and tough and allow it to stretch. But sometimes skin is broken...

Threadworms look like small pieces of white cotton, about 1 cm long. The most common sign of threadworm infection is an itchy bottom.

Chicken pox, measles, mumps, rubella, slap cheek, meningitis...

The ultraviolet radiation (UVR) that gets through the earth’s outer atmosphere is so much stronger at this time of year, causing sunburn...

Commonly, sore throats are viral, resulting from the common cold, glandular fever, measles, chicken pox or whooping cough.

The condition of your skin can tell you a lot about your state of health, even your state of mind. Most skin problems happen either when...

The sinuses are designed to help insulate the skull and make it lighter, as well as provide resonance for our voice.

Seborrhoeic dermatitis, psoriasis of the scalp, contact dermatitis, lichen planus, discoid lupus erythematotus, alopecia...

Just visible to the naked eyes, the pregnant female itch mite Sarcoptes Scabiei burrows a tunnel into the skin of her human host before...

Children aged 0-4 years are most at risk of a poisoning. The most common poisoning agents are medicines.

Prior to the invention of antibiotics pneumonia killed one third of its victims, and even today, around 5% of pneumonia patients will die...

If you find headlice on a child, a suggested treatment plan involves using a combination of insecticide treatment as well as regular combing

The most common types of fungal infections are caused by a mould-like fungus in the outer layers of the skin, usually on the arms, legs...

Light enters your eye, passes through the transparent cornea onto the crystalline lens, where it's focussed onto the light-sensitive cells..

Seizures are divided into two main categories, generalised seizures in which abnormal electrical impulses affect the whole brain and local..

SPONSORED. Whooping cough (also known as pertussis) is a highly contagious bacterial disease which can be very serious...