Adolescent Topics

Childhood Obesity is a Growing Problem in North Carolina

There is a growing plague impacting children across the country. And one of the most prevalent places it can be found is in North Carolina. Childhood obesity is a significant problem in the US. The stigmas and prejudices placed on children with obesity are only a part of the problem. The bigger concern is the […]

Your Child Wants a Cell Phone, But Are They Ready?

“But mom, I am the only person I know that doesn’t have one.” Oh, kids can be very good at throwing guilt around. But before giving in, consider if your child is ready to have a cell phone. This blog will discuss cell phones for tweens and teens and how to determine if your child […]

Growing a Child with Confidence and Character: Building Self-Esteem in Kids

All parents want to raise children who have high self-esteem. As an adult, you probably know someone strong, confident, and self-assured. Perhaps that’s you. Having a child who can roll with life’s punches is incredibly important. But why do some kids seem more comfortable with themselves than others, and what can parents and caregivers do […]

How Your Child’s Sugar Cravings Are Making Them Sick

Does your child have a sweet tooth? Do their sugar cravings create issues with mealtime? If you’re trying to instill good health habits in them by encouraging them to play sports, eat their veggies, and drink water, then don’t let their desire to eat sweets undermine those efforts. This year is already becoming a doozy […]

Preventing the Spread of Pink Eye – Tips for Parents and Caregivers

Back to school means gearing up for the year ahead and making obligatory trips to the store to stock up on school supplies and a new wardrobe. But back to school also means taking preventive measures to keep your kiddo healthy. Pink eye, also known as conjunctivitis, is a prevalent eye infection that can spread […]

The Rules of Sun Engagement: Keeping Your Kids Protected Against Skin Cancer

Summer is finally here, and so are long, sunny days, trips to the beach, and lots and lots of time outside. And this is any parent’s dream. And while we want to encourage our kids to spend as much time outdoors as possible, it is critical to their health to be lathered up in sunscreen […]

Signs Your Child May Have a Vision Problem

During your child’s annual well visit, we check their vision to ensure there aren’t any problems. As preventative medicine specialists, we are responsible for identifying potential issues as early as possible. But since we don’t see your kids more often, it is essential for families to know the red flags that their child may have […]

Pediatric Postural Orthostatic Tachycardia Syndrome: What Parents Should Know

Your teenager complains that they get dizzy when standing and feel faint. They complain of nausea and vomiting but aren’t sick. And they’re sleeping a lot more than what is typical for a teen. You want the best for your child and are concerned about this sudden change in health. So you make an appointment […]

Rainbow Pediatrics Opens Strong Kids Nutrition Clinic in Fayetteville, NC

Make Food Your Strength, Not Your Weakness. As parents and caregivers, we want the very best for our children. But there is a rising number of children who are overweight or obese in North Carolina, and that number has been growing steadily since 2012. The latest data shows that 19.8% of youth ages 10 to […]

Solving Childhood Allergies With Sublingual Immunotherapy

North Carolina is known for many things: basketball, bbq, great beaches, beautiful mountains, and, well, allergies. Historically, the treatment of choice for allergies was to take over-the-counter or prescription allergy medication. If you were particularly proactive, allergy shots were another option. But they are shots, and many kids were resistant – despite their parent’s good […]

Understanding Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) in Kids and How You Can Help

We want our kids to be healthy and strong. However, some are prone to stomach issues. While almost every child will get a stomachache, constipation, or diarrhea, kids with irritable bowel syndrome, also known as IBS get it more often. What is Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS)? IBS is a digestive disorder that can happen in […]

Why Getting the HPV Vaccine for Your Child Helps Prevent Cancer

With the COVID pandemic so prevalent in our minds, it can be easy to forget about other commonly transmitted illnesses. Despite mask-wearing and hand-washing, there are still viruses out there that parents should be concerned about. The human papillomavirus (HPV) is one of those very common viruses that spread easily and can infect 80 percent […]

Where Should You Take Your Child: Urgent Care or the Pediatrician?

When your child is sick, anxiety is usually a given. And depending on the severity of symptoms, time of day, and day of the week, parents often wonder if it is appropriate to take their child to urgent care or the pediatrician. The walk-in clinic model of urgent care centers can be an attractive option […]

What Parents Need to Know About the COVID-19 Vaccine for Young Children

COVID-19 vaccine approval for children ages 5-11 has been much anticipated. And now that it is here, parents are scrambling to get their children vaccinated. But some have very valid questions that we felt important to address. As of last week, there was approximately 107,000 new child COVID-19-19 cases reported. This number is up from […]

Supporting Mental Health in Children During Times of Uncertainty

When COVID-19 entered our lives in March of 2020, it changed us forever. The stress and trauma from all that has happened over the past 19 months can have lasting effects on children and teens’ mental health. That’s why it is more important than ever to regularly check in with your child to see how […]

How to Keep Your Kids Safe from COVID Now That School is Back in Session (and While Waiting for Vaccine Approval)

School is back in session, which means kids, both vaccinated and not are in close quarters. As one would expect, and quite frankly feared, COVID-19 cases have risen nearly 240% since July. Thankfully, despite the high number of COVID cases, children continue to make up a very small percentage (1.6% to 4%) of hospitalized patients. […]

Let Us Partner with Your Child in Monitoring and Treating Sickle Cell Disease

Sickle cell disease is one of those unfortunate disorders that not only causes the potential for a variety of lifelong complications but which also disproportionately affects certain minority groups who live in the United States. And, while the signs and symptoms of the disease usually appear around 5 months of age, its treatment and management […]

COVID Vaccinations for Kids: FAQs

Since the COVID-19 pandemic began, one of the few silver linings was news that children were less likely than adults to develop life-threatening complications from the virus. Yes, kids and teens could develop serious complications, and yes, we’re still learning about many of the long-term effects the virus can have on people’s health. But, the […]

Focus on Vision Health: Signs Your Child or Teen May Be Experiencing Vision Problems

Believe it or not, we’re already almost halfway through the summer. It won’t be long before parents of school-aged kids begin to prepare for the next year – hopefully a year of more traditional, in-person learning than we’ve seen during the COVID pandemic. It is getting close to the back-to-school season. There is a lot […]

Autism Pride: 5 Common Myths about Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD)

While there are certainly still misunderstandings about autism that continue to permeate throughout society, the Autism Society of America (ASA) has recently made an effort to move beyond the “awareness” aspect of their actions. With one in 54 Americans living with autism in our country, the ASA has shifted their messaging to address what they […]