Parents of children with frequent ear infections are familiar with the routine: sleepless nights and frequent visits to the doctor’s office, often accompanied by rounds of oral antibiotics. 

For some, the doctor will recommend ear tube placement surgery, which can bring a sense of relief, especially if they have already had a child who underwent tube placement. 

For others, although they are excited about the idea of something that can reduce the number of ear infections in their child, this can be a stressful time as well. 

Five out of six children will have at least one ear infection by their third birthday. These infections can be quite painful, but fortunately for most children, this doesn’t become a chronic problem. 

When ear infections or fluid in the middle ear become chronic problems (which may lead to hearing loss, speech problems, behavior problems, or difficulty in school), placement of ear tubes by an otolaryngologist may be considered as a treatment option.

Fourth of July weekend in front of us means it’s officially high summer and most people are gearing up for their vacations. 

For many, that will include air travel, and possibly a long haul flight. 

You know the drill: they give you some pretzels, the drink cart makes a couple of rounds, they bring you your sad little tray of airplane food and then before you know it, it’s wheels down. 

Your flight attendant hands you a moist towlette and you hope it’ll revive your dried skin and make you look a little less haggard but it does neither, and you chastise yourself for not downing more little cups of water. 

But, drinking water on a plane is a double-edged sword. If you don’t, your entire epidermis dries up; if you do, your lower body retains the liquid. 

So, what’s a non-ankle-swell-enthusiast to do?

Dr. Christopher Calapai DO, an anti-aging and stem cell expert and long-time health advisor to the New York Rangers hockey team, tells us how to fight post-flight dehydration with foods.

The GOP alternative to the Affordable Care Act (ACA), dubbed the American Healthcare Act, was hastily crafted and doomed to failure from the start. 

Tweaking the initial draft withdrawn from the House floor in mid-March due to lack of sufficient support, Trump and his cronies strong-armed Republicans in Congress to garner a narrow margin of 217 to 213 when the bill passed the House on May 4. 

Rather than devoting the time and effort necessary to achieve consensus on a sound proposal that would benefit all Americans, Trump was driven by an overriding obsession to replace Obamacare within his first 100 days, come hell or high water. 

A reckless gamble, and a pyrrhic victory at best.

Too much caffeine caused the death of a 16-year-old high school student from South Carolina who collapsed during class. 

Davis Allen Cripe died from a caffeine-induced cardiac event causing a probable arrhythmia. 

During an arrhythmia, or abnormal heart rhythm, the heart may not be able to pump enough blood to the body, and lack of blood flow affects the brain, heart and other organs. 

The teen consumed three caffeine-laced drinks -- a cafe latte, large Diet Mountain Dew and an energy drink -- in a two-hour period before collapsing in his classroom at Spring Hill High School on April 26.

So, where does this tragic news leave adult java lovers?

Backyard grills beckon as the schoolyear schedule lets up a bit, the weather gets warmer, and the thought of turning on the oven makes you break into a sweat. 

Summertime is made for barbecuing. But, to make as many of your summertime meals on the grill as possible, you have to add variety to the usual hamburgers and hotdogs. 

Many less expected foods for the grill – fruits, vegetables, seafood – are also more healthful than the top-of-mind meats. 

Read on for some surprising ways to expand upon your grilling go-tos this summer.

Go on your Facebook or Instagram feed and you’ll be hard pressed not to find selfies of people flexing at the gym or sunbathing in a bikini. 

Sprinkled in are ads for skin creams, weight management shakes, hair restoration, cosmetic procedures and butt lifting yoga pants. 

Thanks to smartphones and selfie culture we are all online being bombarded and obsessing over physical appearance, especially our own. 

Dr. Sanam Hafeez, a NYC based licensed clinical psychologist, teaching faculty member at the prestigious Columbia University Teacher’s College and the founder and Clinical Director of Comprehensive Consultation Psychological Services, says it is time to lighten up. 

Here are some common obsessive thoughts and actions on physical appearance and what to do about them.

It’s nearly peak wedding season, which also means peak honeymoon season. 

When it comes to keeping the magic alive for a lifetime, here’s what I know now: forget about pre-marital counseling or talking exhaustively about how to parent, where to live, and how much to save for retirement.

Turns out that song about how the greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return was right... sustained romance is a matter of learning a few simple skills. 

But, maybe they didn’t offer Relationships 101 at your school, just like they didn’t have it at mine. 

I didn’t learn Intimacy Skills^TM before the wedding, and just a few years later, I thought I had married the wrong man. I dragged my husband to counseling but ended up feeling more hopeless than ever when he didn’t want to spend time with me or even make love to me.

I thought my only options were to spend the rest of my life in a loveless relationship or to divorce. Then, when happily married women showed me a few of their practices, something magical happened. The man who wooed me returned. 

One of the big secrets they taught me was that women are the keepers of the relationship, and that we have more power to make the relationship happy and intimate (or, alternately, stressful and tense). Just as Spiderman learned, with great power comes great responsibility. I believe we women have a responsibility to learn the skills that contribute to lasting love and to pass them on to each other.

Here are things I wish every bride knew, but most don’t...

There are many misconceptions about vegans having a hard time balancing their diet to get enough protein and energy while working out, when in fact, proper fuel isn't that difficult to manage at all. 

Sure, you need a bit more knowledge about what to eat, so that you’re able to ingest all the nutrients you need, but exercising regularly and being a vegan is quite possible and it’s getting easier with every passing day.

With more and more people opting for a plant-based nutrition regime, there are also more and more vegan food options that will keep you full, healthy and energized. 

The post-workout period is important for boosting your metabolism with the right choice of food.

If you’re still uncertain where you stand with balancing your workout regimen and diet, don’t fret. 

Here are the best ingredients to incorporate into your post-workout meals.

It was January 24, 2002, just seven weeks after her adoption and beginning her new life in America, that my daughter Alena was diagnosed with Mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS). 

I felt as if I’d been run over by a train. It was the worst day of my life. I had no idea that her runny nose, her slight heart murmur, her small statute, her little hands, her big blue eyes, and that button nose held anything that could not be corrected or fixed. 

And, I did not know or understand the magnitude of what was to come.

Mother’s Day is right around the corner, and what better way to celebrate mom than to give her a few gifts that will help her to feel her best and encourage her to practice self-care. 

A little bit of self-care can go a long way, especially for a mom! It’s easy for moms to get lost in motherhood and forget about taking care of themselves. Self-care looks different for different types of moms -- whether a busy working mom, athletic mom, new mom, pregnant mom, or foodie mom.

This is the perfect time to focus on moms, and I have some amazing gift ideas for different types of moms, all under $20. 

As a mom of two little girls, ages three and five, I find that self-care can be a challenge. One thing I would like for Mother’s Day would be to have the entire day to myself. The ultimate gift of self-care! An entire day to do anything… alone. Even if that means puttering around the house or running errands; a trip to Target or just sitting at the coffee shop for a few hours diving into a good book with a hot latte in hand -- “hot” being the key term, because if you’re anything like me, it’s a treat to drink a hot tea or coffee. That is, if you even remember you made it. 

If having the day off all to yourself isn’t an option or not something you’re interested in, I’ve come up with a few easy, accessible and inexpensive self-care gifts for the mom in your life, as well as for YOU. Go ahead and treat yourself to a little something this Mother’s Day. You deserve it! 

Here is a round-up of gift ideas and activities for each type mom, so you’ll be sure to find a few ideas perfect for you (or that special mom in your life).