One in sixteen hundred. That’s how often babies are born with a cleft lip and a cleft palate in the United States, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While having a child with a cleft lip and palate can cause distress to parents, the Cleft Team at SIU Medicine has advanced training to support families, provide reassurance and education, and deliver the highest quality care to treat this condition. Understanding cleft lip and palate A cleft lip or cleft palate is a division of a child’s upper lip or roof of the mouth (palate) where the lip or palate has not joined

Traditional Asian Medicine (TAM) views the body as part of the animal kingdom and subject to the rhythms of nature. Whether you believe in evolution or intelligent design, our bodies were developed to interact and be in sync with the natural world. Modern living tends to dramatically filter out nature and its associated rhythms. We modify our environment to fit our comfort with electric lights, A/C and heating, etc., leading to changes in sleep patterns and other lifestyle behaviors that are out of sync with nature. According to TAM, these disruptions in our biorhythms lead to disease. Beyond

Americans do a good job taking in about 1½ teaspoons of salt daily with most of the sodium hidden in common processed foods and restaurant meals. This amount of salt is about 1/3 more than is recommended for good health and enough to increase the risk of high blood pressure, stroke and other health problems. The American Heart Association recommends a daily limit of no more than 1500 milligrams sodium daily – that’s about the amount in 2/3 of a teaspoon of salt. Salt is composed of 40% sodium and 60% chloride, but it’s the sodium part that is a problem. Sodium is found not only in processed

July is National Cord Blood Awareness Month and we’re celebrating by spreading the word about cord blood. What is cord blood banking? Cord blood banking is the process of collecting blood from the umbilical cord after the baby is delivered. This blood is collected into a kit provided by the cord blood banking company. Your obstetrician performs the collection. It is collected from the umbilical cord after the umbilical cord is cut. There is no harm or pain caused to the baby or the mother. In order for parents to have cord blood banking performed, they would need to order the kit from the cord

Because of COVID-19, people are using face masks more than ever. The intention is good—to prevent people from unknowingly passing the virus to others and to prevent people from getting sick. But there’s one unexpected consequence of the face mask trend: skin irritation, rashes and breakouts. The problem's become so common it already has its own nickname, “maskne.” If you are frustrated by “maskne” or other skin problems caused by a surgical mask, N95 respirator or homemade face covering, you do have options. Our dermatology team at SIU Medicine explains why “maskne” happens and what you can do

Back-to-school season is always a hectic time of year. But for parents, children, teachers and other school employees, the start of the 2020 school year has become more stressful due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. At SIU Medicine, our clinicians are dedicated to ensuring local families are prepared for the new academic season in these unique times. It's our mission to help families in our community feel like they have some control over their health and safety. With this in mind, here are some things our clinicians recommend when it comes to heading back to school during COVID-19. Encourage

Back-to-school season is always a hectic time of year. But for parents, children, teachers and other school employees, the start of the 2020 school year has become more stressful due to the COVID-19 global pandemic. At SIU Medicine, our clinicians are dedicated to ensuring local families are prepared for the new academic season in these unique times. It's our mission to help families in our community feel like they have some control over their health and safety. With this in mind, here are some things our clinicians recommend when it comes to heading back to school during COVID-19. Encourage

Every year in the first week of August, more than 120 countries around the world honor World Breastfeeding Week. If you're a new mom or know a new mom, we invite you to spend this time learning more about this natural, nourishing, and important bonding opportunity between mothers and their infants. Supporting women and their breastfeeding goals promotes the health and well-being of our future generations, so the more we all know about it, the better! Breastfeeding: An overview Prenatal and pediatric health experts agree: breast milk is the best nutrition for infants in their first year of life

Every year in the first week of August, more than 120 countries around the world honor World Breastfeeding Week. If you're a new mom or know a new mom, we invite you to spend this time learning more about this natural, nourishing, and important bonding opportunity between mothers and their infants. Supporting women and their breastfeeding goals promotes the health and well-being of our future generations, so the more we all know about it, the better! Breastfeeding: An overview Prenatal and pediatric health experts agree: breast milk is the best nutrition for infants in their first year of life

Every year in the first week of August, more than 120 countries around the world honor World Breastfeeding Week. If you're a new mom or know a new mom, we invite you to spend this time learning more about this natural, nourishing, and important bonding opportunity between mothers and their infants. Supporting women and their breastfeeding goals promotes the health and well-being of our future generations, so the more we all know about it, the better! Breastfeeding: An overview Prenatal and pediatric health experts agree: breast milk is the best nutrition for infants in their first year of life