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The Child's Immune System What is the immune system? The immune system protects your child's body from outside invaders. This includes germs, such as bacteria, viruses, and fungi, and toxins (chemicals made by microbes). The immune system is made up of different organs, cells

Fibromyalgia What is fibromyalgia? Fibromyalgia is a condition that causes pain in muscles and soft tissues all over the body. It is an ongoing (chronic) condition. It can affect your neck, shoulders, back, chest, hips, buttocks, arms, and legs. The pain may be worse in the

Uniparental Disomy: Prader-Willi Syndrome and Angelman Syndrome What is uniparental disomy? Chromosome pairs affect how our body works. Normally, a baby gets 1 copy of each chromosome pair from each parent. This means 1 copy from the genetic mother, and the other copy from the

Contraception/Birth Control What is birth control? Birth control is any activity, medicine, or equipment used to prevent pregnancy. There are many types of birth control available for people who do not wish to become pregnant. The decision on which method is right for you should

Methods of Surgery What are the different methods of surgery? Surgery doesn't always mean large cuts (incisions) and long healing times, as in the past. Depending on the type of surgery, several methods may be used. People with the same diagnosis won't always be advised to have

The Risks of Drug Use in Pregnancy Drugs like cocaine and marijuana can cause a lot of harm to a baby in the womb. Many people of childbearing age in the U.S. use some form of drugs. Risks to the pregnant person A person taking drugs during pregnancy raises their risk for: Anemia

Making the Home Environment Safe What's involved in making the home environment safe? When caring at home for an ill, aging, or disabled person of any age, it's important to think about home safety. Print out this helpful checklist. Then use it to check for safety issues around

Wisdom Teeth Extraction What are wisdom teeth? Wisdom teeth are the last 4 permanent teeth to appear in the back of the mouth at the top and bottom. They often first appear in young adults between the ages of 17 to 21. They are also called third molars., If wisdom teeth do not

Oral Health and Dental Specialists What is a general dentist (DDS or DMD)? To become a general dentist, a person must graduate from dental school and have either a DDS or a DMD degree: DDS. Doctor of dental surgery DMD. Doctor of dental medicine There is no difference between the

Newborn Metabolic Screening Most babies look healthy and perfect when they are born—just ask their parents. But because some potential problems aren't readily seen, all newborns are tested for certain conditions, including metabolic disorders. A metabolic disorder is one that