http://clairemccarthy.gather.com Recent Articles on Gather by Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 Sat, 02 Jan 2010 18:56:38 GMT 2010-01-02T18:56:38Z en-us Copyright Gather Inc 2009 http://www.gather.com/images/header/logo_gather.gif http://www.gather.com/ http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977698021 If you are the parent of a teen, you have lived this scenario many times: You say something to teen. Teen doesn’t hear you because he is listening to an mp3 player playing loudly into earphones. . . . Mon, 01 Jun 2009 15:06:14 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977698021 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2009-06-01T15:06:14Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977641549 Students aren’t allowed to use cell phones (including sending text messages) during school hours at the high school my two oldest children attend. So Zack, my 16-year-old son, has learned how to type . . . Mon, 30 Mar 2009 17:20:20 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977641549 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2009-03-30T17:20:20Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977583647 Being a parent is one of the toughest jobs in the world. We hear this so often that it has nearly become a cliché—and when things become clichés, it’s easy to forget that they are true. Think . . . Tue, 03 Feb 2009 21:05:41 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977583647 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2009-02-03T21:05:41Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977517570 I was looking through this month’s Pediatrics , the journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, and two articles caught my eye. One showed that exposure to violence in the media was linked with . . . Tue, 25 Nov 2008 19:41:26 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977517570 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2008-11-25T19:41:26Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977456741 When my eldest, Michaela, was a toddler (she’s 17 now), I felt ahead of the game when it came to potty training.   After all, I was a pediatrician. A brand new pediatrician, perhaps, but I’d learned . . . Tue, 23 Sep 2008 13:47:00 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977456741 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2008-09-23T13:47:00Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977403974 Most people pick their pediatrician based on recommendations (and, these days, based on who their insurance will cover). After all, if they are recommended, they must be good, right? Generally, yes. . . . Tue, 22 Jul 2008 16:12:32 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977403974 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2008-07-22T16:12:32Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977349551 It's a sad commentary on our society that the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) had to issue a report reminding parents and doctors that it's important for children to play. The report, . . . Tue, 20 May 2008 18:18:29 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977349551 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2008-05-20T18:18:29Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977287564 My parental resolution for this year is to do a better job of talking about sex with my children. It's not that I've done a bad job—at least I don't think I have. I'm a pediatrician, . . . Tue, 18 Mar 2008 17:55:01 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977287564 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2008-03-18T17:55:01Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977188811 The recent news coverage about the lead paint on toys has made me think of a conversation I once had with a woman I’d always thought of as a sensible person and a great mom.   She told me . . . Wed, 28 Nov 2007 15:19:58 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977188811 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2007-11-28T15:19:58Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977127817 These days, I’m doing something in my pediatric practice that I didn’t plan on doing: I’m giving medications to children with attention problems. When I started working in pediatrics . . . Tue, 25 Sep 2007 16:58:05 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977127817 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2007-09-25T16:58:05Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977065095 We hear about the epidemic of childhood obesity on the news so much these days that it’s easy to stop paying attention.  We hardly listen when they tell us, yet again, about the scary statistics.   . . . Tue, 24 Jul 2007 16:29:04 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977065095 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2007-07-24T16:29:04Z http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977006261 As a pediatrician, I am a big fan of breastfeeding. There is overwhelming data to show that not only is it great for the health of babies, it’s great for the health of moms -- and that’s on . . . Tue, 22 May 2007 16:42:18 GMT http://www.gather.com/viewArticle.action?articleId=281474977006261 Claire McCarthy, M.D., Harvard Medical School 2007-05-22T16:42:18Z