Wyatt Hauser, 2, is in Oregon through August as part of a medical marijuana trial program. He is staying there with his grandfather and his mother, Jessica Hauser, who has emerged as an advocate for medical marijuana in Minnesota. (Submitted photo) The path that Jessica Hauser never expected to travel with her family is approaching a crossroads. The journey for Hauser and her husband, Jeremy, began when their son, Wyatt, was diagnosed seven months into his young life with infantile spasms, a type of epilepsy that could cause about 200 seizures a day. "It's horrible," Jessica said of watching her son experience the seizures. "I wouldn't wish this upon anyone." The journey continued with the search for treatment options. Nothing seemed to help, and the longer the seizures persist, the more likely Wyatt will deal with developmental disabilities. Hungry for information, Jessica took to the Internet, where she learned that some families were experimenting with medical marijuana for children with severe epilepsy. She eventually found herself aligned with a medical marijuana advocacy group that this year urged lawmakers and Gov. Mark Dayton to change state law. A version of the medical marijuana law passed in May, and it will cover … Continue reading →

Patrick and Ben Hindmarsh arent twins, but when you see them interact, its difficult to tell the lanky teenage brothers apart. You wouldnt guess one was diagnosed with classic autism more than a decade ago. Their mother, Dr. Wendy Edwards, a former chief resident at Torontos Hospital for Sick Children and now a pediatrician, remembers the moment she realized her youngest son Patrick was autistic: At three years old, he didnt make eye contact and sometimes flapped his hands in the air, but when he rapidly echoed the language in a computer game (a repetitive autism behaviour called scripting), she knew. Globe and Mail Update Aug. 03 2014, 12:00 PM EDT It was like I got punched in the gut. Im lying on the couch and I realize, This is autism, this is autism. We have to do something about it, says Edwards, who lives in Chatham, Ont., with husband Keith Hindmarsh and their sons. We couldnt get his attention. He would run around and we would call his name and call his name Patrick, Patrick and he just wouldnt respond, Hindmarsh recalls. Now 14, with good grades and set to start high school, Patrick is practically unidentifiable as the … Continue reading →

In the course of working on my new book about listening to parents and children, I have had the pleasure of immersingmyself in the writing of D.W.Winnicott,pediatrician turned psychoanalyst. Winnicott'sprofessional life included both caring for countless young children and families as a pediatrician, and psychoanalytic practice, where his adult patients "regressed to dependence," giving him an opportunity to interact with their infantile qualities, but with adult capacities for communication. This combination of experiences gave him a unique vantage point from which to make his many brilliant observations about children and the nature of the parent-child relationship. A recent New York Times Magazine article on autism prompted me to share his words of wisdom on the subject, which, though written in 1966, still have relevance today. The following is from a collection of papers, Thinking About Children: From my point of view the invention of the term autism was a mixed blessing...I would like to say that once this term has been invented and applied, the stage was set for something which is slightly false, i.e. the discovery of a diseasePediatricians and physically minded doctors as a whole like to think in terms of diseases which gives a tidy look to … Continue reading →

Stroke that is, an interruption of blood flow to the brain can happen to anyone at any time, no matter your age. Strokes kill more than 140,000 Americans annually and are the no. 1 cause of adult disability in the U.S. Thats why it is so important to take whatever steps you can to prevent you and your loved ones from becoming yet another stroke statistic. KNOW WHAT A STROKE IS A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs, so it and brain cells die. Every minute during a stroke 1.9 million neurons die, so it is important to act fast and get medical attention right away. LOWER YOUR SODIUM INTAKE Salt is sneaky. You are often consuming it without even realizing it. Frozen foods and processed foods tend to have high salt content, so avoid them as much as possible and choose fresh options. Join the pledge to reduce the amount of sodium you eat at heart.org/sodium. GET MOVING Getting as little as 30 minutes of physical activity a … Continue reading →