Fungi (mold) are a frequent cause of skin problems in children. The two most common forms of skin infections in children involve Candida and Tinea. Candida is a yeast (mold) that commonly grows in the human digestive tract and tends to overgrow with a high sugar diet and/or frequent use of antibiotics which kill off good gut bacteria. Candida also can grow on other body areas including the skin, mouth, urinary tract and sex organs such as the vagina and penis. Candida can sometimes cause life threatening infections by spreading through the bloodstream. These spreading or disseminated Candida infections are most common in patients with compromised immune systems such as those with HIV, certain forms of cancer such as leukemia and lymphoma, and genetic immune deficiencies. Candida can be spread by many means including food, water, air, and contact with people, animals and inanimate objects. Keeping skin dry can slow the spread of Candida.

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I can remember the day like it was yesterday, the phone call that rocked my world. The call was from my father and it was to tell me that he had been diagnosed with cancer, a disease I was all too familiar with.

I lived with the idea of cancer because I had already lost both of my grandfathers to the disease. They were strong men. Men that, as a young boy, I thought walked on water. Watching them both succumb to this deadly disease is something that still brings back painful memories.

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The year has just flown by. Someone told me long ago that the reason time flies so quickly when you are older is because each passing year becomes a smaller part of your whole life. One year to a 3 year old seems very long. It is one-third of his life and therefore relative to his life, a long time. When you are in your fifties (that is as much as I am admitting to) a year is only one-fiftieth of your life and it goes by very fast. Not surprisingly, these “one-fiftieths” are all the more precious and seem to slip through your fingers unless you “make time” to appreciate them.

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I love this time of year. Since I’m not a huge fan of cold weather, I make the best of it by getting in the holiday spirit by early October.

When I used to be sick all of the time, I never thought twice about the fact that I was “destined” to be ill during the winter. Even though I was prone to allergies during the spring and summer months, I had a particularly rough time from October until March. You may be the same way.

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If you haven’t heard the Johnny Mathis rendition of the song, When A Child is Born, you must. Here is a link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DasqY...

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