Health A-Z index

Hair loss and cancer treatment

Depending on your treatment for cancer, you may experience hair loss. Learn about ways to deal with hair loss.

Halloween safety

Halloween is a time for dressing up, eating candy, carving pumpkins and decorating homes. Learn how to make it safe as well as fun.

Halo care: Taking care of your child in a neurosurgical halo vest device

Learn about how to properly care for your child in the halo device.

Hand hygiene

The best way to prevent transmission of disease is good hand hygiene. Learn about proper hand hygiene and how to teach it to children.

Handling high and low blood sugar levels for a child with type 1 diabetes

Learn the symptoms, causes and treatment of hypoglycemia and hyperglycemia, or low and high blood sugar levels.

Handling your medications

Harvesting donor stem cells for an allogeneic blood and marrow transplant

Learn what happens during a donor's stem cells harvest.

Harvesting stem cells for an autologous blood and marrow transplant

Learn how your child's stem cells are harvested, before the blood and marrow transplant.

Head injury and concussion

Learn how to recognize a concussion after a head injury and when to see a health-care provider or seek emergency care.

Head lice

​Lice are small, flat, wingless insects that live on the surface of the scalp. Learn how to check for, treat and prevent this common infestation.

Headache in children

Your child may have a headache for a number of different reasons. Find out what these are and what you can do to help alleviate the pain.

Health care transition

Learn about some of the things you can expect when the time comes for your teen to transition to an adult health-care centre.

Health specialties and medications impacted by pharmacogenetic (PGx) testing

Learn about the various health specialties and medications that have established pharmacogenetic (PGx) guidelines to help inform medication prescribing and treatment decisions for your child.

Healthy bodies during puberty

Eating healthy foods, being physically active and sleeping well are important parts of a healthy lifestyle. Read about tips for keeping healthy as you navigate puberty.

Healthy bodies during puberty

Eating healthy foods, being physically active and sleeping well are important parts of a healthy lifestyle. Read about tips for keeping healthy as you navigate puberty.

Healthy eating for teens

Here are some helpful tips on how to meet the needs of a teen's growing body.

Healthy eating tips after transplant

Healthy food and drink choices outside the home

Find out how to encourage your tween or teen to make healthy food and drink choices when eating out.

Hearing testing in newborns to 3 years

Learn about the signs and symptoms of hearing loss in babies and toddlers and what happens during the infant hearing screening process.

Hearing tests and cancer treatment

Hearing tests (audiograms) measure how well you can hear sounds at different volumes. Learn why you may need a hearing test and how a hearting test is done.

Heart catheterization

Heart catheterization may be used to correct various kinds of heart defects. Learn how to prepare for heart catheterization and how to care for your child at home.

Heart catheterization test

Learn about heart catheterization tests and electrophysiology studies, which give information about the structure of a child's heart and how well it is working.

Heart catheterization: Caring for your child after the procedure

Learn how you can take care of your child after heart catheterization. Learn about dressing changes and emergency situations.

Heart catheterization: Getting ready for the procedure

Heart catheterization is a test that is done to see how well blood is moving through the heart. Read how to prepare your child for heart catheterization.

Heart conditions and complementary and alternative therapies

Learn about complementary and alternative therapies and what to consider before you try them.

Heart conditions and examples of complementary and alternative therapies

Learn about complementary and alternative therapy for children with heart conditions. Art therapy and aromatherapy are among the therapies discussed.

Heart conditions resources

Books and websites with information about heart conditions in children.

Heart conditions: Overview

Learn about different types and possible signs and symptoms of heart conditions in children.

Heart murmurs

Learn about heart murmurs and the different types of heart murmurs heard in children.

Heart rhythm problems (arrhythmias)

Learn about heart rhythm problems. Usually identified as an irregular heartbeat, they can occur at any age and may or may not have symptoms.

Heart stents: Placement in the heart catheterization lab

A heart stent is a small metal tube that is placed inside a narrowed blood vessel or conduit to keep it open. Read about heart stent surgery and recovery.

Heart tests and cancer treatment

Heart tests include electrocardiograms and echocardiograms. Learn about the differences between these two tests, why you might need them and what to expect during the test.

Heart transplants

A heart transplant is surgery that replaces a heart that is not working properly with a healthy donor heart. Learn about heart transplants for children.

Heart transplants: Medications

After a heart transplant, your child will need a variety of medications, including immunosuppressants, drugs to prevent infection, and drugs to lower blood pressure.

Heart tumours

Learn about heart tumours in children, and how they are diagnosed. Both the most common types of benign and malignant tumours are discussed.

Heat and cold for pain management

Read about hot packs and cold packs, and how they can effectively reduce pain from injuries.

Heat rash (miliaria)

Learn about heat rash and how to prevent and treat it.

Heat-related illness in young athletes

Learn how to prevent and treat heat-related illness in children and teens who exercise in hot and humid conditions.

Heat-related illness: How to prevent

Learn how to prevent, recognize and treat dehydration and other heat-related illnesses in children.

Helmets: How they prevent injury

Find out how helmets are designed to protect against head injury.

Helmets: How to get your child to wear one

A step-by-step guide for parents on how to fit a safety helmet and encourage a child to wear one.

Helping families cope following a traumatic injury

​Find out how you can manage your own health while caring for your family after your child experiences a traumatic injury. 

Helping your child cope after a blood and marrow transplant

Learn how you can help your child cope, after their blood and marrow transplant (BMT).

Helping a child cope with a brain tumour

Find advice to help you with the extremely difficult task of helping your child cope and adjust to a brain tumour diagnosis.

Helping your child cope with epilepsy

Learn about the different ways you can help your child cope with the emotional and social impact of epilepsy more effectively.

Helping your child cope with leukemia

Learn what you can do to help your child cope with leukemia treatment, procedures, and side effects.

Helping your child transition through health care: Children

Recommendations for helping your child navigate through the health-care system and gain independence in managing their own health care.

Helping your child transition through health care: Teens

Recommendations for helping your child navigate through the health-care system as a teenager and gain independence in managing their own health care.

Helping your teen cope with scoliosis surgery

Having scoliosis surgery can be a very emotionally difficult experience for a teenager. Learn about common stressors as well as how to cope with them.

Helping your teen decide about scoliosis surgery

The Ottawa personal decision guide can be a useful decision-making tool, which can be used when deciding whether or not to have scoliosis surgery.