PEDIATRICIAN'S  ANSWERS (Updated 4th Mar. 2001)
 
 
Date: Fri, 5 Jan 2001 15:49:33 -0600
Name: Indra  Age: 26  Gender: F  Place:
Question: # 9-1
My son is 3and half years old. Frequently he is grinding his teeth in his sleep. I can hear it even when i am in deep sleep. Is this habit ok? Why is he doing that? How can i stop it?

Answer:

This condition called bruxism (teeth grinding) is a type of habit disorder and may arise as a result of unexpressed emotions (anger, resentment or fears). Efforts to make bedtime more enjoyable, pleasant and relaxed with stories and allowing children to express their fears or angers of the day, will help. This is not a harmful habit and may occasionally create problems of dental occlusion. It is not related to worm infestation.
Date: Sun, 7 Jan 2001 21:13:53 -0600
Name: ganeswary  Age: 21  Gender: F  Place: Malaysia ,Kuala Lumpur
Question: # 9-2
Do gals get hemorrhoids!! plz tell me I’m afraid I’ll get it since my father has it when I was 15

Answer:
Please consult an adult physician.

Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 08:06:29 -0600
Name: santhi palaniandy  Age: 18  Gender: F  Place: melacca
Question: # 9-3
I have asthma from 7 age-old .how I can stop from this asthma?

Answer:
Asthma is a disorder of the airways wherein there is hyper reactivity of the airways to various stimuli. This leads to narrowing of the air passages and causes difficulty in breathing. For a child or a person with asthma, instead of looking for a cure, it is better to consult a pediatrician/physician and discuss the disease and factors that may precipitate an attack of asthma and methods to control the same. The use of inhaled medications is a more safer and effective way of managing asthma. Your doctor would probably recommend it after making a detailed assessment of your condition (including the number and severity of attacks). It is very important to consult and discuss in detail about your condition with a physician and follow his/her advise. Please refer to Question # 1-8 & # 5-11 also.

Date: Tue, 9 Jan 2001 12:33:23 -0600
Name: manesh  Age: 30  Gender: M  Place:
Question: # 9-4
My son is 15 months and is diagnosed of having a tongue-tie when he was 12 months. We have been suggested to have a clipping job done for him. I want to know what is the right age at which it should be done? If 15 months is too late for clipping? wether he will not have any speech problems after the surgery?

Answer:

Tongue tie can be released at any age. It has not been shown to have any detrimental effect on development of speech or swallowing.
Date: Sat, 13 Jan 2001 19:44:45 -0600
Name: R.Radhi devi  Age: 28  Gender: F  Place: Tirunelveli
Question: # 9-5
I have one male child, 4 years old and he is affected slightly by Down syndrome. Will the next child be affected by the Down syndrome?

Answer:

It is important to determine the chromosome karyotype in the affected chilld before predicting the recurrence risk. There are also ways to screen the mother during pregnancy and predict if the fetus might be a Down Syndrome child. You should consult a pediatrician who will direct you to a good Genetic Center for necessary advice and counseling. Please refer to Question # 1-12 & # 3-1 also.
Date: Mon, 15 Jan 2001 23:54:01 -0600
Name: KUMARAN  Age: 27  Gender: M  Place: DELHI
Question: # 9-6
Sir, I am 27 years old. I am unable to have good sleep for the last two years. My eyes are watering for last two year and I consulted eye specialists and found nothing abnormal. I used to get slight headache in the morning otherwise I am okay.  Pls. let me know about the problem.

Answer:

Please consult an adult physician.
Date: Mon, 22 Jan 2001 23:07:03 -0600
Name: Vijayalakshmi  Age: 27  Gender: F  Place:
Question: # 9-7
Dear Doctor,
My son is 3 years and 6 months old. He is having chewing problem and he is not at all taking any solid food. Even if we try to give any tiny piece of solid food he tries to swallow the food and get choked and vomiting out. He always tries to swallow the solid food instead of chewing. He always prefers milk. We also checked with dentist and they confirmed that there is no problem with his teeth. We are very much worried about his health. I kindly appreciate your advice on this problem. His Height 39" and weight - 36 Pounds
Thanks
Viji
 
Answer:
It is important to help stimulate early the habit of chewing in a child. This can be attained by giving food that does not have a drinkable consistency but rather has a consistency that requires the food to be chewed before swallowing. Please refer to Question # 2-9 and Question # 8-5 also. His weight and height for his age are adequate.
Date: Tue, 30 Jan 2001 02:25:45 -0600
Name: Uma  Age: 30  Gender: F  Place:
Question: # 9-8
I have a 3 and half-year-old son. He is reluctant to take any good food whenever he is hungry; he wants some junk food, which I don't prefer. He is very choosy in fruits and vegetables also. I am already giving Liv-52 daily, as per advice of my siddha doctor sister. Still he is not improving. He is very very lean and skinny; he talks well, plays well. Pl. advice me.

Answer:

We have discussed quite extensively in these columns regarding diet and eating habits in children. We suggest that you refer to Question # 1-1, # 1-4, # 2-4, # 2-5, # 2-8, # 2-9, # 3-10 & # 4-3. If after going through these answers you still have a specific query to ask, we would be glad to answer that.
Date: Wed, 31 Jan 2001 05:04:31 -0600
Name: S.Kumar  Age: 39  Gender: M  Place: Mumbai
Question: # 9-9
My son aged 9 years old have migraine problem. Pl suggests how to prevent this.

Answer:

Migraine can be precipitated by many reasons (including certain food products). It is advisable that you consult your son’s pediatrician regarding the diagnosis of migraine in your child, the precautions to take and medications if any. Please refer to Question # 3-7 & # 8-1 as well.
Date: Sat, 3 Feb 2001 13:19:22 -0600
Name: shanker  Age: 34  Gender: M  Place: Malaysia
Question: # 9-10
I’m having daughter age 1year 8 month, until now she able to utter few words only that's amma appa atta I’m really afraid of, could dr pls. explain, thank you

Answer:
Usually by nine months a child makes mono-syllabic sounds like da-da and ma-ma (but without meaning). By one year he can use three words with meaning, for objects of daily use. He uses 6-20 words by one and a half years and is able to make short simple sentences of 2-3 words by two years. However speech will develop only in response to stimulation from the environment (which includes the parents and the child’s immediate surroundings). The child should be made to understand that each object/action has a specific term and only when he utters (or attempts to utter) that word will he be able to make communicate his feelings to people. The parents play a crucial role in patiently stimulating the child to respond and express using meaningful words. Language development is facilitated when parents and other caregivers use clear, simple sentences, ask questions, and respond to their child’s incomplete sentences and gestural communication with the appropriate words.

Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 10:25:35 -0600
Name: priya  Age: 30  Gender: F  Place:
Question: # 9-11
If mother has tuberculosis will the child 4 month old get infected how to avoid. Please help

Answer:
If the mother has active tuberculosis then it is possible for the child to get infected through airborne infection, as the mother is in close proximity to the child (not through breast milk). To prevent this the child needs to be given chemoprophylaxis (with some drugs). The child also needs to be investigated before starting prophylaxis. Your pediatrician must be consulted for necessary advise.

Date: Fri, 2 Feb 2001 03:14:36 -0600
Name: Suguna.V  Age: 27  Gender: F  Place: Chennai
Question: # 9-12
I have a baby girl who is 8 months old .We are giving her Lactogen, Fare, Rice with Dal , Sathunavu Kanji and apple everyday. But still I am not sure if I am giving all the nutrients that she requires. Kindly tell me if this diet is OK or if I should give her anything else.
Regards
Suguna.V

Answer:
For a child of 7-8months the food that you are giving appears OK. We suggest that you refer to Question # 1-1, # 1-4, # 2-4, # 2-5, # 2-8, # 2-9, # 3-10 , # 4-3 & # 9-7. By the time the child is 9-10 months old it should be able to eat food served at the table (along with the adults). While introducing any new food it is important to remember that the new food should be offered once a day in small and dilute feeds. Food is usually pushed out of the mouth by the tongue rather than back because the child has not yet understood the technique of swallowing. The mother should not interpret this “spitting out” of new foods as dislike for food. It is advisable to offer the same food daily until the baby becomes accustomed to it and not to introduce new foods more often than every 1-2 weeks.

 

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