A number of medicines are used to help treat congestion. These include antihistamines, decongestants, and anti-inflammatories. Which medicine to choose depends on the underlying cause of the congestion. An antihistamine helps reduce the body’s response to allergens. When a child is allergic to something — carpeting, cats, cig¬arette smoke, and so on — the body Read more
Testicular torsion literally means “twisted testicle.” Inside the scrotum, each testicle is wrapped in a sack called the tunica vaginalis and hangs from a stringlike structure called the spermatic cord. The spermatic cord is a conduit that contains the nerves and blood vessels supplying the testicles. Each testicle is affixed to its tunica vaginalis, anchoring Read more
The best way to prevent otitis externa is to keep the ear canal dry. After a bath or shower, gently wipe the ear with a towel. Frequent swimmers should use a drying agent — such as hydrogen peroxide or rubbing alcohol — after swimming. Earplugs worn during swimming do not seem to reduce the risk Read more
What to do depends on where you are at in the course of the illness. The main thing you want to do is prevent your child from becoming dehydrated. For vomiting : If your child has just begun with vomiting, the best first step is to stop giving him all solids and most liquids. Your Read more
It is important to ease the pain of a sore throat, especially if your child is refusing to eat or drink. When the cause is a viral or bac¬terial infection, there are a number of things you can do to help make your child more comfortable. First, encourage liquids and don’t worry about solids. If Read more
Stomach flu is a general phrase describing vomiting and/or diarrhea. It is a catchy term that has stuck over the years. The more correct medical name is gastroenteritis. The phrase “stomach flu” is a misnomer because this illness is not caused by or in any way related to the infection influenza. Most types of stomach Read more
Water is the single largest component of the human body, accounting for most of its weight. We lose water through sweat, tears, saliva, urine, stool, and even a little with breathing. We replenish it with food and drink. A dehydrated child has too little fluid. She may be taking too little in (by refusing to Read more
What is happening inside my child’s body? An allergy can do many things in the body. On the skin, it can cause a rash or hives. In the intestine, it can manifest as diarrhea. And in the nose and sinuses, it can result in classic bay fever, with watery eyes and a drippy nose. Allergies Read more
A computed tomography scan — also called a CAT scan or CT scan — is performed by a 3-D X-ray machine. A computer integrates multiple images to make a cross-sectional picture, showing “slices” of the body. It uses the same basic technology as an X-ray machine. CT can be used anytime a detailed picture of Read more
If you think your child is having a generalized seizure and this is the first time, call Medical Emergency Hotline. Make sure your child is in a safe place (such as on the floor) and watch her carefully. If your child has |had multiple seizures, you will quickly learn how to manage them and how Read more
A pinworm is a short, skinny parasite — 5 to 10 millimeters long — that lives in the human colon (large intestine). Its proper name is Enterobius vermicularis. The female pinworm crawls out of the anus and lays her eggs on the skin. When the temperature is right (98° to 99°F), the eggs mature into Read more
The vagina is surrounded by two pairs of skin folds that look like lips, hence the name labia (Latin for “lips”). The outer pair is called the labia majora and inner pair the labia minora. Sometimes the labia minora stick together, narrowing or closing entirely the vaginal opening. This is called a labial adhesion. Most Read more