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This page list the titles of the columns appearing in 2004. Click on the title to read the full text. Columns in Microsoft Word document format are available for download.

Columns appearing in 2004:

Any Amount of Alcohol Is Harmful to the Unborn Child 6 January 2004 Q. I have been married for several years. My husband and I enjoy a glass of wine at meal times, and we also drink fairly regularly with our friends. I am thinking of starting a family. When I talked to my younger sister who is a nurse, she told me that I should stop drinking; otherwise the alcohol can hurt our baby. I don't drink and drive, but I am just not sure that I should stop drinking completely in order to have a baby. Is my sister just trying to scare me?

Constipation Is a Chronic Condition, and It Requires Treatment for a Long Time 3 February 2004 Q. We are worried about our four-year-old son. He became constipated shortly after we started toilet-training him. He would hide behind the chair when he needs to have a bowel movement. Sometimes we see him dancing around or crossing his legs when he needs to go to the toilet. When he finally does, his stool is so large in size that it would plug up the toilet. In the last two months, we have seen some loose stool in his underwear. He said that he didn't know it until after it had happened, and he would deny it even though all of us could smell it. We are concerned that the problem will get worse next year when he starts kindergarten. Can you please advise us what we can do to control this constipation problem?

Toilet Training Can Be Fun for the Child and Family 2 March 2004 Q. I am a first time mother. Our daughter is one year old. I am starting to wonder how to toilet train her. The books and pamphlets that I have read so far are confusing and sometimes contradictory. I would appreciate some suggestions from you.

Cows' Milk Allergy Can Happen Even When a Mother is Breast Feeding 30 March 2004 Q. We have recently moved to California. Our daughter is eight months old. I have nursed her since birth. At around two months of age, she developed eczema all over her body. Our paediatrician suggested that I should stop drinking milk and stop eating dairy products. Within a few weeks, her eczema almost completely cleared. Later, when I tried to give her a bottle of regular formula, she became very irritable and vomited, and her eczema reappeared for a while. Our paediatrician suggested that she is likely allergic to cows' milk. Now, whenever I need to give her a bottle, which is very seldom indeed, I give her soy formula instead. I am planning to nurse her as long as I can, but I wonder whether she will ever be able to drink regular milk or eat ice cream. My husband has a lot of allergies, is it possible that this may have something to do with our daughter's eczema? If it is related, is there anything that we can do to prevent her from developing more allergies?

New ADHD Medications Can Work Much Better 27 April 2004 Q. We are concerned about our seven-year-old son. He is a very smart boy, but he has difficulty learning in school. He is always very active and very busy. When he plays, he would move from one activity to another, with a very short attention span. He gets bored easily and needs us to entertain him constantly. When he plays with his friends, he will only play according to his rules. Since kindergarten, all his teachers have noticed that he struggles to pay attention and gets distracted very easily. He was not able to read like other children in grade one. As a result, he was placed in grade two this year instead of being promoted. Homework is a real nightmare for us because he doesn't want to do it, and it drags on as he gets distracted by just about anything. We have seen two paediatricians, and both of them confirmed that he has ADHD. One doctor told us that he should take medicine every day, while the other said that he only needs it when he goes to school. We are really confused, and our friends scare us even more about medications. We have seen some television commercials about new medications for ADHD that can last the whole day. Can you help us to make the right decision for our son?

Sensible Eating and Exercise is Much Better Than Dieting in Children 22 June 2004 Q. We have two lovely children. Our 14-year-old daughter is a healthy teenager. She is active and fit. But in the last six months, she is saying that she is fat and tries to lose weight. We have seen her skipping breakfast and sometimes even lunch. She would walk our dog for one to two hours each evening. I haven't seen her throwing up after meals. Our younger son is the opposite. He is nine and he is overweight. In the last two years he is spending more time watching television and playing computer games than going outside. When he sits down, he always has a bag of chips or cookies. He has gained a lot of weight, and our doctor has warned us that if he continues, he is going to develop diabetes and other health problems. We are wondering what should we do? Our overweight son doesn't want to diet, and our skinny daughter is trying to lose weight. If we encourage our son to lose weight, would we give the wrong message to our daughter? Please give us some advice.

Lactose Intolerance Can Be a Short-term Problem in Children 20 July 2004 Q. Our daughter is five months old. Three weeks ago, she developed flu-like illness with vomiting and diarrhoea. I have been breast-feeding her since she was born. Our doctor told us the best treatment for her was to continue breast feeding. She did recover and her vomiting stopped after a couple of days. However, she still has more frequent and loose stool than before her illness. Otherwise she is completely healthy and gaining weight. I searched the internet and found that this may be the result of lactose intolerance. However, I don't understand it completely from what I read. I have lactose intolerance myself. Does it mean that our daughter will develop the same problem?

Parents Need to Know the Hazards of Trampoline, ATV, and Other Activity Items 17 August 2004 Q. Our two children, 10- and 12-years-old, have been bugging us to buy a trampoline. They enjoyed it when they visited their friends who have one in their backyard. I am worried about them getting hurt. Can you give us some advice?

Herpes Infection in the Mouth of Young Children is Not Transmitted by Sex 14 September 2004 Q. Our two-year-old son was admitted to the hospital two weeks ago. He had high fever for several days, and he refused to eat or drink. He got so dehydrated that our doctor had to give him IV fluid. His mouth was full of sores. We were told that he had herpes infection. I was horrified because I had read, years ago, that one gets herpes infection through sex. I didn't dare to ask the doctor any more questions. Now I am worried what I should tell our relatives if they ever ask us why our son was in the hospital. Can you tell us how he could have picked up this herpes virus?

Fungus Infection of the Scalp in Children Needs at Least Six Weeks of Treatment 12 October 2004 Q. Our five-year-old son was recently admitted to the hospital with a painful swelling on the top of his head. After some tests, the doctor told us that he has a fungal infection and he has to take a medicine for six weeks. We live on a dairy farm, and he likes to help out when we milk the cows. A few months ago, both of us had ringworm on our arms and body. We used a cream that we picked up from the pharmacy and quickly got better. The doctor told us that he likely picked up the infection from our cows, but his infection was much more serious than ours. Both of us wonder whether this is at all possible.

Older Children, Teenagers, and Adults Should Receive the New Whooping Cough Vaccine 09 November 2004 Q. Our teenage daughter is in junior high school. Last week, she brought home a notice about a whooping cough vaccine study. I remember she had received all her childhood immunizations. I am worried about this vaccine study. I don't want my daughter to be used as a guinea pig. Please give me advice what I should do.

Changing the Home Environment Can Improve a Child's Asthma 07 December 2004 Q. Our five-year-old son was admitted to the hospital recently. He was coughing a lot and had trouble catching his breath. At the beginning, we didn't know his condition was that serious. He coughs whenever he runs, and he gets wheezy when he goes to bed. We have to give him the puffers almost every day. We thought that it was just normal for him to do that. We have since learned that he has severe asthma, and he got worse after a virus infection. I am sharing custody with his father, and we don't completely agree upon the changes that are needed in his environment. I would appreciate some advice from you.

These columns are written in response to questions from patients and parents (and sometimes grandparents). They were written after careful research of current information, as well as Dr. Wong's clinical experience. In general, these columns are posted on the website as it was written. If there is any modification or updating of information, this will be highlighted and dated. The information here is not intended for anyone to follow as treatment plan of their medical condition, rather it is to provide general medical information in response to the question. Please consult your family physician or paediatrician regarding your particular problem or concern.