Archives for June 2007
Birthmarks, Moles, and Warts
Many infants are born with some kind of birthmark or mole somewhere on their bodies. They may appear as a light pinkish spot on the face, neck, or torso, or they may be a coffee-colored mark. Occasionally, a child is born with a deeper red wine-stain birthmark. Unfortunately, many of these wine-stain marks are found [...]
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Parasites
A parasite is a plant or animal that lives on the outside or inside of another plant or animal. It gets its nourishment from the animal or plant on which, or in which, it lives. Some parasites are so small that they can only be seen under a microscope. For example, the parasite that lives [...]
Kidney and Bladder Infections
The kidneys filter out waste materials and poisons from the blood and get rid of them in the urine. However, sometimes the blood that reaches the kidneys is so full of toxins (poisons manufactured by germs) from a severe inflammation elsewhere in the body that the kidneys themselves become inflamed.
For instance, it is possible that [...]
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Hernia
A hernia, or as some people call it, a rupture, is a weakness in the wall of the abdomen. It allows intestines or other tissues from inside the abdomen to bulge through the weakened area. The two most frequent places for hernia in children are the bellybutton and the groin. Hernias may also occur at [...]
Bowel Function
By the time a child reaches three to four years of age, he can control his bowels pretty well. Once in a great while, an accident does happen, but that’s not a serious matter. It can happen to a grown-up, too. But it is rather important to develop good bowel habits when young, because habits [...]
Appendicitis
Until recently, appendicitis was one of the most common conditions affecting young people. Except for removal of the tonsils, removal of the appendix used to be performed more often than any other operation. However, within the past fifteen to twenty years, inflammation of the appendix doesn’t take place so often. Doctors think that the widespread [...]
Stomachaches
Many people think that the stomach takes up, or occupies, the whole belly area. This is not true, as one can see from the diagram. The stomach is mostly in one corner of the belly, high up on the left side underneath the ribs. In addition to the stomach, the belly, or abdomen, contains the [...]
Rheumatic Fever
Many years ago, rheumatic fever was one of the most common and one of the most serious diseases affecting children. A child with this condition would run a very high fever that would come and go almost every day for a period of a few weeks to a few months. In addition, there would be [...]