What fruit is good for my infant son?
Dear Dr. Donya,
I need your advice on the following:
* Is it all right to allow my 17-month-old baby to have juice early in the morning before his breakfast?
* Can I give him a ripe banana? How about its vitamin content? Previously, a doctor advised me not to give him any fruit other than bananas.
* How long should chicken, pork and beef meats be steamed so that the vitamin and mineral content will not be lost?
* Once, when I took my baby to the doctor, I overheard that a two-year-old girl needed an X-ray because the doctor suspected food had entered her lung. How does this happen?
-- Kim C.
Dear Kim,
* Juice is good for us. It is all right for your baby to have it as long as it does not fill him up and he still eats breakfast.
* Bananas have vitamin C and potassium, so, yes, you can give him a ripe banana. If your son is not allergic to other fruits there is no reason to avoid them, and I would suggest you include them.
* Foods need to be cooked, by methods such as steaming, but I can't give you exact times. Typically, small portions can be cooked within 10 minutes to 15 minutes and the vitamins and minerals will be preserved.
* Yes, it can happen. Young children can inhale small objects like peanuts or candy into the airway.
-- Dr. Donya
Dear Dr Donya,
My sons, aged 3.5 years and 1.5 years, both had their Hib (influenza) immunization at two and four months of age. I understand that Hib should be given at two months, four months and six months.
I hounded the doctors (not only one doctor) as to why a third dose was not given at six months. Their reply was that there was a controversy as to whether Hib should be given again at six months.
-- Lina
Dear Lina,
It depends on what kind of vaccine you get. There are three different products; HbOC (HIBITITER) and PRP-T (ActHIB). The primary series of doses should be given at two months, four months and six months, and the booster at 12 months to 15 months. However, for the PRP-OMP (PedvaxHIB), two doses of the primary series can be given at two months and four months and booster between 12 months to 15 months. When possible, the vaccine product used for the first dose should be used for subsequent doses in children younger than 12 months.
A booster is recommended at 12 months to 15 months of age, or as soon as possible thereafter, and any vaccine product is acceptable for this dose, regardless of the vaccine previously received by the child. The efficacy of the combination vaccine after three doses has been calculated to be 98.8 percent.
There was a study of 91 cases of invasive disease due to H influenza, of which 41 were serotype b. However, compliance with the vaccine schedule was only 74 percent, and most cases of invasive Hib disease occur in nonimmunized children. This suggests that invasive Hib disease cases "are not a vaccine failure but a failure to vaccinate".
-- Dr. Donya
Dear Dr. Donya,
I am 27 years old, currently living in Maryland in the United States, and have had a problem with chronic constipation for eight years.
Starting at about the age of 15, I would stop myself whenever I had the urge to go to the bathroom. I did not realize that I was making my problem worse and, eventually, I was only able to use the bathroom once or twice a week.
I recently began taking a herbal diet product, and my regularity improved during the first 30 days to 45 days. I went to the bathroom every day and the process was smooth.
But now I'm back to square one. I go every day but my bowel movements are not good. I still have very bad gastric trouble and bloating.
I am also taking a protein drink mix and flora fiber, cell activator, aminogen and multivitamin every day and drink around 50 ounces of water. I also started going to the gym every day for the past week. Yesterday I did a good cardio exercise and in the morning the bowel movement was good.
I think my skin is very dry because of this problem. What should I do?
-- Kavitha
Dear Kavitha,
I think you are on the right track with starting to exercise because it will help stimulate the bodily functions.
As for using the herbal product, it is the same as you increasing your fiber foods, green and yellow vegetables and fresh fruits; oranges, watermelon, papaya, pineapple, apples, prunes and bananas.
A tip is to drink two glasses of warm water when you wake up in the morning. I would also recommend drinking at least two liters of water a day, as water will also help with your dry skin.
There also may be a genetic connection to your problem. See a dermatologist who will be able to diagnose what is right to treat your condition.
-- Dr. Donya