27 February 2006
Dear Readers: Sincerely,
Dr. Warren hopes to help all who ask his advice and to enlighten all who read Ask Dr. Warren. For your own well being please keep in mind that
advice you read here may not apply exactly to your own situation, and that if you are sick, no information on the web can take the place of a hands on examination by your physican who knows you and cares about you.
Dr. Warren
Sincerely,
Mary
Dear Mary: If chiropractors could cure a child who has had recurrent ear infections and lower respiratory infections I'd like to see the scientific evidence that proves it. I'd even welcome some evidence that chiropractic treatment helps such problems. Testimonials from people who say they feel better are not scientific evidence, so don't be fooled by such stories. To the best of my knowledge, chiropractic has nothing to offer your child.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
Q: (a) How can he develop such a strong change in vision in only 3 months???
(b) When (how often) should he wear his new eye glasses in school and at
home? Only for distant objects such as the board in school, or more often?
We always ensure good lighting when he reads. What other measures are helpful?
Thank you for your professional advice!
Best regards.
-HW
Dear HW: The tendency to be nearsighted is certainly inherited. Hours spent with close reading may contribute. Since reading is desirable, it should not be curtailed, but your son should avoid holding the book to close. If your son's spectacles were prescribed only for distance and he does not need them for reading, he should remove them for reading. He may wear them for daily activities if he feels more comfortable that way, or he may wear them only when he needs them for distance work such as seeing the blackboard or movies.
As regards why the nearsightedness progressed so rapidly, I cannot give you a reason. Obviously your son's vision will need to be monitored closely.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-MR
Dear MR: Infants can certainly start teething at 4 months. Tylenol and teething preparations can be used to relieve symptoms if they are bothering the baby. One should always give only the amount of symptomatic relief medicine necessary to relieve symptoms since any medicine could cause unwanted side effects; however, if you are only giving the Tylenol at bedtime, you can safely give it as long as the teething symptoms demand it. Just keep in mind that if she is sleeping through the night with the Tylenol, at some point you have to try without it to see if she really needs it.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
What attracts me to your page was when I read your educational history about the college that you attened for your undergrad years: Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. You may have wonder how? well, as a make my list of colleges, RPI is one of the potential colleges that I would like to attend, my counselor agrees with me, she said I would be the 1st from my school to attend RPI (sadly she is leaving this coming friday, it will be such a great loss to me, but that is another story.) However, I am unsure of which coleges is really right for me considering how strong their biology program is and the research and internship available, and also the surrounding environment. I had an opportunity to visit Rensselaer through an all-expenses paid scholarship to participate in an engineering-based program called PREFACE over the summer for 2 weeks. I liked it there except for the bunk-bed in the QUAD where I stayed, and also my roommate's messy habits. Anyway, I was not into engineering before the program, and at the end of the program my mind still didn't change from medicine/pediatrics to engineering. I know that RPI is one of the top school in engineering, and it's wired w/ technologies. However, I am unsure about how strong their biology department is and whether it will help me prepared for the MCAT and get into a good med. school. Another aspect of whether I should attend RPI is the distance away from home and the weather there considering it's upstate NY. I'm living in San Diego, CA, and the weather is really nice here...Well, as an alumi of RPI, I would love to hear your expert comments and advice regarding my concerns for a college.
A career in pediatrics is what I have chosen to pursue in the future. I've always love working with little kids because I too, believe that they are the future and are the kindest and most innocent souls in this world if they are well-cared for in a supportive family environment. I know that I have a long way to go since this is my last year in high school, i still have to go to 4 years of college and then on tho medical school for another 4 years and to specialize in pediatrics takes another 3 years training/residency. Regarding the education/training for a career in pediatrics, I have a few questions that hopefully you may find new: I was just curious about the total cost of education/training on average or in general for one to become a pediatrician (starting with colleges like RPI, the test MCAT, a good Med School, and Residency). And also, when do you get your certification as a doctor and how do you obtain a liscense.
Those are my questions for now. I would like to thank you again for your time. I hope that you would find my message worth receiving and I would love to hear from you soon.
Love,
Thuy
Dear Thuy: It is almost 30 years since I graduated from RPI [this e-mail was answered in 1999], so things may have changed quite a bit there. RPI has it's reputation for being not only an excellent engineering school, but also a great science school. If you're looking for a liberal arts degree RPI probably isn't the place to go, but all their science departments are top notch. When I went to RPI I majored in biology. At that time the degree requirement for a biology major included 10 courses (1 semester each) in biology, 7 chemistry, 3 calculus, 2 differential equations, and 2 physics. When I graduated I would have been prepared to pursue and advanced degree in a variety of sciences. There is no question that RPI can prepare you for the MCATs and medical school.
I've been a New Yorker all my life, but I've never liked cold weather. There's no question that you'll get plenty of cold weather and snow in Troy, but even though I don't like the cold, I can't remember that being a problem. You could even get to like snow and enjoy some winter sports. I can't advise you on that. It's hard to beat the even, pleasant climate of San Diego, but some people actually enjoy cold winters and snow!
I also can't advise you on the matter of being so far from home. When I went to RPI my parents could drive there in 3 hours. I didn't see them that often. After all, part of the experience of college is being away from home. But it was nice that they could come to visit. My 3 kids are all in school far from home - one in Pittsburgh, PA, one in Claremont, CA, and one in Miami, FL. As a parent with kids all over the place I sure wish I could see them more often or make spur of the moment plans to visit them. Lots of kids go far from home for the best college experience. One of my best friends at RPI was a Greek fellow from Cyprus. If you and your parents are ready for that distance, RPI is a great school.
I chose RPI because, at the time, they had a combined BS/MD degree program with Albany Medical College, so I figured they must have a good premed program. I didn't apply for their combined program. I'm not sure why. But I can tell you that I loved my 4 years at RPI.
College costs and fees for exams have escalated dramatically in 30 years. Many of the schools charge 10 times the tuition I paid. I don't know what the current expenses for school would be. The best place to get that information would be a book like Barron's College catalogue (not sure what the book is called). Once you start internship and residency you get paid. You don't pay for it.
While you are attending medical school you will get information about taking Medical Board Exams. Those will qualify you for licensure in most states (maybe all). If you pass your boards and finish your internship you qualify for licensure. At the time you take your boards, I believe you can indicate in what states you want to apply for a license. Your medical school will have the necessary information regarding any additional application procedures.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
And I guess I wouldn't mind going away for college, lots of my friends like to stay in San Diego and so they applied for schools around here. So far, I've only applied to one public university here: University of CA, San Diego. All of the other colleges that I applied are all across the U.S include 4 schools in NY (RPI, NYU, U of Rochester, and Wells (cuz i got a scholarship there)) my other colleges included: Johns Hopkins (MD), Vanderbilt (TN), Swarthmore (PA), Carnegie Mellon (PA)Washington U (St. Louis, MO), U of Denver (CO), George Washington U (DC), Duke U (NC), Rice U (TX), Stanford U (CA), USC (CA), Occidental College (CA).
The college applications were nightmares... lots of my friends applied to more than 10 schools... one of them already accepted to Duke U through early decision... I just gave it a shot applying to all the prestigous and few ivy league school, i know that many other students have better test scores than me because i had the disadvantage of language skill due to the fact that i've only been in this country for 5 yrs...well, at least i tried...I'm still not sure where I want to go... my counselor said that many of these colleges listed above have a strong science program. If you know about these colleges, would you agree?
And I sure wish I could see snow because i have never see or feel them in all my life, I've lived in San Diego for the past 5 yrs here and it never snow here. I never get to travel anywhere outside, except when i got a scholarship to go to RPI over the summer, it was very humid and hot. I dont' know how i can handle the change in climate and the cold weather in NY, especially upstate, it would be as cold as in Canada... I'm not much of a 'cold-weather' girl... but lots of people complain but then they'll get adapted to the weather, just hope that i would get adapted too if i decide to attend school in NY.
well, the message is getting long so i'll stop here... it' s great to hear from you, i hope to hear some more suggestions from you soon.
And have a great holiday season.
-Thuy
Dear Thuy: Although I wouldn't recommend RPI for a liberal arts degree since it is primarily a science school, their liberal arts program will not put you at a disadvantage for entry into medical school. If you're interested in a science major, RPI is an excellent school. I am familiar with most of the other schools you've listed. They are also excellent. Johns Hopkins has an excellent medical school. I don't know if going to their undergraduate school provides any advantage when you apply to medical school. It will be a tough choice, but if you get accepted at many of the schools, review their course catalogues to see which will provide you the education you want. Remember that medical school is not your only goal in obtaining a college education, so evaluate all the factors that will give you the best 4 years you can get. You will have to work hard in college if you want to go to medical school, but if you use your time well, you will look back on your college years with fond memories just as I do.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-MR
Dear MR: You can introduce cereal twice daily at the most convenient times, morning and evening. It isn't crucial for your baby to eat a lot of cereal now as milk is the main source of her nutrition. Your goal is to introduce spoon feeding. As she gets better at it and more interested in it, solid foods will become a bigger part of her diet. Read my article, Feeding Your Infant for more information.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-Katie
Dear Katie: If the only symptoms is bad breath (no gas pains, excess spitting, diarrhea, vomiting, irritability, poor weight gain), it does not suggest a problem with milk.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
My wife and I have family members with diabetis, and any appearance of an unknown quantity makes us very nervous. We have read the book "What to expect the Toddler Years". Within this tome there is a section that states, "... Often, what looks like a gelatinous discharge is not a sign of infection or other problem, just a sign that the diaper's absorbent jelly material has oozed out.
Is there any way for us to confirm that this is just as a diaper discharge, and not one from our son?
-JH
Dear JH: The easiest way to find out what the crystals are is to show them to someone who knows. That could include your pediatrician, a friend or neighbor with several children, a nurse. If the material appears gelatinous, it is most likely from the diaper. In any event, crystals in the urine rarely appear visible in the diaper unless they are colored such as the salmon pink color of uric acid crystals. In addition, crystals have nothing to do with diabetes. If there is any question as to the normalcy of your son's urine, your pediatrician can supply you with a urine bag to collect a specimen for a urinalysis.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
-MR
Dear MR: Cetaphil lotion is an excellent moisturizer. A thin layer of Vaseline should protect your daughter's face from drool. If she's an avid thumb sucker she will suck off anything you put on it so you probably should just leave it alone.
Dry patches could be eczema, but I won't try to diagnose a rash I haven't seen. You should have her pediatrician check her skin at her next checkup.
Sincerely,
Dr. Warren
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