Courtney writes: My son is 7 and not circumcised. At a recent checkup his doctor seemed pretty alarmed because his foreskin hadn’t yet detached. She prescribed a steroid cream to help dissolve the connecting skin, but the pharmacist’s warnings (Don’t use too much!) have us spooked. And some Internet research suggests the foreskin could normally detach on its own as late as age 10. What should we do?
I took your question to Robert Adler, M.D., Senior Vice Chair of pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Here’s what he had to say:
Although it is true that the foreskin can detach later in childhood, the older that the child is the less likely it is to happen spontaneously. Although the retraction of the foreskin is important for hygiene; as long as the child is not experiencing any problem, I would not recommend or encourage any forceful mechanical attempt to force the foreskin back. Watchful waiting is the best course, but a trial of steroid crèmes would pose no harm to your child.
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Ten-year-olds with pure myopia (mild to moderate near-sightedness without significant astigmatism) in both eyes can almost always be fully corrected to 20/20 with the first pair of glasses. High myopia (more than 6 diopters) in both eyes that has been present for years may not be fully correctable to 20/20 but should still receive the full power in their glasses as the vision might gradually improve to 20/20 with this prescription. Other potential causes should be sought for vision that cannot be corrected to 20/20 in a 10-year-old who does not meet these criteria. In such cases consultation with a pediatric ophthalmologist is recommended.
I took your question to James Cherry, M.D., a professor of pediatric infectious diseases who works with Mattel Children’s Hospital at UCLA. Asked if your daughter’s cold could have been related to the nasal flu vaccine, he responded, “Almost certainly not.” Some people do experience symptoms after having the nasal flu vaccine, but Cherry says these come on right away. Since your daughter’s cold didn’t come along until a week after she received the vaccine, “Unfortunately, she was exposed to somebody with a cold and she caught it,” Cherry says.
I took your question to Kathy Kellogg Johnson, a Southern California Native and Chief Sustainability Officer at Kellogg Garden Products, her third-generation family business. Visit them at 
Alan Nager, M.D., Director of Emergency & Transport Medicine at Childrens Hospital Los Angeles, was kind enough to offer this advice …
Terri writes: 
Health-E Responds: 
Children (especially girls) who tend to hold their urine for too long tend to have a hard time fully emptying their bladder. This is because the bladder gets stretched out – much like an overfilled balloon – and won’t fully contract during urination, leaving a small amount of residual urine in the bladder and increasing the risk of infection. The best way to “re-train” the bladder to fully contract is to keep it from getting over-stretched. By having the child urinate every TWO hours, the bladder will never get over-full and will regain it’s “elasticity.” This can sometimes take many weeks. At home, set the oven timer for two hours so your child knows when it’s time to go. At school, talk to theteachers, and have your child go to the bathroom during snack and lunch breaks. Even if your child says she doesn’t need to go, just sitting on the toilet (or standing at the urinal for boys) will usually cause the urination “instincts” to kick in.
Dionna Watson writes:
Constipation is common in toddlers and can cause endless problems. If his stool is hard, he won’t want to go in the potty because it hurts. He’ll hold onto his stool, making it larger, harder, and more painful, and potty training will not be successful. Back off on the potty training for a while while you treat his constipation. After a few weeks of having soft stools, he’ll forget that it hurt and you can reintroduce the potty when he is ready.
