Q what is fever? what are the signs and symptoms of fever?

Fever or pyrexia is an elevation of body temperature above the normal range of 36.5-37.5 °C (97.7-99.5 °F). Fever is a common symptom of many medical conditions. The signs and symptoms of fever are termed as sickness behaviour which include lethargy, depression, anorexia, sleepiness, hyperalgesia, and the inability to concentrate. Additionally, local symptoms arising due to the cause of fever are usually present.

Q I have a 14 year old girl who has fatty lumps either side of her cheeks near mouth that really stick out. I think they are called inverted dimples. Is this rare as she is very self conscious of them and we have never seen these on a child before. Or is there some other underlying problem

Difficult to predict what they can be without an examination. However if your daughter is not happy with it, then you should take an opinion of cosmetic surgeon regarding how to get rid of it.

Q What is Schizophrenia?

Schizophrenia is a brain disorder that affects the way a person acts, thinks, and sees the world. People with schizophrenia have an altered perception of reality, often a significant loss of contact with reality. They may see or hear things that dont exist, speak in strange or confusing ways, believe that others are trying to harm them, or feel like theyre being constantly watched. With such a blurred line between the real and the imaginary, schizophrenia makes it difficult even frightening to negotiate the activities of daily life. In response, people with schizophrenia may withdraw from the outside world or act out in confusion and fear.

Q Is it normal for a 12-year-old boy to play and fondle with his penis?

Its normal for kids of of all age groups to play with genitals out of curiosity about their growing body. This is seen in both boys and girls. Younger kids do it because they feel good about the way it feels. It is not harmful or abnormal in anyway. Do not get angry or reprimand your child. Try and educate them that it might lead to infection sometimes. Some kids even do it to seek attention but this is rare.

Q Why is babys head dropping when crawling?

Crawling is seen at the age of 6-9 months of the baby. During this period, the baby tries to hold his head high and try push ups to move forwards. Developing head control varies from baby to baby. Some may develop quickly while other may take time. But, if your baby is unable to hold at all, then you must consult your paediatrician to rule out the cause.

Q Is it possible to raise your IQ?

Intelligence is mostly hereditary. Intellectual ability grows until about age 16, and after that changes very little. Practicing various skills which are tested on IQ tests will increase your IQ score some, but it is not likely to increase your intelligence. Intelligence is basically the abilities to learn, to reason, to remember, to think abstractly, to problem-solve, etc. These abilities are very difficult to improve once you are an adult, though you may improve specific skills. E.g. you can improve basic mathematical skills by practicing them often and learning certain mathematical shortcuts, or you can learn to read faster by pushing your reading speed and learning to scan for meaning. Generally, the best way to improve your performance in specific work tasks is to do those tasks a lot. When you do that, you gradually learn the best possible techniques to efficiently and accurately complete that work, in the minimum necessary amount of time.

Q Are growing pains real?

Growing pains are seen in children of the age group 5 to 12 years. Thses always concentrate in the muscles, rather than the joints. Most kids have pains in the front of their thighs, in the calves, or behind the knees. The children with growing pains can be helped by massaging the area, stretching or by placing a heating pad on the area.

Q Can you have a normal ECG but an abnormal chest X-ray ?

Yes. This can happen. As both the investigations serve different purposes. ECG is restricted to evaluate and diagnose heart conditions. It does not give an idea about other structures in your chest cavity. But a chest X-ray is more elaborated and preliminary examination to detect any problems inside thoracic cage. Most commonly chest X-ray is advised to see lung condition, but its scope does not limit there. A normally functioning heart with problems to other organs and spaces inside chest cavity can give normal ECG with an abnormal chest X-ray.

Q whar is the meaning of ESR

The erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), also called a sedimentation rate or Westergren ESR, is the rate at which red blood cells sediment in a period of one hour. The ESR is increased by any cause or focus of inflammation. The ESR is increased in pregnancy, inflammation, anemia or rheumatoid arthritis, and decreased in polycythemia, sickle cell anemia, hereditary spherocytosis, and congestive heart failure.

Q How to control thyroid in pregnency

Thyroid control will require intake of thyroid medication. Medication will depend upon the type of thyroid disorder such as hyperthyroidism or hypothyroidism. Hence you should consult your family physician at the earliest as uncontrolled thyroid disease can affect the fetus.