Dear Doctor;Recently, a heart attack claimed my friend’s life without even prior sickness. This really freaked me out. I am now wondering; could there be any signs and symptoms before a heart attack so one can easily detect it early enough? Jamal, 35.Dear Jamal, Severe chest pain with sensation of pressure mostly on left side is is usually typical symptom of heart attack. Pain can radiate from the left side of the chest to the left arm and or hand or even left shoulder. At times pain may occur only on one of these sites. It usually comes after some work or excitement. There may be associated breathlessness, dizziness, profuse sweating and even nausea and vomiting. Electrocardiogram  done on suspecting heart attack,  confirms the diagnosis. It is an emergency needing urgent treatment.---------------------------------My daughter, 7, won’t  eat anything but junk foodDear Doctor;My 7-year-old daughter can’t eat anything apart from junk food. When denied junk food, she goes hungry and has totally refused normal healthy food. I’ve tried everything in vain. I’m worried she might suffer from diseases associated with unhealthy snacks. What can I do to make her love normal food? Gisele, 33.Dear Gisele, Your daughter has a strong liking for junk food and she is too young to understand its harmful effects. You can try making variety of dishes for her which would supplement nutrients as well. For example, make variety of desserts using milk, eggs and fruits and snacks using  vegetables and grains.

Another option is to make a  schedule where you give her food of her choice one time and your choice another time. This should be  presented as fun for her and not as a disciplinary time table. You can give her nutritional supplements also for a short while to avoid deficiencies.

-----------------------------------------------Will reflexology cure backache, swollen feet?Dear Doctor;I am 55 years old and suffer from backache and swollen feet. I have tried every medication but nothing seems to be working for me. A friend recommended that I should opt for reflexology treatment. Would you advise me to do so? Is Reflexology effective? JeanetteDear Jeanette, There are many kinds of alternate medicine available for chronic problems and reflexology is one of them. There is no harm in trying it out for backache provided the person to do it is qualified and experienced. Regarding swelling on your feet, there can be multiple reasons for a person of your age, such as urinary infection, cardiac or renal problems. Get yourself investigated and treated in a proper hospital.-----------------------------------Are there alternatives to medicine for my four-month-old baby? Dear Doctor;My 4-month-old baby suffers from colds very often. She is still breastfeeding and I don’t really enjoy seeing her take medicine. I would prefer natural remedies such as fluids such as juice. However, I am not sure if it’s okay to introduce her to anything else other than breast milk right now.

What should I do? Leony.Dear Leony, It is not good to give medicines to such a small baby unless it’s very necessary. You can simply give her some steam inhalation for about two minutes.

Water can be warmed and just for a minute or so hold baby tightly near it. As she cries she will inhale more steam and this will help her. Avoid taking her out where there is risk of exposure to dust or smoke. Keep her warm and protected when weather is cold.

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Is it true vaccines will disable my baby?Dear Doctor;I have heard so many people say that some vaccines could lead to abnormalities in children. My wife is having our first baby in a month and I am afraid to have him vaccinated once he is born because of fear of disability and abnormalities.

How true is this? Are there any vaccines that could instead turn out lethal? Chris, Concerned dad.Dear Chris, All vaccines used for children have come in use after being tested and found  very safe. Once in a while somewhere, an isolated case happens where abnormalities occur like polio after polio vaccine. These are cases where   quality control is not maintained in storage and transport of vaccines.

But this risk is negligible in Rwanda where Health ministry is very particular about quality. Another remote possibility is for a child developing reaction to the vaccine. But by not getting your child vaccinated, you expose him to many avoidable life-long diseases which is a bigger risk. So don’t fear and get the child vaccinated.