#Dr Phil Kieran

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#Dr Phil Kieran

General practitioner

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

<p>A persistent cough after a respiratory infection can be one of the most irritating things to deal with. Picture: iStock </p>

parenting

Dr Phil Kieran: Does my child need a second antibiotic?

Frequently, I talk to people who feel the course of antibiotics should be longer than the one they received, but I point out that antibiotics are meant to help the immune system clear the infection. The full recovery often happens only with time.

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Dr Phil Kieran: Could my child's night coughing be due to asthma?

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Dr Phil Kieran: My sporty son says he feels tired all the time

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Dr Phil Kieran: I'm worried about my teenager's stress fracture

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Dr Phil Kieran: What can my teen do about his flaking scalp?

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Dr Phil Kieran: What can I do to boost my child’s immune system?

Newborn child with headache

Dr Phil Kieran: I worry my grandchild will get ill when visiting from the US

She hasn’t been fully vaccinated and I’m worried that she might pick up an infection

Tue, 18 Nov, 2025

Little boy with a sore throat

Dr Phil Kieran: How can I tell if my son's sore throat needs medical attention?

Sore throats are very common and can be caused by a wide range of issues, from seasonal allergies that cause us to breathe more through our mouths at night to acid reflux, overuse of the voice (such as singing or shouting), or, more commonly, upper respiratory tract viruses.

Tue, 11 Nov, 2025

School girl with eyewear rubbing her eyes

Dr Phil Kieran: My Junior Cert child is suffering from eye strain — what could be the cause?

As we spend more time on screens, eye strain is becoming increasingly common

Tue, 28 Oct, 2025

Young woman with headache

Dr Phil Kieran: Daughter is tired all the time since starting college

"Medically, fatigue is a very common symptom, with infinite causes. She may well be fatigued as her body adapts to a new routine of early morning travel, commuting, and the intensive setting of college."

Tue, 21 Oct, 2025

portrait of young casual man or student isolated on color background

Dr Phil Kieran: What is the best treatment for a teen with a hacking cough?

"Respiratory infections are arguably the most common infections, and most, if not all, will include some degree of coughing. It is common for children to get over six viral respiratory infections per year."

Tue, 14 Oct, 2025

A boy has a stomachache from food poisoning.

Dr Phil Kieran: What can I do to help my child have regular bowel movements?

With neurodiversity, some of the sensations that most of us take for granted can be difficult to interpret, and responding to these can manifest in strict dietary preferences and aversions to certain tastes or textures.

Tue, 30 Sep, 2025

Mother Doing Head Lice Inspection On Daughter

Dr Phil Kieran: How can I treat my long-haired child's head lice?

Unfortunately, there is no sure-fire way to prevent lice, but understanding how they spread can help reduce the risk somewhat

Tue, 16 Sep, 2025

Lonely girl in bedroom

Dr Phil Kieran: My anxious Leaving Cert child is already struggling with sleep

Life is stressful for many of us, and during the two years of the Leaving Cert cycle, that pressure builds and builds and can be difficult to manage.

Tue, 09 Sep, 2025

Closeup beautiful young asian woman applying cream and lotion onto foot dry on bed, beauty asia girl moisturizer and treatment c

Dr Phil Kieran: Could stabbing pain in her heels be plantar fasciitis?

"Foot pain is a problem we often see in general practice and can be due to a wide array of causes. Plantar fasciitis is a fairly common condition, which is why people often hear about it."

Tue, 26 Aug, 2025

Teen boy wipes his nose with a napkin

Dr Phil Kieran: Should we worry about my teen's nosebleeds?

Anything that irritates the inside of the nose can cause bleeding. The most common of these is direct trauma from itching or picking (which is much more common than most people think, with a study showing that 91% of us do so).

Tue, 19 Aug, 2025

woman shaving her armpit with red shaver

Dr Phil Kieran: How can we stop our daughter’s painful skin infections?

Hidradenitis suppurativa is also known as acne inversa and is a recurring condition

Tue, 12 Aug, 2025

Left foot with bruised big toe

Dr Phil Kieran: Is there anything we can do to save my son's injured toenail?

"If your son’s bruise is large enough, it can cause the nail to separate from the underlying nail bed. This is what causes the nail to fall off."

Tue, 22 Jul, 2025

Smiling doctor showing diet plan

Dr Phil Kieran: Is my son's weight gain due to hormone changes?

Your child likely has nothing to worry about, but making a conscious effort at this stage to develop a positive attitude towards food and body image is an investment in their future health

Tue, 15 Jul, 2025

Small boy coughing from with closed eyes at home.

Dr Phil Kieran: How can I help my child avoid croup?

Croup usually starts with a mild, cold-like illness, characterised by a runny nose, mild fever (around 38.5 °C), and, sometimes, sticky eyes. This can then progress to a cough, followed by the classic ‘seal bark’ croup cough.

Tue, 08 Jul, 2025

Unhappy teenage girl with head in hand

Dr Phil Kieran: What can my teen do to avoid getting swimmer's ear?

My 13-year-old daughter developed painful swimmer’s ear while we were on holiday last summer. Can she prevent it this year?

Tue, 24 Jun, 2025

Happy handsome sleeping child boy lying bed and resting

Dr Phil Kieran: Is my teen's growth spurt to blame for his marathon sleeping?

Oversleeping regularly can contribute to changes in mood and concentration

Tue, 17 Jun, 2025

Close-up woman massaging her arthritic hand and wrist, she is suffering from pain and rheumatism

Should my teen get the cyst on her wrist aspirated?

The old advice was to 'bash' a ganglion cyst with a Bible giving them their other name of 'Bible bumps'. This approach aims to burst the cyst without breaking the skin, however, this treatment is painful, risks bone fracture, and isn’t very effective

Tue, 27 May, 2025

Woman having stomach ache

Can my teen speed up recovery from cracked ribs?

With rib injuries, we tend not to breathe very deeply. Pain relief is important to reduce the risk of developing a chest infection. This is because the movement of the ribs is painful, so we try to reduce it

Tue, 20 May, 2025

Isolated young fitness woman training

What can my teen do about cramps after gym workout?

Building a good exercise habit in your teens is a crucial step in maintaining a healthy lifestyle into adulthood, so I would be keen to find a solution for your daughter

Tue, 29 Apr, 2025

young boy with broken arm

Can my son speed up recovery from a broken wrist?

People often think that a fracture or a break is different but, in medicine, we use the terms interchangeably

Tue, 22 Apr, 2025

Rear view of man looking away

Dr Phil Kieran: What can my teen do about his excessive sweating?

Interestingly, body ‘odour’ is primarily caused by normal skin bacteria digesting the oils in the sweat produced by these glands, rather than the sweat itself

Tue, 15 Apr, 2025

Photo of charming teen girl sit sofa suffer stomach pain wear yellow clothes modern interior flat indoors

My daughter has to take painkillers during her periods — I'm worried she might have endometriosis

How do I find out if this bad period pain is endometriosis?

Tue, 08 Apr, 2025

Young Girl Feeling Ill

Dr Phil Kieran: My teenager is finding it difficult to shake off her bug

Most of the time, when we pick up a bug, it will take somewhere between one and two weeks to settle down

Tue, 25 Mar, 2025

Hemangioma in the head

Dr Phil Kieran: Should my young grandson undergo surgery?

Although surgical intervention will often result in a quicker result, it carries some risk.

Tue, 18 Mar, 2025

Mother giving cough syrup to her daughter in bedroom

Dr Phil Kieran: Paracetamol or ibuprofen or both for my sick child?

"The difference between paracetamol and ibuprofen can be confusing and cause a lot of worry for parents trying to pick which one they should use in any given situation."

Tue, 25 Feb, 2025

Thinking boy

Dr Phil Kieran: How can I help my child recover after norovirus?

Norovirus is a small, highly contagious virus that causes ‘winter vomiting illness’

Wed, 19 Feb, 2025

Sunset jogging

Dr Phil Kieran: My sporty teenager has yet to get her periods

Could her intense exercise regimen explain why she is not menstruating?

Tue, 04 Feb, 2025

Little boy scratching me his chickenpox

Dr Phil Kieran: When is it safe to mix with others after chickenpox?

Chickenpox is a ‘vesicular’ rash, meaning it shows up as fluid-filled spots that burst.

Tue, 28 Jan, 2025

Vaccination little girl.

We missed our baby's 12-month vaccinations — can they get them all at their next appointment?

Is it ok to get the MMR and MenB vaccines along with the Hib/MenC and PCV vaccines at the 13-month appointment? That seems like a lot for a baby to get at one GP visit...

Tue, 21 Jan, 2025

portret funny baby toddler blonde boy

Phil Kieran: How do I stop my toddler getting hand, foot, and mouth disease again?

Hand, foot and mouth disease typically occurs in children younger than five and is highly contagious. It is caused by enteroviruses (usually the Coxsackie virus) and can be caused by a number of different strains

Tue, 14 Jan, 2025

Making sure it's fastened correctly

Dr Phil Kieran: I’m worried about my grandson’s angry nappy rash

"For most children, a barrier cream will quickly settle the irritation, and there is no evidence that ones containing zinc or petroleum jelly harm the skin."

Tue, 31 Dec, 2024

family celebrating Christmas

Dr Phil Kieran: I am worried we'll pass on a virus to my elderly parents at Christmas

You can take a few simple steps to try and ensure they aren’t at any increased risk

Tue, 10 Dec, 2024

Little boy complaining of a sore throat during medical appointment at pediatrician's.

Dr Phil Kieran: My GP is reluctant to prescribe antibiotics

Antibiotics are amazing, lifesaving, readily available and, unfortunately, potentially dangerous medications that should be treated with respect.

Tue, 26 Nov, 2024

please wash your hands

Dr Phil Kieran: What can we do to prevent return of worms?

"Worms are a very common condition in children. They most frequently are found when a child complains of an itchy bottom, particularly at night, and can be seen in their poo as moving, tiny, white, thread-like things."

Tue, 19 Nov, 2024

Boy sleeping in bed with crisp white sheets

Dr Phil Kieran: What can I do about my child's bedwetting?

"Bedwetting can be a very sensitive topic and difficult to sort out. The good news is that it usually settles down by itself."

Tue, 12 Nov, 2024

Close up of calluses. Problem skin on the steps of a teenager

Dr Phil Kieran: My gym-going teenager has blisters on his feet

"Most, if not all, of us will experience these at some point in our lives unless we are inactive, so it's a good idea to know what they are, how to prevent them, and what to do if you do have them."

Tue, 22 Oct, 2024

Sore Throat - Boy holding his neck in pain

Dr Phil Kieran: Should my son get his tonsils taken out?

"Recurrent tonsillitis can be a real pain in the neck. The tonsils sit in the back of the throat and form part of a ring of immune tissue surrounding the upper openings of the oesophagus (food pipe) and trachea (windpipe)."

Tue, 15 Oct, 2024

shocked beautiful woman covering mouth on blue background

Phil Kieran: How can my teen stop her cold sores from coming back?

"It’s possible to spread it even without getting cold sores yourself. A significant portion of people who have ‘never had a cold sore’ will shed the virus occasionally without knowing it."

Tue, 08 Oct, 2024

Asthma Inhaler

Phil Kieran: Could my daughter grow out of her asthma?

Asthma is one of the most common respiratory conditions in Ireland, affecting one in 10 children and one in 13 adults.

Tue, 24 Sep, 2024

Sick curly boy has a sore throat, strong pain, need medical treatment isolated

Dr Phil Kieran: What can I do about my child’s recurring throat infections?

He is not very sporty and rarely eats fruit and vegetables

Tue, 17 Sep, 2024

Sick child with high fever

Dr Phil Kieran: Worried my baby niece will get RSV

"RSV, or respiratory syncytial virus, is the most common cause of lower respiratory infections in children in Ireland. During the winter months, the virus accounts for a significant portion of my workload in smaller kids."

Tue, 03 Sep, 2024

Young hispanic kid over grunge grey wall looking stressed and nervous with hands on mouth biting nails. Anxiety problem.

Dr Phil Kieran: My 12-year-old keeps biting their nails and then hates how they look... how can I help?

Will they grow out of it or should I find something to help distract them or prevent them biting their nails?

Tue, 27 Aug, 2024

Allergic child sneezing covering nose

Dr Phil Kieran: I'm worried my child will pick up bugs at playschool

"This cough doesn’t mean they have a chest infection - it just sounds bad. Unfortunately, the cough can last up to three weeks after the illness settles, and there isn’t much you can do to shorten it."

Tue, 20 Aug, 2024

A jar of peanut butter

Phil Kieran: Is my baby at risk of inheriting a peanut allergy?

"Nut allergy can cause itching and swelling of the face and hands and, in more severe cases, difficulty breathing, due to swelling of the airways."

Tue, 13 Aug, 2024