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#Dr Phil Kieran

General practitioner

A COMPREHENSIVE SERIES OF ARTICLES ON THIS TOPIC

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Dr Phil Kieran: I worry my grandchild will get ill when visiting from the US
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Dr Phil Kieran: How can I tell if my son's sore throat needs medical attention?
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Dr Phil Kieran: My Junior Cert child is suffering from eye strain — what could be the cause?
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Dr Phil Kieran: Daughter is tired all the time since starting college
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Dr Phil Kieran: What is the best treatment for a teen with a hacking cough?
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

Online Calendar Illustration, Couple Pointing at Date, Pregnancy Planning, Health Care, Family Planning, Important Dates, Digita
Phil Kieran: I have IBS and am worried it might be more difficult to conceive
Conception takes both partners and fertility issues are spread between men and women

Tue, 30 Jul, 2024

Acne skin
Dr Phil Kieran: My teen has severe acne — cutting out fast food and sugar has made little difference
The causes of acne are complex. They include changes in the interplay of the oil glands in the skin (frequently affected by changing levels of testosterone), imbalances in the bacteria present on the skin, and changes in the immune system

Tue, 23 Jul, 2024

Teenage boy suffers from severe ear pain or ear pain
Dr Phil Kieran: My teenage son has ongoing ear pain 
"Ear pain is a very common issue. Although most people think it’s an infection, there are many other causes, and it’s a good idea to know them."

Tue, 16 Jul, 2024

Boy with hands holding his crotch in toilet
Dr Phil Kieran: I'm worried my child goes to the toilet too often 
"Depending on when your son was toilet trained, he may still be coming to terms with the sensation of a full bladder and knowing how long he can hold his urine."

Tue, 09 Jul, 2024

Spanish Pharmacy Sign
Dr Phil Kieran: Is it safe to buy paracetamol for children when I'm overseas? 
I usually recommend using paracetamol as a first line of response before ibuprofen, as ibuprofen can be a bit harsh on the kidneys

Tue, 25 Jun, 2024

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