Q: Herbs and dietary supplements can interact with medications you are taking. They can also cause side effects or allergic reactions in some people. Let your doctor know before trying any herb or supplement to help manage your Crohn’s disease, and discuss the potential risks and benefits. Give your doctor a full list of any other supplements or medications you are currently taking. Let them know if you have any other health conditions. This may affect whether you can safely take certain herbs or supplements.
A: Ask your doctor before trying any herbs or supplements.

Q: One of your duties as an owner is to groom your dog regularly. As well as keeping its coat in good condition and tangle free, grooming your dog is an ideal time to run a mini-physical exam at home. This will help you become more familiar with your healthy dog's body. If something changes in the state of your dog's body, then the chances are that you picked up on a problem early on. When performing a physical it is best to follow a set inspection pattern so that you don't accidentally skip anything. Most vets have the routine where they start at the head and work backwards. Watch how the dog is standing or sitting. Does it look comfortable and relaxed, or does it have difficulty getting up or down? Watch the dog's breathing and count the number of breaths it takes a minute at rest. Normal is 20 - 30 a minute.  At a regular room temperature, not in excessive heat when the dog is panting to cool off, its breathing should be unhurried and difficult to see. Exaggerated breathing movements, especially when the dog uses its stomach muscles to haul air in and out of its lungs is a sign of breathing difficulty and should be checked out.  What about the dog's weight? Is it gaining or losing weight, and does this coincide with an increase or decrease in appetite? It is worth getting weight change checked out by your vet since it can be an important clue to ill health. Is the dog alert, bright-eyed, and wagging its tail, or is it hanging its head and sluggish with its tail tucked between its legs? With your index finger and thumb, gently ease the eyelids apart. If its eyes are nice and clear and you can see your reflection in them, then its eyes are normal. Indications of ill health include yellowing (jaundice) of the whites of the eye, inflammation of the whites (could indicate an allergy or infection), and fogginess on the surface (an ulcer or possibly increased pressure within the eye).  Check for discharges from the eye. A thick yellow or green discharge is an indication of infection. Eyes are delicate structures and if you suspect a problem then seek veterinary attention. To ignore a serious problem could mean the dog losing his sight. Lift the dog's lip to see its teeth. Clean healthy teeth look much like our own (except a different shape) with pink gums and white enamel. Look for browny-yellow tartar deposits on the surface of the teeth, inflamed or bleeding gums (gingivitis), or a bad odor from the mouth. All these signs indicate dental attention is required. It is an old wives tale that a cold wet nose is a sign of good health. Many perfectly healthy dogs have warm dry noses, so don't panic if this is the case. Get to know what's normal for your dog's nose. Certain autoimmune skin problems can affect the nose so if the leather button of the nose is inflamed, crusty, or bleeding, then seek veterinary attention. Look inside its ears and compare one with the other. They should both look the same. You should see the entrance to the ear canal as a dark hole. The lining of the ear flap should look like regular skin and not be thickened, inflamed, reddened, or crusty. If you notice the latter, or if there is a discharge in the ear (ranging from thick black wax to smelly pus), then seek veterinary attention. Don't forget to smell your dog's ears! It should smell of nothing other than "dog." If there is an unpleasant smell, which makes you recoil, seek veterinary help. Check for flake-free fur that is glossy and smooth (in breeds that don't have wiry coats.) Part the fur to check the skin. There should be no greasy feel to the coat and no dandruff, black specks within the coat, inflamed skin, scabs, or skin discoloration. The latter all indicate skin disease and warrant fur investigation by a vet. It's easy to turn a blind eye to this area, but it is important to check since problems with infected anal glands or cancerous lumps around the anus are best spotted early on. Be vigilant for a loss of symmetry to the anal ring (if one side is more swollen than the other), sinuses (channels) that are discharging or weeping fluid, or lumps standing proud of the skin. Make a point of checking that your male dog has testicles of an equal size. Enlargement on one side can be a sign of testicular cancer. Likewise, for female dogs, run your hand along both sides of the mammary area to check for any lumps. Any abnormalities need to be checked by a vet. Run your hand over your dog's body to check for lumps and bumps. It is advisable to get any lump checked out by your vet, for even some seemingly innocuous looking lumps have the potential to be something sinister. If you are unsure if it's worth seeing the vet, then measure the size of the lump and write it down. Check the lump again a couple of weeks later and remeasure it. If the lump is changing rapidly, is inflamed, or bothering the dog then a vet check-up is essential.
A: Groom and inspect your dog's body regularly. Stand back and assess your dog overall. Check your dog's eyes. Check your dog's teeth. Look and touch your dog's nose. Examine your dog's ears. Inspect your dog's coat. Look under your dog's tail. Check testicles or mammary glands. Check for lumps and bumps.

Q: Your sister or brother might tease you or do annoying things. If you get in a fight, you might get into trouble with your parents. Chances are, your sibling is trying to get your attention or they are bored. If you ignore the behavior, they will probably stop and go onto a different activity. This keeps you from fighting and keeps you out of trouble with your parents. Sometimes, you might be treated unfairly by your parents, and your sibling might get better treatment. They might get to stay up later or they might get to watch a movie that you don’t get to watch. Instead of getting mad and getting into a fight, show your maturity by accepting that you don’t always get what you want and that you can handle it. This will keep you out of fights with your parents. If your sibling is really testing you or getting into your stuff too much, talk calmly with your parents. Explain to them that you’re trying to be patient with your sibling but you also need your own space and privacy. Your parents will value your maturity. Oftentimes, your sibling may be annoying you to get your attention. Find a time when you can do something together, like going for a walk or seeing a movie together.
A:
Ignore your siblings’ behavior. Be the mature one. Talk with your parents about your sibling’s behavior. Hang out with your sibling sometimes.