Carpeting can be a reservoir for allergy-causing substances (allergens) that trigger asthma. Carpeting in the bedroom can be especially problematic because it exposes you to carpet dust throughout the night. Hard-surface flooring such as vinyl, tile or wood is much easier to keep free of dust mites, pollen, pet dander and other allergens.

Steam cleaning carpet on a regular basis can help reduce the presence of dust mites and other allergens in your home. If that isn't enough, replacing carpeting with hard flooring may be a good idea.

If you do put in hard flooring, keep in mind that all synthetic flooring initially releases gasses known as volatile organic compounds (VOCs) that can worsen asthma. In most cases, products stop releasing VOCs after several days. However, some products release more VOCs than others do. You may want to look into low-VOC flooring if this is a concern.

It might be worthwhile having your daughter see an allergist for allergy skin testing. There may be individualized steps you can take to reduce allergen exposure once you know exactly what your daughter is allergic to.

Just before and during your period, progesterone and estrogen levels decrease. In some women, these hormone changes may worsen asthma. The relationship between hormones and asthma is complex, varies from person to person, and isn't fully understood.

In addition to the menstrual cycle, other changes in your life can cause shifts in hormone levels that may worsen or improve asthma symptoms. These include:

• Irregular periods. Asthma symptoms in women with irregular periods may be worse than they are in women who have regular menstrual cycles.
• Pregnancy. Pregnancy may increase the risk of having a severe asthma attack. For some women, however, hormone changes during pregnancy may actually improve asthma symptoms.
• Menopause. Dropping hormone levels associated with menopause may make asthma symptoms worse or cause some women to develop asthma. But other women may notice their asthma symptoms improve after menopause.
• Hormone replacement therapy. Hormone replacement with estrogen or progesterone may improve asthma symptoms in some women who have gone through menopause. However, study results are conflicting, and hormone replacement appears to increase the risk of asthma symptoms in certain women.

If you have bothersome asthma symptoms during your period, ask your doctor if any medications you take for menstrual pain could be causing an asthma flare. Your doctor may recommend that you increase your asthma control medication or take a different medication before your period starts.

On occasion you may see a report from a Pap test or tissue biopsy stating "atypical cells present." This might cause you to worry that this means cancer, but atypical cells aren't necessarily cancerous.

The presence of atypical cells is sometimes referred to as "dysplasia." Many factors can make normal cells appear atypical, including inflammation and infection. Even normal aging can make cells appear abnormal.

Atypical cells can change back to normal cells if the underlying cause is removed or resolved. This can happen spontaneously. Or it can be the result of a specific treatment.

Atypical cells don't necessarily mean you have cancer. However, it's still important to make sure there's no cancer present or that a cancer isn't just starting to develop.

If your doctor identifies atypical cells, close follow-up is essential. In some cases, your doctor may simply monitor the atypical cells to make sure they don't become more abnormal. Other tests or scans may be useful, depending on your specific circumstances.

In other cases, your doctor may recommend a particular treatment to try to reverse the process that's causing the atypical cells. And sometimes, your doctor may need to obtain a sample of tissue — such as a biopsy — to make sure you don't have cancer or another serious condition.

Yes, children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) tend to have more medical issues, including gastrointestinal (GI) symptoms such as abdominal pain, constipation and diarrhea, compared with their peers.

At the same time, many children with ASD eat only a few foods (selective eating), prefer highly processed foods, and eat fewer fruits, vegetables and whole grains.

For these reasons, children with ASD may have nutritionally poor diets and weight-related health issues that can extend into adulthood. Adults with ASD are at increased risk of obesity, high blood pressure (hypertension) and diabetes.

It can be challenging to know how to help a child with ASD and GI symptoms. Communication deficits associated with ASD often make it difficult to sort out whether a child's diet is the cause of the GI symptoms or if the symptoms are the result of an underlying medical problem. In addition, making dietary changes can be difficult when a child has become used to selective eating.

Parents and caregivers may try restrictive or elimination-type diets in an effort to manage symptoms or behaviors. Because restrictive diets increase the risk of nutrient deficiencies, they must be thoughtfully planned.

The goal for a child with ASD is the same as for any child — to provide adequate intake of all nutrients and promote lifelong health. To that end, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has made the following recommendations:

• The child with ASD and the family should work with a dedicated care team that involves a dietitian. The team should assess the nutrient adequacy of the child's diet, keeping in mind that deficiencies may be present even if growth appears appropriate.
• The care team should work to address barriers, such as food selectivity, that may interfere with dietary changes to address allergies, constipation or other GI symptoms.
• Coaching about planning and preparing nutritious meals should involve the whole family.

There's no evidence that special diets are an effective treatment for autism, now called autism spectrum disorder.

Autism spectrum disorder is a complex brain disorder that has no known cure. For this reason, many frustrated parents turn to unproven alternative treatments — such as restrictive diets that eliminate gluten and casein — in an attempt to help their children.

Gluten is a protein found in many grains, and casein is a protein found in dairy products. However, there's little evidence that diet triggers autism spectrum disorder or that restricting gluten and casein improves symptoms. And for growing children, restrictive diets can lead to nutritional deficiencies.

If you're considering an alternative treatment for autism spectrum disorder, including diets, talk to your child's doctor. He or she can help you understand possible benefits and risks. Ask your doctor about resources that provide evidence-based information or offer support. If you decide to pursue a restrictive diet, work with a registered dietitian to create an appropriate meal plan for your child.

Chelation therapy is not an effective autism treatment, and it may be dangerous.

Some doctors and parents have considered chelation therapy as a potential autism treatment. Proponents believe that autism is caused by mercury exposure, such as from childhood vaccines. Chelation therapy supposedly removes mercury from the body, which chelation supporters say cures autism — but there's no evidence of a link between mercury exposure and autism. In addition, chelation therapy can be associated with serious side effects, including potentially deadly kidney damage.

The subject of exposure to environmental toxic agents — such as mercury, lead and a host of other toxins — and links to autism spectrum disorder is complex and the quality of studies varies considerably. That's in part because of all the many variables, such as geography, genetic factors, metabolism differences in individuals and sampling sources. Studies show conflicting results with no reproducible proof.

There's no cure for autism — now called autism spectrum disorder in the newest Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), published by the American Psychiatric Association. As a result, many unproven alternative therapies are often suggested. However, these alternative therapies are usually found to be ineffective and sometimes harmful.

Consult your primary doctor if you're considering an alternative treatment for autism spectrum disorder. Your doctor may help you identify treatment options and local resources that provide support or refer you to a health professional who can do so.

Treatment of an avulsion fracture typically includes resting and icing the affected area, followed by controlled exercises that help restore range of motion, improve muscle strength and promote bone healing. Most avulsion fractures heal very well without surgical intervention.

An avulsion fracture occurs when a small chunk of bone attached to a tendon or ligament gets pulled away from the main part of the bone.

The hip, elbow and ankle are the most common locations for avulsion fractures in the young athlete. You may need to spend a few weeks on crutches if you have an avulsion fracture around your hip. An avulsion fracture to your foot or ankle may require a cast or walking boot.

In rare cases, if the bone fragment and main bone are too far apart to fuse naturally, surgery may be necessary to reunite them. In children, avulsion fractures that involve the growth plates also might require surgery.

Axona is a prescription dietary supplement that claims to target the nutritional needs of people with Alzheimer's disease. Alzheimer's is thought to hinder the brain's ability to break down glucose. According to Axona's marketing materials, the supplement provides an energy source that the brain can use instead of glucose.

It's not clear what benefits, if any, Axona provides. A small study, funded by Axona manufacturers, found that memory and cognition improved for people with mild to moderate Alzheimer's disease.

Another study showed that medium-chain triglycerides, which Axona is, might have a small benefit for certain people with Alzheimer's disease. However, more studies are needed to determine Axona's safety and effectiveness.

Axona is marketed as a medical food, which means it's specially formulated and produced to help manage a condition that causes nutritional deficiencies. The Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however, says Alzheimer's disease doesn't create nutritional needs that require a medical food.

Medical foods are given under doctor supervision. The FDA doesn't require the same high level of approval for medical foods as it does for prescription medications. In 2013, the FDA issued a warning to Accera, the company that makes Axona, to stop marketing Axona as a medical food. As a result, the company tested Axona as a drug. However, the drug failed to show benefit in a phase III clinical trial.

Until more is known, the Alzheimer's Association doesn't recommend the use of medical foods, including Axona, for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease.

Programming such as Baby Einstein videos might catch your child's attention, but children younger than age 2 are more likely to learn and remember information from a live presentation than they are from a video.

Research examining the specific effects of baby DVDs and other infant programming is limited. However, a 2010 study found no evidence that children ages 1 to 2 learned words highlighted in a Baby Einstein DVD. In contrast, research has shown that regularly reading to young children boosts language ability for both babies and toddlers.

The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use by children younger than 18 to 24 months. Instead of relying on Baby Einstein DVDs, concentrate on proven ways to promote infant development — such as talking, playing, singing, smiling and reading to your baby. Even if your baby doesn't understand what you're saying or grasp the plot of a story, he or she will soak in your words and revel in your attention. These simple activities form the foundation for speech and thought, as well as emotional health.

Still, Baby Einstein DVDs aren't necessarily off-limits. If your family enjoys this kind of programming, make conscious decisions about how to use it. Turn it on only occasionally — and encourage interaction by watching the programming together.

If you're concerned about your baby's weight, consult your baby's doctor. Growth, development and weight are expected topics to discuss during routine well-baby exams.

During infancy, the doctor will plot your baby's growth on charts that show weight for length. Later, your baby's doctor may calculate your child's BMI. You can use the charts to track your child's growth trend and to compare your baby's growth with that of other infants of the same sex and age. According to the World Health Organization growth charts, a baby with a weight-for-length greater than the 98th percentile is considered to have a high weight for length.

Remember, babies need a diet high in fat to support growth during infancy. A baby who's exclusively breast-fed gets about half of his or her daily calories from the fat in breast milk. As a result, caloric restrictions aimed at reducing weight are not recommended for babies 2 years and under.

Excess fat and calories can still be a concern, though. For example, being too heavy can delay crawling and walking — essential parts of a baby's physical and mental development. While a large baby may not become an overweight child, a child who is obese often remains obese as an adult.

To keep your baby at a healthy weight:

• Monitor your weight gain during pregnancy. Excessive weight gain during pregnancy can increase a baby's birth weight. Research suggests that as birth weight increases, so does the risk of childhood obesity.
• Breast-feed. Some research suggests that breast-feeding reduces the risk of childhood obesity.
• Limit sugar-sweetened drinks. Juice isn't a necessary part of a baby's diet. As you start introducing solid foods, consider offering nutritious whole fruits and vegetables instead.
• Experiment with ways to soothe your baby. Don't automatically turn to breast milk or formula to quiet your baby's cries. Sometimes a new position, a calmer environment or a gentle touch is all that's needed.
• Limit media use. The American Academy of Pediatrics discourages media use by children younger than 2 years. The more TV your child watches, the greater his or her risk is of becoming overweight.

As your child gets older, continue talking to his or her doctor about weight and nutrition. For additional guidance, you might consult a registered dietitian as well.