Understanding Common Childhood Conditions: Expert Insights from Dr. Michael Lemon

From ear infections to eczema, allergies to asthma, childhood health conditions often present a confusing mix of symptoms. Michael Lemon, MD, a pediatrician at Wood County Medical Associates, is helping parents cut through the noise and understand what their child’s symptoms might really mean—and when it’s time to seek help.

Ear Infections
Parents of infants and toddlers often struggle to tell whether fussiness is due to teething or something more. According to Dr. Lemon, ear infections can present subtly but have some telltale signs.

“If there’s an ear infection, then there’s inflammation in there, which makes the eardrum tender,” he explains. “If your baby starts sucking on a pacifier or bottle and suddenly stops after a few sucks, that might mean increased pressure is causing discomfort.” Similarly, difficulty sleeping after being laid flat could indicate middle ear pressure, not just a bad mood.

Snoring
While it may seem harmless, snoring in children—especially when they're not sick—can be a sign of something obstructive, such as enlarged tonsils or adenoids. “We don’t expect a child to snore when they’re well,” Dr. Lemon notes. “If they do, and you can hear it from the next room, that’s something I want to check out.”

He adds that problems with swallowing certain foods can be a related symptom, and in some cases, evaluation by an ENT specialist might lead to tonsil or adenoid removal.

Allergies
Environmental allergens are a common but often unmanageable trigger for many children. Dr. Lemon points to a growing challenge: “As the environment heats up, plants have a longer and more intense pollen season. They make higher amounts of pollen, they make it sooner, and it lasts longer.”

Symptoms like itchy, watery eyes, runny noses, coughing, and even ear fluid buildup can all point to allergies. Though testing with an allergist can help identify triggers, in many cases, environmental exposure is hard to avoid.

Asthma
A lingering cough after illness or a tight, high-pitched “squeaky” cough might indicate asthma or reactive airway disease. Dr. Lemon explains: “If your airway is spasmed, think of the pipe organs at church. Smaller pipes emit a higher-pitched sound. That tight, repetitive, squeaky cough? That’s a red flag.”

He emphasizes that respiratory distress requires immediate attention, urging parents to look for early warning signs like nasal flaring, visible rib movement and belly breathing before things progress to more dangerous stages like color change.

Eczema
Eczema is often misunderstood as just dry skin, but Dr. Lemon describes it as “a sensitivity to something in the environment” that causes an immune reaction on the skin. The key to managing eczema is protecting and soothing the skin barrier with non-irritating soaps and thick moisturizers. “Steroids work,” he says, “but they’re a Band-Aid unless we fix what’s causing the irritation in the first place.”

Working with Specialists
For children with multiple health conditions, coordination across specialists can be a challenge. Dr. Lemon stresses the importance of primary care in navigating these complexities. “There’s a relative loss of the traffic cop,” he explains, referring to the need for someone to synthesize specialist recommendations. “Our job as pediatricians is to take all the pieces and put them together in a cohesive whole.”

He encourages families to stay consistent with regular checkups, noting that communication is key: “Care is only as good as how effectively it can be communicated.”

These insights were shared by Dr. Michael Lemon in an episode of Health Matters, a podcast featuring Wood County Hospital experts. To hear more of Dr. Lemon’s tips and in-depth explanations, you can listen to the full episode here.