Q: Our 14-year-old son trains with his local junior football team, part of which includes a long run. Recently he has had to stop running for a while because of a pain in his right shoulder. Could this be his heart? He doesn't get it playing football, and he is otherwise well.

A: A right shoulder pain is unlikely to be to do with his heart unless he is a 'mirror-image' twin with his heart on the right, rather than on the left, side. That’s a chance in many thousands. It may be a 'stitch' caused by cramp of the diaphragmatic muscle, pain from which appears in the shoulder. Or he could be running with his neck muscles tense. If it’s that, stretching and loosening his neck muscles before and during the run will help. He should see his doctor to make sure.

Q: I have developed Bell's palsy. One side of my face is twisted and I dribble saliva from the corner of my mouth. I’ve had it for a month now. What are the chances of my recovering completely?

A: Very high. More than 90 per cent of people with Bell's palsy start to recover in a few months, and recover completely in the long-term. You may have to be patient, however. It can take six months or more before you are happy with your face again.

Q: Our five-year-old son has had a cough for a month or so. The doctor says it is asthma, although he doesn't wheeze, and doesn't struggle for his breath. Is this right? We think he may have a chest infection, rather than asthma, and should have antibiotics instead of an inhaler.

A: Many cases of asthma in children show up as a cough without obvious breathing difficulties. Your doctor will presumably have listened to the chest, and performed a 'lung function' test to confirm the diagnosis, so do accept it. A chronic chest infection causing a cough is quite different from asthma, and in any case an antibiotic may well not be needed. There is no stigma about asthma – around one child in six in some areas has it at some time. But admit your doubts to your doctor, to clear the air.