If you’ve got a girl who’s at just the age to be asking “those” types of questions – What if my boyfriend wants to kiss me? Why isn’t my period here yet? How do I find a bra that fits? – point her in the direction of “The Pink Locker Society.” This nifty site, created by the venerable Nemours foundation, is “hosted” by four fictional eighth-grade girls who answer questions about growing-up topics with real expert info. There’s a fun blog, polls to chime in on, crafts, recipes, and a chance to design an online “dream locker.” The topics can get serious, but the tone stays fun and light without ever talking down to girls. An hour with the PLS will help your girl navigate the tween years while feeling as comfy as if she’s texting her own BFF. (Psssst … There’s a section for parents, too.) Learn more …
Archive for the ‘Teens and Tweens’ Category
Tween Girls Think Pink
Thursday, July 16th, 2009From the Wire – Rapid HIV Test Sometimes Unreliable In Teens
Wednesday, June 24th, 2009
If your teen comes down with unexplained sore throat, fever, aches and pains and your doctor orders an HIV test, it’s worth finding out which kind, according to Allison Agwu, M.D., pediatric infectious disease specialist at Johns Hopkins Children’s Center. Flu-like symptoms are common during the earliest stages of HIV infection, but the most commonly used rapid HIV test often results in false negatives at that stage. Experts estimate that around 14 teens become infected with HIV every day in the U.S. If your teen shows severe flu-like symptoms, and a few pointed questions lead you to believe she or he is sexually active or has used injectible drugs, consider asking your doctor about a polymerase chain reaction (PCR) test, which can accurately detect the virus during those early weeks. Learn more …
Brace Yourself!
Wednesday, April 15th, 2009
Braces have been around, in one form or another, since the beginning of recorded history. Archeologists have even unwrapped mummified ancients and discovered straightening appliances on their teeth. And whether or not you endured them yourself as a child, if you are a parent you’ve likely wondered whether you’ll need to invest to keep your child’s smile in line. (My own daughter is a two-round brace veteran who still wears her retainer every night.)
First Visit By Age 7
The American Association of Orthodontists recommends that you find out for certain, and take your child in for an orthodontic check-up by age 7. “That does not mean they need treatment at age 7,” reassures Kathleen J. Nuckles, D.D.S., an orthodontist with a practice in Westwood, CA, for more than 25 years. That is just the earliest age where an orthodontist can get a good idea of how the child’s teeth are developing, and the earliest age they can likely begin treating any problems they spot. Read on …
Why Your Teens Need Vaccines
Tuesday, March 31st, 2009
One Friday night during the second semester of his freshman year at college, John Kach didn’t feel good. “I started to vomit,” says Kach, who is now 28. “That was the first thing that happened.” He developed a fever, decided he had the flu, and told his girlfriend he’d feel better in the morning.
He didn’t.
The next day, he was even worse, so his girlfriend helped him out to the car and got him to the hospital. By the time doctors figured out what was wrong – meningococcal meningitis – Kach’s vital organs had started shutting down. They transferred him to the ICU at another hospital, where he was placed in a drug-induce coma. Read on …
Don’t Let the Flu Ground Your Teen
Tuesday, February 10th, 2009
OK, so it’s been a mild flu season thus far. But that doesn’t mean those nasty little bugs won’t show up just in time for Prom Night, the school play, or that all-important first date. The CDC – including teens in their coverage for the first time this year – now recommends that everyone ages 6 months to 18 years old get a flu shot.
A national telephone survey conducted in December found that just 21% of teens had received their flu shots this winter, but it isn’t too late.
And, believe it or not, The Clorox Company (disinfecters that they are) is trying to make it fun. They’re sponsoring an “I Don’t Want To Miss” PSA contest and calling on teens to submit videos about the special moments they don’t want to miss out on due to colds and flu.
The first-place winner will receive a concert from American Idol finalist Brooke White at their school. Second prize is an autographed guitar. Deadline is March 11.
Here are some flu-prevention tips to help keep your teen healthy enough for video making:
Teach hand washing: Kids should wash their hands with soap and water after any activity that involves others, like drama rehearsal, sports practice, or school dances.
Disinfect those electronics: Teens tend to pass their devices around, sharing from friend to friend. So follow the manufacturer’s instructions and give them a frequent cleaning to wipe out germs that can stay alive on the surface for days.
Spot-clean the house: Focus on areas that hands touch often, like light switches, door knobs, faucets, and the refrigerator door handle.
Preach the basics: Proper diet, exercise and enough sleep are key in keeping your kids’ immune systems strong. Remind them of this often.
Get that flu shot: Set a good example, and go together. Experts say it’s the most effective thing you can do to prevent the flu.
You and your teen can also learn lots more about flu prevention at IDontWantToMiss.com. It includes an FAQ section where parents can submit their own flu-prevention questions and have them answered by an expert.
HIV Testing For Your Teen?
Wednesday, December 3rd, 2008On World AIDS Day, December 1, the American College of Physicians issued a recommendation that could make your next visit to the pediatrician a bit of a jarring experience: Routine HIV testing for everyone over 13 years old. Every year, the organization estimates that 20,000 new HIV infections are caused by people who are infected with the virus but don’t know it. The idea behind the recommendation, which mirrors one made two years ago by the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, is to prevent new transmissions by diagnosing as many cases as possible.
Those considered “at risk” for HIV infection have shared injection drug needles, had unprotected sex with multiple partners, or had unprotected sex with anyone who falls into an at-risk category. Of course, parents don’t want to think it is possible that their child could have been exposed. Thinking of it as a test to detect an infection, rather than as a test to see whether your child used drugs or had sex, might help you over that hurdle. And keep in mind that doctors are urging even people not considered at risk to get tested. (That means you, too.) The test is simple and quick, can be performed during a routine exam, and might one day be as common as getting a flu shot, experts say.
– Christina Elston
Health-E Books: Taking Care of Your “Girls”
Friday, November 7th, 2008Three Rivers Press, 2008
If you are a girl, or have a girl, or know a girl who’s almost a teenager, this book is indispensable for two reasons: the right breast, and the left. Written by Marisa C. Weiss, M.D., a Philadelphia breast doctor, and her daughter Isabel Friedman, a college student, the book dishes out freely what so many of us couldn’t find growing up – real, straightforward information about our breasts.
In a survey of more than 3,000 girls in sixth through 12th grades, Weiss found that though many girls were open to hearing this type of information from their doctors, many saw a different doctor with each visit and couldn’t develop a relationship where they felt comfortable asking questions. Meanwhile, only about 30 % of moms in the survey had talked with their daughters about breast health and development.
This book is “the talk” on paper.
Peppered with “girl to girl” tips and accurate (but not gross) illustrations, the book tackles everything from breast development to size and shape, normal changes, self-image, finding the right bra, breast cancer fears vs. facts, and how to do a breast self-exam. It’s written in a frank, approachable style that’s highly readable.
In one of my favorite sections, the authors ask teen girls to weigh in on ways that a mom could bring up the subject of breast development and health with her daughter. The conversation starters ran the gamut from, “How are you feeling about your body?” to “Soo … boooooobs … let’s talk!”
Check it out and get the conversation – and the information – started.
Teen Girls - Coming Out Even
Wednesday, October 1st, 2008
Parents of growing daughters generally make an effort to talk with their girls about the way a body changes during puberty. But if a girl’s breasts are developing unevenly, parents tend to “clam up,” according to Susan Downey, M.D. (pictured, left), a board-certified plastic surgeon who has been in practice more than 20 years and is Clinical Associate professor of Plastic Surgery at USC’s Keck School of Medicine.
If a girl does try to talk with her mom about the issue, many women assume she is talking about the type of minor difference between breasts that lots of us experience. But in some cases, the difference is so great that it’s readily apparent – and can cause lots of problems. Read on …
Yoga For High School Stress
Tuesday, September 16th, 2008
If you live in L.A. and have kids coping with the multiple stressors of high school – from test anxiety and college admissions to homework overload and social struggles – you’re in luck. Local yoga instructor Sari Heifetz (www.sariyoga.net) will offer a free peek at her yoga program designed just for high school students. Sari also does private in-home sessions for parents too busy to make it to a yoga studio, and works with all skill levels.
The session for teens takes place at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 25 at Beverly Hills Lululemon, 334 N. Beverly Drive. You can reach them by phone at 310-858-8339.
A Book With A Buzz
Sunday, September 7th, 2008
- Put these drugs in order of addictiveness: marijuana, nicotine, heroin.
- The effects of smoking pot can last for two days: true or false?
- What are the most dangerous drugs, and also the ones used most often by kids under age 14?
Find the answers to these and all your questions about drugs in Buzzed: The Straight Facts About the Most Used and Abused Drugs from Alcohol to Ecstasy (W.W. Norton & Co., 2008) by Cynthia Kuhn, Ph.D., Scott Swartzwelder, Ph.D. and Wilkie Wilson, Ph.D. of Duke University Medical Center.
This hefty tome has the lowdown on the effects and dangers of all the major classes of drugs, detailed info on how these drugs work, how they’re taken, and short- and long-term effects. A serious weapon for your reference shelf.
(Answers: Nicotine, heroin, marijuana; True; Chemical solvents found in glue and paint)
