Teen Health Information
About Cervical Cancer, HPV and Genital Warts
Teens believe oral sex is safer, more acceptable to peers
What you should know: Tattooing and Body Piercing
Does the Fall get your children down? (SAD Disorder)
Drug and Alcohol Help Information
About Cervical Cancer, HPV and Genital Warts
Cervical cancer is the second most common cause of cancer death in women worldwide, resulting in a half-million diagnoses and approximately 300,000 deaths each year. In the United States an estimated 10,000 new cases of cervical cancer will be diagnosed in 2005. In most people, Human Papilloma Virus goes away on its own. In some, however, certain high-risk types of HPV, if unrecognized and untreated, can lead to cervical cancer. Also, approximately one million cases of genital warts occur each year in the United States.
Gardasil® is a vaccine that helps prevent 4 of the most common types of HPV infection. It is approved for girls from ages 9 and up. The vaccine is most effective if given BEFORE a girl becomes sexually active.
Click here to read the Vaccine Information Sheet on Gardasil®
For an editorial about the 'morality' issue associated with the HPV vaccine, click here
Please call if you have questions regarding this new exciting vaccine.
Teens believe oral sex is safer, more acceptable to peers
Young adolescents believe that oral sex is less risky to their health and emotions than vaginal sex, more prevalent among teens their age and more acceptable among their peers. They are also more likely to try oral sex, according to a UCSF study published in the April 2005 issue of Pediatrics.
"These findings suggest that adults should discuss more than one type of sexual practice when they counsel teens," said Bonnie Halpern-Felsher, PhD, associate professor of adolescent medicine at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF). She conducted a survey of 580 ethnically diverse Northern California ninth-graders in the first study to investigate adolescents' perceptions of the consequences of having oral sex as opposed to vaginal sex.
The survey showed that these young teens considered oral sex to be significantly less risky to their health than vaginal sex. The adolescents believed that oral sex also was less likely to have negative social and emotional consequences, such as a bad reputation, getting into trouble, feeling bad about themselves, feeling guilty, or having a relationship with a partner become worse.
The study findings also showed that teens considered oral sex less of a threat to their values and beliefs. They thought that oral sex is more acceptable than vaginal sex for adolescents their own age, when the partners are dating each other and also when they are not dating. The teens also expected that more of their peers will have oral sex than vaginal sex in the near future.
Approximately one-fifth (19.6 percent) of these ninth graders reported that they had tried oral sex, compared to 13.5 percent who said they had vaginal sex. Almost one-third (31.5 percent) said they intended to have oral sex within the next six months, compared to 26.2 percent who intended to have vaginal sex.
"The fact that young adolescents around age 14 are having or considering oral sex and consider it safer and more acceptable than vaginal sex is important information for parents, health care providers and others who work with youth," Halpern-Felsher said. "When we counsel adolescents about the risks and benefits associated with sex, we need to understand how they perceive it among themselves."
Guidelines for adolescent health care call for physicians and other health providers to discuss sex and other risky behaviors during regular medical checkups. Those sessions are one opportunity to work with adolescents on the topic of risks and preventive measures with oral sex as well as vaginal and anal sex, Halpern-Felsher said.
"Parents and caregivers also should find opportunities to engage teens in discussions about the emotional and social aspects of all types of sex, to get them thinking about whether their perceptions match their own situations," she said.
One troubling finding of the study was the teens' perception of the health risks of oral sex. Most of the participants recognized that there is some risk of infection with sexually transmitted diseases such as chlamydia and HIV, and accurately ranked this risk less than with vaginal sex. However, one in seven participants thought that the risk of STDs from oral sex would be zero.
The UCSF researchers noted other studies that show a general misperception that oral sex entails no risk at all or very little risk. When oral sex is more frequent, sexually transmitted infection rates could rise if those who engage in oral sex do not use barrier protection, they pointed out.
"There is not much data about the chances of sexually transmitted infections due to oral sex, but there is a real risk," Halpern-Felsher said. "When teens are engaging in or considering oral sex, they need to know about methods to keep themselves safe from physical as well as emotional risks."
The bottom line: Oral sex is risky, both for your health, and psych.
What you should know about....
Tattooing and Body Piercing
From:
The American Academy of Pediatrics
New York Chapter 2
Committee on Youth and Adolescence
Tattooing and Body Piercing 
Tattooing and body piercing have recently become more popular among adolescents.
"Should I get a tattoo or body piercing?" This is a personal decision, as well as a serious one. In thinking about this decision, you should be aware of the potential health risks involved and you should know how to protect yourself.
Tattooing involves injecting dyes into the skin. Tattoos are permanent and are associated with serious side effects. In the State of New York it is illegal for anyone to apply a tattoo to a person under the age of 18.
Body piercing can be performed on any part of the body but certain sites are more likely to be associated with severe complications. According to New York State law, anyone under the age of 18 must have parental consent in order to pierce any part of the body other than the earlobe.
The American Academy of Pediatrics, New York Chapter 2 Committee on Youth and Adolescence does not recommend tattooing or body piercing for anyone under the age of 18 years because of the serious health risks associated with these decisions.
Before you decide to get a tattoo or have your body pierced.....
Speak to your pediatrician!
Risks of Tattooing and Body Piercing:
- Scarring and deformities
- Allergic reactions to the dyes and metals
- Bacterial infections
- Hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV/AIDS
- Bleeding and lacerations
- Chipping of teeth and speech impediments (tongue and lip rings)
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What you can do to protect yourself:
- Make sure that you are fully immunized against hepatitis B and tetanus.
- Use only a professional piercer or tattooist who uses new gloves, disposable needles and sterilized equipment for each client. A piercing gun should not be used since it cannot be properly sterilized, and needles should never be reused.
- Never pierce or tattoo yourself or a friend.
- Use jewelry made of surgical grade stainless steel, 14 karat or 18 karat gold, niobium or titanium.
- Keep pierced and tattooed areas clean until completely healed.
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For your piercing to heal, you must clean it at least twice a day. Some redness or discharge is to be expected for a few days.
Approximate Healing Times |
| Earlobe |
4-6 weeks |
| Ear cartilage |
2 months - 1 year |
| Navel |
6 months - 1 year |
| Tongue |
4-6 weeks |
| Eyebrow |
6-8 weeks |
| Lip and cheek |
6-8 weeks |
| Nipple |
2-6 months |
| Genital |
2-6 months |
See your pediatrician if you have any of the following from your piercing or tattoo site:
- redness, warmth, tenderness or swelling
- yellow or green discharge
- prolonged oozing or bleeding
Does the Fall get your children down?
Fall may bring more than the usual school anxiety for many children. Studies suggest that more than 1 million children and adolescents suffer from Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD), which usually occurs from September through April.
SAD is a mood disorder that can include depression and is related to seasonal variations o flight. Other symptoms of SAD include fatigue, difficulty concentrating, irritability, oversleeping, overeating, carbohydrate craving and weight gain.
Researchers believe that just as the seasons affect certain activities of animals, such as hibernation and reproductive cycles, humans also can be affected.
Although the occurrence of SAD coincides with the school months, one study found that more adolescent SAD sufferers lived in northern latitudes, suggesting that environmental factors were more significant than school pressures. Adding to this theory, high rates of suicide and alcohol abuse can be found in places like Seattle and Sweden, where sunshine is limited in winter.
When there is less daylight during the change of seasons, production of melatonin increases. The sleep-related hormone has been linked to the disorder and may cause symptoms of depression.
Science indicates that because corneas are yellow and become less transparent with age, children should be more sensitive to light and SAD should be uncommon in childhood. For this reason, most children and adolescents with SAD remain undiagnosed. However, the disorder affects 1.7% to 5.5% of 9- to 19- year olds, according to a 1995 study.
Early recognition of the disorder is important to prevent suffering. Nearly 33% of adults with SAD report onset of the disorder before age 19. The most difficult months for those with the disorder are January and February.
Parents should encourage children to spend time outdoors during the day to treat mild symptoms. Arranging homes so that they receive more sunlight also may be beneficial.
For more severe symptoms, phototherapy can be effective. The most common phototherapy device consists of a bank of white florescent lights with a metal reflector. Studies show that children’s depressive symptoms decreased after a week of treatment. Possible side effects of light therapy include eyestrain, headache, fatigue, irritability, and inability to sleep if it is used too late in the day.
For information, visit the National Mental Health Association Web page.
For Artificial Lighting: Look at Technoscout.com
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