Post Holiday Blues?

Feeling a little slow, sad, or irritable during this last few days of the holiday season? Are you paying more attention to the advertisements for anti-depression medication? Do you have a list of things to do that is longer than the the available number of hours before you go back to work? Do not panic! My suggestion is that you relax and give yourself some permission to slow down and think about what is important, what has to be done, and what can wait until next weekend.

You may just be exhausted. For the last month students have been finishing a semester at school, or at least approaching it, employees have been working ahead to take time off, families have added gifting, parties, decorating, and traveling into already full lives, and well, most extended family get togethers bring with them a little emotional baggage. Chances are really good that your physical and emotional reserves are very low and you really need some serious rest.

It is not too late to schedule some well-deserved down time. Look at the rest of the holiday and figure out when and where you can take some time to just sit still, have a massage, take a walk, play a game, bake with the kids, whatever you do to have fun and relax. Try to minimize the "have tos" and focus on the "want tos," which is not a very productive way to live life, but may give you some energy in the long run.

My suggestion is that we all start 2008 conscious of what we need, where our energy is going, and what is important to us and our families! Another year is passing and it is important to take time to recognize our accomplishments and goals!

Happy New Year everyone! May 2008 be healthy, happy and fun!

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Labels: Holidays, Parenting, Teen Health

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Protect and Care for Your Skin

There was a great article in the New York Times 12/27/07 by beauty skeptic Natasha Singer suggesting the best eight ways to care for our skin, at all ages, are as follows:

• Discard old beauty products that you put your fingers into ( like face creams) after one year to avoid the growth of micro-organsisms. The FDA suggests discarding mascara three months after opening it to avoid eye infections.
• Stop smoking. Smoking ages skin prematurely, and gives you more wrinkles.
• Do not squeeze pimples, it pushes the bacteria deeper into your skin, and can create scars.
• More sleep and less stress. Stress and sleep deprivation are associated with skin problems, slower healing, and even hair loss.
• Wear sunscreen to prevent skin cancer but also keep the skin softer and more consistently colored.
• Do not use too many skin products, it can inflame your skin. Use a mild cleanser, a sunscreen or better yet a moisturizer with 15 spf sunscreen in it, and maybe one other product with vitamins C , A & E, soy, green tea, or peptides.
• Wash your face at night to take off the make-up or debris gathered during the day.
• Finally, watch the cost. The author suggests never spending more than $30 on a product. There is no way to know more expensive products work any better than what you find in the drugstore. Many times the high cost is for packaging, advertising, and celebrity endorsements.

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Labels: Body Image, Skin Care, Teen Health

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PSAT Scores and College Prep

In October high school sophomores and juniors across the United States take the PSAT test to qualify for National merit Scholarship recognition. In December, the scores and test booklets are sent to the school and student with scores for the three sections - Critical Reading, Mathematics, and Writing Skills - that include percentiles (you scored higher than XX% of the other sophomores (or juniors) who took the test this year. The student also gets a percentile score comparing his or her performance with college-bound juniors, which is pretty cool if you are only a sophomore and out scoring many juniors.

The most helpful section is a section at the bottom of the report called "Improve your Skills," which reflects questions the student missed and lists exact skills each student needs to improve in each section of the test, with ideas of things they can do to improve those skills before taking the test again next year. Finally, each student can go to www.collegeboard.com/quickstart to get a free college planning kit, see questions and answer explanations, compare their own performance to the performance of other teens in their state, explore colleges majors and careers, and get a personalized SAT study plan.

I have to admit this makes the whole "let's start to talk about college," discussion easier, although no less scary. I want to encourage all parents of high school frosh or sophomores to talk with their son or daughter about taking the test as a sophomore, when it does not matter, as practice. If a teen does well, it is a confidence booster, and if s/he does not, they get a personalized study plan to improve the scores next year - it is really a win-win situation.

I think earlier this year I might have been a little resistant to getting a sophomore thinking about college in such a competitive way, but now I am glad our school registered her. There is no backing out though - the students are already marching down the path! College here we come!

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Labels: College, Teen Development

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Thank You - Grand Rounds 4.14

I would like to thank Nick Genes at Medgadget for hosting Grand Rounds 4.14 this week and including my post about looking back on 2007 at Teen Health 411

The variety this week was amazing! Thank you!

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Labels: Grand Rounds, Healthline, Teen Health

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Looking Back on 2007: Teen Health

Wow! I am amazed that this year is coming to an end already - time just seems to go by faster the older you get! I want to thank the readers of Teen Heath 411 and Healthline for supporting this endeavor - I love writing this blog and having a great excuse to read everything I can find about teen health, including some great books.

I looked back at the posts in 2007 and realized that teen health is a huge topic. There is a lot of variety in the 2007 posts which include topics as diverse as book reviews, spirituality, driving how-tos, and information for parents and teens about the transition to adulthood and the world of college and work. The bulk of the posts are about physical health - dental health, health risks, piercing, flu shots, blood pressure, staph infection, heart attacks, sports injuries, and recognizing stroke. There are also many posts about mental health - stress, body image, surviving parents, bullying, cutting, friendship, and growing up gay, lesbian, or bisexual.

The posts about policy changes and media articles relating to teens tend to focus on the scary parts of adolescence - the risk, Internet safety, sexually transmitted infections, romance, dating violence, substance abuse and eating disorders, whereas the posts coming from what I experience tend to focus on the wonder of teens and how to make the most of and appreciate the short time we still have with them. I think the most valuable posts are those that help parents address issues that are tough to talk about but allow us to share our values and give teens the skills and confidence to assume the responsibility the world is giving them and enjoy the transition.

I think important topics in 2008 may include mentoring, involving teens in community service, and "connection" with family and community. Watching our amazing children grow is a blessing and although we will never get a certificate that says we did a great job as a parent, reminding ourselves that teens each have their own path and are more than their "risk profile" will help us appreciate them!

Enjoy whatever celebrations your family shares this week and don't forget to come back and visit Teen Health 411 is 2008!

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Labels: Healthline, Holidays, Parenting, Teen Development, Teen Health

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Pew Report on Teens and Social Media

This new report from Pew had few surprises. It reports that 93% of teens use the Internet, many to share something they have created (39%), tell stories, and interact with other people on social network sites (55%).

Specifically,

• 39% of online teens share their own artistic creations online, such as artwork, photos, stories, or videos, up from 33% in 2004.
• 33% create or work on webpages or blogs for others, including those for groups they belong to, friends, or school assignments (unchanged since 2004).
• 28% have created their own online journal or blog, up from 19% in 2004.
• 27% maintain their own personal webpage, up from 22% in 2004.
• 26% remix content they find online into their own creations, up from 19% in 2004.
  

Girls blog more while boys are avid users of video-sharing websites like YouTube, and digital images - stills and videos - have a big role in teen life, often starting conversations with people. While email is big with adults, teens prefer IM and social networking sites for communicating with people. Some good news was that most teens still prefer face-to-face and phone communication to text-based chatting and that most restrict access to photos, which suggests the messages about safety are getting through.

It was interesting tome how the pattern of communication is changing for teens - sharing digital images as a conversation is very different for me - and distinguishes me as "the older generation" - nice feeling!

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Labels: Media

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Cyberbullying and Fear

It is probably true that every preteen, teen, and adult is capable of saying something mean and nasty, hurting someone's feelings, and kicking (non-literally) someone when they are down, and most 13 year-olds do not take their own lives when they are bullied, but it happens, and I hope that the name Megan Meier will always remind us to be careful about how we treat others. Like in all harassment, it does not matter what we meant by what we did, or said, it matters how the person takes it - and Megan took it all very seriously.

Megan was a 13-year old girl who wanted to be popular, wanted to experience love, wanted to have a MySpace page, and was loved by her family - all pretty normal, on the outside, but now she is a child who took her own life in response to what she perceived as overwhelming evidence that she was not worthy of living, and someone else called a joke. Her self-esteem and confidence were beaten down by bullying in two different schools, via the Internet, and finally by a hoax that had her believing in a new boyfriend, who then dumped her, insulted her, and emotionally abused her. I am voting that people did not know she was depressed and suffering from attention deficit disorder, both things that made her more vulnerable to the abuse.

Would it have mattered to the people who bullied her and made themselves feel better by insulting her? Would she have been more protected if she had not tried to belong in the popular crowd? Make-up, designer clothes, sitting at the popular table, were all things that mattered to Megan, and made her vulnerable to bullying about her weight and social status. I am very concerned that we seem to be raising a generation that not only has adopted the impossible beauty standards they see in the media, they are capable of judging and hurting others they perceive as having less value than themselves.

Cellphones, cameras, text messaging and social networking Web sites, as well as email all are tools kids can use to tease and bully one another. Schools are doing everything they can think of to stop it - including policies, requiring uniforms, assemblies, parent education, and monitoring the Internet, but bullying still happens. Kids are terrified that they will become a target of bullying, and are afraid to do things and say things, lest someone captures them looking like a fool.

How sad is that - that our value is set by someone outside of us, and by how we look on the outside, not what we believe in and who we are as human beings. Somehow, as adults, we have to make some changes, and help youth understand the damage that bullying does. The lives we save could be our own children's.

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Labels: Bullying

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Thank You - Grand Rounds 4.13

I would like to thank Shiny Happy Person (SHP) at Trick-Cycling for Beginners for hosting Grand Rounds 4.13 this week and creatively including my post about the great new book by Nancy Redd called "Body Drama."

The haiku this week was truly impressive! Thank you!

Photo credit: Tom (hmm a rosa tint)

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Provocative Campaign on Childhood Mental Illness

Well, I never thought I would say this, but I wish I lived in New York this month. Apparently the Child Study Center is running some amazing ads about autism, depression, ADHD, bulimia, OCD, and Asperger's syndrome that are really catching the attention of people. The goal of the campaign featuring "ransom notes" is to raise awareness about the epidemic of childhood mental illness and the 12 million children suffering with disorders.

The campaign suggesting that a disease has kidnapped a child is perceived as negative by some people who fear the ads will reinforce stereotypes versus increase awareness. Advocates suggest that the ads have to be intense to make people listen - these are real diseases and denial is not going to help. The campaign is being produced pro bono by BBDO, an Omnicon agency, and the public service announcements are running in New York Magazine and Newsweek as well as on kiosks, billboards and construction sites around New York.

We will see if the ad campaign continues or gets shut down by patient advocacy groups, but I say bring it to California!

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Labels: Media, Mental Health

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Bring Back Home Economics!

How funny is that? Teens lucky enough to live in affluent areas where they are receiving amazing educations are worried about the fact that they do not know how to cook, clean a house, shop for groceries on a budget, plan meals, sew, or do minor home repairs. There is a whole generation coming up that has not ever baby-sitted, either, which is less funny. I think this is an odd situation because I am one of the generation that refused to take home economics unless I could also take wood, metal, or auto shop, and here I am echoing a call from well-educated young teens to reinstate home economics in school.

In middle school in the late 1960s/early 1970s young girls like myself were defending our right to choose professions by refusing to take the "girl" classes that included typing and home economics that would prepare us to be moms, nurses, and secretaries. We were also refusing to wear the required skirts to school as well as protesting the Vietnam War, but those things are less relevant here. I would like to confess here and now that I have kicked myself several times over the years for refusing to learn how to type, but oh well - it was worth it!

Seriously, what are we going to do for the next generation of doctors, lawyers, scientists, engineers and accountants? Where in their lives are they going to learn how to run a home, mend and fix things, bake, cook, and plan meals? If kids are busy with school, extracurriculars, sports, community service, or music, their parents (or a staff) are likely taking care of the nuts-and-bolts of their lives, meaning these teens are not in the kitchen, helping clean or repair the home, or watching younger siblings, where they would learn by participating.

If they are not learning at home, and they are not learning in school, not only are they not developing those skills, but more importantly, they are not learning the importance of these daily rhythms, patterns, and nurturing activities. These are not just skills, they are, in a sense, the things that bring joy to people and may be what has traditionally helped women live longer than men. The simple things in life - home and food - bring comfort to people and sustain us emotionally, but someone has to know how to provide those things in a family. Before someone revokes my feminist card, let me say that it does not have to be the mom, but someone has to do it.

My own daughters are lucky in that my bend toward hippie-dom, Girl Scouts, and my love for Waldorf education have given them all of the "old" skills. They can both embroider, sew, cook, knit, crochet, make soap, and do several things I cannot including fix a toilet. They cannot however, clean a bathroom, but I intend to fix that this summer.

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Labels: Parenting

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Get Ready for That Feeling of Rejection and Failure

Rejection and perceived failure are hard for everyone, but particularly for teens. It is that season again for receiving test scores and rejection letters - college applications are rejected, the writing contest results are coming in, scholarship and grant reviews are in, summer intern positions may be happening, too - and well, we all may have breaking hearts and tears! My advice during this season of rejection is to share it - share it wide and share it long!

Ask parents, teachers and friends to share their rejection and failure stories - and read a couple of tear-jerker books. Handle it how you please, but please do not pretend that you are the only only who did not win that writing contest, get selected for the summer internship, get into college early, or get the scholarship!

I would like to remind everyone - parents and teens alike - that rejection is not all bad! Getting rejected means that you put yourself out there, took a risk, and face it, probably enjoyed the fantasies about winning. Here in the Silicon Valley, the other place in the United States where all the children are above average, several schools have started "walls of shame" where college rejection letters will be posted for the world to see, or web sites for people to anonymously post their disappointing results.

Do not be ashamed - be proud of who you are and trust that your path, even if it is not the one you think you wanted, or tried hard to get, will become clear!

Here are some happy thoughts to help you attempt another success:

• Even one success makes up for many failures!
• Dance, dance, and keep dancing until you find "your place and your people."
• Remember "failure is an event - never a person!"

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Labels: Mental Health

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Teen Birth Rate Rises for the First Time in 14 Years

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), the teen birth rate in the United States rose in 2006 for the first time since 1991, and unmarried childbearing also rose significantly. Thee statistics are featured in a new report called "Births: Preliminary Data for 2006" by the CDC's National Center for Health Statistics.

Apparently between 2005 and 2006 the birth rate for teenagers age 15 to 19 years rose 3 percent after decreasing for the last 14 years. The largest increase was in non-Hispanic black teens, whose overall rate rose 5 percent in 2006. Similar increases are reported for American Indian and Alaska Native teens (4 percent), non-Hispanic white teens (3 percent), and Hispanic teens (2 percent).

The report also notes a record high number of cesarean births (31 percent), more preterm births, and a higher rate of low birthweight babies (less than 5 lbs. 8 oz.)were born. The only good news I could find in the report was that the birth rate for teens aged 10-14 declined 5 percent.

Reports like this should suggest to policy makers and parents that sexuality education and parenting about pregnancy is not doing what every parent wants, which is to help their children to be safe and healthy.

Photo credit: Jimee, Jackie, Tom & Asha

Labels: Parenting, Pregnancy

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Thank You - Grand Rounds 4.12

I would like to thank drgcgeorge at Odysseys of George for hosting Grand Rounds 4.12 this week and creatively including my post about healthy bones.

This week was interested and the pictures were really beautiful! Thank you!

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Body Drama: Book Review

Body Drama; Real Girls, Real Bodies, Real Issues, Real Answers is a new book by Nancy Amanda Redd that should be on the shelf of every family, school, and doctor in America. This book provides pictures, knowledge and encouragement to young women everywhere to help them avoid feeling insecure, ugly or imperfect when faced with the air-brushed women the media bombards them with. This book covers it all - from body hair, bras, acne, weight issues, stinkies, bumpies, and even vaginal discharge!

I admit, when I agreed to review this book I assumed I would skim it, but I have to tell you that I read every single word, laughed, groaned, and even leaned a thing or two (like what a gueef is). This book is packed with very funny bad jokes, health information, body care tips and most importantly, full color photos of real women's bodies described using real-world language. This is maybe the most important aspect of the book - real words to describe real bodies - that you get to see. These bodies help people understand that their bodies are normal. There is even a page of vulvas - yep, real ones!

Everywhere in this book is the message that you are perfect and anyone who loves you, should think you look perfect! If you change your body it must be because you want to and nobody has the right to try and make you feel bad! We all stink sometimes, get zits, and 85% of women have cellulite - so relax and love living!

I tried to get my 12-year old and her friends to offer some quotes about this book, but they blushed and said "Mom, we are too young," but I will leave it on the shelf in my room though, where she knows she can find it and look through it in private. That said, I guess I better buy a copy to leave in my office, too! My 15-year old however, promises to read it during Christmas break and will publish her own review.

Nancy Amanda Redd has a Harvard degree with honors in women's studies and was Miss Virginia. Her goal is writing this book seems to have been to help young women understand "normal" covers a very wide reality and differs for every shape, ethnicity, and size. This amazing book will hit the bookstores at the end of the month, but you can order your copy now at Amazon.com for only $13.60.

There is not enough I can say about this book! Thank you Nancy Redd!

Photo credit: M.A.C. Kingsley

Labels: Book Review

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Teen Marijuana Use

I know that there is a huge disagreement about whether marijuana is harmful or not, but the National Institute on Drug Abuse presents a pretty scary picture, which I thought I should share with parents of teens.

Addiction is a disease that usually begins in adolescence. Because the brains of teens are not completely developed, particularly the ares of the brain involved in judgment and decision making, teens are particularly vulnerable to risky behavior, including drug use.

Marijuana is the most common illicit drug used by teens, and according to the Monitoring the Future Survey (2006) 12% of 8th graders, 25% of 10th graders, and 32% of 12th graders report using marijuana in the last year. The good news is that 68% of 12th graders report not having used marijuana in the last year, but marijuana is obviously pretty available.

Although marijuana is sometimes perceived as less risky than other drugs, research suggests that:

• Teens who smoke marijuana regularly face some of the same respiratory problems as people who smoke tobacco.
• Marijuana use affects memory, learning, judgment, coordinator and balance.
• Chronic marijuana users have lower income, get less education, and have more work-related problems than do nonusers.
• Chronic marijuana users report less overall satisfaction with their lives and a negative effect of their use on family and social life, as well as on their mental and physical health.

You can get more information at the following sites:
NIDA InfoFacts: Marijuana
Marijuana: Facts for Teens

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Labels: Substance Abuse

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Finding a First Job as a Teen

So you want a car, insurance, summer camp, college spending money, an expensive pair of shoes, new skis, a class ring, prom tickets, a ski trip, or one of a million other things that might not fit into your family's budget. What is a teen to do?

Sadly, for some teens, the answer is "get a job," which can feel like a seriously rude welcome to adulthood. It can also be scary and deflate a person's self-esteem. The thought of finding available jobs, making a resume, filling in applications, doing interviews, and getting no calls back, or worse, rejections, is a little daunting for most teens. These are not skills people are born with and it takes knowledge most teens do not have, so take a deep breath and ask your parents for a little guidance.

This time of year there are lots of temporary jobs available for the holidays, and there are always open jobs at retail and food stores that require little or no work experience. Do not start by thinking you will have a hard time getting a job - many employers actually like working with teens because they learn quick and can be trained to do most tasks. The important things are that you are neatly groomed, enthusiastic, and appear to have a good work ethic - which means you will be on time, not miss work, and be open to learning and helping whenever you can.

First, look in the paper and on-line for employment opportunities. Read through the types of jobs available and get a sense of what job you might fit well in. Are you organized, good with numbers or people, do you have a skill that someone needs? Those will be the jobs for you. Next, follow the instructions for applying on-line or submitting an application. If you have never worked, maybe you can list volunteer work and a reference outside your family, or a teacher who will say nice things about you. Ask a parent to help with the application and check your spelling.

Once they call you for an interview, be prepared to tell the person or people interviewing you:

• Why you want the job (what skills you will get, or the chance to explore a potential career, not the expensive shoes you want).
• What skills you have that will help you do a great job.
• How much time you can work weekly or monthly.

Remember that teens have to be 14 to work, and child labor laws do not allow people under 18 to work at "hazardous" jobs and limit teens in the following ways:

• If teens are 14-15 years old they can only work up to 3 hours a day and 18 hours a week during the school year, and have to be done working by 7 PM.
• During summer, they can work up to 8 hours a day, 40 hours a week, and have to be done working by 9 PM.
• If teens are 14-15 years old, they may not work before 7 AM.

Before you leave the interview, you could ask when you should hear about the outcome of the interview. After the interview, send an email or thank-you card for the interview and stating that you look forward to hearing from the person. If you do not hear by the deadline, call the person and ask if they have filled the job. Thank them again for the chance to have had an interview. If you are bold, ask them why they did not offer the job to you - you might learn something to help you get the next job.

OK - there are some hints. There are positive aspects to having work experience, too! Having worked in high school looks good on college applications, and helps you develop a resume for when you have to work.

Good luck!

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Labels: Employment

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Thank You - Grand Rounds 4.11

I would like to thank Enoch Choi at MedHelp for hosting Grand Rounds 4.11 this week (while hanging out in Disneyland) and including my posts about chlamydia and unintended pregnancy. For anyone having trouble finding it - it looks like the post is dated 11/27.

This week was interested and diverse! I really liked several posts and the intro to MedHelp. Thank you!

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Helping Stressed Students

There is a growing concern about the amount of stress our teens are experiencing, although all stress is not bad. Some stress adds challenge and opportunity to life. Without stress, life would be pretty dull but too much stress can seriously affect physical and mental well-being.

Ongoing stress in teens can reduce self-esteem, decrease interpersonal and academic effectiveness and create a cycle of self-blame and self-doubt that is not productive. It is important for health that each person finds the optimal level of stress that can be managed effectively.

Everyone experiences stress differently. People may feel anxious, fearful, irritable or moody. Other people may consider cheating, get very self-critical, lose the ability to concentrate, forget things, or find themselves thinking the same thoughts over and over again. People can also experience a tight jaw, teeth grinding, crying, drinking or smoking in excess, do dangerous things, including having unprotected sex, having accidents or a change in appetite (up or down). Finally, there may be physical symptoms like tight muscles, sweaty hands, trouble sleeping, fatigue, repeated colds, pounding heart, or a dry mouth.

Whatever symptoms are experienced, it is important to manage the stress and learn ways to reduce it. Managing stress can be achieved by remembering to breathe deeply and slowly, getting exercise every day, eating well, sleeping enough and on the same schedule, talking with friends, managing time better, and if you cannot get a grip on it within two weeks, talk to a professional (doctor or counselor) for support.

Parents can help by recognizing stress and helping students identify causes of the stress and listening and guiding while teens talk through the sources of stress and what can be done to reduce the stress, or at least cope with it. It is important that parents not "fix" it or criticize the teen, but provide support and strategies for managing the stress, encouraging counseling if the stress does not go away.

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Labels: Mental Health

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UCAN Teen Report Card - Teens Grade Parents

UCAN (Ulrich Children's Advantage Network) solicits opinions from teenagers to create dialogue between adults and teens about solving the problems teens face in our society. The UCAN Report Card gives a voice to U.S. teens and hopes that teachers, parents and legislators will listen.

Each year, a representative sample of 1,000 teenagers between the ages of 12 and 19 grade adults on their performance on a number of issues. The stratified sample is based on sex, age and ethnic distribution of teens in the U.S. The survey is sent via the mail each year in january or February and covers 20 topics including how well they feel adults are teaching values, spending time with their families, protecting kids from violence, preventing child abuse, being honest, running the government, understanding the realities of teen sex, leading by example, and helping young people cope with anxiety and depression.

Here is the report card from 2007 with some quotes from the participants.

• Providing young people a safe place to live B
• Providing a quality education for young people B
• Creating job opportunities for the future B
• Teaching positive values B-
• Spending quality time with their families B-
• Keeping schools sage from violence and crime B-
• Protecting teens and kids from gun violence B-
• Fighting AIDS C+
• Building healthy relationships with young people C+
• Being honest C+
• Preventing child abuse C+
• How well they discipline C+
• Preventing verbal and emotional abuse C
• Combating prejudice and racism C
• Stopping teens from running away C
• Understanding the realities of teen sex C
• Stopping young people from using drugs C
• Stopping young people from smoking C
• Really listening to and understanding young people C
• Leading by example C

" Leading by example starts at home, and the values and practices carried out by parents serve as the inspiration and motivation for us to stand up and make a difference."

• Helping young people cope with anxiety and depression C

• Running the government C-

" Contrary to adult opinion and perceptions, many of my peers pay close attention to the actions of the government and how their decisions will affect our future."

• Protecting the environment C-

" Consider that the future you (parents) are planning is ours and that we are the ones who will have to clean up any mistakes you make now."

• Understanding why teens leave home C-
• Stopping young people from drinking C-

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Labels: Parenting

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