The Health Blog

Know the signs that tells your friend is  having an eating disorder.

According to the National Association of Anorexia Nervosa and Associated Disorders, more than eight million people in the US have eating disorders.  Ninety percent of them are women who began during their teen years (some as young as 8).

Do you know the warning signs of a friend with an eating disorder?

1. They’re obsessed with calories and food and are concerned about body weight though they’re thin.

2. They won’t eat; lie about how much they ate.

3. They faint.

4. They get angry if you suggest they have a problem.

5. They have calluses on their knuckles (from forcing themselves to throw up).

6. They exercise strenuously.

7. They eat only foods with low to no calories.

For more information, check these websites:

• National Eating Disorders Association
• Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders, Inc. 

Now that’s a depressing and alarming fact.

The Center for Disease Control reports that more than 3 million teenaged girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD). Mostly affected are African-American teens, with 48 percent of African-American teenaged girls have an STD, compared with 20 percent of white teenaged girls. Common sexually transmitted diseases found in this population include human papillomavirus (HPV), chlamydia, herpes simplex virus and trichomoniasis.

What do these findings say? Aside from being reflective of promiscuity of teenage nowadays, more than 3 American teens are at risk of complications of STD including cervical cancer and infertility.

STD is always preventable. The only sure way to prevent STIs is by not having sex. If you have sex, you can lower your risk of getting an STI by only having sex with someone who isn’t having sex with anyone else and who doesn’t have an STI.

For parents, proper education to their children is advocated.  Learning always comes first from home.  Teens are always curious.  They want to try every thing, that even including sex.  With proper education and guidance, teens can be made to understand the risks of early sexual relationships and unprotected sex.

Didn’t we always hear our mothers reminding us (or even nagging us at times) that breakfast is the most important meal of the day and that it shouldn’t be skipped. I could pretty much relate to breakfast skipper.  I have been depriving myself of hearty breakfast (for four years) ever since I entered medical school.  I usually start my day with only a cup of coffee and two slices of bread, especially if I have only minutes to get prepared for hospital duties and school. I am a late riser so I am always having an early morning rush. My mother would always remind me that it is a healthy way to start my day and she’s been right.

In a U.S. study, skipping breakfast was found out unhealthy and is linked to teen obesity.

Teens who ate breakfast daily have a healthier diet overall and were more physically active than teens who skipped breakfast.  A five-year follow up was done showing consistent results with breakfast skippers gaining more weight also.

So always have a healthy breakfast.  Aside from preventing obesity, breakfasts energizes your day.

Sometimes, dealing with friends doing dumb things is difficult. There’s nothing easy about it. Never has been. Never will be.

So here are the 10 tips for tackling tough talks with friends:

1. Don’t preach. Your friend needs a real friend, not a parent or a pastor.

2. Bring a friend. Maybe one or two other friends can help you out, but make sure everyone knows each other well.

3. Start with an affirmation. Before you bite into the thick meat of the situation, serve up something easier to swallow like how important the friendship is to you.

4. Make it clear that you’re not condemning, just showing concern.

5. Be specific. Don’t refer to vague situations. Present clear facts that are based on truth, not rumors or exaggerations.

6. Avoid words such as “always,” “never,” “every.” They don’t mean much.

7. Find a good place to meet that’ll be free of distractions.

8. Be wlling to own up to situations/conflicts/inconsistencies about your own life that your friend may bring up. Honesty is a good bridge builder.

9. Focus on your feelings rather than on your friend’s failures. He’s already going to feel awkward enough without someone beating it into him.

10. Be ready to go the distance with your friend. Everything probably won;’t change in one meeting. Be willing to meet again and again. Pray for your friend and ask God to give you the wisdom you need.

Laser acne treatment has gained a considerable amount of popularity among teenagers and adults who suffer from moderate to severe acne and acne scarring. There are a number of reasons why it has become popular, but before you rush into making a decision to use laser acne treatment, learn as much as you can about the procedure first. There are steps you ought to take prior to receiving laser treatments if you choose to use them, as well as steps you ought to take afterwards. This will increase the likelihood that laser acne treatment will be as effective as you had hoped.

Step 1: Learn as much as you can about laser acne treatment. There is nothing wrong with educating yourself about a particular medical procedure prior to making a decision whether or not it is right for you. Laser acne treatment is a relatively simple, commonly performed outpatient procedure and there is a lot of existing information available to you. There are a large number of informative web sites with good descriptions of the types of laser treatments available, the types of acne and acne scars best suited for laser acne treatment, and what to expect during a laser acne treatment procedure. If you do not have access to the Internet, or your Internet access is occasional, you will also be able to find information about the different aspects of laser acne treatment at your local library.

Start with limiting your young girl’s television watching. Of course, this is easier said than done. Studies show television programs and advertising can have a negative effect on viewers. Television shows targeted toward children are mixed with many advertising messages. Some of these messages are very subtle, while other messages are quite clear.

Of course we cannot blame the media for everything. We can, however, realize that too much television may negatively affect our children’s self esteem and confidence. For example, children who learn at a young age that food equals happiness, may have problems with body image later in life. Television advertising and programs present ongoing messages to young children that “things” are the solutions to problems and the route to happiness. These messages only exaggerate feelings of low self worth if a child does not possess all these “things,” or the “right things.”

A reader of this blog asked,

i have pimples and a lot of marks on my face
i dont know how to get rid of the marks though
i wanted to make sure if using yoghurt is a good idea

thanks

I didn’t actually have the idea that yogurt is used to prevent acne until this question was raised up. Doing my research, I’ve found out that there are actually yogurts especially formulated for acne treatment.

1. Acne vulgaris is a hormonally-mediated bodily process. It number one cause is production of sex hormones, known as androgens, which begins at puberty. This is why majority of acne sufferers are adolescents and teens. Hormones are also responsible for acne flare-ups during menstruation and pregnancy. The female body goes through extreme changes in hormone levels during this time.

When the sebaceous gland is stimulated by androgens, it produces extra sebum. In its journey up the follicle toward the surface, the sebum mixes with common skin bacteria and dead skin cells that have been shed from the lining of the follicle. While this process is normal, the presence of extra sebum in the follicle increases the chances of clogging; which results in the formation of acne.

2. Acne flare-ups most commonly appears on stressful periods. Stress can also cause the production of hormones, such as cortisol, which can aggravate acne. Stress brings upon different hormone levels. With hormone changes the body prompts the skins oil glands to enlarge, secreting more oil. Which causes whiteheads, blackheads and pimples.

3. Oily or heavy make up clogs the skin pores and oily make-ups add more oil, which only adds to the problem if oily skin already exists. Cosmetics, especially certain moisturizers, foundations and pomades contain lanolin, petrolatum, vegetable oils, butyl stearate, lauryl alcohol and oleic acid.

Here are some additional tips to prevent acne vulgaris which include herbal remedies:

1. Wash your face with lukewarm water and mild soap twice a day.

2. Wash fresh methi leaves (fenu greek leaves) and grind it to make a paste. Apply it on face and wash it off with lukewarm water after 10 minutes.

3. Grind juicy tender neem leaves with turmeric to a consistency of paste. Apply this paste on acne and pimples. Wash this off after it dries.

Acne vulgaris, commonly known as “pimples”, is an inflammatory disease of the sebaceous follicles. It is a common problem among adolescents, but it could occur in adults, too. Adult acne tend to be low-grade and chronic. Aside from its physical effects, it can also bring emotional and psychological effects to a patient.

Acne is preventable, although some patients appear more predisposed to the disease, especially those with hereditary influences and taking some medications that can cause acne. Because it is a common problem, many tend to take it for granted until it worsens. Although, there are numerous acne medications available in the pharmacy, not many of them may prove useful for curing your acne. We have to bear in mind that prevention is always better than cure.

Here are some simple ways to prevent acne:

1. Wash your face regularly but avoid washing too much as it may create more damage to your skin. Washing can help remove excess oils and dead skin cells. Washing twice daily gently is all that is required.