Classes, social stress, homework, sports, chores, part-time jobs, after-school activities… teens live busy lives. Does your teen seem to be dragging? Many teens feel tired from their many commitments and look for ways to increase their energy. Some of these ways may not be all that good for them. Before your teen gets burnout, it’s a good time to teach
Read moreExercise! Everyone says it is important and that we are not getting enough of it, but how often do we get guidance on how to do it? Teens, because of their short life experience, are more likely than adults to make some common mistakes when it comes to fitness. Here are some examples of those mistakes and some tips to
Read moreLast year, popular teen singer and actress, Demi Lovato, then just 18, admitted she has wrestled with cutting since she was 11 years old. “It was a way of expressing my shame on my body,” she told “20/20,” ABC’s newsmagazine. “There were times where my emotions were just so built up, I didn’t know what to do. [Cutting was] the
Read moreNote to parents: This blog is written for teens. Please consider printing it out and sharing it with them. A doctor is an excellent source of reliable, responsible, accurate information for your teen, so as much as you might hope your teen would feel comfortable enough to ask you any and every question they have, it is in your best
Read moreAbout 215,000 young people under 20 years of age have diabetes. Every day, 35 children in America are diagnosed as having type 1 diabetes. This type of diabetes, which has also been called juvenile diabetes, occurs when the body stops producing insulin, a hormone which is essential for life. Therefore, people with type 1 diabetes must inject insulin every day
Read moreAdolescence is a time of extreme change. At the same time that teens are experiencing mood swings and insecurities from hormones, their bodies are growing and changing drastically. Some girls may feel uncomfortable or embarrassed about their maturing bodies. Others may wish that they were developing faster. Girls may feel pressure to be thin, and boys may feel like they
Read morePro-Ana and Pro-Mia might sound like some kind of support for a sports team player or maybe a political association, but in actuality, it is a movement that encourages teens and young women to embrace eating disorders as a lifestyle choice. Ana is short for anorexia and Mia is short for bulimia. These groups promote self-starvation, avoiding treatment for eating
Read moreTattoos have become quite common. For a variety of reasons including expressing individuality, tattoos are a big draw for teens, but despite their interest, there are a lot of things for teens to think about before making the decision. Teens may believe that the hardest part is deciding on the perfect tattoo design, so the responsible adults in their lives
Read moreThe Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that obesity among adolescents (age 12 to 19) has increased from 5% in 1980 to 18% in 2008. Unfortunately, these teens are facing serious heath consequences as a direct result of obesity, such as: asthma; stress on bones and joints in the legs, including blount disease and arthritis; sleep apnea; high
Read moreVideo games, TV, and the computer are magnets for adolescents, understandably. But, these technologies are all sitting-down activities. A recent study even suggested that a youth’s metabolism is actually slower while watching TV than when sitting still and doing nothing. Along with healthy eating and good sleep patterns, physical activity is a vital part of keeping our bodies fit and
Read moreHave you heard of the choking game? It’s no game at all and can have serious consequences for your teen. The choking game is a dangerous practice of tweens and teens in which they self-strangulate in order to achieve a brief high. The high is the result of oxygen rushing back to the brain. Adolescents cut off the flow of
Read moreSummer is upon us and with it comes fun in the sun! This is also the time of year when teens become very interested in the “perfect” tan. Unfortunately, regardless of whether they are tanning in the backyard or in a tanning salon, tanning is unsafe and the consequences can eventually be life threatening. It is up to parents to
Read moreIn our previous blog, we talked about the basics of teen dating: when teens should begin dating, how to talk to your teen about dating, and the rules for helping our children successfully navigate this developmental milestone. Unfortunately, despite our best efforts, sometimes things can go wrong. In this blog, we will discuss teen dating violence. What is dating violence?
Read moreSelf-Injury (also commonly known as SI; cutting; self-harm; self-mutilation; self-abuse; and self inflicted violence) is the deliberate harming of one’s body without the intent to commit suicide. It is an intentional act of physical violence done to yourself by yourself. Cutting (making scratches or cuts on your body with a sharp object to break the skin and make it bleed)
Read moreChildhood obesity in the United States has become an increasing problem in recent years. Christina Bethell of the Oregon Health and Science University in Portland and colleagues analyzed data from the 2007 National Survey of Children’s Health and found the rate of obesity for children 10 to 17 increased from 14.8 percent in 2003 to 16.4 percent in 2007. Recent
Read moreJust like adults, teens suffer from stress in many different ways. For many people, food can become one way of dealing with stress. We have an obesity epidemic from overeating, and on the other extreme, we have too many teenagers who suffer from drastic weight loss – both of which have a very negative impact on a teen’s health. Eating
Read moreSleep is essential for a person’s health and wellbeing. Anyone who wants to do well on a test or play sports without tripping over their feet should realize that the right amount of sleep is critical. Most of us are aware that our bodies require that precious resource, but all too often sleep is the first thing we cut out
Read moreSometimes in our worry over the many issues facing youth (sex, drugs, gangs, etc.), we adults forget to focus on one of the most basic of needs: proper nutrition. “You are what you eat” we always say… does that mean that teens are McDonald’s cheeseburgers? Are they french fries, pizza, soda? Maybe teens eat all those cookies because they’re sweet?
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