Archive for the ‘Teens’ Category

Back to School Physicals

Tuesday, April 10th, 2012

I’m sure back to school physicals are the last thing on most parents’ minds right now but now is the time. Those last few weeks of the summer are usually hectic getting ready to go back to school.  Oftentimes parents realize at the last minute that their child needs a physical or a shot before school starts. You can avoid this stressful situation by scheduling your child’s physical in the early part of the summer. Not only are you able to check that off your to-do list, but you beat the back-to-school rush in our office. We always have plenty of open appointments for physicals in May and June, however August fills up quickly. We cannot guarantee there will be an appointment available if you wait until the day before school starts. We recommend scheduling now and scheduling early!

A yearly physical exam is an important time to assess a child’s overall health, catch potential problems early, update immunizations, reinforce healthy behavior, and review normal development and safety measures. These topics are covered in depth during the physical, therefore it is not a good time to address a significant health concern (for example migraines, abdominal pain, etc.) If you do have an additional health concern, it is best to make a separate appointment in order to address the concern more thoroughly.

A physical is good for the entire year since most standard forms simply require a physical exam within the last year. Keep in mind, your child may need  a form signed for sports participation, camp, daycare and numerous other activities. It is very helpful to have that yearly physical exam completed when a form is needed. Scheduling now will ensure your child doesn’t have to miss out on his favorite activity. Don’t get caught off guard. Get that physical out of the way early!

A Quick Reminder of School Vaccine Requirements

Daycare: Requires children to be up-to-date on all recommended vaccines for age.

Kindergarten:Children need 3 booster shots: MMR, chicken pox, and polio-DTaP (diptheria, tetanus, pertussis).

6th Grade:Adolescents are required to receive Tdap, a tetanus booster that also includes protection against whooping cough.

-Jaime Fell, PA-C

U.S. report finds pediatric “epidemic” of smoking

Saturday, March 10th, 2012

U.S. report finds pediatric “epidemic” of smoking
Almost 1 in 5 high school seniors regularly smoke and nearly 90% of adult smokers said they started smoking by age 18, according to a report released on Thursday by U.S. Surgeon General Regina Benjamin. Although rates of cigarette smoking and smokeless tobacco use dropped in the last decade, the report found that more than 600,000 middle-school students and 3 million high-school students smoke. The Washington Post/The Associated Press (3/8), HealthDay News (3/8

The most important factor pushing kids to smoke or chew is their peer group. They use their smoking to fit into the group.  They know that smoking is unhealthy for them but they don’t care because they feel invincible and think the warnings do not apply to them.  Many teens who smoke want to feel ”more grown-up” and enjoy taking risks.  Once teens develop the habit of smoking they can quickly become addicted to smoking and for many teens and adults breaking the addiction can be very, very difficult.  The key for every teen is to never start smoking so they will have a lower  risk of developing lung cancer, emphysema or peripheral vascular disease  and avoid the financial burden and social ostracism that the smoking habit brings.

David Roos, M.D.

Teenagers with ADHD

Wednesday, October 19th, 2011

Teen Sexual Activity is Declining

Friday, May 6th, 2011

The Center for Disease Control released a survey in April 2011 for the years 2006-2008 from the National Center for Health Statistics that indicates a majority of teens ages 15-17 have never had sexual intercourse, 68% of girls and 67% of boys. Also a majority of teens ages 15-17 have never had any form of intimate sexual contact such as vaginal, anal, or oral sex, with 58% of girls and 53% of boys falling into this category. The Medical Institute for Sexual Health reports that oral sex has been on the rise with teens because of their perception that oral sex is harmless since it can’t result in a pregnancy but recent research indicates human papillomavirus transmitted through oral sex can cause many head and neck cancers.(1,2,3) There is no safe sex. Diseases transmitted via vaginal intercourse as well as anal and oral sex include gonorrhea, Hepatitis B, HPV, syphilis, and herpes type II. This is the case even with condom protection because condoms can break and all condoms have small pores that can leak viruses and/or bacteria. Chlamydia can be transmitted with vaginal or anal sex, pubic lice are spread by anal and vaginal sex, and trichomonas is spread with vaginal intercourse. Oral and anal sex is still sex and carries with it many of the same risks as vaginal penetration.

Because more teens are remaining sexually abstinent for a longer period of time through adolescence the current teen birth rate has hit a 70 year record low. Since the early 1990’s the teen pregnancy rate is down 35% and from 1991 to 2006 the teen abortion rate is down 48%.(4) The decrease in teen sexual activity is the main reason for the decreases seen in teen pregnancy rates. Abstinence is the only safe approach for our teens and young adults to avoid pregnancy or various STD’s. Many of our young people in this country are right now doing great things and excelling in academics, sports, the arts and public service and achieving whatever they set their minds to achieve. Our teens need the support of parents to help them make the good and healthy decision to abstain from sexual activity. Teens have the ability to avoid intimate sexual encounters and certainly are capable of doing this. Parents, physicians, educators and communities must realize that ALL teens can be empowered with the skills to abstain from sexual activity. Casual sex is not safe and every year there are many couples who conceive babies or contract STD’s while using condoms or taking birth control pills. Birth control pills and condoms may encourage sexual activity. Many teens have the mistaken notion that birth control pills will always protect them from becoming pregnant and will also protect them from STD’s. Remember condoms can break or may leak bacteria or viruses through microscopic holes found in all condoms and do not protect from skin to skin contact on external skin and genitalia from STD’s like venereal warts, herpes, and pubic lice. Sexual promiscuity and experimentation is still a definite problem for our teens throughout this country, often with serious consequences. However, it is encouraging that we are beginning to see a decrease in the number of adolescents having intimate sexual encounters. David Roos, M.D. 5/4/2011

(1) D’Souza G, Kramer AR, Viscidi R, et al. Case-control study of human papillomavirus and oropharyngeal cancer. N Engl J Med. 2007;356:1944-1956. (2) Gillison M, D’Souza G, Westra W, et al. Distinct risk factor profiles for human papillomavirus type 16-positive and human papillomavirus type 16-negative head and neck cancers. J Natl Cancer Inst. 2008;100:407-420. (3) Kreimer AR, Clifford, GM, Boyle P, Franceschi S. Human papillomavirus types in head and neck squamous cell carcinomas worldwide: a systematic review. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev.2005;14:467-475. (4)http://www.abstinenceworks.org/images/stories/pdfs/most_teens_choose_abstinence.pdf http://www.usatoday.com/yourlife/parenting-family/teen-ya/2011-03-03-virgins04_ST_N.htm

Vaccines for Teens

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

Girls over 9 years of age can now receive the Gardasil or Cervarix vaccine to prevent cervical cancer and genital warts caused by the Human Papilloma Virus (HPV). Boys can receive the GARDASIL vaccine as well to prevent genital warts and penile cancer. This is a 3 shot series, and is given at zero, 2 months and 6 months after the first dose. Ask one of our providers at Crown Point Pediatrics about the Gardasil or Cervarix vaccine for your kids.

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