What every parent of teens needs to know about the health issues of adolescents

Stagnant lifestyle and junk food is to be blamed for more than three hundred thousand deaths per annum. The sad thing is that this problem is on the rise. Obesity is a chronic disease which poses serious health risk to the health of an individual.

Also, obesity is the easiest recognizable medical problem, but is very difficult to deal with.
People usually confuse obesity with overweight. Overweight is gaining of a few extra pounds.

A person is considered obese when the total body weight is minimum ten percent more than the recommended weight for his/her body structure and height. According to an estimate every year hundred billion dollars are spent on the obesity problem.

It is very important to treat the problem as early as possible. Obese children between the age of ten and thirteen have eighty percent chances of growing into obese adults, unless they change their ways and adopt a healthier lifestyle.

The obesity problem starts from the age of five and continue till adolescence.

Obesity can be caused due to complex reasons including biological, genetic, cultural and behavioral factors. Usually a person gets obese when he/she consumes more calories than the body burns.

Also there are fifty percent chances of becoming obese when both one of the parent is obese and when obesity has affected both the parents, the chances increases to eighty percent. One percent of obese people can have that fat because of health reasons, as obesity can be caused due to few medical disorders.

The causes of obesity in adolescence are overeating, family history, bad eating habits, little or no exercise, medical illness, low self esteem, medications, depression, emotional problems, stressful life, and family problem.

Obesity can cause many major problems. Some of them are diabetes, sleeping disorders, high blood pressure, breathing problems, emotional problems and increase in heart disease risk.

Teenagers are more prone to get emotional problems. Because of the weight, they develop low self esteem. They get into depression, obsessive compulsion disorder and anxiety.

Adolescents who want to tackle the obesity problem should approach a pediatrician who will thoroughly evaluate the cause. If no physical disorder is to be blamed, the weight is reduced by limiting the calorie intake and increasing physical activity.

The doctor can advise a weight management program and change the eating habits of the teenager, slowly. The patient must avoid oily, fatty, fast and junk food. The potions must be reduced in order to decrease the calorie intake.

If the adolescent has developed emotional problems because of obesity, an adolescent psychiatrist can collaborate with the pediatrician in order to make a comprehensive plan for treatment. The plan includes reasonable goals, behavior modification, family participation, and management of physical activity.

Self motivation is extremely necessary in loosing weight. Because obesity is more a family problem and not an individual problem, the whole family can switch to eating healthy food and exercising regularly. This can make the weight control program a success.

Parents can play a major role by boosting the self esteem of their children by concentrating on their strengths and encouraging them, instead of targeting the weight problem. The whole family should eat meals together, instead of eating individually while watching a movie.

This helps all the members to focus on the food and the quantity being eaten. If the teenager isn't getting support from his family members, he/she can join support groups which can help towards the goals.

After the adolescent has lost weight, it is very important that he/she maintains it. In majority of the cases, people shift back to their old eating habits after loosing weight.

That is the reason why obesity is more of a lifetime issue. So the main aim of any weight loss program must be make the adolescent like healthy food. He/she must also be made to exercise regularly, irrespective of the weight.

You can learn more here about The Diet Solution Program

Depression is normally a temporary reaction towards situations of stress. Depression is a normal part of the maturation process of adolescents. It is even induced due to production of sex hormones.

Adolescent females are depressed twice more than adolescent boys according to a study.

Adolescent behavior is normally marked with good and bad moods. The transition from a good mood to bad mood and vice-versa, can take minutes, hours and even days. That is the reason why true depression is very difficult to find out.

Depression in adolescents can be caused due to bad school performance, break up with boyfriend or girlfriend, and failing relations with friends and family. These causes can lead to persistent depression. Other serious causes are chronic illness, obesity, child abuse, stressful lifestyle, poor social skills, unstable care giving and depression in family history.

Symptoms of depression in adolescents are eating disorders, weight change, irritable mood, excessive sleeping in daytime, excessive temper, criminal behavior, memory loss, fatigue, self preoccupation, sadness, difficulty in concentrating, worthlessness feelings, loss of interest, self hatred, obsession with death and thought & attempts of suicides.

When these symptoms are being noticed for more than two weeks, it is important to get treatment for the adolescent. Depression not only affects interpersonal relationships, but school performance as well. Depressed adolescents are more prone to take onto drugs and alcohol as an attempt to overcome their depression. Such problems require intensive treatment.

The doctor will take blood test and perform physical examination to determine the cause of depression. The adolescent can also be tested for substance abuse such as smoking, heavy alcohol consumption, marijuana smoking, and usage of other drugs. After the physical examination, psychiatric evaluation is also done to understand the cause of sadness, loss of interest and irritability.

Depression can also lead to the development of other psychiatric disorders such as schizophrenia, mania and anxiety. It is also important to determine whether the adolescent poses a risk for himself/herself and others. Family and school personnel can provide valuable information about the adolescent to the doctor.

You can learn so much more about what to look out for and what you can do to help someone ... What is depression?

The asthma can get severe even if the people with asthma are exposed to allergens of low grade.

Allergies play an important role in asthma cased which are undiagnosed. Other factors that also trigger childhood asthma include upper respiratory infections like colds, second hand smoke, and certain climate conditions like cold air and due to emotional physical expressions like laughing, crying or yelling.

However, it is not the end of the road for asthmatics as they can live active and healthy if they manage asthma properly by avoiding asthma triggers, regular intake of prescribed medications, being alert of the warnings and be aware of the ways to deal with an asthma attack.

There is a great consensus among the parents whether their children would outgrow asthma as they grow up. But the truth is it depends from child to child. While some children experience improvement in their teens others see asthma becoming even more severe. But almost half of the children who have asthma outgrow asthma as they grow although some symptoms may come back later.

Many parents have questions like whether their children can take part in sport activities. The answer is both yes and no. Some kids may get an asthma attack when they participate in exercises like running.

But with proper management a teenager suffering from asthma can actively participate in sports. Special aerobic exercises can improve airway function. This strengthens the breathing muscles.

Some of the ways that one can participate in sports is to follow the regimen of stretching the muscles prior to and after exercising, nose-breathe instead of breathing through the mouth and make sure that humidified air passes through the airways. Also parents should make sure that the adolescent has taken all prescribed medication supposed to be taken before they begin exercising.

Carrying a reliever is a must for asthmatic teens which would come handy if asthma attack occurs.

Asthmatic teenagers should make sure that they wear something over their mouth and nose to stop cold air from entering.

You can learn everything you need to know about Asthma in Adolescents here and what to do to manage it.

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Acne is nothing but a disorder involving sebaceous glands and hair follicles. Acne results from the clogging of sebaceous glands leading to the formation of pimples and cysts. The condition usually begins with the onset of puberty.

Going by the facts, as teens attain puberty the androgens also called male sex hormones are produced in high number leading to sebaceous glands becoming over active which results in sebum being produced in high proportions.

Sebum, which is nothing but oil is produced by sebaceous glands which travel to the skin surface through hair follicles. But, skin cells block the follicles which results in oil also being blocked.

When these hair follicles are blocked it results in the development of skin bacteria known as Propionibacterium Acnes within the follicles which in turn results in swelling of the skin called Acne. If the hair follicles are partially blocked it results in blackheads. If the follicles are completely blocked they result in whiteheads.

But if these plugged follicles are not treated they ultimately burst causing the oil, bacteria and skin cells to spill all over the skin resulting in irritation and formation of pimples. Acne can be shallow as well as deep in various individuals depending on the nature of skin and amount of oil produced.

There can be various causes why Acne forms. Apart from rising hormone levels due to puberty it can also be attributed to certain other factors like intake of drugs which contain lithium, barbiturates and corticosteroids.

Acne can also be caused due to excess grease and oil in the scalp, due to cooking oil and use of some cosmetics can actually alleviate the acne problem.

Acne problem many times is inherited also. Acne problem is worsened if the pimples are squeezed or scrubbed too hard.

Acne can form at any place of the body but they most commonly form in the areas where there sebaceous glands are present in high proportions like face, chest, shoulders, neck and upper back.

The symptoms may differ from person to person but commonly seen symptoms are: formation of blackheads, whiteheads, lesions filled with pus and which are very painful and lastly nodules.

One may get confused sometimes as symptoms of acne may be like some other skin condition and it is always advised to consult a doctor in this scenario.

There are lots of treatments available today to treat acne. The primary goal of the treatment is to reduce scars and better appearance.

There are various treatments and the doctor decides which specific treatment you need based on: the extent of acne problem, age, medical history, overall health, tolerance to specific medications and procedures, expectations and last but not the least what patients prefer.

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With rates of child depression and teen suicide soaring, there is a dire need of understanding what is happening with young boys and girls.

Parenting is not limited to providing material comforts and opportunities for learning. It also involves providing emotional support to children when they need it. Many teenagers break down during the college days. But the roots of such an incident are actually laid well before that age.

Teenagers go through a tough phase when they discover their real self and come to terms with their position in society. This is irrespective of caste, financial status or brilliance in a particular field. Parental intervention at this stage in helping the teenager to come to terms with reality can play an effective role. Support and guidance needs to come when the teenager begins to contemplate of certain issues.

If support is not made available in the initial stages, it is likely that the situation may develop into one of clinical depression or denial. Later, parental teen depression help may not be sufficient and professional help may need to be sought.

There is a subtle difference between teen depression in boys and girls. Depression in boys is mostly dependent on moods. Girls tend to be more prone to depression due to the typical manner on which females process information and react to stimuli. Parents need to guide their daughters to enable them to critically analyze the modern rules, some of them unspoken, of adolescence.

Girls are likely to be more emotional than boys. While boys tend to be casual about relationships that they develop with the opposite sex, girls tend to be more emotionally involved. This results in a disturbed state of mind when there is a break-up.

A friendly relationship with your daughter can help you explain to her about the various emotional upheavals you went through during your teenage, only to emerge happy and satisfied with your spouse.

It is difficult to generalize but mothers are better equipped to build up a friendly relationship with girls as they are likely to be open with mothers than with fathers for obvious reasons. However, close relationships between father and daughter is not an uncommon phenomenon. The best way to develop a good relationship with the daughter is through patient listening.

Talking about the various events at school, the pressures, stress and other events without being judgmental can help you identify early signs of depression. Try to respect the child's privacy and do not crowd her with too much inquisitiveness. Try to identify with her problem and let her know that you understand how difficult it can be. Also mention that all problems have a solution and they can be managed and solved.

An interesting study reveals that girls who smoke are at a 40% higher risk of developing depression. There is a great likelihood that smoking is an effort to self-medicate, just as drugs and alcohol, to get over depressive feelings.

Teenagers are very frugal in displaying their fears, sadness and resentment. It is only a keenly observant parent who can notice subtle signs of an impending problem.

While it is important for parents to learn about the risks and symptoms of teen depression in girls, they also need to learn about how to deal with it head-on.

Many diseases have a common symptom of fatigue but in the case of CFS, it is a multi-systemic disease.

CFS begins suddenly and mostly after the attack of cold, bronchitis, hepatitis or an intestinal bug. In some others CFS will be followed by the attack of infectious mononucleosis or mono which will drain out the energy temporarily from many teenagers and young adults.

In some cases the syndrome will start during a period high stress. This syndrome will develop gradually with out any clear illness and the symptoms of CFS will come and go frequently for more than six months.

The name of the syndrome shows that the illness is associated with fatigue but this fatigue is not the kind of fatigue normally people experience after a busy day or week, sleepless night or stressful event.

The fatigue of CFS is severe which cannot be improved after a bed rest and can be increased by physical or mental activity. CFS affects both the activity level and stamina of the person which in turn reduces the occupational, personal, social or educational activities.

The major or primary symptoms of CFS which lasts for at least six months used to diagnose CFS are cognitive difficulties, sleep problems, constant muscle pain, joint pain, and head aches, increased malaise followed by exertion, tender lymph nodes and sore throat.

Some of the patients will show symptoms such as bowel irritation, psychological problems, chills and night sweats, visual disturbances, allergies, brain fog and difficulty in maintaining upright position (dizziness, balance problems or fainting).

The seriousness of the syndrome is different from patient to patient as some people maintain fairly active lives while for most of the patients the syndrome limits the activities. The syndrome often has alternative periods between illness and relative well being.

The symptoms will reoccur in the case of patient who experiences reduction of symptoms partly or completely. The decrease in symptoms in patients will tempt them to overdo activities when they better which may worsen the condition.

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Teenagers are always plagued by many health problems triggered by many factors.

One of the basic issues during this stage is the peer pressure to maintain normal weight, and in much desired sense, every teenager prefers the anorexic-look.

Easy free weight loss for teens is not suppose to be an issue if only the word "discipline" is properly established in one's daily living. What can you expect of teens? They will do the worse by escaping meals, only to feel tired and haggard with the struggle of keeping a trim body.

The ways to do effective teen weight loss starts at home. Usually if the environment has erratic schedules, chances are the lifestyle is chaotic too, and in some way this can affect the management of food served. While teens are out, they end up taking dinner at fast food chains or they keep busy in front of TVs nibbling crackers.

Keeping a sensible book on calorie list is better than not knowing the count of each food indiscriminately taken. A teen can keep this somewhere while keeping track of each food consumption. Usually, unnecessary beverages also add a scale in the calorie list.

Ice cream is also one culprit in adding any excess weight to a complete daily diet. Imagine an approximate 450 calories per serving of ice cream, which already comprise almost the third of an average person's complete meal.

Being aware of every calorie count does serve as reminder of what could be taken constantly. In consistent use, one could even memorize the tabulation with ease.

If one is not aware, alcohols have high calorie content, yet it does not give potential benefit for the body.

Fruits and vegetables are important part of diet with lesser amount of calories yet vital in daily processes. Teens must not forget to take these food groups in larger quantities to help them with an efficient diet rather than fantasize on a big serving of french fries during outdoor activities. Cakes and fancy pastries are rich on oil, yet they can't fully satisfy the pang of hunger. A good serving of natural cereals for breakfast is a good start for the day.

Easy and free teen weight loss program should be the focus in getting trim. Advertisements are sometimes the culprit on why teens plunge with different systems of weight loss, which are not necessary for such a tender age.

Usually, product lines of diet pills and tablets may sound encouraging because of the promise of instant effect and false scripted testimonials that go along with ads. A chubby teen would find it tempting to try any methods just to look sexy on a prom night.

It is quite funny to see and hear several varying stories on gaining and losing weight from people of all walks of life. Each is unique, however, it will really tickle your thoughts on why there are dozens of ineffective methods?

People come and go, thin, and fat sharing their side of experiences. You will realize, there is no perfect universal diet regimen for everyone. There is only one universal truth about staying trim the cheapest way, and that is taking a close study on what you eat.

It means, the only key to permanent weight loss is still the motivation to limit the amount of food taken, plus knowing the right energy (calorie) each food contains for consumption. One must really digest this idea and sit down to think over or reflect on how stubborn most people are in terms of eating habits.