Pregnancies & Sexually Transmitted Diseases on the Rise Among Teens

More teenagers and young adults are having sex, sparking an increase in teen births in both 2006 and 2007, and putting an end to more than a decade of significant decline. In fact, nearly three quarters of a million pregnancies occurred among American females under the age of 20 in 2004 that reversed the downward trend from 1991 to 2004.

To make matters work, sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young Americans are also on the rise. The annual rate of AIDS cases among boys ages 15 to 19 has almost doubled over the past decade, while the number of syphilis diagnoses are up among both teens and young adults. In addition, almost a quarter of teen girls aged 15 to 19 were infected with a human papilomavirus (HPV) from 2003 to 2004, as were almost half of young women between the ages of 20 and 25.

The troubling news comes from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in their Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report. The report was based on data compiled during the years 2002 through 2007 that was gathered from the National Vital Statistics System, the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, the National Survey of Family Growth and studies of hundreds of thousands children and young adults ranging in age from 10 to 25.

According to the report, the numbers indicate that the American youth is in need of better sex education that includes emphasis on STD and pregnancy prevention. In the report, the CDC writes, “The data presented in this report indicate that many young persons in the United States engage in sexual risk behavior and experience negative reproductive health outcomes.”

The report found that although more than 80 percent of boys and girls reported having received formal instruction before age 18 on how to say no to sex, among those 18 to 19 years of age, only 49.8 percent of girls and just 35 percent of boys had discussed methods of birth control with a parent. In general, nearly 70 percent of teen girls as well as 66 percent of boys reported receiving instruction on methods of birth control.

Other discoveries included that for boys ages 15 to 17, about 32 percent had engaged in sex compared to thirty percent of girls in the same age range. However, among those ages 18 to 19, almost 65 percent of boys and 71 percent of girls had experienced sex. Disturbingly, nearly 10 percent of young women ranging from 18 to 24 years reported that their first intercourse had been involuntary. About 100,000 females among the age range of 10 to 24 were treated in hospital emergency departments for non-fatal sexual assault injuries during the period between 2004 and 2006.

Among those sexually active teens, infections with the human immune deficiency virus that causes AIDS rose from 1.3 cases per 100,000 in 1997 to 2.5 cases in 2006 among boys aged 15 to 19. The syphilis rates among females aged 15 to 19 increased from 1.5 cases per 100,000 in 2004 to 2.2 cases per 100,000 in 2006 after having significantly declined between 1997 and 2005. Gonorrhea infections rates have leveled off after decreasing for more than two decades. Approximately 1 million American teens and young adults ages 10 to 24 reported contracting chlamydia, gonorrhea or syphilis in 2006, accounting for nearly half of all incident sexually transmitted diseases and 25 percent of the sexually active population.

The researchers concluded from their findings, “The sexual and reproductive health of America's young persons remains an important public health concern,” and also noted, “Earlier progress appears to be slowing and perhaps reversing."

Breast Cancer Prevention for Young Women: EARLY Act and HALO Test

On the heels of October’s National Breast Cancer Awareness Month, legislators are often looking for ways to beat the cancer before it has a chance to take over the patient’s body…with awareness. Capitol Hill was recently the host of a congressional reception as a move to garner attention for the EARLY Act, an attempt to spread breast cancer information and prevention to young women.

Although breast cancer affects men and women alike—with 35,000 cases affecting women under the age of 50—most people think they do not have to worry about breast cancer until well into middle age, which is why testing for breast cancer among young adults has never been a priority, until now. NeoMatrix and its Chair of the Clinical Advisory Panel is taking the forefront on the campaign to get the EARLY Act into effect and is dedicated to providing information and resources about the HALO Breast Pap Test.

Kathryn Tunstall, NeoMatrix’s Chair, has battled cancer twice and took a leadership role in this cause by creating the EARLY Act website and explaining why early detection is crucial to living cancer-free: “I was able to survive and thrive after breast cancer, thanks to excellent care and advances in detection and treatment.” Tunstall continued by saying that both of these websites offer resources needed to keep young women out of the danger zone, “If young women know their breast cancer risk and demand proper screening, this will ultimately change the equation of breast cancer. We can reduce the terrible toll this disease takes on women and families.”

The EARLY Act strives to fund education ($9 million over 5 years) for women under the age of 45 on the importance of testing, breast cancer risks, and regular screenings. This act would also help young women in need who are already diagnosed. National breast cancer organizations like the Susan G. Komen Foundation as well as a huge following in the House of Representatives and the Senate has helped the EARLY Act become reality.

President of the American Society of Breast Disease, Dr. Gail Lebovic, sees the high volume of support as a good sign, “During my time as a breast surgeon, we have seen advances in breast cancer risk assessment such as HALO, in detection through digital mammography, and in the development of much better surgical treatments and breast reconstruction. The EARLY Act would make many more women aware of these advances and how they can benefit from them….I can’t imagine why anyone would be against this legislation.”

The HALO Breast Pap Test, is an alternative form of testing breast cancer risk, has a low-cost and is a lot less uncomfortable than a standard mammogram—even though they are still recommended by doctors. With 70 percent of women being diagnosed with breast cancer after having no identifiable risk factors and one out of every 8 women contracting breast cancer in their lifetime, now is the time for better, safer, and more accurate tests for earlier detection. At five minutes total test time, this noninvasive test determines a patient’s risk for developing the disease over time by using heated massaging breast cups to collect nipple fluid. HALO is safe and can be repeated over and over again with no side effects. By helping to find smaller, low-stage tumors, HALO could be the angel to breast cancer’s devil. As the first completely automated testing device, HALO may revolutionize the way doctors, patients, and families look at breast cancer detection and how women look at their breasts.

Check out the information on the EARLY Act and HALO for yourself and be hopeful that early detection and new, exciting technology could be the stepping stones to a cure keeping breast cancer off our chests for good.

Second Wave of H1N1 Flu Underway

It’s a subject you’ve already heard a great deal about, and one that won’t be going away anytime soon—the H1N1 flu virus. Widespread flu activity is already being reported in 37 states, virtually all due to H1N1. Across the nation, flu-related doctor visits, hospitalizations and deaths are increasing and are higher than expected for this time of year. From August 30 to October 3, there were 3,874 laboratory-confirmed influenza associated hospitalizations, 240 laboratory-confirmed influenza associated deaths, 12,384 pneumonia and influenza syndrome-based hospitalizations and 1,544 pneumonia and influenza syndrome deaths reported to the CDC. The agency is also reporting 19 influenza-associated pediatric deaths in the past week; 16 of which were associated with H1N1 virus infection and three with influenza A virus for which subtype was undetermined.

As the number of H1N1 flu cases continues to rise, government health officials continue to urge the public to consider getting vaccinated against both swine flu and seasonal flu. “Unfortunately we are seeing more illness, more hospitalizations, and more deaths,” Dr. Anne Schuchat, director of the CDC’s National Center for Immunization and Respiratory Diseases, said in a recent H1N1 briefing. “We are now up to 76 children having died” from swine flu this year; many more already, she said, than the typical toll from influenza in years past.

At the briefing, Schuchat also addressed concerns she knows exist about the new vaccine. “Some people have reservations, they aren’t really sure about this vaccine,” she said. But a recent Associated Press-GfK poll suggests that a large majority of Americans have concerns about the vaccine. The AP poll, conducted October 1-5, found 72 percent of those surveyed are worried about side effects, although more than half say that wouldn’t stop them from getting the vaccine to protect their kids from the new flu. And 38 percent of parents said they were unlikely to give permission for their kids to be vaccinated at school.

“I would say there is moderate concern about the safety of it (H1N1 vaccine),” says Wally Ghurabi, DO, chief of emergency services at Santa Monica-UCLA and Orthopedic Hospital in California and a member of the H1N1 Steering Committee for the University of California Los Angeles. He says “someone always brings up Guillain-Barre,” a neurological condition that was linked with a previous swine flu vaccine manufactured in 1976. However, experts argue that the link was not clear and point out that vaccine production has greatly improved since then, as has testing for contaminants, which may have explained the link. Ghurabi’s advice is for patients to weigh the pros and cons, taking their risk into account. For instance, “if you are caring for a two-month old baby or are pregnant, you are in a high risk group,” he says.

But federal officials say the H1N1 vaccine is made the same way as seasonal flu vaccines that have been used for years. “This isn’t a new vaccine,” Schuchat said. “The vaccine is being manufactured exactly the same way as the seasonal flu vaccine. It is basically a vaccine made against the H1N1 instead of the seasonal viruses (expected to circulate in the upcoming season). Based on everything we know now, we are expecting a good safety record for H1N1.”

The federal government has purchased 250 million doses of the 2009 H1N1 vaccine at a cost of $2 billion, and as of Friday 3.7 million doses have been ordered by states and the District of Columbia, according to Schuchat. She says in all, 6.8 million doses are now available and production is continuing, but exactly when the H1N1 vaccine will be available in a given community is hard to predict. The CDC has recommended that certain at-risk populations, including pregnant women, health care providers and individuals with underlying chronic medical conditions such as asthma, receive the new H1N1 vaccine as a priority before the general population.

What are the health reasons for wearing pantyhose?

Many people say they wear pantyhose for health reasons. I wear hose several days a week. Hose does make my legs feel better and feel less tired and less sore at the end of the day but why? Why are pantyhose "healthy"?

ANSWER:
Pantyhose are tight around the legs and helps to apply pressure to assist the veins in pushing blood up the legs. Thus improving blood circulation in the legs. Hence legs feel less tired, achy. For better effect, wear support pantyhose. Important thing is to get the right size ... too small would mean it is too tight and may not help in the blood circulation.

I wear support pantyhose with control top everyday ... my legs feels great, not only look great (smooth with even tan).

http://pantyhose-legwear-fashion.blogspot.com/

ANSWER:

Adding on to what has already been written here, lymphatic flow is also improved to a degree, not as much as a massage, but a good replication. Good lymphatic flow is essential to healthy legs.

ANSWER:

There good for tired aching legs caused from alot of standing up,they also help prevent and provide relief from vericous veins,they also promote better blood circulation,(recomended for diabetics)they also recomend you wear them when flying for circulatory reasons.

ANSWER:

Pantyhose ( the ones with a little extra support ) help support the blood vessels in the legs to prevent their breakdown causing varicose veins .

ANSWER:

Pantyhose are indeed medicinal items. You can find more about this item specified here: http://www.myhealth-forum.com/

ANSWER:

Most of them have been covered already but I have a male friend who gets relief from RLS (Restless Leg Syndrome) when he wears support type pantyhose.

ANSWER:

I should not wear mine: guys are always hurting their necks.

Easy Orgasm for Women with Positive Body Image

Women who feel more positively about their genitals find it easier to orgasm and are more likely to engage in sexual health promoting behaviours, finds a new study.

They are more likely to undergo regular gynecological exams or perform vulvar self-examinations.

"These are important findings about body image," said Debby Herbenick, associate director of the Centre for Sexual Health Promotion in the School of Health, Physical Education and Recreation.

"Our culture often portrays women's genitals as dirty and in need of cleaning and grooming. Some women may have had greater exposure to such negative messages or may be more susceptible to their impact," she added.

During the study, Herbenick and colleagues created a scale for measuring men's and women's attitudes toward women's genitals.

Such a scale, she wrote in the study, could be useful in sex therapy, in medical settings to help better understand decision-making that goes into gynecological care and treatment, and in health education settings involving women and their sexual health.

The study found that men had more positive attitudes about women's genitals than women.

"Women are often more critical about their own bodies-and other women's bodies-than men are," said Herbenick.

"What we found in this study is that men generally feel positive about a variety of aspects of women's genitals including how they look, smell, taste and feel," she added.

Herbenick said that parents might consider how they can help their daughters to feel more positively about their bodies, such as by teaching them accurate names for their body parts, including their genitals (e.g., "vulva" rather than "down there") and responding in supportive ways to their self-exploration.

"Rather than saying, 'don't touch down there-it's dirty,' parents might let their children know that it's OK for them to touch their genitals, but in private spaces such as their own bedroom or the bathroom," Herbenick added.

The study appears in International Journal of Sexual Health.

Are You Prepared for Flu Season?

Well, it is just about that time of year again: flu season. No one is really ever ready for it, but it is better to be prepared early than to catch the flu and regret it later. The flu is a type of contagious respiratory illness that is caused by influenza viruses. Most of the time it is a mild illness, but in some cases it can be more severe and at times even cause death. The best way to prevent against the seasonal flu is by getting a seasonal flu vaccination annually.

Each year, on average, in the United States:

Approximately 5 to 20 percent of the population catches the flu.
More than 200,000 of the people are hospitalized from complications from the flu.
Approximately 36,000 people die from flu-related causes each year.
Some people, such as the elderly, women who are pregnant, young children, and people that have certain health conditions (such as heart disease, asthma, or diabetes), are at an increased risk for developing serious complications from the seasonal flu. This flu season, the scientists believe that the new and very difficult flu virus (called Novel 2009 H1N1) could cause a lot more people to get sick than during a normal flu season. The vaccine for H1N1 is said to start shipping out in mid-October. The side effects of the vaccine are expexted to be very rare, and if there are any they will be similar to the regular seasonal flu vaccine.

Seasonal Flu Symptoms:

Dry cough
Stuffy or runny nose
Aching muscles
Fever that is often high
Extreme fatigue
Sore throat
Headache
Sometimes stomach symptoms such as nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea can occur, but these symptoms are seen more in children than adults. Some of the people who have gotten the new H1N1 flu virus have reported vomiting and diarrhea as some of the symptoms.

Complications of the flu can include such things as ear infections, dehydrations, pneumonia, sinus infections, and worsening of any chronic medical conditions, such as asthma, congestive heart failure, or diabetes.

How the Flu Spreads
The flu viruses are thought to spread mainly from person to person through a sneeze or cough by a person that has the influenza virus. Sometimes, touching something that has the flu viruses on it and then touching your nose or mouth may cause infection. Healthy adults may be able to infect others beginning as soon as one day before symptoms develop and up to 5-7 days after getting sick. This means that you may be able to pass on the flu to someone else and never even know you are sick, as well as while you are sick.

Preventing the Seasonal Flu: Getting Vaccinated
The best way to prevent getting sick with the flu is to have a seasonal flu vaccination every year. There are two types of flu vaccines being produced:

The traditional “flu shot”: This is an inactivated vaccine (which contains killed virus) that is given though a needle. This shot is approved for use in people ages 6 months and older, including healthy people as well as people with chronic medical conditions.
The nasal-spray flu vaccine: This is a vaccine that is made with live, weakened flu viruses that do not cause you to get the flu (sometimes called LAIV for “Live Attenuated Influenza Vaccine”). LAIV is approved for people who are ages 2-49 that are healthy and not pregnant.
Approximately two weeks after the vaccination, antibodies begin to develop that help protect against influenza virus infection. The seasonal flu vaccines will not protect against flu-like illnesses that are caused by non-influenza viruses.

Annual seasonal flu vaccinations should begin to be given in September, or as soon as it is available, and continue throughout the flu season into December, January, and beyond. This time frame is flexible because the duration and timing of flu season varies from year to year. While seasonal flu outbreaks can happen as early as October, generally the peak of flu activity is in January or later.

In general, anyone who would like to reduce his or her chances of getting the seasonal flu can get vaccinated. However, there are certain people who should get vaccinated every year either because they are at a very high risk of having serious flu-related complications or because they live with or care for people with a high risk. During the flu season when the supply of vaccine supplies are limited, the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) makes the recommendations regarding the priority groups to receive the vaccination.

Children who are age 6 months up to their 19th birthday
Women who are pregnant
People who are 50 years of age and older
People of any age that have certain chronic medical conditions
People that live in nursing homes and other long-term care facilities
People that live with or care for people that are at high risk for complication from the flu, which include:
Health care workers
Household contact of people at high risk for complications due to the flu
Household contacts and out of home caregivers of children that are less that 6 months of age (these children are too young to receive the vaccination)

The vaccination using the nasal-spray flu vaccine is only an option for healthy people that are between the ages of 2 to 49 who are not pregnant and even healthy people that live with or care for those in the high-risk group. The one exception is healthy people that have severely weakened immune systems that require a protected environment. These people should get the inactivated flu vaccination. (A nasal spray vaccine to help protect against the seasonal flu will not protect you against the new H1N1 flu. A new vaccine to protect against the H1N1 flu is being produced.)

Who Should Not Receive the Vaccination?
Some people should never be vaccinated without first consulting their doctor. They include:

People that have a severe allergy to chicken eggs.
People that have had a severe reaction to an influenza vaccination in the past.
People that have developed Guillian-Barre syndrome (GBS) within 6 weeks of receiving an influenza vaccine previously.
Children that are less than 6 months of age (the influenza vaccine is not approved for use in this young age group).
People who suffer from a moderate or severe illness with a fever should wait to get vaccinated until their symptoms start to lessen.

If you have any question regarding whether you should get a flu vaccine, you should consult your health care provider.

Tanning Beds Deemed Deadly Cancer Risks

The pursuit of the perfect tan could be much more costly than you think. According to experts from the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) in Lyon, France, tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation carry a cancer risk that is equivalent to cigarettes. The IARC, a part of the World Health Organization (WHO), has now re-classified UV tanning beds to the highest possible cancer risk category known as "carcinogenic to humans."

Scientists have long suspected that tanning beds and ultraviolet radiation were probable carcinogens, and the results of the recent analysis performed by IARC offer proof that this is true. The analysis reviewed about 20 studies to reach the conclusion that the risk of skin cancer is increased by 75 percent when individuals use tanning beds prior to reaching the age of 30.

Although it was previously believed that only one type of ultraviolet radiation was lethal, the experts also discovered that all types of ultraviolet radiation caused disturbing mutations in mice, offering more proof that the radiation is carcinogenic. The research was published online in the medical journal Lancet Oncology.

The new classification puts tanning beds and other sources of ultraviolet radiation in the same top cancer risk category as tobacco, the hepatitis B virus and chimney sweeping, which are all known to be definite causes of cancer. The IARC says that most lights that are used in tanning beds produce ultraviolet radiation that causes skin and eye cancer.

According to Vincent Cogliano, a member of the research team, “People need to be reminded of the risks of sunbeds.” He then added, “We hope the prevailing culture will change so teens don't think they need to use sunbeds to get a tan.” Cogliano also warned that all ultraviolet radiation is unhealthy, whether it comes from a tanning bed or the sun.

Dan Humiston, president of the Indoor Tanning Association (ITA) expressed doubt about the recent finding. He said, “The fact that the IARC has put tanning bed use in the same category as sunlight is hardly newsworthy.” He went on to explain, “The UV light from a tanning bed is equivalent to UV light from the sun, which has had a group 1 classification since 1992. Some other items in this category are red wine, beer and salted fish. The ITA has always emphasized the importance of moderation when it comes to UV light from either the sun or a tanning bed.”

Kathy Banks, chief executive of The Sunbed Association, a European trade association of tanning bed makers and operators, disputed the new classification. In a statement she said, “The fact that is continuously ignored is that there is no proven link between the responsible use of sunbeds and skin cancer.” She also noted that people who use tanning beds use do so less than 20 times per year.

However, as the use of tanning beds has significantly increased among people under age 30, physicians have observed a rise in the skin cancer. In fact, prior studies have shown that younger people who use tanning beds on a regular basis have an eight time greater likelihood to develop melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer, when compared to those who have never used them. One case in point is that melanoma is now the leading type of cancer diagnosed in Britain for Women in their twenties. Until now, the WHO warned only people younger than 18 to avoid using tanning beds.

According to Dr. Len Lichtenfeld, deputy chief medical officer at the American Cancer Society, “This new report confirms and extends the prior recommendation of the American Cancer Society that the use of tanning beds is dangerous to your health, and should be avoided.”

Instead of using a tanning bed, the American Cancer Society advises people to use bronzing or self-tanning creams. The organization has reported that in 2008, approximately 62,000 new cases of melanoma were diagnosed in the United States, with about 8,000 people losing their lives to the deadly cancer.