Health
The way that you take care of your physical health is directly related to how you feel mentally. Things like diet, stress and exercise have a huge impact on the way we respond to life. The information that you’ll find here will give you advice on living a healthy life.
Health
Health Hotlines/Resources – V1
Read moreIf you need more information ….
Health and Wellness
- Nutrition.gov is a USDA-sponsored website that offers credible information to help you make healthful eating choices. It serves as a gateway to reliable information on nutrition, healthy eating, physical activity, and food safety for consumers.
- The Go Ask Alice! site is supported by a team of Columbia University health promotion specialists, health care providers, and other health professionals, along with a staff of information and research specialists and writers. Our team members have advanced degrees in public health, health education, medicine, counseling, and a number of other relevant fields.
- Kids Health is a nonprofit children’s health system. “Our goal is to help parents, kids, and teens take charge of their health. We aim to give families the tools and confidence to make the best health choices.”
- Eat Right Academy represents more than 100,000 credentialed practitioners — registered dietitian nutritionists, dietetic technicians, registered, and other dietetics and nutrition professionalss holding undergraduate and advanced degrees in nutrition and dietetics, and students — and is committed to improving the nation’s health and advancing the profession of dietetics through research, education and advocacy.
- Nationwide Nutrition Hotline (800-366-1655)
Eating Disorders
- American Anorexic and Bulimia Association
- National Association of Anorexia Nervosa
- Eating Disorders Awareness and Prevention (800-931-2237)
- Eating Disorders Center
- Eating Disorders Referral and Information Center
- Mirror Mirror
- UCLA Eating Disorders (310-825-0511)
- Overeaters Anonymous
Family Health Care
Local Hospitals
Resources
Sleep
STDs
- AIDs Health Care Foundation
- California AIDs Hotline
- CDC National STD Hotline (800-227-8922)
- AIDs Service Center
- Northeast Valley Health Corp
Eating Disorders
Read moreWhat is an eating disorder?
An eating disorder is an obsession with food and weight that harms a person’s well-being. Although we all worry about our weight sometimes, people who have an eating disorder go to extremes to keep from gaining weight. There are 2 main eating disorders: anorexia nervosa and bulimia.
What are the differences between anorexia and bulimia?
Anorexia: People who have anorexia are obsessed with being thin. They don’t want to eat, and they are afraid of gaining weight. They may constantly worry about how many calories they take in or how much fat is in their food. They may take diet pills, laxatives or water pills to lose weight. They may exercise too much. People who have anorexia usually think they’re fat even though they’re very thin. They may get so thin that they look like they’re sick.
Bulimia: Bulimia is eating a lot of food at once (called bingeing), and then throwing up or using laxatives to remove the food from the body (called purging). After a binge, some bulimics fast (don’t eat) or overexercise to keep from gaining weight. People who have bulimia may also use water pills, laxatives or diet pills to “control” their weight. People who have bulimia often try to hide their bingeing and purging. They may hide food for binges. People who have bulimia are usually close to normal weight, but their weight may go up and down.
What are some warning signs:
The following are possible warning signs of anorexia and bulimia:
- Unnatural concern about body weight (even if the person is not overweight)
- Obsession with calories, fat grams and food
- Use of any medicines to keep from gaining weight (diet pills, laxatives, water pills)
More serious warning signs may be harder to notice because people who have an eating disorder try to keep it secret. Watch for these signs:
- Throwing up after meals
- Refusing to eat or lying about how much was eaten
- Fainting
- Overexercising
- Not having periods
- Increased anxiety about weight
- Calluses or scars on the knuckle (from forced throwing up)
- Denying that there is anything wrong
Can eating disorders be treated?
Yes. For people who have anorexia, the first step is getting back to a normal weight. If you’re malnourished or very thin, you may be put in the hospital. Your doctor will probably want you to see a dietitian to learn how to pick healthy foods and eat at regular times. For both people who have anorexia and bulimia, family and individual counseling (talking about your feelings about your weight and problems in your life) is helpful.
Statistics on Eating Disorders:
- Nationwide, 12.3% of high school students had gone without eating for 24 hours or more to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight during the last 30 days.
2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
- During the last 30 days, 6.3% of students nationwide had taken diet pills, powders, or liquids without a doctor’s advice to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight.
2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
- Nationwide, 4.5% of students had vomited or taken laxatives to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight during the last 30 days. Overall the prevalence of having vomited or taken laxatives to lose weight or to keep from gaining weight was higher among female (6.2%) than male (2.8%) students.
2005 CDC Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance
- Approximately 1-2% of late adolescent or adult women suffer from bulimia.
Academy for Eating Disorders
- One percent (1%) of female adolescents suffer from anorexia. In other words, 1 out of every 100 young women between 10-20 years old is starving herself, sometimes to death.
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
- Four percent (4%), or 4 out of 100, college-age women have bulimia.
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
- About 50% of people who have been anorexic develop bulimia or bulimic patterns.
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
- About 31% of American teenage girls and 28% of boys are somewhat overweight.
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
- An additional 15% of American teen girls and nearly 14% of teen boys are obese.
Anorexia Nervosa and Related Eating Disorders
Acne
Read moreAcne, commonly known as zits or blemishes, refers to plugged pores (either blackheads or whiteheads), pimples and deeper lumps (such as cysts or nodules) that can form on all areas of the upper body. Most teenagers suffer from this skin condition, but the disease is not limited by age. Adults up to their 40s may still have acne breakouts. The effects of acne are not threatening, but permanent scarring can occur.
Treatment of light acne
If you get an occasional zit or two, do not worry; it’s nothing serious. However, to prevent such mild breakouts, lightly wash your face twice a day with soap and water. Over-the-counter treatment products can be effective in quickly eliminating light cases of acne. They can be found at any drug store.
Warning signs for severe cases
If you develop a case of ache that meets any of the following criteria, you may wish to consult a dermatologist:
- Nonprescription treatment products fail to cure the acne
- Acne causes problems in your social life
- Scarring occurs
- Your acne causes you physical pain
- If you are a dark skinned person, your acne cases dark patches to appear
Causes of Acne
- Extreme stress and some stress medications
- Hormones
- Skin bacteria (scientifically known as P. acnes)
- Dead skin
Treatments
- Dermatologist (to locate a dermatologist near you, click here: http://www.aad.org/findaderm_intro.html
- Comedo Extraction: Comedo is the medical term for blackheads and whiteheads. Extraction of comedos should be performed only by a doctor under sterile conditions when other treatments have failed. You should not attempt to extract your comedos by popping or picking.
- Light Chemical Peels: a dermatologist may use glycolic acid and other chemicals to attempt to loosen blackheads and decrease acne.
Myths about Acne
- Sun tanning cures acne. Exposure to ultraviolet light may hide blemishes, but tanning increases the risk of more serious skin conditions, such as melanoma.
- Poor hygiene causes acne. Dirt and surface oils do not cause acne. In fact, the irritation caused by excessive scrubbing can result in breakouts. Instead, gentle face washes twice a day are recommended.
- A bad diet results in acne. Pizza, French fries, chocolate and all the other greasy foods we love to eat are not related to acne in any way. However, eating healthy is always a good thing to do, regardless.
- Acne is just a cosmetic disease. No one has ever died of acne; that is true. However, the effects of acne can be experienced in more ways than merely your physical appearance. Self-esteem can be greatly diminished because of acne, social withdrawal may occur and can even result in anger and depression.
Links
- Information about acne geared toward teens: Kidshealth
Confidentiality
The Youth Project prides itself on creating a safe, non-judgmental and confidential setting in which students speak freely and can be assured that the stories they share remain private. However, all students are informed that we are a mandated reporting agency, meaning: if we have reasonable suspicion that a child (under the age of 18) has been mistreated, we are required to file a report with the necessary agencies.
We will report when a student shares information on:
Physical Abuse, Emotional Abuse, Harm to Themselves, Sexual Abuse, Neglect, Harm to Others
Confidentiality:
All sessions are confidential. However, we are a mandated reporting agency and if a student expresses a desire to harm himself or others or if there is reason to suspect child abuse or neglect, we are obligated to report to the appropriate agency. ALL STUDENTS are reminded of this before every session.***