Understanding Teenager Depression

Teenagers nowadays faced tremendous pressure. Teenagers need to handle the hormonal changes of puberty, deal with peer pressures, major exams and at the same time, figure out about the transition to adult in their social roles. These demands can be overwhelming for some teenagers and can cause depression.

There are some early warning signs of depression that parents should know about. These include:

• Social withdrawal
• Loss of appetite
• Sleeping disorder
• Deliberate self-harm
• Lack of energy
• Loss of interest in previously enjoyed activities
• Deteriorating school results
• Problems paying attention during class
• Recurring complaints of physical problems, such as headaches and stomach aches
• Unusual aggression or reckless behavior

Teenager depression may be caused by a combination of genetic and external factors.
A family history of depression, could indicate a predisposition for teenager depression. External factors such as traumatic experiences, relationship problems, exam and study stress could increase the risk of depression.


A key factor in resisting depression is resilience. Learning how to cope with life's stress and the availability of social support are important for increasing a teen's resilience to depression.

The two main treatment for depression is psychotherapy and medication. A combination of psychotherapy and medication has been shown to be most effective. However, in the case of young patients, psychotherapy is preferred.
Psychotherapy aims to increase resilience by helping the teen to think more positively and learn how to deal with his or her problems.

When necessary, in severe cases, antidepressant medications may protect against the effects of stress factor. Antidepressant drugs can also correct biochemical imbalances in the brain which may be causing depression.

Early treatment of teenager depression offers the best hope of recovery. So do not mistake teenage depression for teen angst or teenager attitude problems. It is important to seek professional advice if you suspect that your child needs help for depression.

If you have to deal with a teenager who has depression, show your support in the following manner:

• Be patient. Do not apportion blame.
• Encourage your child to seek help from a doctor or counselor
• If your child is prescribed antidepressant medication, make sure that he or she takes the right dose regularly.
• Monitor your child closely. Watch for any mood changes for the worse. If your child starts talking about suicide, seek professional help immediately.

Health Screening For Women Above 40

Hit the dreaded 4O? Have no fear, life is still good at 40s, 50s and even the 60s. But you have to watch your health to be able to enjoy the good life. Health screening is important for women above 40. They are more prone to chronic diseases such as diabetes, osteoporosis, hypertension and hyperlipiademia. There is also an increased risk of contracting cancers such as breast cancer, cervical, uterine, ovarian, colorectum and lng cancer. Women above 40 are more susceptible because of the change in metabolism and the loss of the protective effective of oestrogen upon reaching menopause.

Health screening for women above 40 should include the normal battery of tests. Namely, ECG for th eheart, chest X-ray, blood sugat test, yearly pap smear and ultrasound scanning of the pelvis. Older women should also go for mammogram and bone density test. For women above 50, an annual fecal occult blood test is advised. Ideally, a colonoscopy should be done every 3 - 5 years.

Of course, health screening is only for detection. Prevention is equally important and that mean living a healthy lifestyle - quit smoking, eating a proper diet and exercise regularly.

What are the Symptoms of Scarlet Fever

Scarlet fever is caused by a bacteria. The symptoms are scarlet fever are sore throat, fever, muscle aches, abdominal pain and vomitting. It is characterised by a bright red tongue with a "strawberry" appearance.

In June 2011, Hong Kong declared a Scarlet Fever epidemic. The disease had affected mainland China and Macau as well. With more than 470 reported cases in 6 months and 2 deaths, Hong Kong had raised the alert. The disease strike children more, especially those below 10-years old.
 
It is advisable to consult a doctor if your child has the symptoms of scarlet fever. 

Elbow Pain

Imagine that! I get tennis elbow by playing game on my smart phone!

Well, I learnt a lot about elbow pain from that experience. It has been about 2 months and my elbow is just beginning to feel normal. I guess I did not get enough rest.

What to do for Tennis Elbow?

Rest the forearm, Ice the painful area for 15 min every 2 hours. Repeat about 3 times. Compress the area. I bought a elastic strap for this purpose. It is useful especially when I need to use the forearm muscles.

I found out that Tennis Elbow in my case, is caused by unaccustomed use of the wrist extensor muscles.

The other common cause of Tennis Elbow is really by playing tennis - but using improper techniques such as excessive wrist force during backhand or using too heavy a racket.

Age is also a factor or rather lack of strength and flexibility in the arms and wrist. So it is good to work up gradually when playing tennis.

I also found out that a similar condition is called Golfer's Elbow. Caused by playing golf but for the same wrong reasons.

My recovery take a while because I did not follow the recommendation. Maybe it will work for you.

In the first 3 days, stretch your forearm extensor and flexor muscles by doing this. Straighten your arm, palm down and pull down your fingers. Feel the stretch in your forearm. Hold for 20 seconds and repeat 5 times. Next turn your palm upwards and pull your fingers upward. Again hold for 20 seconds and repeat 5 times.

In the 4th to 10th day, do strengthening exercises using a light weight. Isolate the extensor and flexor muscles by resting your wrist on your knee while sitting down. Lift the weight using your wrist with your free hand holding your wrist. Lift the weight with your palm facing up. Do it slowly and hold for 2 seconds before lowering. Repeat 15 times to complete a set. Do 3 sets each day. That would strengthen the flexor muscle. Repeat the process with your palm facing down to exercise the extensor muscle.

Preventing Heart Disease: Information for Parent

Parents, you need to take good care of yourself in order to be able to look after your children. Heart disease is one of the biggest health risk for parent. It can lead to heart attack, stroke or simply a lower quality of life. The good news is that heart disease is preventable. Many experts acknowledge that some risk factors such as gender, genetics and aging are not controllable. However, those factors that can be controlled, can make the difference in heart disease prevention. Preventing heart disease is simply a matter of changing one's lifestyle and diet. It is a combination of actions to keep healthy, avoid obesity, maintaining normal blood pressure as well as blood sugar level. The latter two are major risk factors for heart disease. So if you are sufferring from hypertension or diabetes, you would also need to tackle this problem in order to prevent heart disease. You should stick to a proper diet and your medications if prescribed by a doctor.

The main watch area for many parents is obesity. Obesity must be combat in order to avoid heart disease, even for your children. Combating obesity must be complemented by a proper diet for proper nutrition. A proper diet should include consuming adequate fruits, vegetables and natural fibers.

Dietary supplements, which contain antioxidants, vitamin B and folic acid, can help to maintain a good healthy heart. Try mangosteen puree as a diet supplement. It is rich in antioxidants, vitamin B and folic acid. Antioxidants destroy free radicals thereby preventing damage to cells, which can cause arteriosclerotic heart disease. Vitamin B and folic acid help keep homocysteine low. A high homocysteine level contribute to the casual of arteriosclerotic heart disease.

Heart disease prevention is possible and easy. By maintaining the right lifestyle and diet, you are enhancing your good protection against heart disease.



Radiation Risk for Children From Japan Nuclear Crisis

11 Mar 11, a 9.0 earthquake struck Japan, triggering a monster tsunami. Among the damages caused by the twin disasters were Japan's nuclear rector plant. With their cooling system damaged and the back up generators swept away, several of the reactor overheated. Subsequent attempts to cool the reactors induced hydrogen explosions which blew off the roof of one of the plant near Fukushima. At the time of this writing, radioactive steam has been released into the environment and the crisis has yet to be resolved. The radioactive materials spewed into the air may contaminate food and water resources. As a parent, I am most concerned as children and unborn babies are most at risk of possibly developing various kinds of cancer such as thyroid cancer, bone cancer and leukaemia. Children and foetuses are especially vulnerable.

The radioactive material is held in air by minute moisture droplets. It can be directly inhaled or get into the body through food and water. Radioactive material will be washed down by rain into the sea and onto soil, and eventually contaminate crops, marine life and drinking water. Children are especially vulnerable because of cow's milk. Grazing cows will pick up radioactive material that lands over a wide area of pasture. These  radioactive particles very easily are concentrated and pass into the milk.

Severe HFMD Cases

Lately, there was a reported rise in the number of severe HFMD (Hand Foot Mouth Disease) caused by the Enterovirus (EV71). The increase in the circulation of Enterovirus 71 (EV71) among HFMD patients was reported in many country around the world. While HFMD is generally a mild and self-limiting childhood disease, those caused by EV71 are usually more severe in nature and can lead to complications and even death. Countries such as China, Hong Kong, Japan, Singapore and Taiwan, have recently experienced HFMD outbreaks caused by EV71.

It is important to maintain high standards of personal and environmental hygiene to minimise the risk of HFMD. Parents should ensure that their children adopt proper hygiene practices such as washing of hands with soap before eating and after going to the toilet; covering mouth and nose with a tissue when coughing or sneezing. Throw the tissue away after use immediately. Do not allow children to share eating utensils. Parents should also ensure that their children's toys that can be contaminated by nasal or oral secretions are cleaned regularly.