Apr 9 2007, 12:00 PM EST
News source: Business Wire
"Many teenagers are not getting adequate healthcare."
Those words from Neville Golden, MD, chief of adolescent medicine and leader of the new Center for Adolescent Health at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital at Stanford, reflect an all-too-frequent truth. Many teens no longer go to their pediatricians for regular check-ups and those who do often find that the busy, high-volume practices leave their doctors with little time to discuss adolescent-specific problems. A teen's reluctance to share personal information with parents or doctors can also stymie efforts to help.
The adolescent medicine specialists at Packard Children's are trained to handle these issues. They help families navigate the sometimes rocky waters of adolescence, from treating acne to preventing or treating disorders like depression, eating disorders, menstrual abnormalities and sexually transmitted infections. Some of the more common issues they address include:
Gynecology
Many parents shy away from talking about menstruation and sexual activity with their daughters. "In addition, studies indicate that many pediatricians feel uncomfortable performing pelvic exams or providing emergency contraception," said Golden. The hospital's Teen Clinic in Mountain View, CA, can screen for and treat sexually transmitted infections, menstrual disorders, and provide family planning counseling and contraceptives.
Health maintenance through vaccinations
Although most adolescents think their years of immunizations are over, there are some new vaccines especially for them. The Teen Clinic will soon be offering the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine, recommended for girls between the ages of 11 and 12, can protect against cervical cancer in adulthood. Teens heading off to college in the fall should consider the meningococcal vaccine to prevent possibly deadly meningitis. Families should also be aware that protection from pertussis, or whooping cough, wanes over time. "There is now a new vaccine available that, combined with the old tetanus vaccine, also protects against pertussis," said Golden. "If not re-immunized in adolescence, teens can contract a mild form of the disease that can spread to and endanger newborns, the elderly, and others with weakened immune systems."
Eating Disorders
Struggles with self-esteem can be devastating if they begin to affect an adolescent's eating habits. The Teen Clinic can evaluate adolescents or pre-teens with suspected eating disorders and refer them to the Eating Disorders Program if necessary. Those requiring hospitalization can be treated at the Comprehensive Eating Disorders Program, based at El Camino Hospital in Mountain View. This program has more than 20 years of experience helping kids with all types of disordered eating. Recent research at Packard Children's has shown that younger children in particular can experience rapid weight loss before diagnosis. "Pediatricians and parents shouldn't think of weight loss, or even lack of weight gain in a pre-teen, as a phase," cautioned adolescent medicine and eating disorder specialist Rebecka Peebles, MD. "If a child expresses wanting to lose weight, take it seriously."
Eat your fruit, don't drink it!
Dieting advice on the internet, in magazines, and even in high school hallways, can make it tough for adolescents to distinguish the facts from the fads. "First and foremost," said adolescent medicine specialist Sophia Yen, MD, MPH, "teens should cut out soda. Next, juice. Eat your fruit, don't drink it. Whole fruit has fiber, which decreases sugar absorption and promotes a feeling of fullness." Yen also recommends teens spend no more than one to two hours a day in front of a TV or computer screen. "We also suggest using a pedometer to motivate more walking, or perhaps playing Dance Dance Revolution or using the Nintendo Wii."
Acne
There's no denying
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