Category: Family Health

If you and your partner are planning to have sex, or if you’ve already had it, it’s important to get tested for sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). These infections spread from person to person during vaginal, oral, or anal sex; using fingers (“fingering”); or by other sexual contact.

What kinds of STD tests you get depends on what symptoms you have (if any), and your medical and sexual history. In general, you’ll first talk with the doctor before the testing is done.

What Will I Talk About With the Doctor?

Doctors will ask about your general health and sexual experience; for example, if you’ve had any STDs before and how many partners you’ve had. They’ll also ask about any symptoms (like sores, discharge, or pain). But STDs don’t always cause any symptoms so people can have one and not know it.

What Kind of STD Exam Will I Need?

The doctor will examine your genitals (the sexual or reproductive organs on the outside of the body). For females who have symptoms of STDs, this might include a pelvic exam. Those who don’t have symptoms and are just getting screened for STDs as part of a routine checkup probably won’t need a pelvic exam.

Based on what doctors learn from the talk and exam, they may take one or more of these samples:

• a blood sample (from either a blood draw or a finger prick)
• a urine (pee) sample
• a swab of the inside of the mouth
• a swab from the cervix in females
• a swab of any discharge or sores

When Will I Get the STD Test Results?

Sometimes the sample can be tested in the doctor’s office. Other times, the sample is sent to a lab and the results come back later. It depends on the office and the type of STD the doctor tested for.

What Else Should I Know?

If you’re not comfortable going to your doctor for STD testing, visit a health clinic instead. And if you need some support, ask a parent, another trusted adult, or a friend to go with you. You also can find support and more information online at Planned Parenthood.

Your blood is living tissue made up of liquid and solids. The liquid part, called plasma, is made of water, salts and protein. Over half of your blood is plasma. The solid part of your blood contains red blood cells, white blood cells, and platelets.

Blood diseases and disorders affect one or more parts of the blood and prevent your blood from doing its job. Many blood diseases and disorders are caused by genes. Other causes include other diseases, side effects of medicines, and a lack of certain nutrients in your diet. Common blood disorders include anemia and bleeding disorders such as hemophilia.

Limbs can be missing, deformed, or incompletely developed at birth.

Birth defects, also called congenital anomalies, are physical abnormalities that occur before a baby is born. “Congenital” means “present at birth.” (See also Introduction to Birth Defects of the Face, Bones, Joints, and Muscles.)

Limbs may form abnormally. For example, bones in the hand and forearm may be missing because of a genetic defect (see Chromosome Abnormalities), or sometimes part or all of a hand or foot may be missing. Normal development of a limb can also become disrupted in the womb. In amniotic band syndrome, limbs develop abnormally when they are constricted by thin strands of tissue from the amniotic sac (the sac that holds the amniotic fluid surrounding the developing fetus in the womb).

Abnormalities of the limbs can also be caused by a congenital infection or a teratogen

Abnormalities of the arms and legs may occur in a horizontal fashion (for example, if the arm is shorter than normal) or in a lengthwise fashion (for example, the arm is abnormal on the thumb side—from the elbow to the thumb—but normal on the little finger side).

A child who has one birth defect of the limbs is more likely to have another abnormality.

Yes, arsenic. It occurs naturally in our environment in both organic (typically non-toxic) and inorganic forms. It also can get into soil and groundwater from some agricultural and industrial activities. Inorganic arsenic is toxic and carcinogenic (cancer-causing). The biggest
health risks from exposure to inorganic arsenic occur during pregnancy, infancy and early childhood.

Here are some tips to help reduce your baby’s arsenic exposure:

1. 
   Breastfeed if possible. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommends
   breastfeeding as the sole source of nutrition for your baby for about 6 months. When you add solid foods to your baby’s diet, continue breastfeeding for as long as you and your baby desire, for 2 years or beyond. t. Check with your child’s doctor about
   vitamin D and
   iron supplements during the first year.

2. 
   Vary the grains in your baby’s diet. Rice cereal fortified with iron is a good source of nutrients. However, since rice tends to absorb more arsenic from groundwater than other crops, it shouldn’t be the only cereal and does not need to be your baby’s first one. Other options you can introduce as first foods besides rice cereal include oat, barley and multigrain cereals. (See “Heavy Metals in Baby Food.”)

3. 
   Do not use rice milk as a dairy substitute for cow’s milk. In many cases, dairy-sensitive children can be given other dietary sources of calcium instead of a highly processed dairy substitute. Also, avoid brown rice syrup as a sweetener in processed foods for kids. The arsenic in rice is concentrated in rice syrup, which is sometimes used as a sweetener in
   toddler snacks or puffs.

4. 
   Limit fruit juices. Concerns have also been raised about arsenic in apple juice and other juice products. For years, the AAP has recommended limited intake of all sweet beverages, including
   juice. Infants can be encouraged to eat whole fruits that are mashed or pureed. Toddlers and young children can be encouraged to eat whole fruits instead of juice.

5. 
   If your family’s drinking water comes from a private well, test your water in the spring or early summer to make sure arsenic levels do not exceed 10 parts per billion. That is the the federal standard for safe drinking water. (See “Well Water Safety & Testing: AAP Policy Explained.”)

Talk with your pediatrician

If you’re concerned about arsenic in your child’s food, talk with your pediatrician. Your regional Pediatric Environmental Health Specialty Unit (PEHSU) have staff who can also talk with parents about concerns over environmental toxins.

More information

Many teens have trouble sleeping at night, and that can make them feel tired during the day. It also can make them more likely to be in a bad mood, have problems at school, or struggle with other activities.

Over time, sleep deprivation can lead to other health conditions, including high blood pressure, depression, or trouble fighting infections. That’s why treating insomnia is important for maintaining good health.

What Is Insomnia?

Insomnia (in-SAHM-nee-uh) is when a person is unable to sleep, for any reason. Teens may have trouble:

• falling asleep: This means it takes more than half an hour to fall asleep after getting into bed.
• staying asleep: This means they wake often throughout the night, or they wake up too early in the morning and can’t get back to sleep.

Teens with insomnia could have one or both problems. No matter the number of hours they’re lying in bed at night, most won’t feel well-rested.

What Causes Insomnia?

Doctors can’t always identify why a person struggles with sleep, but common causes in teens include:

• mental health conditions like depression or anxiety
• medical problems like asthma, allergies, or eczema
• other sleep disorders like obstructive sleep apnea or restless leg syndrome
• developmental conditions like ADHD or autism spectrum disorder (autism)
• taking certain medicines, like steroids or antidepressants
• too much screen time before bed
• eating or drinking too much caffeine during the day or later in the evening

One of the most common reasons for insomnia in teens is that their internal sleep clock shifts to a later bedtime. During the teen years, the body releases the sleep hormone melatonin later at night than in childhood or adulthood. This leads to a natural tendency to fall asleep later at night and wake up later in the morning. When it interferes with daily activities, it’s known as delayed sleep-wake phase disorder.

How Is Insomnia Diagnosed?

Many different conditions can cause insomnia, so there’s no single test that can diagnose it. Doctors will start by asking questions about your teen’s sleep habits and may recommend keeping a sleep journal to track nighttime sleep. They may also test for related conditions to see what could be causing insomnia.

Sometimes, doctors recommend a sleep study, also known as a polysomnogram. During a sleep study, a person will spend the night in a sleep lab while hooked up to a computer via sensors placed on the body. Doctors use sleep studies to check a variety of things during sleep, such as heart rate, brain waves, and breathing patterns.

How Is Insomnia Treated?

Treatments for insomnia depends on what’s causing it. For instance, when health conditions like asthma, allergies, obstructive sleep apnea, and ADHD cause insomnia, treating the condition will help treat the insomnia. If anxiety or depression affects a teen’s sleep, doctors may recommend talking to a therapist or psychiatrist.

One of the most effective therapies for insomnia is cognitive behavior therapy (CBT), which can help even when doctors aren’t sure what’s causing the insomnia. CBT involves learning how to change negative thoughts and emotions that can affect sleep. Often, lifestyle changes and new habits are all that’s needed.

Sleep medicines are rarely used for teens. Not enough studies have been done yet to prove that they’re safe and effective, and they risk causing side effects. Even herbal supplements or “natural” medicines can cause side effects. But occasionally, a doctor may recommend that a teen try a sleep medicine for a short time (for example, a low dose of melatonin). Talk to your teen’s doctor before giving your teen any new medicine or supplement.

What Can Help My Teen Get Better Sleep?

Sleep hygiene refers to all the behaviors and habits around sleep. Good sleep hygiene strategies can help your teen get enough sleep. 

Ways to improve sleep hygiene include:

• following a bedtime routine
• limiting bright lights and electronics at night
• going to bed and waking up at around the same times every day
• keeping the bedroom cool, dark, and quiet

If your teen often has trouble sleeping or feels tired throughout the day, schedule a visit with their doctor.

In the past decade, researchers have made an increased effort to study and understand MdDS, and there are many ongoing efforts to increase awareness and knowledge about this condition. One ongoing MdDS research study seeks to improve symptoms by teaching the vestibular system to adapt. 

Other studies are examining eye movement patterns in people with MdDS. These researchers believe the symptoms of MdDS are caused by difficulties in the vestibulo-ocular reflex (VOR), a mechanism that helps stabilize the eyes while the head is in motion. One team of researchers has developed a technique to re-calibrate the VOR for people with MdDS by combining specific head movements with corresponding movements of a person’s visual surroundings. While this could be the first effective treatment for MdDS, more research is needed.

Additionally, researchers now believe that MdDS can arise spontaneously, without the passive motion triggers once believed to be its sole cause. This understanding led researchers to name two MdDS subtypes, based on what causes the onset of symptoms. 

Motion-triggered MdDS (MT MdDS) is used to describe cases triggered by passive motion events. Non-motion or spontaneous/other MdDS (SO MdDS) occurs in the absence of a triggering event. This type of MdDS may be related to stressful events such as surgeries, traumas, and childbirth.