YAP Blog - Youth Advisory Program!

Passenger Responsibility

While waiting for my car to be fixed the other day, I picked up a travel magazine and read an article about passenger responsibility. I thought this was brilliant. It struck me that the only public campaigns to reduce car accidents that I was aware of have been focused on “driving responsibly” rather than “riding responsibly”.

As a passenger in a car we have to take responsibility to ride safely. In fact, as a passenger, we have an important role; to keep the driver of the vehicle focused. So, the next time you are a passenger in a car, whether it is with your parents or your friends, think about how you can do your part to reduce the chances of becoming involved in an accident.

Here are seven tips to help you be a better passenger:

1. Remind the driver and other passengers to wear seat belts.
2. Tell the driver that you will: answer their phone, send texts for them, read a map, change the radio station, etc.
3. Never let someone drive if they are upset.
4. Help keep younger passengers quiet and calm.
5. Suggest that the driver stop to rest if you notice that they are sleepy.
6. If the weather conditions aren’t safe, insist that the driver pull over.
7. Never get into a car or let others ride with a driver who has been drinking or under the influence of drugs.

-Phaedra

  

Ovarian Cancer Awareness

Hey, it’s Emily!

As some of you may know, September was Ovarian Cancer Awareness month. Just one month later, a student at my high school lost her yearlong battle to ovarian cancer at the young age of nineteen. She was an avid volleyball player and the captain of her high school team. She is remembered by many for having a sweet personality - the type of girl who could brighten your darkest day. I personally never knew her, but I did know many who had been touched by her. Just hearing her story and watching as thousands of people came to support a volleyball game in her honor showed me how important she was to so many people.

Ovarian cancer is very, very, rare in women under the age of 40, but it's important to know something about it and how to lower your risk. I learned that there are five things you can do to lower your risk of getting most kinds of cancer. They include: 1. Not smoking, 2. Limiting alcohol, 3. Exercising for 30 - 60 minutes 5 or more days a week, 4. Eating a healthy diet, and 5. Seeing your health care provider for regular check-ups.

Facts:

• Ovarian Cancer is NOT prevented by the HPV vaccine. The HPV vaccine helps prevent cancer of the cervix.
• A Pap test is used to detect cervical cancer, not ovarian cancer.
• Ovarian cancer can run in families.
• Early symptoms may include; bloating in the belly area, trouble eating, and/or feeling full quickly, frequent urination, lower back pain, and fatigue.
• Ovarian cancer is diagnosed with blood tests and an ultrasound.
• Birth control pills decrease your risk of developing ovarian cancer; the longer you take them the more protection against ovarian cancer.
• It is important to check in with your health care provider annually and when you are not feeling well.
• Learn about your family history. Just because your aunt had ovarian cancer, doesn’t mean you will get it, it just means that you and your doctor should be aware that this type of cancer runs in your family.
• The #1 way to prevent cancer is never starting to smoke!

-Emily

PCOS Blog: Oligomenorrhea

Oligomenorrhea (pronounced: o-li-go-men-or-rea) is just a fancy name for “few” periods. I don’t think there is any other word in the English language that has more synonyms and slang words to describe a woman’s menstrual cycle, than the word, “period”. Aside from familiar words such as “Aunt Flo”, “Uncle Tom” (time of the month), “my friend” “the red tide”, there are many medical terms, that define variations of it.

Oligomenorrhea is one of these words that may look hard to pronounce, but it simply means “few periods”. Girls with PCOS often have periods only every 3 to 6 months; the periods may last 3-5 days or they may be very heavy or very long. A small number of girls with PCOS have periods too often, even every 2 to 3 weeks (called “Polymenorrhea” or “many periods”).

So why do girls with PCOS have irregular periods?
Having PCOS means that your ovaries are not getting the right hormonal signals from your pituitary gland. Without these signals you will not ovulate (make eggs) regularly and your period will likely be irregular. Irregular periods can be caused by other things including STDs, pregnancy, stress, and weight change, as well so it is important to be evaluated by your health care provider. Typical treatment is healthy nutrition and exercise and oral contraceptive pills (aka birth control pills) taken continuously or in cycles to regulate your hormone levels and your periods. Your health care provider may also suggest anti-diabetes medications if you are overweight. So, how often should Aunt Flo or Uncle Tom visit will depend upon your treatment.

For more PCOS information check out out our guides here.

-Phaedra

2009 MRKH Conference

Hi it’s Emily!

This past weekend Erica, Dennisse, and I helped out at Childrens Hospital’s 4th annual MRKH conference. Many of you may be wondering what these letters stand for. Mayer Rokitansky Kuster Hauser Syndrome (better known as MRKH) is a congenital disorder of the female reproductive tract, named after the doctors who discovered it. Only 1 in about every 5-10,000 females born has this condition, yet it typically isn’t diagnosed until a girl is about 15-17 years old.

Since the number of females who have this condition is relatively small, it is very important that girls with MRKH and their families do not feel isolated. That’s why the Center for Young Women’s Health and the Division of Gynecology at Children’s Hospital Boston offers this conference every fall - to bring teen girls and their families together for education and support. This past Saturday, girls came from all over the country to meet others just like them. There was also a teen and her mom who traveled all the way from Ireland! It was very nice to see all the girls and their families connecting with each other and sharing their experiences.

In the morning, the girls had the opportunity to attend a lecture on MRKH with their parents given by Dr. Marc Laufer, Chief of Gynecology. Following the lecture they attended a support group led by a nurse. Then they got to have lunch together, had time to talk amongst themselves, and got to participate in a workshop. The last session in the afternoon was health care panel where teens and their parents were able to ask questions to the faculty. The girls seemed to really enjoy the chance to meet each other and exchange contact information so that they could keep in touch. They really appreciated finding others who know what it feels like to have MRKH. All and all, the conference went wonderfully and the girls were very excited about the information they learned and the new friendships they had made.

Click here to learn more about MRKH.

-Emily

Digital Enhancement = Not Cool

Hey it’s Emily!

Just about every piece of advertising that we come in contact with has pictures that have been photoshopped. It is very hard nowadays for girls to be able to tell whether or not a computer program has been used to shave off some pounds to make a model look “perfect”, or if the girl’s body is really her own. This not only puts a lot of pressure on teen girls because they want to be beautiful, it's gotten so bad that the models are feeling the pressure as well. Technology has become so advanced that body parts from one girl can be cut and pasted on another with ease.

In reaction to this craziness, France has proposed a new law which would require a label when an image is digitally enhanced. I totally agree with this law. Girls need to know the truth about the pictures they see in magazines, or they will continue to have unrealistic expectations about their own body image. Girls should also understand that it’s okay to have a curvy upper body, or a body with no curves at all. Young women come in all different shapes, sizes, and colors. Our world would be too similar if everyone looked the same.

Click here to watch a video from the Dove Campaign for Real Beauty that shows step-by-step how a normal looking girl is unrealistically transformed into a "model", using makeup and computer tools.

Here is our guide on self-esteem and body image.

-Emily

Beware of the Freshman 15!

The thought of gaining 15 pounds the first year of college is scary! I’m not sure who came up with this warning, but I decided to check it out. Interestingly, there hasn't been much scientific research done to prove this theory. However, I did learn that a recent study at a large university found that although it's true that students gain weight their freshman year, the average gain was closer to four pounds (during the first semester).

Eating healthy at college can be very hard, but it's not impossible. Perhaps it’s the abundance of food available, the buffet style meals, and the high calorie foods that makes it tricky to eat healthy and stick to proper portion sizes. Also, the extra calories in beer and alcohol (approximately 80-150 per glass) add up as well.

However, just because you hear rumors about gaining weight doesn’t mean that it has to happen to you. Some weight gain is common during the first year of college, but the reality is that some students will lose weight and others will stay the same. I'm in the middle of my first semester and I haven’t gained any weight! I try to control my portion sizes, and I make it a point to fit in exercises such as walking to my classes (instead of taking the shuttle) when I have time. Let’s face it, you need to study a lot at college and when you’re reading, you’re not exactly the most active you can be, so you have to make an effort to set aside time to exercise. Most colleges offer gym memberships at a reasonable cost. If you don’t feel like going to the gym, you can look into taking a dance class and get credit too! Walking to class also counts as exercise. I have classes 10 to 20 minutes away from my dorm, so I usually walk unless I'm running late.

As far as eating goes, I'm pretty sure that most college dining halls have a salad bar. You can make your own personalized salad, and add foods such as chicken from the hot entrees section to make a more satisfying meal. Choosing whole grains over white bread, and drinking water instead of high calorie beverages such as soda and juices are also healthy changes to make. If you are still hungry after a meal, grab a piece of fruit instead of going back for a piece of pizza. Also, try to follow this rule: “Eat when you are hungry, stop when you are full.”  In the meantime, check out our guide to healthy eating in college.

The bottom line is, weigh yourself once in a while. If you feel like you are gaining weight over several weeks, or you realize you are overeating to deal with the stress of school, it’s a good idea to go to the health services at your college and ask to talk with a nutritionist or health care provider.

-Erica

PCOS Blog: Are there any PCOS-friendly foods I can get in a vending machine when I'm on the run?

Vending machines aren’t filled with the most nutritious choices. This can be a problem for girls with PCOS who need to grab a quick snack in between school and activities, and want something healthy to snack on. When you are making your snack choice, try to stay away from foods that are made up of mostly sugar or refined grains such as licorice, gummy/chewy candy, chips, cookies, sweet pastries, etc. Sugary foods and refined grains can raise your insulin levels and are not very filling. Foods that have some protein in them, or snacks that are made with whole grains or are high in fiber don’t make your insulin go up as much and they are more filling. Choose a snack that has some protein in it, such as nuts, trail mix with nuts/seeds, or a string cheese. For a high-fiber choice, select a granola bar, popcorn, or whole grain chips or crackers. Better yet, pack your purse or school bag with a couple of PCOS-friendly snacks such as a piece of fruit, a small bag of nuts, or a high fiber granola bar, so you aren’t stuck having to get something from a vending machine.

Click here for more information on healthy, PCOS-friendly snack ideas.

-Nutritionist Kendrin

 

Juggling College Life

When I was in high school I couldn’t wait until I was in college. All of the stories about the freedom and the partying made me feel like “Wow! I'm going to love college”! But honestly, now that I am in college I've realized that it is definitely not what I had expected. I knew college would be way harder than high school, but I didn’t really expect things would move at such a fast pace. One week you might not have anything due, but the next thing you know you have two midterms and an essay due the following week.

On another note, there is a lot more freedom that goes along with college life, and it has both good and bad points. The good part is that nobody tells you what you can or can't do; therefore you can do whatever you want. On the other hand, some people don't know how to manage their time effectively, so a lot of freedom can have a negative impact on them. For instance, who wouldn’t rather go to a party instead of studying, take a nap instead of reading, or hang out with friends instead of doing home work? I guess what I am trying to say is that when you're in college, you feel like you have time for everything - and you do, if you manage your time well. If you don’t, you really can end up not having time for anything.

For me, having an on-campus job is a great way for me to get my homework done. I know that I have a set 3-6 hours a day to do homework and nothing else. Perhaps you don’t want a job or maybe you just can’t find one, but you can still get into a routine and make time to do your homework without interruptions.

Here are some tips to manage the fast pace of college:

Learn to manage your time. Set aside a certain amount of time to for homework and studying every day. Go to the library or somewhere where you can’t be distracted. (For me, it’s my on-campus job!) Once you get your homework done you will have the rest of the time to hang out with friends and socialize.

Plan ahead. Keep track of your syllabus for each course - don’t just look at the things due for the current week. Planning ahead for the following week will give you an idea of when you should start assignments so you won’t be stressed out. You will also be more likely to be prepared for a surprise quiz or test (this happens a lot) if you keep up with your reading and homework assignments.

Don’t get into the habit of procrastinating. Putting off what you need to do only makes things worse. School work will continue to pile up and you'll probably get stressed out.

-Erica

Get Vaccinated!

Hey it’s Emily!

So I am sure you’ve all heard the talk about the importance of getting immunized against both the seasonal and H1N1 flu. Some of you may have already checked this off your list of things to do, but for others, getting the flu shot may not be a high priority. There is reason to be concerned though, as this season is expected to be particularly bad because there are two different kinds of flu circulating - the seasonal flu and the H1N1 flu.

I know some of you may be a little skeptical about getting a flu shot for one reason or another-possibly because you’ve never gotten the vaccine before. You may think “Why start now?” I was under the same impression that I would not need a flu shot this year because I had never received one before, and I usually made it through the season without getting sick. That all changed two weeks ago when I caught a cold. I realized that the germs this season are nasty and are spreading fast. I decided to get my seasonal flu shot this week. It wasn’t bad at all and I didn’t have any side effects from it. I’m going to get my H1N1 flu shot as soon as it’s available at my doctor’s office.

Getting the flu shot definitely is the way to go, and regular hand washing is still the #1 way of avoiding germs. My advice is to protect yourself and those around you by putting “Get vaccinated against the flu” at the top of your “To Do” list!

-Emily

Teen Advisory Committee (TAC)

Hey it’s Emily!

Last night I took part in my first ever Teen Advisory Committee (also known as TAC) meeting. There are 13 teens (most of whom have been patients at Children's Hospital Boston at some point during their childhood) that volunteer their time once a month to advocate for teen patients. TAC is coordinated by Christine Rich, RN MSN and is held at the Center for Families, which is located in the main building at Children's Hospital. During our monthly meetings we plan projects that we hope to accomplish to make the hospital a better place for teens. We also plan parties for teen inpatients for the entire year.

Last night we met with our D.J.’s to come up with some awesome themes that everyone will enjoy. The theme for our first party is “Cosmic Bowling”. I mean real cosmic bowling including black lights and the Wii! Serving on the Teen Advisory Committee is an eye opening experience where you get to meet and interact with different kinds of people and do some good for teen patients at the hospital. I am very excited to be a part of this committee and I can’t wait for our first party!

-Emily