The Vaccines Every Teenager Needs

A Word About Vaccines

Vaccines have received a bad rap in some circles in recent years. Certain celebrities have spoken out against them, and some parents even choose to homeschool their children in order to avoid vaccinations. This line of thinking is misguided, and puts many people at risk—not just the minority of people who go unvaccinated. Without the protection of vaccines, our world would be a very different place, and countless lives would be lost to horrible, preventable diseases

Herd Immunity

Vaccines are important for two reasons. One is obvious: they protect vaccinated people from disease. The second reason may be less obvious: they provide what is known as “herd immunity.” This means that when most people are vaccinated against a certain disease, even people who can’t be vaccinated receive some protection. Herd immunity keeps the disease from getting into the community because so many people are immune to it.

Why Teenagers Are at Risk

Teenagers have a lot going on. Many move into group living situations, like a college dorm or a military barracks. This kind of living quarters can become a breeding ground for disease. Other teens may become sexually active, putting them at risk for sexually transmitted diseases.

Which Vaccines Do Teens Need?

Some vaccines need to be kept current at all ages. DTaP, for example, is a vaccine received in childhood that protects against tetanus, diphtheria, and pertussis (whooping cough). Teenagers are ready for the booster shot, known as Tdap.

The flu vaccine is needed every year. This is because it is developed based on the most common strains of flu every season.

Other vaccines, such as the HPV and meningitis vaccines, are particularly important for teenagers because of their age and changing life situations.

Meningococcal Vaccine

The meningococcal conjugate vaccine, or MCV4, protects against a certain bacterium that causes meningitis. Meningococcal meningitis is very dangerous, and is the most common cause of meningitis outbreaks in boarding schools and college dorms. Keeping teens vaccinated can help ensure that this life-threatening disease doesn’t sweep through large groups of people.

When and Where?

MCV4 is recommended around the age of 11 or 12, and a booster is recommended at age 16. Teenagers who missed the first dose of MCV4 should get the vaccine at age 16, and certainly by the age of 18. This is especially important for teenagers who are about to move into a college dorm or a military barracks. Your child’s pediatrician or a family practice doctor can administer the vaccine at the appropriate times

HPV Vaccine

The HPV vaccine protects against the human papillomavirus, a leading cause of certain types of cancer. Because this virus is spread through sexual contact and is widely known to cause cervical cancer, some people still think that the vaccine is only for young women. The truth is that it also causes genital warts and cancer of the anus, and is dangerous to both young women andmen.

When and Where?

Two vaccines are available. Cervarix is only for girls, and protects against cervical cancer. Gardasil is for both boys and girls, and protects against genital warts and four types of cancer. In both cases, three doses should be received before the person becomes sexually active. The first dose is usually given to children around the age of 11 or 12. Talk to your child’s pediatrician or a family doctor for more information.

Talk to Your Child’s Doctor

Make sure your child continues to receive medical checkups into their teenage years. Their doctor can make sure that they stay up to date on all recommended vaccinations, help you understand which vaccines are needed, and why.

Joint Pain: Is Low Testosterone the Cause?

Part 1 of 6: Overview

Low T and Pain

When you hear the term “joint pain,” you may be likely to think of arthritis. Arthritis can cause both pain and swelling (inflammation) in joints, which are the areas where bones in the body meet.

Arthritis isn’t the only possible cause of chronic pain. Hormonal imbalances, such as those in low testosterone (low T), may contribute to these types of issues. The key is to undergo a proper evaluation to determine whether your pain is associated with low T, arthritis or an unrelated medical condition.

Part 2 of 6: Low T Symptoms

Common Symptoms of Low T

Low T develops when testosterone levels decrease in the body. This sex hormone is the primary one of its kind in the male body. According to the Hormone Health Network, low testosterone may be diagnosed if your testosterone level is under 300 nanograms per deciliter (ng/dL) of blood. While the natural aging process can lead to gradual drops in testosterone, it’s not normal to experience a significant decrease over a short period of time.

Some of the most common symptoms of low T include:

• excessive fatigue
• loss of sex drive
• infertility
• anxiety and depression
• enlarged breasts
• weight gain

In addition to its role in the male reproductive system, testosterone also helps maintain bone health.

Part 3 of 6: Weight & Pain

Weight and Joint Pain

Arthritis is known for joint pain, but it comes in different forms with varying causes. The two main forms are osteoarthritis (OA) and rheumatoid arthritis (RA). RA is an autoimmune disease. On the other hand, OA develops over time due to wear and tear on your joints. While it’s possible to have both low T and arthritis at the same time, testosterone problems are unlikely to cause RA. However, if your low T leads to excessive weight gain, you may be at a higher risk of developing OA.

When caused by excessive weight gain, joint pain is most likely to occur in the knees, hips, and back. Still, pain may be experienced at any point where bones meet. Some arthritis patients can also have pain in the toes, wrists, and fingers. 

Part 4 of 6: Osteoporosis

Low T and Osteoporosis

One of the long-term risks of low T is osteoporosis. Unlike arthritis, osteoporosis is a disease in which your bones become fragile. Testosterone maintains bone density, so low T may contribute to osteoporosis.

According to the National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases, osteoporosis can be identified using a bone mineral density (BMD) test. The test can compare your bone density to the norm. The more your BMD deviates from the norm, the more severe and more established your osteoporosis.

Maintaining bone density is important to preventing a loss of bone mass, as well as subsequent fractures. Unlike joint pain, osteoporosis pain typically only occurs when you develop bone fractures. You may also experience back pain due to weakened vertebra. Recovering after fractures can be painful. While this can feel similar to joint pain, osteoporosis pain is not the same as arthritis.

Part 5 of 6: Solutions

Solutions for Both Low T and Achy Joints

Testosterone replacement therapy is the most common form of low T treatment. Depending on your prescription, it may be taken orally or used topically as a patch or gel. Not only does hormone therapy help improve low sex drive and energy, it can also increase bone density. Over time, you may find it easier to manage your weight and take pressure off achy joints. These treatments aren’t without risk, and they should not be used in men with a history of prostate cancer.

While low T treatments may help improve bone density and weight management, these medications won’t alleviate joint pain on the spot. If you experience regular joint pain, you need separate treatment. Acetaminophen and ibuprofen are among the most common over-the-counter pain relievers, and they also come in prescription strength. Regular exercise, though difficult at first, can go a long way in preventing future joint pain.

Part 6 of 6: Outlook

Outlook

When it comes to joint pain and low T, the two conditions aren’t necessarily related. However, it’s possible to have both at once. Men who are obese are also at a greater risk of developing OA from excess pressure on the joints. Feeling better is dependent on treating both conditions. Low T therapies are unlikely to alleviate joint pain on their own. See your doctor on a regular basis to make sure you’re getting the right treatments so you can move in comfort.

BMI Calculator

roximate measure of body fat. It is based on your height and weight. A BMI between 19 and 25 is considered a normal amount of body fat. If someone's BMI is 25 to 29.9, that person is said to be overweight. A person is said to be obese if his or her BMI is 30 or higher. The higher your BMI, the greater your risk for diseases such as diabetes, heart disease, arthritis, and certain cancers. If you are concerned about your BMI or just want more information, talk with your family doctor.

Enter your height (in feet and inches) and weight (in pounds). Then click the "Calculate BMI" button in one of the tools below. The first tool calculates adult BMI. The second tool can be used to calculate BMI for children and teens ages 2 through 19 years old.

Nocturnal Seizures-Identifying and Treating

Identifying and 

Treating 

Nocturnal Seizures

Epilepsy and Seizures During Sleep

For some people, sleep is disturbed not by dreams but by seizures. You can have a seizure while you sleep with any type of epilepsy. But with certain types of epilepsy, seizures occur only during sleep.

Learn about the types of epilepsy, seizures during sleep, and nocturnal seizures in infants and children.

Part 2 of 6: Epilepsy

What Is Epilepsy?

The cells in your brain communicate via electrical signals to other areas of your brain, muscles, and nerves. Sometimes, though, the signals go haywire, sending too many or too few signals, and you have a seizure. If you have two or more seizures at least 24 hours apart, and they weren’t caused by a medical condition, you may have epilepsy.

Epilepsy is not a single disorder. There are many different kinds of epilepsy, and the condition is common. About 2.3 million Americans have epilepsy. You can get epilepsy at any time in life. However, new cases of epilepsy are most likely to be diagnosed in infants and children under age 10 and people over age 55.

As with epilepsy, there are many different kinds of seizures. They fall roughly into two categories: generalized seizures and partial seizures.

Generalized Seizures

A generalized seizure happens when abnormal electrical activity occurs in all areas of the cerebral cortex — the top layer of the brain associated with movement, thought, reasoning, and memory. Included in this category are:

Tonic-clonic (grand mal) seizures: These seizures include a stiffening of the body, jerking motions, and usually, loss of consciousness.

Absence (petit mal) seizures: Absence seizures are characterized by brief periods of staring and may include blinking the eyes or small movements in the hands and arms.

Partial Seizures

Partial seizures, also called focal or localized seizures, occur in particular part of the brain. The person experiencing them remains conscious but may not know the seizure is happening. Partial seizures can affect behavior, consciousness, and responsiveness. They also can include involuntary movements. 

Part 3 of 6: Sleep Seizures

Seizures That Occur While Sleeping

According to an article in Journal of Neurology, Neurosurgery & Psychiatry, if more than 90 percent of your seizures occur while you slumber, you are said to have sleep seizures. The article also notes that an estimated 7.5 percent to 45 percent of people who have epilepsy have some form of sleep seizures.

It’s believed that sleep seizures are triggered by changes in the electrical activity in your brain during the stages of sleeping and awakening. Most nocturnal seizures occur in stage 1 and stage 2, which are the stages of lighter sleep. Nocturnal seizures can also occur upon waking. Most often, nocturnal seizures are partial seizures.  

Nocturnal seizures are associated with certain types of epilepsy, including:

• juvenile myoclonic
• awakening grand mal
• benign rolandic (also called benign focal epilepsy of childhood)
• electrical status epilepticus of sleep
• Landau-Kleffner syndrome (LKS)
• frontal onset seizures 

Nocturnal seizures disrupt sleep, which affects concentration and performance at work or school. Also, unfortunately, lack of sleep is one of the most common triggers for seizures. Other triggers include stress and fever.

Part 4 of 6: In Children

Nocturnal Seizures in Infants and Young Children

Seizures and epilepsy are more common in infants and children than any other age group, according to an article in Neurology. Fortunately, when a child has epilepsy, it often doesn’t continue into adulthood.

Parents of new infants sometimes confuse a condition called benign neonatal sleep myoclonus with epilepsy. Infants experiencing myoclonus have involuntary jerking that often looks like a seizure. But an electroencephalogram (EEG) doesn’t show changes in the brain that are seen in epilepsy. Plus, myoclonus is rarely serious. For example, hiccups and jerking in sleep are forms of myoclonus.

Part 5 of 6: Diagnosis

Diagnosing Nocturnal Seizures

It can be tricky to diagnose nocturnal seizures because they occur during sleep, and you may not be aware of them. Also, nocturnal seizures can be confused with parasomnia, an umbrella term for a group of sleep disorders that include sleepwalking, teeth grinding, and restless leg syndrome.

Doctors evaluate a number of factors to diagnose epilepsy and determine the type. Factors include:

• the type of seizures you have
• the age when you began having seizures
• family history of epilepsy
• other medical conditions you may have 

To diagnose epilepsy, doctors may use:

• images of electrical activity in your brain recorded by an electroencephalogram (EEG) 
• the structure of your brain as shown in a computed tomography (CT) scan or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI)
• a record or diary of your seizure activity 

If you suspect that your infant or child is having nighttime seizures, consult with your doctor. You can monitor the child by:

• using a baby monitor
• watching for signs in the morning, such as unusual sleepiness, headache, and signs of drooling, vomiting or bed-wetting
• using a seizure monitor, which has features like a motion, noise, and moisture sensors

Part 6 of 6: Treatments

Treatments for Epilepsy

If you have nocturnal seizures, you most likely experience partial-onset seizures. According to researchers at the Indiana University School of Medicine, these seizures are normally well controlled by medication. Indeed, medication is the first-line treatment for epilepsy. Your doctor will help find the medication that works best for you or your child.