When Mayte Gutierrez’s 7-year-old daughter, Marlen, was diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes in June 2010, she was blindsided: Gutierrez had many more questions than answers, but found information and support to be scarce commodities.

To spare other parents of diabetic children a repeat of her experience, Gutierrez is spearheading creation of the Rio Grande Valley Diabetes Association, Cameron County Chapter. She’s serving as president of the organization, while Hidalgo County, which started its own diabetes chapter in 2007, is helping Cameron County get things off the ground.

The Brownsville association’s first meeting for Type 1 children and their parents is scheduled for Saturday, from 10:30 a.m. to noon at the Residence Inn by Marriott, 3975 N. Expressway 77/83. Experts will offer information on nutrition and other health issues related to diabetes, and the meeting generally will serve as clearinghouse for information related to Type 1 diabetes. Ultimately, the group will add sessions for families affected by Type 2 diabetes as well.

Type 1 diabetes, formerly known as juvenile diabetes, is normally diagnosed in children or young adults. it leaves the body unable to produce insulin, which is the hormone the body needs to convert sugar, starches and other foods into energy. Type 1 diabetes is also relatively rare compared to Type 2 diabetes, which is usually diagnosed in older people but increasingly a problem among children. Type 1, unlike Type 2, is not related to obesity or lifestyle factors. Gutierrez’s daughter, for instance, weighed a petite 50 pounds when diagnosed.

Marlen’s doctor misdiagnosed her condition initially, sending Gutierrez home with vitamins for her daughter. When she showed no improvement, Gutierrez rushed her daughter back to the doctor. The child’s breath smelled “fruity,” she was overeating and couldn’t quench her thirst — all symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, in which the auto-immune system attacks the pancreas and cripples its ability to produce insulin. by the time the girl entered the pediatric ICU unit at Valley Baptist Medical Center in Harlingen, she was close to slipping into a diabetic coma, Gutierrez says.

Marlen was in the hospital about a week. A diabetic specialist and a dietician briefed her mother on how to proceed, but Gutierrez still felt lost and confused.

“I was still in shock,” she says. “They released her and gave me a month’s supply of medicine. They sent me out into the world with my daughter. I’m thinking, I don’t know what I’m doing.”

A book on the subject Gutierrez found was overwhelming and difficult to absorb. she learned about Edinburg’s RGV Diabetes Association, and decided Cameron County was long overdue for the same thing. on top of the help from the Edinburg chapter, Dr. Ruth Ann Plotkin, a Brownsville pediatric endocrinologist, has been working with the new group as an advisor.

On the heels of the April 9 meeting, this year’s May 1 Pedal to Padre cycling event will raise funds for the Brownsville chapter. Gutierrez says the diabetes association will sponsor some type of walk, run, weight training or other educational and wellness event once a month. Cooking classes are planned as well. Also, a “Dancing with the Stars Fundraiser” is slated for Aug. 27 at the Amigoland Event Center.

For more information about the RGV Diabetes Association Cameron County chapter or to help, call Mayte Gutierrez at 204-3530, email rg3069@aol.com or visit rgvda.com.

Its shocking that 1 in 4 teens have been diagnosed with an STD. Out of 800,000 CDC/niaid cases world wide 63 million are diagnosed with Gonorrhea. More teens are admitting to be sexually active as well as having multiple partners. It’s time to educate ourselves as well as today’s’ young adults. We need to learn the facts, raise awareness, teach prevention, and offer support to those diagnosed and receiving treatment.

It is a bacteria, Neisseria Gonorrhoeae, that survives and multiplies in the reproductive tract, mouth, throat, eyes and rectum. it affects men, woman and newborns with infected mothers.

The infection is passed from an infected partner by contact with the penis, vagina, mouth or rectum, or through sexual excretions. Though ejaculation doesn’t have to occur for the disease to spread.

Any person is at risk of contracting this infection though rates are higher in sexually active teenagers and young adults under 25. Teens can be informed of prevention methods ranging from the always popular abstinence campaign to remaining monogamous in relationships with uninfected partners. Latex condoms and plastic barriers are also effective.

Once infected the incubation period takes about 1-14 days. within 2-5 days men begin showing mild symptoms usually in the morning. For this reason symptoms can be shrugged off and the infection remains undiagnosed. Symptoms for men include: swollen testicles and prostate, and green, yellow or white discharge from the penis. only 1 in 10 men are asymptomatic.

While such a large percentage of men show symptoms only 1 in 5 woman have mild symptoms if any. of those reported some are: increased vaginal discharge, vaginal bleeding between periods, lower abdominal pain, painful intercourse, vomiting, fever, and the urge to urinate more frequently.

Both males and females experience painful urination. Rectal and oral infections produce different symptoms. Anal itching, discharge, soreness, bleeding and painful bowel movements indicate a rectal infection. only 1 in 10 cases of oral infection produce symptoms. a sore, itching throat are the only warning, though oral infections are rare.

If any of these symptoms are present the person should be checked by a health care professional. especially if pregnant. Pregnant women who suspect they may be infected should consult a medical professional to be tested. She can pass Gonorrhea to her newborn during delivery that can result in blindness, joint infection and a life threatening blood infection.

Several antibiotics cure Gonorrhea once its been detected. The infected individual is usually tested for other STD’s like Chlamydia since these infections are often present at the same time and can be treated together. This is in contrast with the herpes treatment Dynamiclear which is not a permanent cure.

If left untreated can cause life threatening complications. Men can become sterile, and women can develop Pelvic Inflammatory Disease (PID), blocked fallopian tubes, long term pelvic pain and life threatening ectopic pregnancy.

Teens are uneducated and lacking information that could assist them in making better choices. they aren’t seeking proper medical care for infections like Gonorrhea, because they’re unaware of symptoms if any are present. The best way to stop the spread of STD’s is to teach safe sex, monogamy with an uninfected long term partner and abstinence.

1. Why Parents Should Talk to their Teens About STDs
2. Could you Have a Chlamydia Infection?
3. Yeast Infections – what you Should Know
4. Common Mental Health Disorders among Teens
5. What you Should know About Herpes

STD’s or Sexually Transmitted Diseases are those highly contagious diseases which are spread via sexual contact i.e. oral sex, vaginal sex or anal sex.

It is also known as Venereal Diseases. Nowadays, you even find people using the term STI which stands for Sexually Transmitted Infection. it is important to note that STI only denotes an infection caused by the germs or virus where as STD stands for those infections which have grown to become diseases.

It is found that most individuals affected by STD’s are not the older individuals but the teenagers and young adults. An early diagnosis of an STD can help in curing it successfully. However, there are still a few types of diseases for which there has been no cure found like AIDS (Acquired Immunodeficiency Syndrome) where only the symptoms shown are treated but treatment for the disease as whole is not available. Another one is a type of gonococci, which becomes resistant to the medicines prescribed to cure it and the medicines have to be changed every time.

The symptoms to any STD are often asymptomatic for the initial weeks i.e. it does not show any visible signs of infection. in the later weeks the symptoms exhibited by men due to STD’s are different but, here is a list of certain common signals to look for.

In case if you experience excruciating pain while urinating, an abnormal discharge from the penis, cloudy urine often accompanied by fever or even crusting of the tip of the penis consult your doctor.

At times those infected by an STD even show symptoms like blisters, sores, warts, rashes etc around the genital areas. Consult your doctor as soon as possible in cases if you experience abnormal itching sensation, burning, swelling and pain in the genital area. You may even experience tenderness, pain and swelling in the scrotum.

The symptoms often come and go. do not mistake the ‘gone period’ as the disappearance of disease. It is essential that when you visit the doctor you give him a detailed description of the disease. This in turn would help him in diagnosing the disease properly.

Timely check-ups for STD’s would also prove beneficial. Never let the symptoms persist as they may turn even more serious as days pass.

We hear it all the time … lose weight for your health. Few yet realize how far this is critical to their physical and ultimately their life expectancy.

In January 2003, the Journal of the American Medical Association presented a study finding that obesity appears to lessen life expectancy, especially among young adults. the study showed an obese white man 20 years old, (5’10 “) 178 cm and weight (288 lbs) 130 kg was estimated to lose 13 years of his life as a consequence of obesity.

It is now well research that a Western diet leading to obesity may actually act to stimulate the growth of cancer cells. it is never too late to improve your health through healthful eating and adopting a lifestyle that gives health. here are the simple steps to follow which can make an immediate improvement to your health and vitality.

1. Check if you are overweight or obese.

To find your BMI is necessary to divide the weight (measured in kilos) by height (in meters) squared. if the result is greater than 25 years, their health can be improved by weight loss.

2. Match your diet to your body’s needs.

If you eat and drink more calories than your body requires putting on weight. Learn to control calories and portion sizes, make recipes leaner, and eat infrequently from fast food restaurants. they also learn how to snack with healthful choices.

3. Color your diet with a variety of fruit, and cancer-fighting vegetables.there are seven different color ranges of both fruit and vegetables and by choosing between 5 to 9 daily serves from a wide range of fruits and vegetables, we are extending our consumption of cancer (and other disease) fighting nutrients.

4. Eat lean protein at every meal.Protein provides a powerful signal to the brain providing a longer sense of fullness. Adequate supply of protein is essential to control your hunger with fewer calories and necessary to maintain your lean muscle mass. Choices of protein should be flavored soy shakes with fruit, white meat chicken and turkey, seafood such as shrimps, prawns scallops and lobster and ocean fish or vegetarians may prefer soy substitutes for meat .

5. Speed ??up your metabolism with activity.if you want to enjoy a lifetime of well-being, exercise is a key ingredient. thirty minutes of activity every day that takes as much effort as brisk walking, is recommended for adults. Children should be active for an hour each day.

6. get support to ensure you develop a healthy eating plan and reach your ideal weight.

One study, “Effects of Internet behavioral counseling on weight loss in adults with type 2 diabetes risk,” shows that participants who had the support of weight loss coaching lost more weight than those who do not made. the study concluded that the support of a coach weight loss can significantly improve weight loss results.

Being overweight or obese has been identified next to smoking, as the principal avoidable risk of cancer development. even small weight losses have been shown to have beneficial health effects. So it’s never too late to start and never too young or too old to be concerned about their health and do something about achieving a healthier weight.

Up to half of sexually active young people will get a sexuallytransmitted disease by the time they are 25, yet many don’t seektesting because it may be difficult, costly or embarrassing.

Public health officials nationally and in particularly affectedcities like Baltimore, however, say they’ve found a method thatseems to address the major hurdles — a website that supplies freein-home testing kits for three of the most commonly reportedSTDs.

“The highest prevalence is in young adults, and we knew we hadto reach these kids,” said Charlotte A. Gaydos, a professor ofinfectious diseases at Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore. “Theywere always on the Internet, and now, on their smart phones. Theyweren’t going to ask their mothers to take them to a clinic.”

Gaydos helped develop the program called “I want the Kit,” andits website, (iwantthekit.org), which now serves primarily teensand young adults in Maryland, Washington, West Virginia, parts ofIllinois, and in Denver and Philadelphia. It’s one of manynationally to try to reach this population, but public healthofficials say its ease and anonymity make it especiallyattractive.

STD experts say other effective testing and treatment effortsinvolve in-school clinics and a program called “Expedited PartnerTherapy,” which allows those who test positive for gonorrhea orchlamydia to take home antibiotics for up to three partners. Alsohelping get the word out is a campaign called GYT, which stands forGet Yourself Talking, get Yourself Tested, and taps MTV toencourage discussion and screening.

The direct impact of these programs so far on infection ratesisn’t known — the Hopkins program has only been operating since2004 and other programs are newer. and results on the threediseases for which the U.S. Centers for Disease Control andPrevention collects the most data are mixed: Gonorrhea cases are atthe lowest level on record; chlamydia cases are up, but officialsbelieve this is because of expanded testing; and syphilis cases aretrending up after hitting a low in 2000.

But I want the Kit and others hold promise in increasing testingand spreading information about STDs and their consequences, saidDr. Charlotte Kent, a branch chief in the CDC’s Division of STDPrevention. Gonorrhea and chlamydia can cause infertility andchronic pain. Syphilis can cause malformation and death in babies,as well as heart disease, blindness and neurological problems.

Many people don’t get tested because they have no symptoms, Kentsaid. (Gonorrhea can have symptoms, which has helped increasetesting and treatment.) Private doctors’ offices, where most casesare discovered, also are still not offering tests enough. and shesaid enough young people aren’t asking about testing or trying toprevent infection.

“There are things people can do to impact STDs, and thatincludes talking to their providers and getting tested and usingcondoms,” Kent said. “If everyone was getting screened andappropriately using condoms in new relationships, it could make ahuge difference.”

I want the Kit was set up to be easy, said Gaydos. People canget to the website through Facebook or with a smart phoneapplication that reads barcodes printed on program brochures, whichhave been left in schools and clinics. Kits are mailed in a plainenvelope with the swab, questionnaire, information about STDs andconsent form.

About 43 percent return the swabs.

Patients are given an identification number and passcode to gettheir results by phone in two weeks. Appointments are made in alocal clinic of the patient’s choice for those who test positive –up to 13 percent depending on the gender and STD. about 3,500 youngpeople, half younger than 23, have gotten tests from the site, somemore than once.

Almost everyone goes to their appointment, said Mathilda Barnes,who sets them up from Hopkins, and gets antibiotics.

Kent said the effort to increase testing in general should get aboost when the health care reform law begins to cover more people.Tests will be covered with no co-pays because they are consideredpreventive services. and because anonymity is so important toteens, the CDC is working to change a requirement that insurersnotify patients of the services used — an “explanation ofbenefits” that is mailed home to parents.

Programs like the one at Hopkins offer confidentiality already,said Kent. that will be especially important in places likeBaltimore, hard hit with infections. STDs in general have hit poorand minority communities the hardest because they tend to lackawareness and access to health care, Kent said.

Gonorrhea and chlamydia are included in the Hopkins test kitbecause testing requires only a swab. The kit also includes a testfor trichomoniasis, and though cases are not reported to the CDC,it’s estimated to be the most common STD infection with more than 7million new cases nationally every year.

Gaydos expects an uptick in kit users in April, nationalsexually transmitted infections awareness month, followingfederally funded newspaper and radio ads.

The site may not yet be big enough to significantly bring downthe infections, but users have praised the service in e-mails. Theysay they’ve relied on it after finding out a partner had sex withother people or they’ve had unprotected sex. Many say they don’twant their parents to know they are having sex and might beinfected.

Some say they can’t afford to go to the doctor for testing. Onethought it was an easy way for both partners to be tested beforethey had sex.

Gaydos and her colleagues would like to add syphilis or HIV tothe program, which is paid for with government grant money. Eachkit costs Hopkins about $65-$70, which includes the mailing, testand lab worker time. Those STDs, however, requires a blood testthat would make an in-home kit tougher.

She also would like to continue expanding the program beyond thecities and states it now serves.

“A lot of these young women are poor with little to no healthinsurance, and seldom see a physician or undergo a health checkup,so this is a free means of getting them tested and cared forquickly and before they potentially pass the infection on tosomeone else,” said Gaydos.

Gaydos said Maryland was a logical place to launch the programbecause of its high infection rates. CDC surveys of risky behaviorshow almost a third of students in Baltimore are sexually active bythe ninth grade.

CDC data shows that Maryland ranks in the top 20 states for STDcases. Many of the cases are in Baltimore, where there were 2,889cases of gonorrhea in 2009, 7,889 cases of chlamydia and 244 casesof syphilis in 2009, according to the Baltimore City HealthDepartment — though only chlamydia cases have been rising inrecent years.

They all remain a challenge for local officials, said SherryKetemepi, the city’s assistant commissioner for clinicalservices.

She said the city works with Hopkins and others on programs toreach those most at risk. She said schools offer health educationand encourage testing in their clinics. and city health officialssought permission from the state legislature three years ago tojoin the CDC’s Expedited Partner Therapy program.

Another program rewards youth for referring a friend for testingat a city clinic with a movie ticket or other prize.

But she said the Hopkins program eliminates a main barrier totesting because it’s anonymous.

“There’s a stigma to going to a clinic to be tested for an STD,”she said. “It’s an easier way to get people tested.”

(c) 2011, The Baltimore Sun.

Visit The Baltimore Sun on the Internet atbaltimoresun.com/.

Distributed by McClatchy-Tribune Information Services.

Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder. Anorexia Nervosa treatment and recovery is possible in a specialized treatment center.Anorexia nervosa is an eating disorder characterized by extremely low body weight, distorted body image and an obsessive fear of gaining weight. this is more common in young adults, especially females. these young adults are consumed by an excessive desire to be thin and starve themselves in an effort to cope with overwhelming emotions. Anorexia can have dangerous health implications if untreated and may even cause death. it is important therefore to start treatment as early as possible, so the person has the best chance of recovery.

Anorexia can be difficult to diagnose in the affected persons as most of these people are in a state of self denial about their condition. it is only when they start showing symptoms like drastic weight reduction, depression, spells of dizziness and vomiting and general food aversion, that their loved ones become aware of their affliction. Some Anorexics may be more aware of their disorder but struggle to seek help due to the self hate and shame associated with the disorder.

Anorexia Nervosa treatment and recovery is possible in a specialized treatment center. There is a need for individualized treatment as each person has different underlying causes for the disorder. Treatment must include medical and weight stabilization along with psychotherapy, as the underlying causes of these eating disorders must be explored and resolved. Group therapy is also required along with medication management. the family of the affected person should be included in the treatment process to identify family dynamics that contributed to the development and maintenance of the disorder. Regular follow up and outpatient therapy is essential to prevent relapse of Anorexia.

Treatment centers offer various levels of care including outpatient, day treatment or residential care depending on the severity of the disorder.

To recover, someone with anorexia needs to:

-Maintain a healthy body weight-Normalize eating habits-Relinquish eating disorder identity and eating disorder thoughts-Develop new ways to self sooth and self-regulate-Have an increased ability to access social support from family and friends.

Anorexia Treatment – what is Anorexia Nervosa?

Anorexia Nervosa or Anorexia is an eating disorder characterized by self starvation, restriction of food intake, or calories, and sometimes excessive weight loss. Anorexia is a serious psychological disorder that goes well beyond out-of-control dieting. it is a refusal to maintain a normal body weight for ones height. it is an intense fear of gaining weight or being fat, despites sometimes significant weight loss. Some women cease to have menstrual cycles. often there is an extreme concern with body weight shape a size. the person with anorexia may initially begin dieting to lose weight. Over time, the weight loss becomes an illusion of mastery and control. it can become an obsession and is similar to drug addiction. the anorexic loses perspective of their appearance because they have distorted opinions about their self image. No amount of dieting or starvation can satisfy their desire to be thin.

Anorexia Signs & Symptoms

Of all the psychological disorders, Anorexia Nervosa has the highest mortality rate. many of the symptoms of Anorexia can have life threatening consequences. Some of the sufferers will have some but not necessarily all of the following symptoms:

* Restricting caloric intake to less than needed to maintain healthy ideal body weight* Following a severely limited diet even if underweight* Forced vomiting or other compensatory behaviors like laxative use, diuretic use or compulsive exercise* Absence of menstrual cycles for three or more consecutive months* fear of eating in social places or in front of others* Increased isolation and depressive symptoms* Relentless pursuit of thinness* Obsessive thinking and talking about weight, shape, size, appearance, or food* Rituals around body checking, exercise, or food* Loss of interest in activities and relationships* Body dissatisfaction, body image distortion* Chewing and spitting as an attempt to control weight* taking in excessive amounts of fluid or restricting fluid intake* Use or abuse of diet pills, herbal supplements, or teas

Anorexia Nervosa Treatment

Castlewood Treatment Center is a residential treatment center for people suffering from eating disorders. Castlewood provides an individualized treatment approach to meet the precise needs of each client. we look underneath the symptoms as a way to understand the function of the disorder in the client’s life. Here you can experience emotional and physical healing at the hands of experienced specialists in psychiatry, body image, internal family systems, family therapy, healthy nutrition and more.

Unique but Effective Treatment Strategy

The treatment of Anorexia nervosa at Castlewood is a unique therapeutic experience. Qualified licensed, specialists work with clients to help them regain control over symptoms, resolve trauma, and allow them to develop skills throughout the varying levels of care. the small nurturing environment of ten residential clients allows for personal care and attention. our entire staff is trained in Internal Family Systems therapy which allows healing to occur in and outside the therapy sessions.

We will:

* Find out the underlying issues that led to the onset of anorexia nervosa and help to resolve those issues* help the patient identify healthier ways to cope* Encourage the participation of the family in the treatment process* Provide a continuum of care, so that clients can practice dealing with everyday life situations while still in treatment* Provide continuing aftercare once his/her stay at Castlewood is over* help launch or support them into their transition to college, job, or relationships

MANILA, Philippines – It should come as no surprise that the back hurts several times in a “whole lifetime’s length.” It was anatomically predestined in the time we evolved from crouching, four-legged beasts into upright, walking animals. So, really, it’s not a question of when it’s “oh-my-aching-back” but of how and what kind of back pain it is.

Worrisome back pain. But since back pain is so common, it is most often ignored. For older people, it’s explained away as one of the givens of aging (it’s not) and for active young adults, back pain becomes a grin-and-bear-it affair. What kind of back pain should be cause for concern?

Acute lumbar strain. By far, the most explainable of back pains is acute lumbar strain. A direct cause and effect can be elicited. that is, the patient comes complaining of an aching back after a day of lifting heavy objects, or of stooping to do some house work like gardening or plumbing. sometimes it can be due to carrying a baby day in and day out, especially big ones. back muscles are in spasm; they feel tight and may feel shortened or contracted.

Herniated disk. Intervertebral disks are the shock absorbers of the spine. In youth, they are sturdy, flexible, and elastic. as the spine ages, disks become rigid and dry. now with continued intense pressure, a disk can rupture its center (imagine a chocolate éclair with the creamy filling) and this center called the nucleus pulposus can pinch an adjacent nerve. This is the impingement that causes pain, numbness, or weakness of the extremities. In theory, all disks can displace. However, the most common herniations are found in the lower back and in the neck.

Signs and symptoms. The following are textbook descriptions of a ruptured disk:

* Sharp “electric” pain shooting down from the back to one or both legs immediately after lifting a heavy object or falling on your back or some other back injury.

* back pain, especially after sneezing, coughing, or straining during a bowel movement.

* Numbness or tingling of the arms and hands (cervical or neck disc) or of the legs and feet (lumbar or lower back disk).

* Difficulty in bending or straightening the back because it is very painful.

* as leg pain worsens, the back pain may disappear.

Non-orthopedic causes. there are good reasons for not ignoring back pain of more than two to three weeks. The back is such a large area that pain from non-musculo-skeletal sources makes its presence known in a treacherous kind of way. For example, infections of the kidney and urinary tract, tumors of the uterus, or gut problems can all present as back pain.

Diagnosis. A thorough history and physical examination should be able to re-create back pain in the clinic. A reliable sign is a positive SLR or Straight Leg Raising test in which shooting pain down the leg occurs when the examiner lifts the patient’s leg from a lying position. X-rays of the back may show loss of the normal curve signifying muscle spasm and/or loss of intervertebral space. to properly identify the offending disc, the doctor may request a CT (computed tomography) Scan or an MRI (magnetic resonance imaging).

Treatment. start by resting for one or two days. Lie down on a firm mattress and not on a hard surface. new studies have pointed out that staying in bed for longer periods leads to a loss of muscle tone. This further delays recovery. Pain medications range from over-the-counter drugs such as acetaminophen and NSAIDs (non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) that are popular from marketing overload. Examples of NSAIDs are mefenamic acid, ibuprofen, diclofenac, naproxen, piroxicam, and indomethacin. COX-2 Inhibitors like celecoxib and etoricoxib, in higher doses (400mg and 120 mg, respectively) may also be used. Other drugs for back pain are tricyclic antidepressants and narcotics. These will need the approval and prescription of doctors. Physiotherapy may be helpful. A rehabilitation medicine specialist designs a physical therapy program for a back patient. This program may include cold or heat therapy, hydrotherapy, bracing, exercises, and TENS or transcutaneous electric nerve stimulation. TENS is thought to relieve pain by stimulating the release of endorphins or pain-inhibiting molecules.

Surgery. An operation (usually performed by either a neurosurgeon or an orthopedic surgeon) is suggested for the following reasons: Progressive increase in pain, failure of conservative treatment, loss of bowel or bladder functions; sudden or progressive muscle weakness; loss of sensation in the buttocks and perineal area (saddle anesthesia), and loss of movement. all these signify that the back will not be better unless there is surgery. The operation usually involves removing the disk (diskectomy) and unroofing the spine (laminotomy/laminectomy). sometimes, portions of the back bones are also joined together (fusion) to prevent pain and instability.

Most back pains go away. some don’t. all must be investigated.

As our politicians love to say, “Watch your back.”

December 17th, 2010 by

As of the last survey there were somewhere around 2.5 -3.0 million people in the world that have some form of MS. This potentially devastating disease can lie dormant for years and then manifest itself as a variety of symptoms in young adults in the age range of 20-40. In many cases the onset symptoms of multiple sclerosis are so infrequent and mild that they go completely unnoticed. Many doctors also miss the symptoms until the point where they are too obvious to miss.

Source:Early Onset Symptoms of Multiple Sclerosis

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Topeka (WIBW) – when a teenager has to be hospitalized, they usually don’t appreciate being around the babies and toddlers. In much the same way, someone in their early 20s might not be comfortable rooming with a senior citizen.

Stormont-Vail HealthCare recently created a place just for these young adults. The Young Adult Center is a unit that targets the needs of those aged 15 to 25.

Hospitalist Dr. Kevin Dishman says young adults have different needs than the adults usually seen on adult floor, who are usually elderly. The younger patients, he said, need more social interaction and they need to be around people their own age and can identify with.

That’s also true of teens. Pediatric hospitalist Dr. Kirsten Evans says being separated from younger children helps them feel they’re not being talked down to. she says adolescents will talk to you more openly if they feel you’re treating them seriously as adult. having them answer questions about their symptoms and pain more honestly helps doctors treat them more appropriately.

Evans and Dishman also says the Young Adult Center helps the transition from pediatric to adult care, particularly for those with conditions like muscular dystrophy and cystic fibrosis who are living longer.

Evans says the Young Adult Center helps the pediatricians work together with their adult colleagues on issues one or the other may not be used to dealing with.

In addition to knowledge and medical tools, the rooms in the Young Adult Center are equipped with video game consoles and wireless access – just part of meeting the needs of an age group previously caught in the middle.