SEE for Yourself If This Works

Want to have energy and feel great? Want to avoid becoming overweight or obese? Try the SEE formula: Get enough Sleep, Exercise every day, and Eat right.

Sleep, Sweet Sleep

If you are not getting nine hours of sleep every night, you are probably not getting enough, says the National Sleep Foundation (NSF). You know that when you don’t get enough sleep, you are tired, and do not function as well in school. According to the NSF, lack of sleep can contribute to acne and other skin problems. It can also lead to aggressive or bad behavior such as yelling at your friends and family.
Lack of sleep may cause you to gain weight

Recent studies suggest that too little sleep can lower levels of the hormone that causes you to feel full. And the hormones that make you feel hungry increase. Now, there’s an incentive for getting enough sleep!

Exercise -- Benefits of Regular Physical Activity

• Helps build and maintain healthy bones and muscles
• Helps reduce the risk of developing obesity and chronic or long-term diseases
• Reduces feelings of depression and anxiety

Go with a plan

Decide ahead of time your activity plan for the week. It will be easier to stick to if you write the activities on a calendar.

Include different types of activities in your plan. Doing the same thing everyday gets boring. Pick activities that work different parts of the body. If you mostly do activities that require a lot of running, mix in some that build strength or flexibility. Remember, everything is always more fun with a buddy.

Go for a goal

Start slowly and build up to a goal. It could be as easy as continuing to do the activities you’re already doing — just more often. Or you can pick a new activity and start working on it. Start with a goal of doing at least 60 minutes of activity a day.

Track it

Check your progress by checking off your activities on the calendar after you’re done. Reward yourself at the end of the week for working so hard.

Eating Right –- Say ‘No’ to Diets

It is a good idea to talk with your doctor if you want to lose weight. Many teens turn to unhealthy diets to lose weight. DO NOT cut out whole food groups like grain products, and do not skip meals. These methods can leave out important foods you need to grow. Other weight-loss tactics such as smoking, self-induced vomiting, or using diet pills or laxatives can lead to health problems.

A healthy eating plan includes:

• Fruits and vegetables
• Fat-free or low-fat milk and milk products
• Lean meats, poultry, fish, beans, eggs and nuts
• Whole grains such as whole-wheat bread, brown rice and oatmeal.
• In addition, a healthy diet is low in saturated and trans fats, cholesterol, salt and added sugars.

Sources: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the National Institutes of Health

Straight Talk Just for Girls

Whoever said that there are no dumb questions was absolutely right! But, if you’re like a lot of your peers, some questions or subjects just seem to embarrassing to talk about.

For instance, do you have the concern below?

Concern: I feel like a freak. My breasts are different sizes.

Straight Talk: It is very common for your breasts to be different sizes. The difference in breast size often evens out by age 20. But, it is also normal for women’s breasts to remain different sizes even when a woman is fully developed. Good news: other people can’t tell that your breasts are different sizes.
Don’t believe ads that claim exercises, vitamins, herbal teas and creams will change the size of one or both of your breasts. Such things do NOT work, says the National Women’s Health Information Center. So, save your money.

Throughout puberty, you might see or feel lumps and other changes in your breasts. During your period, they may even feel a little tender or sore. Most of the changes your breasts go through are normal.

To get used to these normal changes, you should do regular breast self-exams (BSE). Your doctor can show you how to do a BSE. The goal of a BSE is for you to get used to the way your breasts feel. The better you know your body, the healthier you can be!

The best time to do the self-exam is about a week after your period starts. If you feel an unusual lump, see your doctor.

Talk to your doctor if you have any of these problems:

• pain in your breast that seems unrelated to your period
• a new lump, bump, or other change in your breast
• a red, hot, or swollen breast
• fluid or bloody discharge from your nipple
• a lump in your armpit

Remember, if you are a BlueCare or TennCareSelect member under age 21, visits to your primary care provider (PCP) are free under the TENNderCare Program.

Straight Talk Just for Guys

As you grow into adulthood, your body changes can leave you with some questions. And that’s natural. Don’t feel embarrassed about discussing anything with your primary care provider (PCP).

Concern: I’ve heard that I should check my testicles for lumps. What’s that all about?

Straight Talk: Testicles are the part of the male body that produces sperm and male hormones. Males between the ages of 15 and 40 are the most likely group to get cancer of the testicles.

In fact, you can be in great physical shape and still get testicular cancer. That is what happened to Lance Armstrong, the only cyclist to win the Tour de France seven times.

At age 25, Lance began suffering chronic pain. At first he ignored it. When he finally went to the doctor, he was diagnosed with testicular cancer. The cancer spread to his stomach, lungs and brain. He was told that his chance of recovery was less than 50 per cent. If detected early, chance of cure is 90 percent. Lance underwent two surgeries and chemo. Fortunately, he made a full recovery and returned to a winning cycling career.

Learning how to do a monthly testicular self-exam is very important. Ask your doctor how to do it.

See your doctor if:

• You have pain in your testicles that doesn’t go away
• You notice any lumps or change in the shape of your testicles.

Remember, if you are a BlueCare or TennCareSelect member under age 21, visits to your primary care provider are free under the TENNderCare Program.

Wisdom Teeth: What Teens Need to Know

Wisdom teeth are also called third molars. They are the last permanent teeth that you will get. They usually erupt during your late teens or early 20s.
When wisdom teeth come in right, they will not cause problems. Sometimes there isn’t room in your mouth for these teeth. That’s when they keep growing in your gum tissue. When this happens these teeth can harm your other teeth or cause infection. If wisdom teeth are partly erupted, they can be hard to clean and become an easy target for bacteria and cavities.

It’s important to see your dentist twice a year to let him/her check your wisdom teeth. They may need to be removed so you can keep a healthy mouth.
If you have TennCare, you have TENNderCare (EPSDT) dental services until you become 21 years old. These services include FREE regular six-month checkups, fluoride treatments and sealants.

If you have TennCare, call Doral Customer Service at 1-888-233-5935, or visit the Web site at doralusa.com

• For help finding a dentist
• For questions about your TennCare dental benefits
• For help with interpretation and translation
• For help with a ride to the dentist

Decisions and Actions Follow You to Adulthood

We all make mistakes. Some are small and are soon forgotten.

But others can stay with you and affect your future. Think twice before you do something that you know is wrong. Your decisions and behavior follow you to adulthood.

Sure, you may have thought writing graffiti on your school walls was a big joke. Or stealing something from a store was a big rush. But the label of juvenile delinquent is no laughing matter. A juvenile delinquent is someone under the age of 18 who commits an act that would be a crime if she or he were an adult.

Even though you may have paid for your actions, your poor choices could still haunt you. It could affect your entrance into college or the military.
When you apply to colleges, college financial aid programs, and employers, you might be asked if you have a criminal record. Only if your juvenile record has been expunged (either officially destroyed or sealed), can you say “no.”

If you are going into the military, federal law requires you to report ALL criminal history, including expunged juvenile records.

You are not automatically barred from college or the military because you have a juvenile record. Depending on the offense, you can make a fresh start.

It is just easier to make the right choices in the beginning.

Source: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office on Women’s Health

Mike the Myth Slayer Myth:Depressed people could just “snap out of it” if they really wanted to. Fact: Depression has nothing to do with being lazy or weak. It results from changes in brain chemistry or brain function. Medicine and therapy can often help people to recover. If you feel depressed, let your doctor know.