Current Health Issues

Ecstasy, Designer Drugs

Hi, this is Mr. Coleman again. In my personal research on ecstasy (MDMA), I have found that there are many sites that promote its use. I find this particularly disturbing knowing that the youth of the world surf the web unsupervised and uninformed.
I have my students do a research paper on the health-related topic of their choice in my class. I stress that not all web sites have reliable or have even remotely healthy information on them.

Here are some sites that give good, reliable, TRUE info. on the topic:

http://www.clubdrugs.org/
Club drugs are being used by young adults at all-night dance parties such as "raves" or, dance clubs, and bars. MDMA (Ecstasy), GHB, Rohypnol, ketamine, methamphetamine, and LSD are some of the club or party drugs gaining popularity. NIDA-supported research has shown that use of club drugs can cause serious health problems and, in some cases, even death. Used in combination with alcohol, these drugs can be even more dangerous.

http://area51.upsu.plym.ac.uk/infoserv/drugs/graphical/grph-e.html
A good site that talks about everything from its history to effects.

http://www.drkoop.com/wellness/mental_health/substance_abuse_and_alcoholism/page_345_977.asp
Frequently Asked Questions About Ecstasy

Alcohol Issues
accidentbjb_thumb.jpg (6288 bytes)

Wrecked car in which
three teenagers died.

Accident resulted from use of alcohol.
All three had been drinking.

http://www.arf.org/isd/pim/alcohol.html
Alcohol is often not thought of as a drug - largely because its use is common for both religious and social purposes in most parts of the world. It is a drug, however, and compulsive drinking in excess has become one of modern society's most serious problems.

Current Tobacco and other Substance abuse/use issues

Tobacco:

This site has every, and I mean every, internet site relating to current tobacco news, research and headlines.
http://www.google.com/search?GXHC_gx_session_id_FutureT
enseContentServer=700477503c15df51&output=washingtonpost&q=tobacco+news

http://www.jointogether.org/plugin.jtml?siteID=BPOELKS&p=1&Tab=Facts&Object_ID=263343
At least eight people die every minute worldwide from smoking. The prevalence of cigarette use in the total U.S. population was estimated at 30.9%

http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/
Tobacco use remains the leading preventable cause of death in the United States, causing more than 400,000 deaths each year and resulting in an annual cost of more than $50 billion in direct medical costs. This site is for students and parents

http://www.jointogether.org/plugin.jtml?siteID=BPOELKS&p=1&Tab=News&Object_ID=264231
A new study from the found that the number of U.S. high-school students who smoke occasionally declined in 1999, but students who smoke daily increased, Reuters reported Aug. 24. See graphs provided by the Centers for Disease Control below as well.

Click on the images below to see current smoking/tobacco use trends among
12th graders and adults in the U.S. or to connect to the C.D.C. directly

Smokeless Tobacco (Also known as :"chew", "dip"):
Smokeless tobacco use in the United States continues to increase each year. It may be smokeless, but it isn't harmless. Why should you care?
http://www.cda.org/public/cch5fs.html

Is smokeless tobacco safer than cigarettes?
http://www.cdc.gov/tobacco/sgr4kids/smokless.htm

Marijuana:

This is a very informative article discussing health consequences, and current research status on marijuana( Cannabis Sativa): Cannabis: a health perspective and research agenda. Geneva, Substance Abuse Department, World Health Organization,1998,WHO/MSA/PSA/97.4 http://www.who.int/substance_abuse/docs/cannabis.pdf (you will need the Acrobat reader to see this)

Safe weight loss/Are diets right for you

~ Mr. Coleman~ " This topic can be tricky. I recommend that any teen who thinks he or she is overweight should consult their physician first. They could be wrong! Today's media (T.V. and Magazines) glamorize the "perfect body". Many people, young AND old may feel like "I'm not good enough", or "He or she will like me more if I change".
Here's the bottom line:

1.) If you are overweight, get educated from your doctor and research on your own and start to change your lifestyle. Being sedentary is the #2 preventable cause of death in this country behind smoking!
2.) If they don't like you for the way you look- find someone better who accepts you for who you are inside as well as outside. Beauty is in the eye of the beholder!

P.S. Many sites on this topic are bogus. A reputable site is one in which nothing is being sold.

http://library.thinkquest.org/12153/

http://www.eatright.org/nuresources.html

http://www.cyberdiet.com/nutrition_bytes/nb.html

http://www.fitteen.com/

On Growth And Nutrition:

Adolescent children undergo a growth spurt and their appetites keep pace. Teen-age boys and girls need more calories and nutrients than at any other time in their lives. Puberty — about age 10 to 12 for girls and 12 to 14 for boys — is an intense growth period that brings dramatic changes in height and weight. Because body mass almost doubles, adolescents are particularly vulnerable to even modest levels of energy restriction. Despite the availability of recommended, age-specific dietary guidelines for adolescents, it can be difficult to estimate energy and nutrient needs, since both are closely related to a youngster's growth rate or biologic age, rather than his or her chronologic age. http://www.intelihealth.com/IH/ihtIH/WSWPG000/325/7096/34059.html?d=dmtJHE

Eating Disorders

Mr. Coleman's suggested reading list:
Perk by Liza F. Hall 1997 by Gurze Books Carlsbad, Ca. 124 pages

Go to the sites below and do searches for "eating disorders". You will find thousands of pages of information.
http://webmd.com/ (click on "consumer")
http://drkoop.com/
http://healthfinder.com/

Contact addresses for more info by mail:
Anorexia Nervosa And Associated Disorders (ANAS), 550 Frontage Road, Suite 2020, Northfield, IL 60093

The American Anorexia Bulimia Association, Inc., 165 West 46th Street, Suite 1108, New York, NY 10036

Other sources that may help you maintain or improve your personal health:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/health/

Newsweek's Health Focus

http://webmd.com/ (click on "consumer")

http://drkoop.com/

http://healthfinder.com/

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