The Terrible Teens - Dealing with Autistic Teenagers

For most parents, one of the most trying times in their lives is during their child's teenage years. When puberty hits, young adults go through serious changes in their bodies and minds, and parents have little or no control over many situations. In an autistic child, puberty is no different. Although your autistic child is not experiencing puberty in quite the same ways as others his or her age, major hormonal changes still occur in the body. This can lead to extreme results, and this can be either good or bad depending on how your child reacts to the new hormone levels.

One of the scariest side effects of changes in an autistic person's body is the onset of seizures. Many autistic individuals experience seizures from birth to adulthood, but even if your child does not suffer from these episodes, he or she may begin to experience seizures during puberty and afterwards, due to the new levels of hormones in the body. Strange as it may sound, violent shaking seizures are not necessarily a bad thing. Almost a quarter of autistic children experience seizures, but many go undetected because they are not textbook versions of seizures. If you recognize that your child is experiencing a seizure, you can do something about it, and doctors will be able to better treat your child. However, if the seizures are subconsciously happening, you and your child may not realize it. The result of these small hidden seizures can be a loss in function, which can be devastating, especially if you child was improving before puberty. Regular check-ups during puberty, therefore, are extremely important.

The changes might not necessarily be a bad thing. New hormone levels in the body and the other changes associated with puberty might help your autistic child grow and succeed in areas in which he or she normally had no skill or interest. Many parents report that their child's behavior improved, and that learning in social settings was easier.

The important thing about puberty is to learn to monitor the changes in your child very carefully and to ask your doctor lots of questions. Remember that puberty is a difficult experience for any young adult, and so it will be even more difficult for someone with autism. Try to practice patience and understanding with your teen, and be careful to regulate his or her autism so that the transition from child to adult will go more smoothly.

Sexual Health Information: Dealing With Menstrual Pain

Summary:

Nothing beats the pain brought by menstrual cramps and headache, not to mention the hassle of experiencing premenstrual syndromes. However, if one knows the basic sexual health information, dealing with menstrual pain can be a lot easier. In line with this, the author explains the three common menstruation problems and enumerates some tips on how to best cope with menstrual pain.

Keywords:

sexual health information

Article Body:

Monthly periods are natural part of woman's life, for these involve the biological and physiological cycles of a female body. The pain, however, that is associated with menstruation is what makes it the most dreaded monthly period of most young girls and women.

The common problems associated with menstrual period are headaches, cramps, and PMS. Although these are generally normal and harmless, the pain of such problems can affect a girl or a woman's life and productivity.

PMS, or premenstrual syndrome, refers to the emotional and physical changes and symptoms that every woman experiences before the monthly menstruation starts. When a woman has PMS, she may suffer from the following:

* depression

* stressed out

* excessive fatigue

* irritability

* body pains

Many health practitioners claim that PMS has something to do with the changes in a woman's hormone levels. Some suffer from PMS, while there are those who do not experience any symptom at all. One popular theory is that those who always suffer from PMS are more sensitive to the hormonal changes in the body.

On the other hand, cramps is also one of the problems that is experienced by most women during their monthly menstrual cycles. The pain usually triggers during the first few days of the menstrual period. Fortunately, cramps only lasts for a dew days and can easily be treated with medications such as ibuprofen.

Moreover, headache is also a common complaint of most female teens and women before or during their menstrual period. Like the PMS, headache is also associated with the hormonal changes in a woman's body. If pain becomes unbearable, pain relievers are also recommended.

The following are some basic sexual health information on how to best cope with PMS, cramps, and headache:

1. To ease or relive menstrual pain, take a hot bath or shower to relax the muscles in the stomach and the lower back.

2. Listening to a soothing or relaxing music is also a perfect way to keep one's mind off the pain.

3. Practice slow and deep breathing. This will surely help make the tense muscles to relax.

4. Exercising is also a superb way of dealing with dreaded premenstrual symptoms, headaches, and cramps. However, only perform simple and gentle exercises like walking, jogging, or swimming.

5. Another effective way of relieving pain and tension due to menstrual cramps is to massage the lower back part of the body.

6. Food intake also affects one's susceptibility and sensitivity to pain brought by menstrual cramps or headache. Hence, it is best to regularly keep track of one's caffeine, salt, and sugar intake. Eating foods that are high in calcium such as vegetables and yogurt is also advisable.

7. Best muscle relaxants and pain relievers are magnesium and calcium, so maintained intake of these supplements will definitely help ease menstrual pain.

8. Herbal supplements are also recommended to women who are always suffering from cramps and headache during their periods. Cramp bark and viburnun opulus are among the most advised herbal supplements to help relieve menstrual pain.

9. Try to avoid standing for a long period of time. Standing for a long time will only worsen back pain and cramps.