Diplomate, Board Certification of Emergency Medicine
Chairman, Department of Emergency Medicine Ma'ayenei Hayeshua
Hospital
Hi. It's me again. Just wanted to finish off our discussion.
You will notice that as you begin your teenage years, you are
now always hungry. This may result in pudginess until your
growth spurt starts in full swing. You must be careful that
you eat foods that are good for you. Overindulgence in junk
food at this point in your life can result in habits that
last a lifetime, and could lead to an overweight adult.
You're probably sleeping more. In fact, aside from babies,
teenage girls sleep more than any other human being: an
average of ten hours a night.
Furthermore, we discussed hormones last week. These hormones
can make a person very moody. You should be prepared for this
and realize that sometimes you shout and holler for reasons
that later don't seem so important. Also, remarks by friends
can cause you much distress for precisely this reason.
Sometimes you may feel you just "want to be left alone."
Teenagers, their friends and parents must be very
understanding at times like this.
Teenagers are given physical powers that allow them to do
tremendous feats of endurance. By the same token, they like
to test these powers by seeing just how far they can stretch
themselves. This can be used in a positive sense, such as in
learning or getting into a set exercise program, but testing
one's limits can also have a negative side. You must
understand -- and I write this from my heart because I really
do care -- teenagers do die. Not usually from diseases like
old people, but from testing themselves combined with
inexperience and poor judgment.
Let me be more specific. Many of you will be getting your
driver's license during this time period. This gives you a
tremendous amount of freedom. But it is one of the leading
causes of death and permanent injury in your age group.
Driving too fast is usually the reason as well as not wearing
seatbelts and weaving in and out of traffic. It is the
leading cause of death of young people in Israel. You don't
get a second chance here. Take it seriously.
Lastly, when I was a teenager, I believed that my parents
knew little about the new world and as such their advice and
experience would not be useful. Boy was I surprised to find
out that when my parents were teenagers and their parents as
well, they all thought the same thing.
Trust us. We know that some things you need to experience on
your own, but sometimes you just have to take our word for
it. Our rules weren't designed to harass, they are there
because we love you in a way we can't express the way we did
when you were younger, because we don't want to embarrass
you. And I speak for all parents when I say that despite all
the awkwardness and all the moodiness we are very proud of
you. Let that be your beacon. Let that be your comfort when
times are difficult. We'll be there for you through it all.
Bye, and write me soon, in care of the Yated.
Exercise-induced asthma and cold-induced asthma can be
problematic. One way to prevent attacks before they start is
Serevent, a longer acting inhalation therapy than regular
Ventolin. It should not be used for acute crises, but it is
very useful when you know you will have an attack in the near
future, such as a walk in the woods where allergic plants
abound. Serevent is easy to take and effective.
