Rima Himelstein

The school year ends soon and thoughts are turning to prom dresses, teenagers may decide to experiment with beauty treatments. Here's the 311 on indoor tanning and fake eyelashes.

As an adolescent medicine doctor, I hear a lot about vaginal discharge. Join me as I provide some notes about Vaginal Discharge 101.

Vitamin D helps the body absorb calcium and phosphorous from the foods we eat, and together they build bones and keep them strong.

If teens test positive for COVID-19, whatever semblance of normality they have, such as after-school sports, vanishes instantly. But for typical teenagers, “temporary” is not in their mindset.

Calling all parents of tweens: Due to COVID-19, the usual Puberty Curriculum taught by elementary school teachers is now on your “to do” list.

Driven by the fear of not being muscular enough, individuals with MDD exercise compulsively, restrict their diets, take protein and other supplements, and even use performance-enhancing drugs or steroids.

According to national data from 2016, people aged 15 to 24 years comprise 14.2% of all emergency room visits and chest pain is one of the top diagnoses.

Eating disorders are among the deadliest psychiatric illnesses, second only to addiction. While obesity may contribute to death later on, an eating disorder can kill right now.

Gastrointestinal problems are common in teenagers, and pandemic stress can exacerbate them. Trust your gut instinct. If your child looks seriously ill, go to the ED or call 911.

According to the Gun Violence Archive, more than 19,000 Americans lost their lives due to gun violence in 2020, up 25% from the year before.

To encourage good sleep habits, help your teen develop a sleep routine, like unwinding before bed by reading or listening to music. Then shhhh! The bedroom should be quiet.

Beginning at age 8 or 9, let the talk begin. You can’t go wrong with discussing the changes of puberty before they happen. When they begin puberty and their bodies are changing, it’s time to dive into the deep end.

Everyone should know about PrEP (pre-exposure prophylaxis), a medication given to prevent HIV infection in individuals who are at increased risk for getting HIV.

When our teenagers go to college we want them to acquire many things: New friends with diverse backgrounds, expanded interests, more independence, and, if they have time, an education. What we don’t want them to get? Sick. In an outbreak.

Color guard and marching bad involves some fancy moves that can be dangerous if not executed perfectly.

The cycle is very sensitive; both emotional and physical changes, like those that we have seen during the pandemic, can upset it.

A parent should avoid negative comments made about his or her own body weight. Weight talk, or encouraging a child to lose weight, should also be avoided.

Teens are missing opportunities to work on the critical tasks that help them mature emotionally.

Talk about irony. As physicians we have been asking our teens to limit their screen time. Now, due to COVID-19, we are asking them to have their medical appointments via telehealth video visits.

Nine times out of 10 teen's lack of sleep is related to normal life — too much of one thing and not enough of another. But occasionally, the problem can be linked to a serious medical issue, such as obstructive sleep apnea, restless legs syndrome, and narcolepsy.