More Talk, Less Sex? Abstinence Works?

Yet another study this week…this one published in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescents Medicine indicates that abstinence only education classes can actually work.  Of the students studied (6th and 7th graders) one third of the abstinence class had sex within two years compared with about half of the students in the other classes.

The study also indicated that students chose to delay sex (because the program encouraged delaying, not waiting until marriage like most federal programs),  it did not reduce condom use in young teens who did have sex, and the educators did answer questions regarding contraceptives if the questions arose.

“This is the most rigorous study to date,” says Valerie Huber, executive director of the National Abstinence Education Association. “It just verifies what we’ve known intuitively all along, which is that abstinence-only education is a very important strategy to help young people delay having sex.”

Dr. Jemmott’s research followed 662 African-American children in the 6th and 7th grade at urban middle schools. The classes covered HIV, abstinence and ways to resist pressure to have sex.

“Because African-Americans tend to have a higher rate of early sexual initiation than others, we thought that within two years, a reasonable number would start having sex,” Dr. Jemmott said. “If we went younger, we couldn’t show that intervention works.”

The study results come at a time when pregnancy rates are up and the Obama administration is looking to cut abstinence only funding in favor of pregnancy prevention programing.

Drug Resistant Diseases

The medical world thought that it had conquered Tuberculosis, as well as other dreaded diseases, with the new wonder drugs; known as Antibiotics. The Center For Disease Control now reports, that there are a number of disease’s that are  highly contagious, aggressive and especially drug-resistant some of, which are Tuberculosis, Malaria and HIV. No matter where we live we are all connected by the air we breathe and this is where the diseases are spread.

The World Health Organization (WHO) started sounding alarms in April of this year holding a conference in Beijing, the first of its kind on drug resistant Tuberculosis. A clear message was given to the world that this drug-resistant disease had already spread to all continents and is spreading at an alarming rate.

Infectious diseases like TB are mutating at an alarming rate, hitchhiking their way in and out of countries as people are traveling more in today’s world. World Health Organization also reported that overuse and misuse of Antibiotics and all of the various drugs that were supposed to have saved us are no longer effective.

In Cambodia, scientists have confirmed the emergence of a new drug-resistant form of malaria, threatening the only treatment left to fight a disease that already kills 1 million people a year.

In the United States, drug-resistant infections killed more than 65,000 people last year, more than prostate and breast cancer combined. More than 19,000 people died from a staph infection alone that has been eliminated in Norway, where antibiotics are stringently limited.

In Africa, new and harder-to-treat strains of HIV are being detected in about 5 percent of new patients. HIV drug resistance rates have shot up to as high as 30 percent worldwide.

For more information on this topic: CBS News

Repeat STI Rate in Urban Girls Almost 100%

I know, we don’t want to think of our daughters, especially in their teens, as having sex. I also know that many of them do have sex. So, whether you’re ready to deal with it or not, here are a few numbers you should be aware of:

Half of urban teenage girls may acquire at least one of three common sexually transmitted infections (STI) within two years of becoming sexually active.

Ok, some might say. STIs can be treated. The rebuttal to that is: yes and no.

Sure, some STIs can be successfully treated. But, there’s a big “but.”

1. The STI has to be identified.
2. The girl has to be willing to have it treated.
3. The girl has to seek treatment.
4. The girl has to be sure that she completes the treatment properly.
5. The girl has to be sure that it has worked.

Oh, and one more step: Read more

Pennsylvania School District STD’s

Pennsylvania school districts have an alarming outbreak of (STD’s) and pregnancies. The school administrators are desperate to solve these problems.

The Times Herald-Record news paper and Fox TV News reported that an estimated 10% of 3000 students are infected with (STD’s) in Delaware Valley School District alone. The number of students infected, has caused the Center for Disease Control (CDC) to become alarmed also. An active search for students at high risk of (HIV) is now underway.

Students as young as 12 say that they are sexually active putting them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases (STD’s) such as human papillomavirus (HPV). As if the (STD) problem was not enough there are 24 students that are pregnant.

In June of 2009 parents’ received a letter alerting them of the (STD) outbreak. Maternal and Family Health Services are working closely with the school districts to educate students on the importance of birth control and safe sex.

The Center for Disease Control (CDC) released a report that stated that one in four teenage girls ‘between” 14-19 now had some form of (STD’s).

Pennsylvania schools emphasize abstinence: there are also classes that teach safe sex as well as birth control. The Board of Education is now trying to revise curriculum to further educate the students on safe sex as well as contemplating passing out (condoms). 

As yet a cure for (HPV) has not been found, but there is an all natural treatment that you can ask your health care provider about which will help control outbreaks.

 Planned Parenthood, American and Pennsylvania voters believe that young people want and need comprehensive sex education; sex education that includes information about abstinence, as well as information about healthy relationships, contraception, and the prevention of sexually transmitted infections. Real sex education works; it has been shown to delay intercourse, decrease the number of sexual partners, and increase use of contraception. Not surprisingly, the vast majority of the public agrees with a comprehensive, practical approach to sex education which extends across political parties and religious groups. In an April 2007 Pennsylvania poll, 83% of voters agreed that sex education programs should instruct students about both abstinence and ways to prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including birth control.

For more information click: Pennsylvania schools

Don’t Hate the Dentist – Not in Your Best Interest

Are there any healthcare professionals more feared or dreaded than the dentist? I feel badly for them. Imagine being in a social situation, introductions made and the new acquaintance saying something like “I’m terrified of dentists,” or “oh boy, I haven’t been to a dentist in ages. I hate them.” I know the prospect of dental work isn’t pleasant – not too many people actually look forward to it, but dentists play a very important role in our overall health.

The MayoClinic.com says it well: “While the eyes may be the window to the soul, your mouth is a window to your body’s health.” According to the Canadian Dental Association, 7 out of 10 Canadians develop gum disease at one point in their life.

Problems with teeth and gums can contribute to serious health issues and can cause illness as well. People with heart disease and diabetes, for example, are at risk for problems. Read more