Short messages on Physical health issues from Respect Yourself, the guidance site for young people to help make good decisions in life.
All girls born between 1st September 1990 and 31st August 1997 can have the vaccination that protects against cervical cancer. Girls born after this get the vaccination in Year 8 at school.
If you have any symptoms of Type 1 diabetes, go straight to the doctor and insist on a test for Type 1 diabetes there and then. The test consists of a quick and simple finger-prick blood test, which your GP can carry out straight away.
Cervical cancer is the second most common cancer in women under the age of 35. In the UK, 2,900 women a year are diagnosed with cervical cancer.
When pregnant, what goes into your mouth goes into your bloodstream, and what goes into your bloodstream goes into your baby. Think of the effect smoking and drinking alcohol would have.
Starting a new sport can be absorbing and satisfying, and any activity should be graded so that joints and muscles get time to adjust to the demands placed upon them.
Type 1 diabetes develops when the body’s immune system attacks and destroys the cells that produce insulin. As a result the body is unable to produce insulin and this leads to increased blood glucose levels, which in turn can cause serious damage to all organ systems in the body.
Allow sufficient rest time to recover from training or physical exercising. Professional athletes and Olympians realise that overtraining is a very real and serious risk.
Doctors will help with physical and mental health. Be honest about what you think may be causing the problem, and don’t be embarrassed. Your doctor will have seen and heard it all before.
Ask the doctor to repeat and explain anything you don’t understand. If there are words you don’t understand, ask what they mean. Bring a friend or relative if you’re worried.