Child sexual abuse is a pressing issue in society today. Statistically, there has been a considerable increase in the number of cases related to juvenile sex abuse over the past decade. Most of the cases report the abuser to be a close family member or a family friend rather than a complete stranger.
Future Consequences-
A sexually abused child may develop severe mental health conditions and have major difficulties coping with as an adult. One of the most common disorders affecting survivors of child sexual abuse is Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). This involves the individual reliving the trauma all his/her life, thus leading to panic, stress and difficulties in living a healthy life in the longer run.
The individuals who were abused as a child normally suffer from a very low self -esteem. They continue to blame themselves for the events that occurred and hence have a rather demeaning view of themselves, leading to adjustment issues in the future.
They may also be diagnosed with clinical depression owing to the previous trauma. This hampers the everyday functioning of the individual. The individual may continue to relive the past traumatic events in the mind that further fuels their depression and contribute to the vicious cycle, eventually.
Most often, survivors of child sexual abuse have a rather impulsive nature owing to the hampered functioning of impulse-control. They have lesser control over their emotions, especially anger and are rather quick to act on it.
Because of all the complications, they might be less socially competent and thus fail to build firm peer relationships. They grow up to be adults with severe trust issues; they are hence, often side-lined because of their cynicism which leads to further depressive symptoms.
Genophobia or the fear of sex is another complication that they may experience as adults. They may avoid sex altogether or engage in sexual activities that are rather violent in nature. Some survivors may develop certain sexual fetishes that can be rather dangerous; the most common being  paedophilia  or the sexual arousal involving prepubescent children.
Conclusion-
The seriousness of the condition is often undermined. In treatment, various therapeutic techniques are used according to the need and age of the patient. Therapists work to promote positive thinking among the sufferers so that it becomes easy for them to accept their past and move on in life with a better outlook. With proper guidance and help, the individuals are able to overcome their mental health issues and live a wholesome life.


Sexual Abuse -  Mental and Psychological Effects on Children

3 Common skin problems in teenagers

Problems with the skin during the teenage years are very common. Although skin issues can be really stressful, the right skin care treatment can help in controlling the problems you may face during this time. Here are some of the skin issues that you may face at this stage of life and ways to prevent them:

Oily Skin: Oily skin is a very common occurrence during teenage years. To a certain extent, oily skin may be due to genetics but for some, it may be due to hormonal changes that cause excess oil to be produced on the skin surface. In order to not inflame the skin further, individuals with oily skin shouldn't overly scrub their skin as well as not use harsh cleansers to clean the face. More importantly, when you do use a cleanser on your face, you should only do so two times a day. If you go overboard, it would only do more harm than good.

Acne: Whether it is blackheads, whiteheads or spots filled with pus, acne affects about 80% of teenagers at some point in their lives. Teenagers are more prone to this problem because the hormone levels during this time are especially high, resulting in an increase in the magnitude of sebaceous glands and the oil that is produced. When too much oil is produced, this, along with dead skin cells block, the follicles, giving rise to acne. There are certain ways in which you can prevent it from occurring, such as always having a bath after any strenuous activity, not picking or touching the problem areas and washing acne-prone spots only two times a day.

Excessive Sweating: Excessive sweating is another major cause of concern for teenagers. The problem can be due to two different conditions - stress or hyperhidrosis (a condition wherein you sweat excessively on a daily basis). Wearing clothes made from cotton, using antiperspirants as well as avoiding drinks and foods that may cause episodes of excessive sweating are some of the ways in which you can keep the problem in control. 



3 Common Skin Problems in Teenagers

Hearing loss is not something limited to elderly men or elderly women only. This is something that can affect any adult at any stage of life. The good news is that it can be managed. Today, there are a number of hearing aids that can help improve hearing ability. These aids allow an individual who has lost part of his or her hearing to live a normal life. For best results, hearing loss should be arrested in its early stages.

Here are a few signs you should look out for.

Muffled Speech: When you hear people talk, their speech should be clearly identifiable. If you hear muffled noises that you have to interpret as words, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
Difficulty understanding words: The human ear has the ability to separate conversational sounds from ambient noise. However, in some cases where the inner ear is damaged, a person might find it difficult to separate the two. In such cases, the person might not be able to understand words clearly as they get confused with background noise. This is a sign that must never be taken lightly.
Feeling the need to ask people to repeat themselves: Once in a while if you find yourself asking another person to repeat what he or she said, there is nothing to worry. However, if this becomes a regular occurrence and happens with many people, then the fault lies in your hearing. Thus, if you notice yourself needing to ask people to repeat themselves or talk slowly, consult a hearing specialist.
Increasing the volume of the radio or television: As children, we are taught that playing music or watching TV at a very high volume can damage the ears. The radio, television and other such appliances should be played at a volume where the information being relayed is clearly audible and people can have a conversation alongside without needing to shout. If you find yourself having to increase the volume constantly, it could be a sign of hearing loss.
Withdrawing from conversations: As hearing loss is aggravated, people begin to feel conscious of having to ask others around them to repeat themselves or talk slowly. This can make them withdraw from a conversation and other social situations. In many cases, the simple reason for avoiding a party could be the discomfort of not being able to hear the other person clearly in a conversation.
 All hearing problems can be better handled by proper investigation, different test, sign and symptoms of the patient, which are carried by a specialist of hearing, called as AUDIOLOGIST, who can look your hearing problems, plan out treatment plan, rehabilitation pre and post etc. Audiologist will definitely help you hear again. 

Common Signs Of Hearing Problems In Adults!

Dyslexia is a neurological condition which makes learning a difficult process in children. Children suffering from dyslexia find themselves incapable of reading and learning as compared to their peers. Dyslexia occurs when the brain cannot process graphic symbols. This causes difficulty in recognizing, spelling and also decoding words. The effect of this condition varies from one person to another and is most often a lifelong condition. It can also vary as a result of different ages in people. However, a slower reading level is one common characteristic that is present in all dyslexic children.

Dyslexia is a strictly neurological condition that has little to do with a person s intelligence. It can also occur as a result of genetic conditions. Early detection of the condition can help in improvement before he or she reaches adolescence. A thorough evaluation process of the child will include the following aspects IQ level, language skills, ability of word recognition, phonological processing, automaticity skills, fluency skills, family history and also knowledge of vocabulary.

The most common symptoms of dyslexia include:

Trouble reading
Very slow progression to milestones such as walking, talking, crawling and learning to ride a bicycle.
Slow development of speech
Trouble with hand-eye coordination
A slow rate of learning when it comes to data
Problem with speech
Very poor concentration span
Children suffering from dyslexia are more prone to developing certain autoimmune diseases such as eczema and asthma.
Dyslexia is sometimes subdivided into a number of categories such as Surface Dyslexia, Rapid Deficit Dyslexia, Visual Dyslexia and Phonological Dyslexia.

There is no medical treatment for dyslexia and help generally includes assigning reading specialists, child psychologist, speech-language pathologists and child neuropsychologists.

Certain practices that you yourself follow when dealing with your dyslexic child are:

Praise your child from time to time
Remind your child that being dyslexic has nothing to do with intelligence levels
Mix with other parents who have dyslexic children and interact with them about ways and strategies to heighten the child s confidence level.
Deal with your child patiently.

Understanding Dyslexia - What All Should You Know

A loss of tooth or teeth is one of the biggest dental problems that someone can face. The irony is that people consider loss of teeth to be very insignificant. But in reality loss of teeth can lead to not only cosmetic problems, but also functional problems and an unstable chewing mechanism.

Loss of teeth can lead to many problems. Some of them are:
1. Supra eruption of opposing teeth
2. Compromised efficiency of chewing
3. Adjacent teeth might drift into the space created by missing teeth
4. Food tend to accumulate between teeth, which have moved
5. Food accumulation also leads to periodontal disease and caries
6. A lopsided chewing pattern as there is loss of equilibrium in the mechanism of chewing
7. The extracted area might reveal a loss of bone height
8. Problems of the temporomandibular joints, like closed bite and tmj osteoarthritis
9. The existing functional teeth might lead to problems due to overload
10. There are increased chances of cheek biting due to collapse of the cheek in the missing space, thus leading to functional and cosmetic problems
11. The frequency of tongue biting and ulceration might increase in the area of missing teeth or tooth
When missing teeth are replaced, one can easily restore the healthy look of the teeth and also prevent any other dental problems which are due to the missing teeth.

While replacement of the missing teeth it is of utmost importance that the equilibrium is maintained with the distribution of the forces caused by chewing. Care is also taken that the cosmetic outlook is also maintained in the treatment. 

Ideally the teeth when extracted or lost should be immediately replaced. This is because the replacement prevents the bone resorption or bone loss in the area and also retains the good bone. But a drawback is that such an immediate replacement might lead to limitation. Immediate treatment is usually done with the help of implants which easily fit in the sockets created by extraction. But even for this an analysis of the bone and gum health is necessary, thus leading to only a few instances for such replacements. Other alternative is that immediate removable dentures can be prepared and these can be replaced once the gums of the area have healed. The time period for this is usually 3 months. If these need to be fixed permanently then a waiting period of 3 months is mandatory for the settling and healing of the gums and bone of the area.

The 3 basic ways of fixing missing teeth are through implants, fixed bridgework (bridges and crowns) and dentures, which can be removed.

Missing Teeth and Problems Associated With It

Pulmonary Function Tests or PFTs are a set of tests that are used to determine, measure or observe the functioning of the lungs. The most common pulmonary function tests used are spirometry, gas diffusion, and lung plethysmography. 

Highlights of pulmonary function tests

A spirometry test is used to measure the amount of air inhaled and exhaled. It also measures the amount of time taken to complete a respiration cycle.
A lung plethysmography measures the amount of air in the lungs after the patient has taken a deep breath. It also measures the amount of air that remains in the lungs after the patient has exhaled as much air as possible.
What does a Pulmonary Function Test measure?
Pulmonary function tests would not only check how well the person is breathing but also how effectively the lungs are able to conduct oxygen to the rest of the body. In addition to air flow, these tests would measure the size and volume of the lung and lung diffusion.

These tests can also be used to measure

Total Lung Capacity   the amount of air present in the lungs after breathing in deeply
Forced Vital Capacity   the amount of air that can be exhaled after breathing in deeply
Minute Volume   the amount of air exhaled per minute
Vital Capacity   the total volume of air that can be breathed out after inhaling as much as possible
Tidal Volume   the amount of air inhaled or exhaled when breathing normally
Maximum voluntary ventilation   the amount of air that can be inhaled and exhaled in one minute
Functional Residual Capacity   the amount of air that remains in the lungs when breathing normally
Forced Expiratory Flow   the flow or volume of air during an exhalation
Peak Expiratory Flow Rate   the rate at which a person can exhale
When are Pulmonary Function Tests recommended?
A physician might recommend a patient undergo a PFT as part of a routine physical check-up. This test would be advised if the patient is experiencing any symptoms associated with lung problems or disorders such as asthma, respiratory infections, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, COPD. A doctor would also use these tests to monitor and check whether a certain treatment prescribed for a lung disease or condition is working effectively.

Pulmonary function tests are safe as they are non-invasive but it is important to follow the instructions of the doctor or technician before, after and during the test. It is important to make your doctor aware of any surgeries, respiratory infections, chest pains or heart attacks that you might have experienced before the test. If you are taking any medications you might need to follow the advice of the doctor as to whether you can take them before the test.

Your doctor would also advice you on how to prepare for the test such as not eating a large meal, avoiding caffeine and wearing loose-fitting clothes. If you have any doubts, concerns or queries discuss them with your doctor.

Pulmonary Function Tests - Why Is It Required?

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