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Teenage Glossary
Addiction:
This is a condition where you become
dependent on, or can’t do without, physical substances or an
activity to the point that stopping it is very hard and causes
severe physical and mental reactions. Substances you can become
addicted to include tobacco, alcohol, and drugs (both illegal and
prescription drugs). Activities that can be addicting include
lying, stealing, and gambling. Addiction can be treated with
counseling and, in some cases, medication.
Adolescence:
The period of life from puberty to
adulthood when a young person "grows up."
Adrenal glands:
A pair of small glands, each of which
sits on top of the kidneys. These glands produce hormones that
help to control the body’s heart rate, blood pressure, the way
food gets used, and other functions. They make the hormone
adrenaline, which the body releases in response to low blood
levels of glucose (sugar), as well as exercise and stress.
Asphyxiation:
Suffocation.
Blood pressure:
As blood is pumped from your heart
through your body, the blood exerts force or pressure against the
blood vessel walls. Your blood pressure reading is a measure of
this pressure. When that reading goes above a certain point, it is
called high blood pressure or hypertension, which can be lowered
and controlled with medication and changes in lifestyle and diet.
Clinical depression:
Clinical, or major, depression is an
illness that involves the body, mood, and thoughts. It affects the
way a person functions, eats and sleeps, feels about herself, and
thinks about things. Depression is not the same as a passing
"down" mood. It is not a sign of personal weakness or a condition
that can be willed or wished away. This condition can be treated
with medication and counseling.
Douching:
Douching is rinsing or cleaning out
the vagina, usually with a prepackaged mix of fluids. The water or
solutions are held in a bottle and squirted into the vagina
through tubing and a nozzle. Health care providers no longer
suggest douching to clean the vagina. Douching changes the
delicate chemical balance in the vagina (and the vaginal flora),
which can make a woman more prone to bacterial infections.
Eating disorders:
An eating disorder is a severe
illness that requires help from a health care provider, the sooner
the better. Bulimia nervosa is an eating disorder where a
person binges, or eats a large amount of food all at once and then
purges, or forces themselves to vomit, takes laxatives, or
diuretics (water pills). Starving yourself by eating very little
or nothing at all is another eating disorder called anorexia
nervosa. People who have this condition can have a strong fear
of body fat and weight gain. Binge eating disorder happens
when a person cannot control her desire to overeat and often keeps
the extreme eating a secret. Unlike bulimia, with binge eating
disorder, a person does not purge her food. Extreme exercise to
control weight is now being looked at by experts as another type
of eating disorder. Girls may be more at risk for eating disorders
because of a desire to have the "ideal" figure often shown in the
popular media (TV, magazines, movies). While the exact cause of
eating disorders is unknown, personality, genetics, environment
and body chemistry may play a role in developing one.
Estrogen:
A female hormone produced by the
ovaries. Estrogen plays important roles in puberty, the menstrual
cycle, and in reproduction.
Fallopian tubes:
The organs that connect the ovaries
to the uterus. There is a fallopian tube on each side of the
uterus. When one of the ovaries releases an egg, it travels
through the fallopian tube toward the uterus. Fertilization (when
a man’s sperm and a woman’s egg join together) usually happens in
the fallopian tube.
Genes:
Genes come from both parents and are
responsible for inherited characteristics, such as eye and hair
color. Genes are in all body cells.
Genital region:
The external reproductive or sex
organs (sometimes referred to as a person’s private parts).
Halitosis:
Offensive or bad breath.
Homicide:
The killing of one person by another.
Homicide is not legal and is a punishable crime.
Hormone:
A hormone is a natural body chemical,
such as estrogen, that has effects on or controls other parts of
the body. Synthetic hormones, such as birth control pills, are
drugs similar to human hormones.
Immune system:
A complex system whose job is to
protect the body against infection and foreign substances. The
immune system works to seek out, identify, and kill invaders.
Menarche:
The first menstrual period or
beginning of menstruation.
Menopause:
The last menstrual period or end of
menstruation. The average age of menopause is 50. After menopause,
a woman can no longer become pregnant.
Menstruation:
The monthly period or menstrual
bleeding. During menstruation, the extra blood and tissue that
built up inside the uterus during the menstrual cycle is expelled
through the vagina, usually over a period of 3-7 days.
Ovaries:
Two organs (about the size of an
almond or grape), one on each side of the uterus, in the pelvis of
a female. The ovaries contain eggs (ova) and make female hormones.
When one of the ovaries releases an egg each month as part of the
menstrual cycle, it is called ovulation.
Puberty:
The process of developing from a
child to sexual maturity, when a person becomes capable of having
children. In a girl, puberty includes a growth spurt, development
of breasts and hips, growth of body hair, and the beginning of
menstruation (having periods).
Relaxation techniques:
These are techniques, or things that
you can do, to help you relax. They are often used for reducing
stress. Relaxation techniques include meditation (sitting still,
breathing slowly and clearing your mind), yoga, deep breathing,
and visualization (closing your eyes and seeing a scene that
relaxes you, such as a beach or a mountain lake).
Reproductive organs:
The parts of the body involved in
reproduction (producing a baby). In a female, they include the
uterus, ovaries, fallopian tubes, and vagina.
Self-esteem:
How you feel about yourself – how you
feel about who you are, the way you act, and how you look. When a
person does not think too highly of herself, she is said to have
low self-esteem.
Uterus:
Also called the womb. The uterus is a
pear-shaped, hollow organ in a female’s pelvis where a baby
develops during pregnancy. The uterus is made up of muscle with an
inside lining called the endometrium. The endometrium builds up
and thickens during the menstrual cycle to prepare for a possible
pregnancy each month. But if no pregnancy occurs, the extra tissue
and blood are shed during menstruation.
Vagina:
Sometimes called the birth canal. The
vagina is a muscular passage that leads down from the cervix, (the
lower part of the uterus) to the outside of a female’s body.
During menstruation, menstrual blood flows from the uterus through
the cervix and out of the body through the vagina.
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