Jennifer Wider - The doctors complete college girls health guide: from sex to drugs to the freshman fifteen

CONTENTS

For Erez
No words can express my love and appreciation

For Orly and Ryan
May your college years be safe, healthy,
and as much fun as Mommys

ACKNOWLEDGMENTS

I would not be where I am today without the undying support and encouragement from my beautiful parents, Barbara and Jerry. Thank you for always believing in me. And thank you for applauding when I finally found the courage to step off the beaten track.

A special thanks to my brother Jedd, for his invaluable advice and guidance. And to my brother Todd, for being an extraordinary doctor and friend. Thank you to Danielle for all of her creative ideas and assistance.

Thank you to Ruth and Sidney Roffman, who had blind faith in my abilities before I could even talk. You are both in my heart and I hope you know that your example of true love lives on in this family and will be eternal.

Thank you to all of the college women who shared their experiences with me. A special thanks to Caitlin, Janet, and students at Fairfield University, Princeton University, Stanford University, Columbia University, and SUNY Stony Brook.

Thank you to Alex, for always being there. Thank you to Deb, Margaret, Tinka, AshGreg, Morgaen, AshMad, Shea, MVOH, Stephanie, Elissa, Susan, and Jessmy college family. If your daughters or future daughters are anything like any of you, buy them this book! Thanks to Amy and Kate for listening to me and my excerpts. And thanks to Meghan at Bantam Dell for all of your help and suggestions.

A huge thank-you goes to Susan Arellano, whose tact, insight, and creativity helped to make this book a reality. And last, but certainly not least, Beth Rashbaum at Bantam Dell. I feel so lucky to have crossed your path. Your intelligence, wit, and superb editing abilities were invaluable during this process.

FOREWORD

The time you spend in college youll probably remember as being among the best years of your life. But it is also a critical time, a time when you need to be particularly aware of your health and safety. For young women, many health-related issues can arise during these formative years as a direct result of the fact that you are now out from under the supervision of your parents, and free to make many of your own choices.

Your new freedom means that you may end up engaging in behaviors that pose significant health riskshaving sex, using drugs and alcohol, or maybe just getting too little sleep, eating too much junk food, or otherwise neglecting areas of your health that your parents previously made sure you took care of. The consequences of these risky behaviors can potentially cause problems for the rest of your life. (Its important to note that many of the health risks women face during college years are not just physical, but psychological as well, because freedom can make college a stressful as well as an enjoyable time.)

But freedom is not just about facing new dangers; its about embracing new responsibilityin ways that can benefit you for the rest of your lifeif only you know what to do.

Now that youre in charge of your own health, youll need to know when to make an appointment at the health center, when to get a check-up, when to get screened for disease, when to go for counseling, and when to get help for a friend. Youll need to learn how to balance the demands on your time, making sure to eat well and to get enough exercise even though you may be studying harder than ever before, and perhaps working part-time to help pay for college, too. Its a tall order for a young woman on her own, and thats why The Doctors Complete College Girls Health Guide should become required reading for all young women going off to school.

Inside this book, you will find an abundance of useful, current, and easy-to-read information on pertinent health issues ranging from the most serious to the most minoreverything from suicide prevention, substance abuse, and eating disorders, to acne, mono, colds, and flu. If youre not sure whether to see a doctor, this book will tell you. If you dont know where to turn for advice and counseling, this book will become your guide.

As a professor of Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine and the director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center, I have provided direct medical services to children and adolescents for more than twenty-three years. I have witnessed firsthand the problems faced by young people in todays societyproblems that include sexually transmitted diseases, substance abuse, eating disorders, depression, anxiety, and date rape.

The first step in the prevention of all of these problems is education and knowledge. With The Doctors Complete College Girls Health Guide, information is at your fingertips and can be kept on a shelf in your dorm room to be consulted anytime you need it. The book can answer all the questions you might be reluctant to ask your mom or even your friends.

The Doctors Complete College Girls Health Guide also offers an overview of good health habits. It can tell you when to get certain exams and what questions to ask your doctor. The book offers nutritional advice, tips for busy students on how to maintain exercise routines, and suggestions on how to prevent common health problems later in life by making good lifestyle choices now.

The topics were carefully selected and include just about every health issue you are likely to encounter. So when you pack up for college, make sure to include The Doctors Complete College Girls Health Guide. Youll be grateful that you did.

Angela Diaz, M.D., M.P.H. Jean C. and James W. Crystal Professor of Pediatrics at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine in New York City, and Director of the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center

INTRODUCTION

Congratulations you made it to college. Now that youre actually there, how do you feel? Maybe youre relieved or excited. Or maybe youre already feeling homesick, or youre so nervous and freaked out that youre having a panic attack. All of those feelings are normal. When I was in your shoes, I cried my eyes out as soon as I had said good-bye to my family and friends. My eyes were so red, I looked like a commercial for Visine eyedrops. But dont worry. I ended up loving college so much that I cried just as hard at graduation and needed another bottle of Visine.

Take a deep breath. Before you know it, college will feel like home.

Of course, itll be home with a lot of papers to write, tests to take, and maybe some pop quizzes, too. Speaking of which: heres a pop quiz that you might want to take, because its all about you and what you might come up against during your time on campus.

POP QUIZ TIME

Questions

Youre not yourself at all. Its been several months since you got to school, and you still feel homesick and miss Mom, Dad, and all of your friends like crazy. Youve had a hard time sleeping lately. Just about anything can make you cryeven a Hallmark commercial. Whats wrong with you?

a. Nothing. Those Hallmark commercials could make even the football coach cry.

b. Youre just adjusting to being on your own.

c. You may have a mild case of the freshmen blues.

d. You could be clinically depressed.

e. Any of the above.

You feel sick. Youre sneezing, coughing, tired, and achy. You think you have a cold, but the medications arent working. You wake up with a pounding headache. Youre all stuffed up, but nothings coming out when you blow. Whats going on?