Watch What You Put in Your Mouth!

                                                      Hi Reader(s)!



No, this title doesn't refer to overeating and weight gain. Nope, this title refers to something a bit sexier than eating - it's about ORAL SEX.  But it's not the part that ever gets discussed - not the pleasant aspects of it, but the scary part.

Back in February of this year, an article appeared on a website by Kaiser Health News. The link to that article is here: http://www.npr.org/blogs/health/2011/03/01/133968901/virus-passed-during-oral-sex-tops-tobacco-as-throat-cancer-cause (sorry, the original Kaiser source didn't archive it, though everyone else did!)

When I teach on this topic and as we discuss the linked article (above) I make mention of a person named Bill Clinton who said under oath in 1999: I did not have sexual relations with that woman. Of course later he admitted she performed oral sex on him, but that of course "wasn't sex".


As the title implies, performing oral sex on a man or woman is now the leading cause of cancer of the oropharnyxl region, resulting in more oral cancer than from smoking by a large margin! The link between the human papilloma virus (HPV) and cervical cancer has been know and publicized for many years but the link between oral sex and oral cancer is rarely discussed. This is a particularly important topic because as the article indicates teens don't consider oral sex to really be sex.


So in addition to abstinence, I try and suggest monogamy as a safer sex option. Other options include masturbation (alone) and mutual masturbation with another. Condoms have been preached in schools for years and continue to be preached now, but rarely are condoms used for oral sex on a man, or a dental dam (see photo) used over a woman's vulva to protect against fluids being mixed or received. The only good news here is that there are vaccinations for both girls and boys like Gardasil that can protect against the majority of strains of HPV. The other only slightly good news from the article says that oral cancer caused from HPV is less deadly than the oral cancers caused from smoking and or drinking.

Irony!

I have a student, an 11th grader mixed in with all the freshmen. We'll call her "Louise". She stands out because she is older, keeps to herself a bit, is of a nationality that is less common at my school but most of all she stands out for what she eats in class.

Almost daily Louise brings a ziplock bag with raw vegetables: baby carrots, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers, and bell peppers. This is so unusual compared to the other kids in my classes. The norm for the last 10 (or 30) years is students eating Flaming Hot Cheetos while entering class, or on a good day, Pop Tarts or Goldfish which I sometimes allow.

So the last few days Louise has had the mother of all colds. She was blowing her nose so often I took the roll of toilet paper off my desk (poor man's kleenex) and put in on her desk. Then I moved the trash can and put it next to her desk. She thanked me.

NOT FAIR! Why does she get the cold? Why not Amanda who comes in with red fingers and mouth and as she finishes off her Flamin' Hot Cheesy Ohs and cleans off her fingers by licking them clean. Why doesn't she get sick!

As we know life is not always fair but in general, though Loiuse is ailing now, I will bet on her in the long run - cholesterol wise, diabetes wise, weight wise and so on. Life isn't a sprint, but a marathon and practicing good health habits at an early age generally pay great dividends years from now.

McDonalds Hurts

This is the third year that I have shown SuperSize Me to my 9th grade health classes. I am not thrilled with the handout that I have to accompany the film but the last question I ask is: Will this film change your eating habits in going to fast food restaurants? Explain your answer.

Right now the answers are running about 60/40 favoring Yes. I think that's good, better than I expected, however, it's one thing to be affected by something immediately after watching a film, but 2 months later, a year, not so much. Habits and peer pressure override logic and good intentions so people routinely act in ways they know are not in their best interests.

For teens there is still the feeling of omnipotence that most thankfully outgrow in their 20's. There is also I think a fair amount of denial going on about being overweight. Out of my 195 or so students, I probably have 25-35 students that are 20 or more pounds overweight, (a few a lot more than 20 lbs).

The scary part is that my students are 14 and 15 years old. How much will they weigh at 18 or 25? My school is not unique either as overweight is the "new normal". Is McDonalds to blame? Yes, but only partly. Who else? Some blame also goes to PepsiCo, which is a food conglomerate that owns Mountain Dew, Lays chips, Gatorade, Cheetos, Doritos, Tostitos, well- you get the picture. Who else is to blame? Direct TV, Apple, MTV and quite a few others that market 24/7 entertainment choices to young and old alike. Why get exercise when I can sit in my bedroom, eat chips, drink soda, not do my homework and text my BFF until my thumbs are sore?

All across the US kids are spending more time eating junk, drinking junk, playing video games, texting, watch videos, updating their Facebook page, THAN THEY ARE walking, running, playing sports, eating fruit, drinking water and reading for pleasure. A lot more time.

Flabby bodies, and it appears flabby minds as test scores and graduation rates can attest. While we have been discussing obesity and nutrition now 8 school days into the new semester, in every class students have asked "can't you just have an operation? That stomach thing?" Just 5 years ago my students saw liposuction as the solution to overweight. Today, gastric by-pass. It apparently worked for "that guy" in the SuperSize Me video. I generally stop the video then and say "Yes, and his next operation will be a quintuple by-pass for his heart, unless he dies in route to the hospital."

I can't wait for 2025 when parents will choose prenatally the genetics for their kids, virtually eliminating all the undesirable characteristics. Until then, pass the chips, salsa, and the Double Gulp. I'm thirsty from all the YouTube videos I've watched today.