Background. There is a great difference between feeling sick and being sick. Being sick means that some part of the body is being damaged by an infection, a wound, or a deficiency of some kind.

Feeling sick is different. When you feel sick you have a headache, a fever, or some other discomfort. You feel this way when you are getting any of a number of diseases.

Explanation. Dr. Hans Selye noticed that sick people generally complain of the same symptoms when they first contract a disease. Selye wondered what causes these symptoms and why they were similar for so many diseases.

After years of research, he discovered that these feelings of sickness have many causes. They are not limited to physical causes. Emotional factors seem to cause many of the same symptoms. Fear, excitement, anger, or great enthusiasm can cause the symptoms as easily as a cold virus. Selye called all these causes stress.

He performed many experiments on rats. In each, he subjected a group of rats to intense cold, or a virus, or a frustrating situation, and certain reactions developed. The most noticeable were stomach disorders, an enlarged adrenal cortex, and shrunken lymph structures.

Selye realized that these three reactions  could be caused by any stress. Continued stress, however, brought about a second reaction; the internal symptoms disappeared! In cases where there was no disease, but there was stress, the body apparently was able to adjust to the stress and continue to function efficiently. Selye concluded that the body can accustom itself to stress and, if the stress is not too severe, can continue to function.

Selye also found that rats cannot tolerate stress forever. If stress is too severe, they eventually die. Fortunately, people are seldom required to tolerate such extreme degrees of stress.

Most people often experience the first two reactions to stress. Your feeling of sickness when you are first catching cold is your reaction to stress.

You have often experienced the second phase of the stress reaction, too. Remember when you got your "second wind" during a tiring game or long period of activity? That was an adaptation to stress.

Today, doctors are finding out more and more about Dr. Selye’s concept of stress. The more they learn, the better they can treat patients who are experiencing one of the three degrees of stress.

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Team Activity
Foot Volleyball. This game is a variation of regular volleyball. You can play the game with a soccer ball or a regular football. Older boys play the game on a field that is 100 feet by 200 feet. Younger boys and girls can play the game on a field that is 95 feet long and 40 feet wide.

Look at the illustration to see how the field is divided into two playing courts and a neutral area. Notice that there is no net and that the neutral area is 15 feet long.

The object of the game is to kick (punt) the ball into the opponent’s playing court so that no one can catch it and kick it back. A team scores a point when its opponent allows the ball to touch the ground or when its opponent punts the ball out of bounds, into the neutral zone, or into its own court.

The serve is made by punting the ball into the opponent’s playing court from the middle of the server’s playing court. The serving team continues to serve as long as it continues to make points. A team can only score when it has the serve.

When a ball is served into the proper court, a player must catch it and kick it back to the server’s playing court. The serving team tries to catch it and return it in a like manner.

Seven to fourteen players make up a team. They rotate in a clockwise direction each time a serve is made so that each player assumes a new position. Only the serving team rotates before each serve. In this way, each team member is given a chance to serve.

Part of the skill involved in playing foot volleyball is the ability of the team members to play their own positions and not interfere with each other’s actions.

You will find that this game is fast-moving. It requires skill, but it can be played by anyone.

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Care of Acne

1. Wash the face gently with soap and water. Do this as many as five times a day.
2. Avoid creams and cosmetics that contain oil.
3. Because some foods may affect the condition, avoid greasy foods, chocolate, pastries, and roasted nuts.
4. If you want to use any medication, consult your doctor for his advice and recommendations.
5. Avoid periods of emotional tension or poor health. These conditions can cause a flare-up.
6. In the event of severe acne, see a skin specialist, or dermatologist, as acne can leave disfiguring scars.
7. Do not pick or squeeze blackheads and pimples, as this can cause infections and is likely to cause more painful and larger pimples.

Reactions to cosmetics. Girls your age begin thinking of using cosmetics.
of one sort or another Sometimes girls find that cosmetics when applied tastefully, help to cover blemishes. Sometimes it becomes "the thing to do" to wear cosmetics.

You should know that some people’s skin is irritated by cosmetics. These people develop dermatitis, or skin inflammation, from the cosmetics. Their skin almost always becomes red, swollen, or blistered where cosmetics  are applied. They can avoid this reaction by avoiding cosmetics. If the condition persists, they can consult a doctor.

Promoting attractive skin. Because appearance is so important to most teen-agers, the skin problems mentioned above may sometimes seem like great tragedies. You can save yourself much worry by treating these conditions properly.

Skin conditions, such as acne, pimples, blackheads, and oily skin are normal for some teen-agers and not for others. If you have one of these conditions, you can improve both the condition and your state of mind by not worrying about the particular blemish. Worrying only makes the skin condition worse, and it certainly does not help to make you appear pleasant and attractive. By taking care of your skin, taking special problems to a doctor, and not worrying about skin blemishes you can make the most of this temporary condition.

Think for Yourself
Why is the overuse of cosmetics bad for the skin of anyone who tends to have pimples or oily skin? Do you see a relationship between the use of cosmetics and the cause of acne?

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Your skin is not just an attractive covering to hide bones, muscles, and other internal parts. It is a complicated layer of glands, blood vessels, nerves, hair, and tissue. It helps the body maintain its temperature, protects the internal organs, eliminates some wastes from the body, and helps to prevent infections in the body.

Glands in the skin. The parts of the skin that cause most problems for teen-agers are the glands in the skin. There are two types of glands in the skin: the sweat glands, which secrete almost pure water, and the sebaceous glands, which secrete an oily substance called sebum.

The sweat glands always give off a tiny amount of salt dissolved in water. Usually the water evaporates quickly, leaving a thin coating of salt on the surface of the skin. In hot weather, when you perspire more freely, this coating can build up rapidly. This coating is not offensive because it has no odor. Daily washing and bathing removes it.

During adolescence a different type of sweat gland appears in the body. These glands secrete the normal salty-water solution, but they also secrete Products that can be broken down by bacteria that are normally on the skin. It is this bacterial action that produces the unpleasant odor that has become associated with perspiration. These special sweat glands are concentrated under the arms; consequently, it is from this area that the offensive odor comes.

You can avoid perspiration odors by bathing regularly and by using a deodorant that does not irritate your skin. But everyone needs to keep in mind that nothing is as effective as frequent bathing in eliminating skin bacteria and dissolved salts.

Skin problems. One of the problems many teen-agers face is oily skin. Some people’s skin becomes oily because the sebaceous glands in the hair follicles produce too much sebum during adolescence. This oily substance keeps the hair flexible, but in excess, can cause oily skin. The best way to remove the excess oil is to wash twice a day with soap and water. Pay particular attention to the nooks and crannies at the edges of the nose, eyes and ears. These places often collect more than their share of oil because the sebaceous glands are numerous on the nose and forehead.

Sometimes the glandular activity in a teen-ager’s skin causes another problem: blackheads and pimples. Contrary to popular opinion, these are not formed by dirty pores. They are formed when the tiny amount of dirt normally present on the skin combines with sebum, which clogs pores and sebaceous glands. Due to the concentration of bacteria in the sebum, there is a likelihood that the pores will become infected, swell up, and form pimples. When many pores become inflamed, the condition is known as acne.

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Good posture not only gives others a good impression of you, but it helps you feel well. Because a slouching stance or a slumped sitting position can place a strain on your muscles, these positions are tiring. When correct posture becomes a habit, your muscles are more likely to be relaxed. Therefore you are less likely to tire easily.

Assuming good posture. Good posture is not hard to define, nor is it hard to maintain. It is a natural, easy stance in which the parts of the body are generally in a straight line. Or, when reclining or seated, it is important to have each part of your body supported. It is especially important to have your back supported while you are reclining. Look at the pictures on this page to see some examples of good posture.

Sometimes girls and boys who have
suddenly become taller slump or slouch in an attempt to conceal their height. Perhaps they do not realize that they are slouching. The poor posture, however, only serves to call attention to them and show that they are self-conscious. How much better it is to maintain a balanced posture that gives an impression of grace and self-confidence. You can see that balanced posture is a valuable goal.

Try This

Assume a slouching position and try to take a deep breath. Stand straight and take a deep breath. Which is easier?

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Whenever you feel a strong emotion, such as fear, embarrassment, anger, or joy, the organs in your body react. A cold sweat, a blush, and a "nervous stomach" are evidence that the sweat glands, blood vessels, and stomach are reacting to the emotions. These three reactions to emotion are evidence that there is a link between the brain and each of the organs involved. The link between the emotions and the organs of the body is the autonomic nervous system. The nervous system connects the brain with the skin, stomach, intestines, heart, and blood vessels, as well as with the glands of the body.

Whenever you feel a strong emotion, the message is transmitted to certain parts of the body and physical reactions occur.

Physical reactions to stress. Everyone has physical reactions when he feels a strong emotion. The physical reactions are the body’s way of preparing to meet an emergency. However, if the strong emotion lasts longer than a few hours, the physical reactions become harmful to the body. In cases in which people are under great emotional tension for long periods of time, their stomachs may develop ulcers, or sores, due to the prolonged increase in stomach acidity. Ulcers are common body reactions to chronic, or greatly prolonged emotional tension. Other common reactions to chronic emotional stress are high blood pressure, skin allergies, asthma, and excess weight.

It is fortunate that the periods of emotional stress and strain during the teen years are relatively short. Teenagers who develop healthy ways to cope with their emotions do not develop these physical reactions to chronic emotional strain. Probably they handle their emotions so successfully that they are seldom subjected to emotional stresses for long periods of time.

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One of the most important hormones of the pituitary is secreted during adolescence. This hormone starts the process by which adolescents become mature men and women. It causes the secretion of male hormones in men and female hormones in women. It is these hormones that produce  the marked physical changes that occur during adolescence.

The female hormones produce the changes in body structure, appearance, and voice that make a mature woman. The male hormones produce the changes in body structure, appearance, and voice that make a mature man. These changes are stimulated by the pituitary, and are controlled by heredity. Some boys and girls will begin to mature early in their adolescence and others will begin to mature later. The timing of the change, however, has nothing to do with the eventual maturity of the individual or with his or her attractiveness. You may have guessed that these factors are controlled by heredity, too. Adolescent voice changes. One of the most easily observed adolescent changes is a change in voice quality. In boys, the rapid change in the larynx, or voice box, creates a new voice, which is lower in pitch. In girls, where the change in size of the vocal folds, or cords, is not as great, the changes in pitch and quality are not so pronounced.

Sometime during his adolescence every boy goes through a period when his voice is unreliable. It may be high pitched one moment and deep the next. This uncomfortable situation is temporary and is caused by the changes in the voice box. During adolescence the voice box falls to a lower position in the throat and the vocal folds lengthen. The longer the folds become, the lower the boy’s voice becomes.

While the boy’s vocal folds are changing, he may not have complete control over them. When he is excited or tired, the muscles controlling the vocal cords may tighten, and the boy’s voice will rise in pitch. Happily, this condition does not last long.

Think for Yourself

How can a boy whose voice is changing help to avoid the in pitch that sometimes occur?

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Underweight. When boys and girls suddenly grow tall, they sometimes think they have become underweight. Actually, their bodies have not had time to fill out because of their sudden spurt upward. Many teen-agers’ fear of being underweight is due to this unevenness in growth.

In rare cases, teen-agers are underweight. Nutrition is one cause; glandular disturbances, worry, lack of rest, or infection are other causes. When being underweight is caused by one of these problems, a doctor should be consulted. It is not a good idea to try to adjust your diet to gain weight without a doctor’s advice. This kind of self-treatment can cause nutritional problems and should be avoided.

Overweight. Problems of being overweight are much more common than problems of being underweight. One cause may be the many snacks teen-agers eat. Another cause of being overweight may be that a person may eat too much of a certain type of food. In any event there are several things you can do if excess weight is one of your growth problems.

The first step you should take in coping with a weight problem is to consult your doctor. He may find that your weight gain is a normal part of your own growth pattern. Many people become chubby during certain periods of adolescence, only to lose the unwanted weight at a later time. If the doctor finds that you do have a weight problem, he can recommend a sensible diet to overcome it.

Dieting is a common practice. Unfortunately, many teenagers, particularly girls, follow diets that are poor   in   essential  body  nutrients. When the body does not have these vital foods, or has too much of the wrong kinds of food, it is hindered in its development. Such an unwise diet can cause poor bone formation, tooth decay, and increased susceptibility to illness.

Dieting is not the only solution to problems of being overweight. You can use exercise to hold your weight within reasonable limits. Exercise alone is not a good way to take off weight. You would, for instance, have to walk thirty-five miles to take off one pound. However, a good program of exercise will take off some weight, and will use up energy that would otherwise be converted to fat.

Weight charts. You may see weight charts that state that a person your age and height should weigh a certain number of pounds. These charts may appear to be accurate, but they are actually misleading. Because everyone grows at his own rate and has many purely individual characteristics, there is a good chance that he will not be similar to the "average" in height or weight. From this information, you can see that you cannot conclude you are overweight or underweight simply because you differ from a figure given on a chart. If such a
chart makes you seem seriously overweight or underweight, see your doctor. He will be able to judge your weight in relation to your growth rate, bone structure, general health, and height.

Sleep needs. You have learned that your body is growing "in all directions at once" during your teen years. You are also aware of the great demands of your increasing schedule of activities: sports, homework, hobbies, and projects. Sometimes you may be tempted to make time for all these activities by cutting down on sleeping time.

This method only works for a short time, however. After a few days your lack of sleep will cut down on the energy you have for your activities. Your lack of sleep would also hurt your body’s efforts to grow during this period of great body change. From this information you should see that the recommended eight to ten hours sleep is, in fact, a necessity for growing adolescents.

Think for Yourself

Why is being overweight more common than being underweight in America today

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This internal clock controls the beginning of your growth spurt, the rate of your growth, and the time when it will end. It even times the growth of the parts of your body.

You can blame it if your feet get too large or your nose too long. In fact, this clock also helps to determine your body build, athletic capabilities, and a great deal of your personality.

The chromosomes in your internal clock determine all these characteristics only if other factors do not interfere. Your chromosomes might influence your body to grow tall. If you had very poor nutrition, however, you would not grow as tall as you could have. Nutrition, exercise, diseases, and other factors can change the plans of your internal clock.

Predicting size and build. If you look carefully at your parents, you can probably detect many similarities between them and you. However, it is not very often that a person has all or most of his parents’ traits. It is most likely that you will inherit some traits from one parent and some traits from the other.

Because your size is largely determined by your inheritance, you may be able to get a rough idea of your size at maturity by looking at your parents. However, this method is not always accurate. A short mother not a tall father can have tall, medium, and short children. Because of the peculiar way chromosomes work parents of medium height may have tall children, short children, and any size between. Look at the chart to see how parents’ heights affect their children.

Your bone structure, weight, and physical appearance are determined in the same way as your height. However, each of these characteristics is more complex than height. Consequently, it is not likely that you will look exactly like your parents in any of these ways. However, you may have many similar characteristics. Prediction of these characteristics is extremely difficult even in the best of circumstances.

Severe growth problems. If you think that you have serious growth problems, it would be wise to see your doctor. You will remember that the parathyroids, pituitary, and other endocrines control your skeletal growth and physical development. Occasionally, these glands may secrete too much or too little of the hormones that control growth. Doctors can treat this glandular problem by reducing the activity of the gland or by giving regular doses of the necessary hormones. You must realize, however, that there are only a very few cases of glandular difficulty. Most teenagers’ growth problems are not based on glandular problems and can be solved by several relatively simple methods.

Try This

Take two or three of your outstanding physical characteristics and trace them back to your grandparents. Are all your outstanding traits inherited from one side of your family?

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If you look at the pictures of the girls on the next page you will see an example of the ways two girls grew. Notice that both girls are of similar size at age eighteen. Each girl grew at her own rate. The age at which each girl grew fastest did not affect her final height.

Rate of growth. Perhaps your mother and father remember their height and weight at your age. They might be able to tell you when they began their period of fastest growth. Most people have one period of particularly fast growth during their adolescence. The timing of this period of fast growth is determined by your heredity.

There are some who have a growth spurt during their late teens. Other might grow more quickly during early teens. The timing of the spurt has no relationship to the person’s eventual height.

The one valid generalization concerning growth spurts is that girls tend to grow quickest during their early teens and boys tend to grow fastest later. This means that at age thirteen or fourteen some girls may have grown taller than many boys the same age. In a year or so this situation will have been reversed as the boys catch up with, and grow taller than the girls.

The average teen-ager. You have learned that boys and girls experience their growth spurts at different times. You also know that each boy and each girl grows at a rate that is controlled by his heredity.

People sometimes lose sight of these facts when they begin using the term average. The average height of all twelve-year-old boys is different from the average height of all twelve-year-old girls. However, this does not mean that most of the girls or most of the boys will be of average height. It does mean that a great number of boys and girls are taller or shorter than the average.

You should realize that the term average height has little to do with any one teen-ager. When teen-agers reach maturity, the term has much more meaning.

The awkward age? You have probably seen examples of the gawky, gangling teen-ager on television. According to the comedy writers, boys and girls in their mid-teens are seven feet tall, are very skinny, fall over their own feet, and possess voices that sound like rusty hinges. Of course, these characters are not real. However, sometimes you may feel that these descriptions are uncomfortably accurate.

Because all parts of your body are changing during the years of adolescence, some parts sometimes get "out of step" with others. A boy’s feet may grow two or three sizes in a year. A girl may grow six inches in a year and not put on any weight. A boy may suddenly find himself stumbling over small objects or bumping into furniture. These symptoms are not unusual for teen-agers and are temporary.

You can be confident that the unevenness of growth will not last long. By the time you are sixteen or eighteen (depending on the time you started your growth spurt), all the parts of your body will be in harmony again.

Try This

Your class can make one graph of the heights of the boys in your class. Another can be made of the heights of the girls. Compare the boys’ and girls’ average heights. What conclusion can you draw from this comparison?

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