Society often teaches people to expect mood swings, cramps, and general chaos when girls enter puberty. However, a healthcare professional suggests that this perspective may be causing people to miss important warning signs about a teen girl's overall health and well-being.

In an Instagram post, Holly Miller, OB/GYN (obstetrician and gynecologist) listed the things people often overlook when it comes to women’s health. The core message is that people should stop accepting certain struggles as "normal" and instead consider them as potential reasons to investigate deeper.

10 Ways People Often Dismiss Teen Girls’ Health

In the post caption, Dr Holly detailed 10 different things that people have normalized teen girls and their health concerns.

"She’s just moody."

Don't simply blame hormones; constant moodiness could point to serious mental health issues like anxiety, depression, or even PMDD. These conditions require professional support and should not be ignored.

"She’s always tired—probably just growing."

Extreme tiredness is often a sign of a real physical problem. It might be an iron deficiency, a thyroid imbalance, or a cortisol (stress hormone) issue caused by poor sleep or constant stress.

"Crippling period pain? Welcome to womanhood."

Pain that stops daily life is not normal. It could be endometriosis, a condition where tissue grows outside the uterus. The doctor reminds us this painful issue can begin when girls are very young.

"She’s gaining weight—probably eating too much."

Unexpected weight gain can signal deeper health problems. Look for PCOS (a hormone disorder), insulin resistance, or emotional eating as a way to cope with unacknowledged stress.

"She cries over everything—classic drama queen."

Crying often and intensely isn't always drama. It may be a sign of a trauma response where the teen’s nervous system is easily overwhelmed. Be compassionate and seek help.

"She’s super self-conscious—all teens are."

Intense focus on flaws is not just typical shyness. It could be body dysmorphia or a disordered eating pattern, which social media pressures can make much worse.

"Her acne is bad—part of being a teenager."

Severe acne can be a clue that something is off with her hormones. It often signals a hormonal imbalance caused by high male hormones (androgens) or an underlying condition like PCOS.

"She misses school during her period—she’ll toughen up."

Missing school due to periods is not normal. The true cause could be painful conditions like menstrual migraines, endometriosis, or PMDD, which are all treatable with the correct medical care.

"She’s embarrassed to talk about periods—normal!"

Shame around periods is often caused by a lack of proper education. It might mean she needs a safe and open space to ask questions and fully understand her own changing body.

"It’s just a phase—she’ll grow out of it."

Some teen troubles fade, but if you have a strong feeling that something is wrong, trust your gut. Don't wait; it's vital to speak up and advocate for the teen's health now.

The doctor concludes that people must recognize that not every struggle is "just hormones." If a daughter, niece, student, or any teen girl is struggling, it is not "overreacting" to ask questions and seek professional help; the doctor states that it is the smart and necessary thing to do.

Although we may not realize, many times the food we eat has hidden additives. Things that make the food taste good as well as addictive. In a recent video, a cardiologist is trying to warn people, asking them to check the labels behind their packaged food.

Dmitry Yaranov, a cardiologist based in Memphis, Tennessee, is trying to warn people that cardiovascular disease (CVD) isn't just caused by bad cholesterol. In a video posted on Instagram, he explained that there's a very common ingredient that's hidden everywhere—in sodas, snacks, sauces, and even foods that claim to be "healthy." This ingredient is a huge danger to your heart and is the main reason why people get diabetes. That dangerous ingredient is sugar.

How Sugar Slowly Increases Your Risk Of CVD?

Dr. Yaranov points to solid research that proves there is a strong link between eating sugar every day and having a much higher chance of getting heart disease.

Daily Servings

The risk goes up just by eating one serving of something sugary (like a soda or a candy bar) each day. That single serving is linked to an 18% higher risk of heart disease. If you have two or more servings a day, the risk jumps to 21% higher. This is a big deal, and the risk was found even in people who regularly exercise.

Processed Foods Link

A study from 2025 showed that eating a lot of sugar, especially the sugar found in ultra-processed foods (packaged snacks, ready meals, etc.), raises your risk for heart disease by 17%, increases the risk of blocked heart arteries by 23%, and raises the risk of stroke by 9%.

Global Impact

The problem is massive worldwide. High sugar eating is responsible for over 1 million new heart disease cases and 2.2 million new cases of Type 2 diabetes in just one year.

Mortality (Risk of Death)

The doctor also mentions a study that found people who got 25% or more of their total daily calories from sugar had more than double the risk of dying from heart disease compared to people who kept their sugar intake low (under 10% of total calories).

How Does Sugar Harm Your Body?

The cardiologist explains that sugar does more than just add unneeded calories; it actually attacks the healthy systems in your body that look after your heart and how your body uses energy.

• It causes inflammation (swelling and irritation) throughout the body.
• It causes your blood pressure to go up.
• It makes your cholesterol levels worse.

It messes up your blood sugar control, making it hard for your body to manage energy. This is a "double hit" because it harms both your heart and your pancreas (the organ that makes insulin).

How Much Sugar Can You Eat?

To help protect your health, the cardiologist advises everyone to follow the simple rules for sugar set by the American Heart Association (AHA):

Women: Should eat no more than 6 teaspoons of added sugar per day, about 100 calories worth.

Men: Should eat no more than 9 teaspoons of added sugar per day, about 150 calories worth.

The big issue is that most people eat two or three times these recommended limits without even knowing it because sugar is hidden in so many foods. The doctor strongly urges everyone to start checking food labels carefully and actively working to limit their sugar intake to keep their heart strong and their blood sugar stable.

A new study has found that a single blood pressure reading taken when a person is just 7 years old can have a surprisingly big impact on their risk of dying from cardiovascular disease (CVD), or heart problems, many years later. Researchers from different US universities discovered that children with high blood pressure faced a significantly greater chance of an early death because of heart issues. This finding tells us that screening children's health early is extremely important.

The study, published in the medical journal JAMA, highlights how important early health screenings are by showing a clear connection between a child's blood pressure and their long-term health outcome. Children who had elevated blood pressure, meaning it was higher than normal, in the top 10 percent of kids or high blood pressure, in the top 5 percent were about 40 to 50 percent more likely to meet an early death from heart and blood vessel disease. That's a huge jump in risk.

How Can Blood Pressure Predict How Long You Live?

Researchers explained that they were shocked to find out how elevated blood pressure could affect children later on in life. This means that this shows that health problems start much earlier than previously thought.

The team looked at medical records for 37,081 children born in the US between 1959 and 1965, specifically checking their blood pressure at age 7. They checked back in with these people in their early fifties. Out of this large group, nearly 500 people had died from cardiovascular diseases.

While the total number of people who died from heart-related issues in the study was small, the dramatic increase in risk for the group with high blood pressure was a very important finding that deserves attention.

How Does High Blood Pressure in Childhood Affect Mortality Rate?

There are a few things to keep in mind about this research. The biggest is that blood pressure was only measured once at age 7, not checked regularly throughout the people's lives. Also, the data comes from the 1950s and 1960s, so today's children might have different health challenges.

The researchers also looked at a smaller group of 359 people from the same families. Since the results were similar for children in the same households, it suggests that the high blood pressure itself is the main problem, rather than other things families share like diet or neighborhood.

Besides heart disease, high blood pressure can cause other serious problems like kidney disease, vision loss, and plaque buildup in the arteries. These results "highlight the importance of screening for blood pressure in childhood and focusing on strategies to promote optimal cardiovascular health beginning in childhood," Freedman concluded.

What Causes High Blood Pressure In Children?

High blood pressure (hypertension) in children and teenagers can happen for a few different reasons. Sometimes it's caused by lifestyle factors, and other times it's a side effect of another medical condition.

• If high blood pressure runs in the family, a child is more likely to develop it.
• Being overweight or obese significantly increases the risk.
• Black children are at a higher risk for high blood pressure, just as Black adults are.
• Eating too much salt (sodium) or too many calories can contribute to the problem.
• Having diabetes is a risk factor.
• Being born with a low birth weight or being born prematurely (too early).
• Disorders of the kidneys or problems with the heart or blood vessels.
• Certain hormonal disorders.
• Sleep apnea, a condition where breathing stops and starts during sleep.

One of the most common cancers in women, it is estimated that, breast cancer affected 2.3 millon women in 2022 and caused 670,000 deaths globally. While it is a common form of cancer, how many people know signs of breast cancer? According to a survey conducted by the Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center/OSUCCC, while more than 90 per cent knew lumps in breast was a sign, less than half knew what the other signs were.

A breast cancer surgeon, Dr Lauren Ramsey, pointed out four key points that everyone should know about breast cancer.

Learning is the best way to combat and increase chances of diagnoses because it is one of the most curable forms of cancer. According to Cancer Research UK, almost 100 per cent survive their cancer for the first five years or more, so when it is diagnosed early, one has more chances.

In an Instagram post titled, ‘Advice I would give you as a breast cancer surgeon if I wasn’t afraid of hurting your feelings’, Dr Ramsey listed these key points.

4 Key Points About Breast Cancer

In the captions, Dr Ramsey explained that having accurate information is necessary if we want to increase the chances of survival.

Family History Isn't the Only Risk Factor

A lot of people think they only need to worry about breast cancer if a parent or siblings have had it, but that idea is wrong. Only a tiny fraction—just 5 to 10 per cent—of all breast cancer cases are actually caused by inherited gene faults, like the well-known BRCA mutation.

This means that most cases of breast cancer happen to people who have no strong family history of the disease. It's really important for everyone to get regular screenings, such as mammograms, regardless of what their family's medical history looks like.

A Lump Isn't the Only Symptom

It's a common misunderstanding that breast cancer always starts with a hard lump you can feel. However, that's not always true.

You need to pay attention to other possible signs and changes. These signs can include changes to the skin on your breast, like redness or dimpling - like an orange peel, discharge coming from the nipple, new swelling in the breast or armpit, or even just a feeling of subtle, unusual pain. Get to know what your breasts normally look and feel like, so you can tell your doctor right away if anything new or strange appears.

Dense Tissue Complicates Detection

Many women have dense breast tissue, which is totally normal. However, this type of tissue makes finding a tumor much harder when a mammogram is performed.

On an X-ray, both dense breast tissue and cancerous tumors look white. This makes it easy for tumors to hide behind the tissue. If your breasts are dense, your doctor might suggest extra tests like an ultrasound or MRI after your mammogram. Always make sure to ask if your breast density was written on your mammogram report so you know if further checks are necessary.

Lifestyle Choices Make a Real Difference

All the advice you hear about healthy living truly does help lower your risk of developing breast cancer. It's not just talk!

Even small, simple changes can have a powerful impact on your health. A great place to start is by cutting back on alcohol and processed foods. Make it a point to also move your body more every day. These healthy habits are effective steps you can take starting right now to protect yourself and lower your risk.