An STD is a disease which is passed from one person to another by any kind of sex.
STD (Sexually Transmitted Diseases)
Anyone who has sex can get a STD. Symptoms include:
- Unusual discharge from the vagina, penis, or anus.
- Burning pain, stinging or irritation when urinating.
- Any sores, blisters, lumps in the skin or rashes near your genitals.
- Rapid weight loss
- A lower abdominal pain, pain during sex
- Persistent diarrhoea
- A rash that isn’t itchy on your hands or feet
- Itching in your pubic hair
- Night sweats
Any of these need to be cured, they don’t cure themselves.
Common STD’s include:
- Chlamydia- A white cloudy discharge and/or irritation, or stinging when urinating may develop two to four weeks after your infected. Sometimes there are no symptoms.
- Vaginitis- This is not necessarily sexually transmitted. Some people get it when they take antibiotics or the contractive pill. The most common form is thrush. It produces an itchy, white discharge.
- Gonorrhoea- Oftern called the jack, the drip or the clap. Symptoms usually occur within 3-7 days of sexual contact. In men this usually causes a discharge from the penis and severe pain when urinating. In women there may be no symptoms, but it may also cause PID. It is treated with Antibiotics.
- Hepatitis A- This is a highly infectious virus which is spread by contact with saliva and faeces. For this reason, if you have anal sex or use your mouth on your partners anus it is important to wash your hands after taking off the condom or rubber dam.
- Hepatitis B- This is a virus which is transmitted by sharing needles and syringes and though sex. Hepatitis B is highly infectious. Persistent infection can cause serious health problems. Its symptoms are jaundice, dark urine, fever, pale bowel motions, nausea and abdominal pain. A vaccine is available.
- Genital Warts- These look like others warts but appear alone or in clusters on the skin around the penis, vagina or anus. They are caused by virus and easily spread though sex.
- Pubic Lice- Also called crabs, these infest the pubic hair and cause intense itching. They jump easily from one person to another. They can be treated with preparations from the chemist.
- Herpes- Herpes is a virus. There are two types, one that causes oral ulcers and another causes genital ulcers. Painful, itchy, blistery sores usually occur around the mouth, genitals or anus. There is no cure.
- HIV is a viral infection transmitted by the transfer of infected body fluids such as blood, semen, vaginal fluids and pre-cum. There is no cure.
- Syphilis- A bacterial infection which causes a painless ulcer to develop 10-90 days after exposure. You may not be able to see the ulcer. It heals but causes even bigger problems if not fixed early.
Stress is actually a state of arousal consisting of a number of body changes. The stress response is also known as the fight or flight response – either we fight the situation or we run away fast! When the problem is over, the body returns to its normal, relaxed state and we feel much better.
While we cannot always remove ourselves from stressful situations, there are lots of ways to protect ourselves from the negative effects of stress. Examples include:
- Aerobic exercise- gets rid of the chemicals in your body that cause muscles to be tense. It also helps you take your mind off other things, and helps you have a more restful sleep.
- Talk to someone about our bad feelings or stress and what is causing them. Find someone you like and trust.
- Don’t try to do everything at once.
- Keep some time everyday to do something you enjoy.
- Look after your body by keeping a balanced diet and getting at least eight hours of sleep a night. Avoiding drugs such as nicotine, caffeine and alcohol will keep your body healthy and give you the best possible chance of solving problems. A healthy body means a healthy mind.
- Learn some different ways of relaxing. Techniques such as meditation, yoga and progressive muscle relaxation can get rid of energy that builds up in stressful situations.
It’s so easy to be disorganised and disorganisation can lead to unnecessary streesful situations. Effective time managers include:
- Plan every day
- Concentrate on achieving gaols
- Are unperturbed by the unexpected which may “throw” others off task.
- Believe in themselves and their abilities
- Value organisation
- Ensure that the least amount of pressure or lack of control occurs.
Willing and Able
Definitions
Self-Esteem = This is essentially how one feels about themselves. It involves feelings of worth and acceptance – feeling good and comfortable about themself.
Self-Concept = This is essentially how one sees themselves. It consists of all the knowledge, beliefs, values and perceptions that one has about themself.
Self-Confidence = This is one’s ability to accomplish life’s tasks. It relates the opinion of a person’s capabilities.
There is a big difference between people with a high self-esteem and people who hold an unrealistically high option of themselves. People with high self-esteem have confidence in themselves, but they don’t boast about their strengths or achievements. People who are conceited brag constantly. They build themselves up by putting others down. Such people almost always lack confidence in themselves and have poor self-esteem.
Factors that influence Self-Esteem are:
- Family
- Peers
- Goals
- Media
- Maturity Level
- Cultural Beliefs
- Disabilities
- Body Image
- Acceptance/ Rejection
- Success/ Failure
Improving Self-Esteem
The first step to improving your self-Esteem is acknowledging your strengths and weaknesses. From here it’s then a case of enjoying who you are and doing the best you can in life. This can be enhanced by:
- Having people around you who share your values and offer support
- Having realistic expectations of ourselves
- Setting realistic goals
- Taking time to enjoy ourselves
- Maintaining physical health
- Recognising problems and seeking help when needed
Definitions
Impairment = A loss of or injury to any part of a persons body. (Eg…Amputated Leg, Glaucoma)
Disability = The inability to adequately perform any everyday activity. (Eg…Walking, Seeing)
Handicap = The inability to carry out a role that is relevant to that person, because of an impairment or disability. (Eg…Going to the shops, Driving a car) A handicap is not only determined by any impairment or disability but also other external factors. (Eg…If a building had adequate ramps, a wheelchair-bound person may not experience any handicap when visiting that building)
Not all impairments will cause disabilities. Not all disabilities will cause Handicaps.
Facts and Statistics
- In 1993 it was reported that 353,500 people in Australia were affected by mental illness.
- 572,000 people experienced sensory impairment involving their eyes and /or ears.
- Respiratory diseases’ including asthma affects 290,400 people in Australia.
- 1,578,300 individuals in Australia experience difficulties resulting from physical conditions such as spinal injury, arthritis, circulatory disorders and impairments mentioned.
Various Paralympics Sports include:
- Archery
- Athletics
- Basketball
- Boccia (Similar to lawn bowls)
- Cycling
- Fencing
- Goalball
- Judo
- Weightlifting
- Futsal (Similar to Soccer)
- Shooting
- Swimming
- Table Tennis
- Tennis
- Volleyball
- Nordic Sit Skiing
- Biathlon
- Alpine Skiing
- Sledge Racing
- Nordic Skiing
- Sledge Hockey
Swimming and Lifesaving
Themes developed in Swim and Survive:
- Water Confidence
- Water Safety
- Survival
- Swimming Techniques
- Endurance
The essential elements of such a learn to swim program are:
- Water Familiarisation
- Buoyancy, mobility and body orientation
- Propulsion and stroke exploration
- Stroke Development
Sculling is one of the most important skills in a learn to swim program as it is the basic skill upon which all strokes and many other techniques are based.
Survival Sculling should be used when it is necessary to stay in the same position.
The practice of Survival sculling is a great help in developing balance and control in the water.
Treading Water enables the person to stay in one position with the head above water.
The egg beater kick is a useful technique when a powerful treading water action is required. To Choose an appropriate stroke for any activity or emergency, the swimmer should consider the following features:
- Speed of the stroke
- Energy expenditure
- Propulsion
- Vision
Rescue principles
The steps in a rescue may be summarised as follows:
- Recognition of and emergency
- Acceptance of responsibility
- Assessment
- The plan of action
- Action (The Rescue)
- Emergency Care
