Health Information and Facts: 2012

How to prevent Sports Injuries

Basketball and bicycling rank highest for injuries among recreational sports, causing 1.5 million accidents per year. Baseball, soccer and softball follow, each with almost half a million injuries yearly, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission.

Whether you’re upping your own practice schedule or you’re a parent of a student athlete headed back to school, heeding a few precautions goes a long way in preventing sports injuries.

Here are some tips from osteopathic physician Marcel Fraix, member of the Fellow of the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (FAAPMR) and assistant professor at Western University of Health Sciences. Fraix is also a staff physician at Casa Colina Centers for Rehabilitation in California, where he specializes in sports-related disorders.

•   Start with a check-up when possible. Physical stress on a young body can be harmful when coupled with an underlying medical condition or heart problem. Likewise, get an exam before stressing the heart if you’re middle-aged and mostly sedentary.

•   Pre-conditioning programs for specific sports help. Injuries usually occur at the beginning of the season, when you are most likely to be out of shape. Building hamstrings and inner quadriceps muscles helps prevent knee injuries.

•   Diligently use the proper safety equipment, i.e. mouth guards, safety goggles, helmets and elbow and knee pads. Don’t forget to apply sunscreen SPF 15 or higher.

•   Stay adequately hydrated with water or a water-electrolyte drink. Replacing fluid lost from sweating is essential to maximize athletic performance and prevent heat exhaustion, especially during warm weather.

•   Treat injuries on the spot. Keep a first aid kit ready for cuts and scrapes, allergic reactions, insect bites and eye irritations. Most importantly, be prepared to treat muscle pain at the first sign before it sidelines you. There are safe, natural and unscented pain relievers available.

•    Look for a homeopathic medicine like Arnicare Gel, which works with the body instead of just masking pain. Try it on legs stiff from running or cycling, or on shoulders aching from too many tennis racket swings. It also helps with pain from strained ligaments or bumps and bruises from hard-fought basketball games.

•   Limit practice and playing time. Nearly half of all injuries suffered by children are results of overdoing it. Consider allowing a child to take three months off per year and limiting practice to 12 hours per week for one sport, and 20 hours for multiple sports.

Low calorie California Raisin snacks

A new study from the University of Toronto suggests that not all snacks are created equal when it comes to filling up kids’ rumbling tummies. The new research found that California raisins, when compared with other snacks such as grapes and potato chips, helped kids feel more full off of fewer calories.

“We found eating raisins as a snack prevented excessive calorie intake, increased the feeling of fullness and thereby may help contribute to the maintenance of a healthy weight in school-age children,” said lead researcher G. Harvey Anderson, a professor of nutritional sciences and physiology at the University of Toronto.

This small but mighty snack does more than just satisfy hunger. Raisins are an all-natural, no-sugar-added snack that is fat- and cholesterol-free. They are also a good source of potassium and fiber. In fact, a quarter cup of raisins is a whole serving of fruit.

Try out this fun raisin recipe for a filling afterschool snack that doubles as a fun art activity from www.loveyourraisins.com.

California Raisin Rice Cake Doodles

10 multigrain rice cakes
2 cups California raisins
5/8 cup peanut butter or cream
cheese (1 tablespoon per rice cake)
5/8 cup shredded cheese (1 tablespoon per rice cake)
1-1/2 cup various vegetables such as broccoli, radishes, zucchini, carrots and celery
1/4 cup various nuts, such as almonds, cashews, pecans and walnuts and seeds
Different shaped pretzels, gold fish and sesame snacks for decoration

Use rice cakes as the base for the doodle, and use peanut butter or cream cheese as the “glue.” Design the rice cake with a variety of toppings. Have fun and be creative.

Pain Reliever Moonlights as Shield against Gnats

It’s almost like the line in the old popular children’s song “Skip to My Lou:” “Fly’s in the buttermilk, shoo, fly, shoo.” Only nowadays, it’s an ointment that’s making gnats go away.

During the warmer months, gnats can be a real pain in the neck. Yet, many people are starting to notice that the same product you use to massage away those neck pains can also keep pesky gnats away.
Users of Absorbine Jr., a popular topical pain reliever, are taking note of its uncanny ability to ward off gnats. Although not its primary function, many see Absorbine Jr. as having a dual purpose.

“Absorbine Jr. really does discourage gnats. I keep a bottle in my car so I can have it handy when needed. A park ranger suggested it to me,” says Cathy Krieger of Chicago, who spends much of her free time in the outdoors of western Illinois. “I was wearing an insect net over my head because the gnats were so bad.

When I dabbed Absorbine Jr. around my hairline, it completely solved the problem, and I could dispense with the net.”

W.F. Young, Inc., the marketers of Absorbine Jr. Pain Relieving Liquid, often hear statements just like that from other customers.

“We noticed an increase in the number of inquiries to our customer service department regarding Absorbine Jr. and its ability to help with gnats,” said Robert J. Wallace, vice president of sales at W.F. Young, Inc. “We do not market or make any claims that Absorbine Jr. helps in this way, but it became a word-of-mouth phenomenon. We also heard from our retailers that they couldn’t keep the product on their shelves.”
Is it a coincidence that gnats just happen to avoid people using Absorbine Jr.? Or has W.F. Young stumbled upon a new line of attack to battle bugs? No matter the case, customers are now flocking to store shelves for this pain-relieving ointment when the gnats begin to swarm.

Hospital Acquired Infections and their Prevention

Even with incredible medical advances over the past decades, patients still face very real threats from hospitalization. Knowing the common hospital risks and the appropriate questions to ask about your care just might save your life.

“Infections contracted during hospital stays are the fourth largest killer in America,” explains Bruce Smeaton, a spokesperson for the global infection control company Medizone International (medizoneint.com). “They add an estimated $33 billion to hospital and health care costs each year.”

Other experts — like the chief patient safety officer of the Joint Commission in Illinois, Dr. Peter Angood — say patients are simply too passive and don’t ask the right questions.
Familiarizing yourself with these three hospital risks may help you during your next hospital stay:

1. Medication errors. The Institute of Medicine estimates that patients endure 450,000 injuries resulting from medication errors each year. To reduce this risk, make sure each surgeon, doctor and nurse knows of every medicine you’re taking. Ask what medicines are being prescribed and why, and what side effects to expect. If you’re nervous, speak up.

2. Hospital-acquired infections (HAIs). Superbugs like MRSA
– which is resistant to most antibiotics and only growing stronger
– VRE and E. coli cause 1.7 million infections in hospitals every year. Since this is a widespread issue, don’t shy away from the tough questions: What methods or technologies are being used to prevent HAIs?

“HAIs kill more people than AIDS, breast cancer and car accidents combined. That’s why the recent emergence of a super-disinfection system, like Medizone International’s AsepticSure technology, has been so embraced by the hospital and health care industry,” says Smeaton. “It’s more than 10,000 times as effective at killing superbugs — including tuberculosis — than any other cleaning technology being used by hospitals in North America today.”

Experts also advise patients undergoing surgery to ask everyone to wash their hands before touching them, hospital staff included.

3. Pneumonia. After wounds and urinary tract infections, pneumonia is the most common HAI, especially for patients recovering from surgery. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report a 33 percent mortality rate for hospital pneumonia. The easiest way to avoid this risk is to focus on deep breathing.
Doctors recommend 10 to 15 deep breaths hourly. At the very least, smokers must stop smoking for a week or two before surgery if they can’t quit altogether

Keeping Insects away. Pest Control

It just wouldn’t be summer without the buzz of summer insects. However, in addition to being a nuisance and invading outdoor activities, these summer bummers can cause severe allergic reactions. According to the National Pest Management Association (NPMA), stinging insects send more than half a million people to the emergency room every year.

Stinging insects are especially active during the second half of summer, when the colonies forage for food that will sustain their queens during the winter.
“Stinging insects pose a major health concern for families around the country, and summer to late fall are the months when people are at the greatest risk,” says Missy Henriksen, vice president of public affairs for NPMA. “It is important to take certain precautions to ensure that you can avoid painful stings and a possible allergic reaction.”
Since stinging insects emerged from their hideouts earlier than expected this year, now is the time to start preventing trouble.

Here’s what the experts at NPMA suggest:

Always wear shoes when outdoors, especially in grassy areas.
Do not swat at stinging insects.
Keep windows and doors screened.
Keep garbage in sealed receptacles.
Do not leave sweet drinks or meats in accessible areas.
Keep food covered in outdoor areas, and be sure to remove food and trash after picnics and outdoor events.
Thoroughly rinse soda cans and other containers before placing them in recycling or garbage receptacles.
Overseed grassy areas to get better coverage, as this will deter ground-nesting insects.
If stung and experiencing signs of illness, seek immediate medical attention as allergic reactions can be severe.
If at risk of an attack by a colony of stinging insects, run as fast as possible, and seek shelter inside a car or a house.

Maintain a clean and well ventilated home.
Call a pest professional if you find a nest on your property or suspect an infestation, as the removal of any stinging insect nest can be dangerous.