Sports Injuries

(HealthDay News) -- Football has been blamed for a growing number of injuries among young players in the past decade, but a new study finds that football is an exception, and injuries from most other popular sports have dropped in children. The study compared the number of injuries in children aged between 5 and 14 that occurred in 2000, 2005 and 2010 based on a national survey of the emergency rooms of about 100 hospitals.

 It focused on eight popular activities: football, basketball, baseball/softball, soccer, bicycling, roller sports such as skating, playground use and trampoline use.
The study is scheduled for presentation Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons, in Chicago. "Physicians and children's hospitals have reported an increase in injuries from pediatric sports and the number of surgeries on kids [but] there was no population-based study to see if there is a real increase," said study author Dr. Shital Parikh, an associate professor of pediatric surgery at Cincinnati Children's Hospital.

Parikh's analysis suggests that the number of acute injuries, in particular sprains and fractures, has declined over the past decade. The study does not, however, address trends in chronic wear-and-tear damage and injuries that require surgery, such as a torn ligament, and these types of injuries have probably increased, he said. The study found a more than 13 percent decrease in the rate of injuries seen in emergency rooms between 2000 and 2005 but only a roughly 1 percent decrease between 2000 and 2010.

The rebound in the number of injuries in 2010 appears to be due largely to an increase in the injuries related to football, baseball/softball and soccer between 2005 and 2010. Looking at the population using U.S. Census Bureau data, Parikh found that for every 1,000 children, 31.9 sustained an injury in 2000 whereas 27.6 and 31.6 did so in 2005 and 2010, respectively.

 The biggest drop in injury rate was for bicycling, which saw a more than 29 percent decrease between 2000 and 2005 and a 38 percent decrease overall. During this decade, the sport went from the most dangerous to the second most dangerous.

 There were also drops in roller-sport and trampoline injuries of nearly 21 percent and 17.5 percent, respectively, between 2000 and 2010, and to a lesser extent, fewer injuries related to basketball. Football injury rates, however, shot up by nearly 23 percent between 2000 and 2010, and soccer injuries rose by almost 11 percent. Muscle and skeletal injuries, such as fractures, sprains and bruises from football and soccer rose by about 24 percent and 9 percent, respectively. Rates of these injuries declined for the other sports, except for baseball and softball, which saw a 2.5 percent increase.

 Football and soccer injuries also increased to a larger extent for children between 10 and 14 years old compared to children between 5 and 9 years old.

 Trends "may reflect the changing pattern of exposure in kids," Parikh said. "There may be a decrease in bicycling and an increase in football [injuries] as kids are doing more organized sports than free play." The push could be coming from parents, coaches and schools alike, Parikh said. He added, however, that "free play is equally important and we should not be pushing them into organized sports because they can be more competitive."

 Dr. Corinna Franklin, a pediatric orthopedic surgeon at Shriner's Hospital for Children in Boston, agreed. Overuse and overtraining are also major concerns," Franklin said. "As children become good at competitive sports, there is sometimes an impulse to keep them in the same sport year round, which may not be the healthiest thing for a young athlete." Parikh added that kids also aren't stretching, warming up or cooling down properly, although the protective equipment in most sports seems to be adequate.

 On the bright side, injuries related to bicycling and trampoline use have probably decreased because of better safety, and not just because kids are doing less of it, Parikh said. A big reason for the decrease in total injuries related to bicycling is probably because of fewer head injuries, Parikh said. "More kids may be using helmets and there is more adult supervision and protective gear," he added.

 Parikh attributed improved safety partly to policy statements from the American Academy of Pediatrics and other organizations, which could have increased efforts among physicians to make parents and coaches more aware of how to prevent injuries. Franklin said she is hopeful that the STOP Sports Injuries campaign and website from the American Orthopaedic Society for Sports Medicine for parents, coaches and doctors will help as well.

 Data and conclusions from studies presented at medical meetings are considered preliminary until published in a peer-reviewed medical journal.

Newborn's Placenta May Predict Autism Risk

THURSDAY, April 25 (HealthDay News) -- Autism risk may be spotted at birth by examining placentas for abnormalities, new research suggests.
"We can look at the placenta at birth and determine the chance of being at risk for autism with extremely high reliability," said Dr. Harvey Kliman, a research scientist at Yale University. One of 88 U.S. children has an autism spectrum disorder, the umbrella name for complex brain development disorders marked by problems with social interaction and communication, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The earlier autism is treated, the better the outcome. But children typically aren‘t diagnosed until behavioral symptoms begin, perhaps at age 2 or 3 years, or even later. Kliman said the children identified as at risk at birth might benefit from early treatment.

For the new study, published online April 25 in the journal Biological Psychiatry, Kliman and his team examined 117 placentas from newborns whose mothers already had one or more children with some form of autism, which put the infant at higher risk for the disorder. The researchers compared those samples with placenta samples from 100 women who already had one or more typically developing children.

During pregnancy, the placenta keeps the unborn baby‘s blood supply separate from the mother‘s while providing the baby with oxygen and nutrients. At delivery, the placenta, also called the afterbirth, follows the baby out of the womb.

The placentas from women whose older children had autism were markedly different from the others, Kliman‘s team found. They zeroed in on abnormal folds and abnormal cell growth in the placenta, known as trophoblast inclusions.

The placentas from the at-risk pregnancies were eight times more likely to have two or more of these abnormal folds than samples from not-at-risk deliveries. Placentas with four or more of the inclusions predicted an infant with at least a 74 percent probability of being at risk for autism, the researchers said.

"There were no [placentas from pregnancies not at risk] that had more than two of the folds," Kliman said.

The study only predicted risk of autism, however, not actual autism. The researchers will continue to follow the children.

The testing can‘t be done before delivery, Kliman said. "You need enough placenta [to examine]."
But the test could help spot at-risk children much earlier than is now possible, Kliman suggested. "There is no way [currently] to know at birth that your child might have autism," he said. "If you know you have a child who is at risk for autism at birth, you are ahead of the game." Interventions can begin early, when the brain is more open to change.

How the folds in the placenta relate to autism risk isn‘t clear, Kliman said. He and others speculated that the abnormalities in the placentas and the brains of the children affected with autism are marked by increased cellular growth, which then leads to the unusual folding. "The heads of children with autism are bigger," he said. Their brains grow rapidly early in life.

"I‘d like to see it as a routine test," Kliman said. The test is labor intensive and requires pathology, however, and Kliman estimated it could cost $2,000 or more.

This isn‘t the first study to link placental abnormalities with autism risk, said Geraldine Dawson, chief science officer for Autism Speaks, an advocacy and research group. "However, it is one of the largest studies to confirm this finding," she said.

But more research is needed to confirm the findings, she said.

It is too soon to suggest this as a routine test, said Dr. Daniel Coury, medical director of the group‘s Autism Treatment Network and chief of developmental and behavioral pediatrics at Nationwide Children‘s Hospital in Columbus, Ohio. He praised the study, but also said more research is needed to duplicate the findings.
"Being able to identify those infants at greater risk so we can target our interventions is really big news," he said.

The study was supported by the National Institutes of Health; the MIND Institute at the University of California, Davis; Yale University Reproductive and Placental Research Unit; and the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. The researchers don‘t hold patents on the procedure or have financial interests in it.

Eating Right for Your Blood Type

                Eat Right for Your Type is diet that was created by Dr. Peter D’Adamo based on what blood type you are. According to this diet, different blood types should consume and avoid different types of food, because the chemistry of the blood types is different. The diet centers around lectins, which are different types of proteins found in foods. Dr. D’Adamo believes that ailments are caused when lectins negatively interact with the blood chemistry.

The blood types are related to different phases of human evolution such as hunters and agrarians. There is a different diet plan for each blood type. D’Adamo believes that blood type is how the body differentiates itself from non-self, and the food we eat should be chosen accordingly. According to WebMD, this diet theory is not based on enough evidence to be considered fact.

·         The O blood type is referred to as the “hunter”, which he says is the earliest human blood group. Type O people should eat a diet high in meat and fish, avoid wheat and limit dairy.

·         Type A signifies the “agrarian” group. They should eat a mostly vegetarian diet with soy, grains, and vegetables.

·         Type B is known as the “nomad” group, who can tolerate more combinations of food and have stronger immune systems because they evolved to a colder, harsher environment in the past. They are the only type that does well with dairy. They should avoid corn, lentils, and wheat.

·         Blood type AB is called the “enigma” because it has characteristics of the A and B group, and it is supposedly the most recently evolved. They share the intolerances of the A and B group. They should avoid chicken, beef and pork.

Why Carrying Your Baby Calms Him

THURSDAY, April 18 (HealthDay News) -- The best place for a crying baby is in its mother‘s arms, researchers suggest.

When fretful babies are picked up and carried by their mothers they experience an automatic calming reaction, they said.

This evolutionary effect, seen in both mice and people, reflects a coordinated set of central, motor and cardiac regulations, according to the study, which was published April 18 in the journal Current Biology.

It also could help explain why calm babies start crying as soon as they are put down. This insight could help ease parents‘ frustration and help prevent child abuse, the researchers said.

"From humans to mice, mammalian infants become calm and relaxed when they are carried by their mother," Kumi Kuroda of the RIKEN Brain Science Institute in Saitama, Japan, said in a journal news release. "This infant response reduces the maternal burden of carrying and is beneficial for both the mother and the infant."

When babies are in their mother‘s arms, they have a greater chance for survival, the researchers said. 

Meanwhile, mothers prefer to have calm and relaxed babies. It‘s a win-win for moms and their babies, the researchers said.

Kuroda noticed the same calming response among mice in her laboratory. "When I picked the pups up at the back skin very softly and swiftly as mouse mothers did, they immediately stopped moving and became compact. They appeared relaxed, but not totally floppy, and kept the limbs flexed," she said. "This calming response in mice appeared similar to soothing by maternal carrying in human babies."

In studying the response of human babies when carried by their mothers, the researchers found that their heart rates slowed immediately when they were picked up. They also stopped moving. Using tiny heart monitor electrodes, the same response was found among mice. The ultrasonic cries of baby mice stopped as well.

The study authors said certain areas of the brain and nervous system are essential to coordinating this response to being carried.

The findings are very relevant to parenting and may play a role in the development of strategies to prevent child abuse, the researchers said. Understanding crying from a baby‘s perspective might ease their frustration, they said. When parents are less frustrated, child abuse may be less likely to occur.

"A scientific understanding of this infant response will save parents from misreading the restart of crying as the intention of the infant to control the parents, as some parenting theories -- such as the ‘cry it out‘ type of strategy -- suggest," Kuroda said. "Rather, this phenomenon should be interpreted as a natural consequence of the infant sensorimotor systems."

More information

The American Academy of Pediatrics provides tips on how to respond to your baby‘s cries.

Health News Copyright © 2013 HealthDay. All rights reserved.

What Actually is Cholesterol?

The first step to defeating cholesterol is understanding what it is. Cholesterol is defined medically as “a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver and other cells and found in certain foods, such as food from animals, like dairy products, eggs, and meat.” Cholesterol does not occur in plant based foods. The body needs a certain amount of cholesterol for proper hormone production and to digest fats. But an excessive amount of cholesterol can lead to heart disease. When cholesterol builds up in the arteries, it becomes a plaque on the artery walls, giving blood a smaller space to circulate. This is causes high blood pressure and can lead to blockages that cause heart attacks.

Not all cholesterol is created equal. Cholesterol moves through the blood attached to proteins, and these duos of protein and cholesterol are called lipoproteins.

·         High density lipoproteins (HDL) –This is the good cholesterol. HDL cholesterol actually helps reduce the amount of the bad cholesterol (LDL) in the blood. The more HDL you have, the better.

·         Low density lipoproteins – (LDL) – LDL is the bad cholesterol that leads to build up of plaque in the arteries, leading to heart disease.

·         Triglycerides – Triglycerides are similar to cholesterol because they are a type of fat carried though the bloodstream by a low density protein. Alcohol, sugar, and extra calories are converted to triglycerides and stored in fat cells.[1]

Some doctors today believe Omega 3 (Fish Oil) may actually play a role in helping reduce high triglycerides and are prescribing elevated doses of Omega 3 to lower LDL ,ask your health care provider if Omega 3 is right for you. The traditional advice is to avoid saturated fats, found in things like meat, butter, and cheese. Also regular exercise lowers your level of LDL cholesterol, and raises your level of HDL.

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Burn Calories While Watching TV

If you are a TV magnet , babysitter, or just always looking to stay active—There are ways you can stay fit while not moving far from your couch—and  definitely without missing your favorite television show. 

Taking a few extra minutes during your favorite show to do simple exercises that will make you feel better about yourself and relieve any guilt you were having about being a couch potato. Try the simple exercises listed below.

Crunch Crunch Crunch—these are easy to do and show great results if you maintain a routine in doing them on a regular basis. Why not take one of your favorite shows that’s on a few times a week, and make it your new workout habit to do sets of crunches during commercials. *hey ‘look on the bright side...it will speed up the break and before you know it your show will be back on! Crunches are great for toning tummies.

Fidget—move around while your favorite show is on. Move you’re remote, or rotate your arms and legs. As long as you’re moving you’re on the right track. Research has shown that those who fidget while sitting can burn up to 350 more calories per day.

Push-ups—another exercise to do during commercials that will leave you feeling the burn.  Unless listening to your favorite reality singing show, this will have to wait for a TV break because push-ups require you to face the ground. Push-ups are great for toning your arms and strengthening your upper body and chest.

Ball Balances—Seated balances work with your abs. First get a ball and sit in front of your TV. Make sure you ware next to your coffee table, to use as an aid. Sit on the ball and have your feet on the ground. Grab hold of the table with one hand and slowly lift your right foot of the floor—next do the same with your left. Slowly remove your hand from the table. For safety reasons, make sure your hand is always close enough to the table. Keep repeating this process with the goal to maintain balance without touching the table. Once you get super comfortable see if you can last through an entire TV show. 

Chicken And Dumplings Recipe with Iron Chef Winner Chris Hastings

Kurriosity Chef Chris Hastings stopped by the Southern Living Test Kitchen to showcase his family's favorite Chicken and Dumplings recipe taking it to new heights by building fresh and unexpected flavors in the classic Southern dish.

5 Unusual Foods that Will Boost Your Immune System

                These foods may not even come up on your radar as part of a healthy lifestyle, but they are easy to include in your diet, and they a loaded with vitamins and minerals.

1.       Prunes – It’s time to rethink prunes. No longer are they just for your grandparents. They have a high concentration of the antioxidant potassium which helps to maintain healthy blood pressure. What’s even better is that they can help promote bone density in women. A recent study shows that consuming prunes reduces the likelihood of bone fractures.

2.       Beets – Give them a try, they are actually quite sweet and refreshing. Not only that, but they are loaded with vitamins and minerals including, magnesium, calcium, phosphorous, niacin, vitamins A and C, and iron. If that wasn’t enough, they also have fiber and folic acid, which is necessary for cell growth and repair.

3.       Sweet Potatoes – Sweet potatoes have more than 300% of the daily value of vitamin A and C, which has a powerful anti-cancer effect on the body. They also have plenty of manganese, copper, and potassium.

4.       Black Beans – They contain eight flavonoid antioxidants, which help to fight cancer. Studies have shown black beans are particularly good at fighting colon cancer. The abundance of vitamin B6 also known as folate, is essential in creating the amino acids that help fuel the brain. The high fiber content of black beans aids in digestion and cardiovascular health as well.

5.       Quinoa – If you want a new source of protein, look no further. A cup of quinoa has 9 grams of protein and no cholesterol, compared to an egg which has six grams of protein and 195 mg of cholesterol. Quinoa also boosts brain power, because it contains 15 percent of the daily value of iron, which helps carry oxygen through the body to the brain, increasing alertness and stabilizing mood.

So eat outside the box and try these unusual yet powerful foods to boost health.

Melamine

 The poison in your home Melamine is approved for use in the United States. You will find this chemical in many household items; the use varies from more of an industrial application to basic items we all use every day. 

The chemical combines with other products to form a very strong resin, the resin is used to coat items, making them durable. This is fine for things like laminate flooring, or cleaning products, however recent studies have shown that household items like dishes and cooking utensils may not be the best application.

 Research continues, however preliminary results have shown that the melamine in our basic dishes (like a bowl) can leak into our food and damage our health. This chemical has been linked to kidney malfunction and kidney stones. I have never had a kidney stone, but from what I hear, they are best avoided.

 It may sound elementary, but let’s keep the high-grade industrial resin away from your food.