Health ShortsAugust 2003Polluted Air Puts Athletes at Risk
Good old fresh air is not always as clean and pure as it should be. One study from the University of Southern California [The Lancet, February 2, 2002] found that in heavily polluted areas young people who participated in three or more team sports had three to four times higher risk of developing asthma than other youth. While doctors have always known that polluted air can bring on attacks in asthma patients, this study suggests that it may also be a cause of a first attack. Young athletes from communities with a low level of pollution had no increased risk of developing asthma, regardless of how many sports they participated in. The authors recommended that on days when the ozone layers are high, children should try to limit outdoor activities requiring prolonged deep breathing. The ultimate solution, of course, must come from community-wide efforts to reduce air pollution.
[SOURCE: "Air Pollution May Trigger Episodes in Young Athletes," Immunotherapy Weekly, February 20, 2002] Are You at Risk of Female Athlete Triad?
Many young women who appear to be fit and healthy are at risk of developing "female athlete triad"-which includes eating disorders, menstrual irregularities and low bone mineral density. A high school survey of nearly 100 female cross country runners and ballet dancers found that 27 percent had been told they could improve performance by losing weight, and 41 percent thought it was healthy and "okay" to occasionally miss a period. About 14 percent admitted to abnormal eating patterns.
[SOURCE: "Athletes at Risk," The Back Letter, August, 2001] Does Intensive Training Stunt Growth?
Female athletes such as gymnasts, figure skaters and ballet dancers who start intensive training at an early age tend to be shorter and lighter, at least during early adolescence, than girls participating in sports such as basketball, volleyball, tennis and swimming. Regardless of the sport, a young female athlete in intensive training may also have delayed onset of puberty. A recent review of research concluded that intensive training does not appear to retard young females' growth or delay their onset of puberty. It's more likely, the authors concluded, that girls with smaller frames select themselves or are selected by coaches at least in part because of their body type. Young male gymnasts also tend to have short stature and late sexual maturation.
[SOURCE: A.D.G. Baxter-Jones and N. Maffulli, "Intensive Training in Elite Young Female Athletes: Effects of Intensive Training on Growth and Maturation Are Not Established," British Journal of Sports Medicine, February, 2002] Turn Your Head and Cough
For most competitive sports, a genital examination is a basic component of the pre-participation physical. Yet a survey of 755 male athletes, ages 12 to 25, revealed that only 38 percent knew that their age group has an increased risk of testicular cancer, and most did not perform regular testicular self-examination. Fewer than half reported wearing protective cups during competition.
[SOURCE: Bruce Jancin, "Young Male Athletes Not Wearing Cups," Family Practice News, June 1, 2001] Overtraining: Road to a Stress Fracture
A stress fracture is an overuse injury that occurs because of repetitive impact over a certain bone or a rapid increase in the level of training. When muscles in the area become fatigued, additional stress is placed on the bone, eventually leading to fracture. A stress fracture can usually be detected by a focal point of tenderness over the bone, with or without swelling. Common sites are the metatarsal bones of the feet and the tibial shaft in the shin area. Stress fractures typically require about six weeks to heal completely. Cross training in activities such as rowing, swimming, cross country skiing and biking can help prevent the repetitive impact that leads to stress fractures and can be used to help the athlete stay in shape during recovery.
[SOURCE: Heidi Splete, "Walking Boots Can Get Athletes Back in the Game," Pediatric News, May, 2003] When Your Body Tells You To Stop
When you exercise yourself into an injury, your body gives you warning signs that should not be ignored: - Pain is the surest sign of trouble. A little soreness at the beginning of a workout may simply be a carry-over from a hard workout the day before, but any pain that continues after the first five minutes or so or that shows up after the workout or the next morning is a sure sign of an injury.
- Swelling is another sign that you should rest and treat the injured area until the swelling subsides.
- If a muscle or tendon doesn't seem to work as it should, you may be able to perform your regular workout, but you shouldn't. Once you start favoring the injured area and changing your stride or technique, you're asking for more trouble down the road. Treatment for most minor injuries is RICE, an acronym for rest, ice, compression and elevation. Avoid stretching the injured area in case there are tissue tears that could be made worse. If an injury persists, a doctor may prescribe doses of antiinflammatory medication high enough to reduce the inflammation.
[SOURCE: Jeff Galloway, "Injury Rehab," Runner's World, June, 1997] Keep Mosquitoes Off!
With West Nile virus lurking, it's important this summer to protect yourself from mosquito bites. If you're venturing into areas where mosquitoes are plentiful, public health authorities recommend use of insect repellents containing DEET (N,N-diethyl-m-toluamide). Studies have shown that DEET-based repellents last longer, delaying the first bite much longer than 15 natural products (such as soybean oil, citronella or peppermint oil) tested. Higher concentrations of DEET-based products don't repel mosquitoes any better but last longer. Concentrations of 30 percent for adults and 10 percent for children are recommended.
[SOURCE: "DEET Is Hard To Beat," Harvard Health Letter, July, 2003] A Cool Drink During Exercise?
An ice cold drink of water hits the spot when you're hot and thirsty. But how about during exercise? While cold water may be difficult to gulp down in the middle of a hard 10-kilometer run, it can have a more immediate cooling effect than warm or tepid water. Cold fluids pass through the system more rapidly and are thus more effective in replacing lost fluids.
[SOURCE: "Ask Tufts Experts," Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, August, 2003] Strength Training Helps Arthritis
Tufts University exercise physiologists found that arthritis patients undergoing a series of moderately intensive strength training exercises for four months had a 43 percent reduction in pain and a 44 percent improvement in ability to walk, climb stairs, sit and stand, according to a study published in the Journal of Rheumatology. The exercises included leg extensions with light ankle weights and modified squats involving getting up and down from a chair. According to the authors, these exercises were designed to strengthen specific muscles, decreasing the load on arthritic joints.
[SOURCE: "Exercise for Arthritis, Yes, But Which Kind?" Tufts University Health & Nutrition Letter, August, 2003; Miram E. Nelson, Ph.D., Kristin R. Baker, Ph.D., and Ronen Roubenoff, M.D., M.H.S. with Larence Lindner, M.A., Strong Women and Men Beat Arthritis, G.P. Putnum's sons, 2002] Sharp Increase in Psychiatric Drug Prescriptions for Children and Teens
The 1990s saw a sharp increase in the prescribing of psychiatric drugs to American children and teens. The number of young people using psychiatric drugs rose from 2.5 percent in 1987 to 6.2 percent by 1996. Ritalin and other stimulants used to treat attention deficit hyperactivity disorder were the most commonly abused prescription drugs.
[SOURCE: "Psychiatric Drugs Surge among Kids," Science News, February 1, 2003] Evaluating ADHD Therapy Approaches
A large clinical trial, the Multimodal Treatment Study of Children with ADHD (MTA), compared the effectiveness of long-term medication, behavioral therapy, a combination of medication and behavioral therapy or community-based care for 579 children aged 7 to 10 years and diagnosed with ADHD. The study found that treatment with stimulant medication was highly effective for 80 percent of children. Symptoms of ADHD improved dramatically in all four groups. Those in the drug only and combined groups had the best results. Parents expressed the greatest satisfaction with behavioral or combination therapy.
[SOURCE: Mark Wolraich, "ADHD Therapy: Optimizing Functional Outcomes," Contemporary Pediatrics, January, 2003] Anemia and Rheumatoid Arthritis
Anemia can add to the hefty burden of medical problems weighing on persons with rheumatoid arthritis, a chronic and painful inflammatory joint disease. Anemia can result from gastrointestinal blood loss caused by nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs used over the long term to treat chronic pain. Recent research shows that anemia may stem from another source: rheumatoid arthritis may interfere with iron metabolism and the maturation process of red blood cells.
[SOURCE: Edward Fitzsimmons and Roger Sturrock, "The Chronic Anemia of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Iron Banking or Blocking?" The Lancet, November 30, 2002] | 
