Monday, July 25, 2011

Choosing The Right Backpack

It's that time of the year again. Time to start getting your kids ready for school. That means buying supplies and something to carry them in... usually a backpack.

It's important to make sure you get the right kind.

That backpack they use might be causing more pain than you, or they, think. Nowadays, kids are lugging more and more supplies back and forth to school. If you try to pick up their backpack, you'll see that it's pretty packed. Unfortunately, that same pack might be the main reason up to half of 15-16 year olds complain of back pain.

Most doctors and physical therapists recommend a backpack weigh no more than 15% of a student's body weight. That means it shouldn't weigh more than 15 pounds for a 100 pound person. And the most it should ever way, regardless of how big someone is, is 20 pounds.

But, besides making sure it doesn't weigh too much, there are other things that can help keep it comfortable.

Make sure it has 2 wide, padded shoulder straps and that both straps are always used. Also, teach kids to stand up straight when using a pack. If they're leaning forward or hunching over, it probably weighs too much.

Also, try and lighten the load. See if you can convince them to not carry things they don't need, just bring home the necessities. Store the rest in their locker.

Encourage your kids to let you know if they have any back pain, or if they get numbness or tingling in their arms. That's a sign of a heavy pack, or one not used correctly.

The key here is to make sure their homework doesn't turn into a bigger pain then they already think it is.

Friday, July 22, 2011

Fork Diet

Want to lose a couple of extra pounds? Maybe the key is in the size of fork you use.

As odd as this sounds, the size of you fork might determine how much you actually eat at any given meal.

Dieting is tough to do which is why there are so many of them. Most of us can lose a pound or two, but keeping the weight off seems almost impossible. The key is to find lifestyle changes that you can do day after day over the years that will help you shed weight.

We know that one trick is to simply change out to a smaller plates. This forces you to have smaller portions and tricks you mind to eat less. Well now it looks like in addition to plate size, fork size might do the same thing.

Researchers found that when people eating at a restaurant used a larger fork they also tended to eat less overall. The researchers involved in this study think the reason you end up eating more with a smaller fork, at least in a restaurant setting, is because a small fork gives diners a feeling that they weren't making much progress towards there goal of satisfying their hunger, which is often why we go to a restaurant in the first place. That means eating more food off of your plate simply because of the smaller fork.

So, a couple of tips that might help you eat less and lose weight year after year are to combine this big fork theory with a smaller plate to begin with.

Tuesday, July 19, 2011

Concussions & Dementia Link

Concussions or other head injuries are causing more cases of dementia than previously thought.

Unfortunately this seems to be something that war vets, football players and even soccer players have in common. Hits to the head, especially ones that result in concussions, seem to be causing more cases of dementia, including Alzheimer's, than we had suspected.

This new information comes about as a result of two new studies. In one, veterans that had been diagnosed with a brain injury were over twice as likely to develop dementia years later. In the second study, researcher found out that 35% of former NFL players had signs of dementia later in life. That's almost three times higher than the 13% rate in the general population.

So, it seems that head injuries, even small ones, can take their toll over time. As a matter of fact, in a separate study even soccer players, when compared to swimmers who typically don't get any head injuries, did not perform as well on thinking type tests.

Experts think this has to do with how the brain tries to protect itself after an injury. This protection causes so called "plaques" to form and that leads to dementia. The bottom line here is that head injuries, especially concussions, take a bigger toll over time than we thought. That means they need to be taken more seriously and anytime an athlete, or anyone for that matter, suffers a head injury, they should be checked out if they have any symptoms. And until those symptoms *completely* go away, they need to stay out of the game.

Monday, July 18, 2011

New Test To Detect Alzheimer's Early

Detecting Alzheimer's early on helps get needed treatment started, but that's been difficult to do.

But, now, a new test might help out.

The beauty of it is that it's a simple eye test, but this simple test might detect Alzheimer's way before symptoms start up.

Over 5 million Americans suffer from Alzheimer's, which is the most common form of dementia. Unfortunately, there is no cure for this devastating disease, but there are medicines and physical therapies that can help ease symptoms, especially if they are started early on. But early detection has been a problem. Brain scans can often detect changes years before someone has symptoms of Alzheimer's, but they're often too expensive and time consuming for everyone to use.

Well, now researcher have found that a simple eye test could help detect who will develop Alzheimer's Disease years before symptoms start to show up.

This eye test is still in the experimental stage, but results so far have been very promising. A study presented at the Alzheimer's Association International Conference found changes in the eye's blood vessels in people with Alzheimer's. The width of these blood vessels were different in people with Alzheimer's and that difference was consisted with changes also found early on in brain scans.

Although this was a small study, the researchers involved hope to do larger studies soon to verify the results. Hopefully this will become one test in the near future you can get at your local eye doctor as a great screening tool for all of us to help detect Alzheimer's early on, when treatment can have the biggest impact.

Friday, July 15, 2011

Hypoallergenic Dogs

Looking for a pet that won't flare up your allergies? You might be thinking about a hypoallergenic dog.

But, not so fast. That hypoallergenic dog might not be much better than a regular dog.

Dogs are great, especially if you have kids, but sometimes allergies and dogs don’t mix. One thing we do know is that exposure to a dog during a baby’s early life can provide some protection against developing allergies in the first place. And dogs are wonderful to have around; they help us increase the amount of exercise we do and provide constant companionship.

But, if someone in the family already has a dog allergy it can be tough to try and keep a one around. Some breeders have been touting what are known as hypoallergenic dogs, dogs that supposedly cause fewer allergy symptoms. However, a new study, just published in the American Journal of Rhinology and Allergy, shows that there probably isn’t such a thing. Researchers looked at dust samples from homes that had regular dogs and ones with dogs considered hypoallergenic. They found both types of dogs had similar amounts of allergens meaning both could cause the same types of allergy symptoms.

According to those researchers, the bottom line is to pick a dog based on based on what type of dog you like not on whether they are hypoallergenic or not.

Tuesday, July 12, 2011

Avoiding Mosquito Bites

The rain is falling again. But along with the needed moisture, we have to get ready for the inevitable mosquitoes.

So, how do you avoid those pesky bugs?

And it’s not just the peskiness you need to avoid but remember to that some of those mosquitoes can spread West Nile Virus.

Although the West Nile Virus isn’t here yet; now that we are getting more moisture we’ll get more mosquitoes and most likely the kind that do carry this potentially deadly virus.

The best way to avoid mosquito’s bites is to use mosquito repellents. The kind that contain deet or picaridin or even oil of lemon eucalyptus are effective and safe, although the American Academy of Pediatrics does recommend not using deet type repellents on babies up to 2 months old. And when applying any repellent to older babies and children instead of spraying it in their face where it can get in to their eyes or mouth, spray it on your hands then wipe it on their face. Also, using the repellent on their clothes instead of their skin can help keep mosquitoes from landing on them in the first place.

Mosquitoes also tend to come out during our early evenings and mornings, so going out later in the day might help prevent bites. And researchers have found that mosquitoes tend to be attracted to the color blue and other darker colors and aren’t as attracted to the color yellow or lighter colors. So avoiding the darker color clothes can help as well.

The goal here is to not only prevent the itchy bite, but also the potential West Nile Virus some of the upcoming mosquitoes might carry.

Monday, July 11, 2011

Lose Weight, Get Sleep

When it comes to losing weight, you might want to think about getting a little more shuteye.

It's amazing just how important sleep is to our health and now it looks like it's equally important to our overall weight.

For years we've known there has been a connection between how many hours of sleep we get each night and how we feel the next day. We've also known that good sleep works to help keep our weight under control. But a new study is showing how just a few late nights can actually add on the pounds.

Researchers recently kept 30 men and women in a lab for 10 days so they could closely regulate their sleep and eating patterns. For part of the study, they only let them sleep for four hours a night, other days they slept nine hours. The researchers found that both groups burned the same amount of calories during the day, around 2,600. But on the days study participants only slept for 4 hours, they also ended up eating about 300 more calories. Although that might not sound like much, a small snack here or there can quickly pile on the pounds.

Experts think part of the reason lack of sleep makes us eat more is because it plays havoc with the hormones in our bodies that tell us how hungry we are. Also, if we are tired during the day, we are less likely to resist our cravings and pick up that extra snack or two.

So besides keeping us rested, it looks like getting enough sleep can also help us keep the pounds off.

Wednesday, July 6, 2011

Fireworks Safety

Monday was the 4th of July, our Independence Day.

Besides celebrating our freedom, the big goal is to make sure on one gets hurt and that means firework safety. Now remember, fireworks are illegal in many areas.

If you can use them, you need to follow some simple precautions. First, never let small children hold or light fireworks, even if they beg, it's just a set up for disaster. Before starting to light up, make sure you have a water source nearby. A garden hose or a bucket of water to put out any accidental fires.

Now, when you're lighting a firework, make sure you point them away from everyone. Also, don't shoot them from metal or glass containers, because if they break, the flying pieces could hurt someone.

If you end up with a dud, leave it alone for 15 or 20 minutes. Then soak it in a bucket of water.

Believe it or not, a large percentage of fireworks burns, especially for children, are on your feet, so have everyone wear shoes, not just flip flops.

If an accident happens, and someone gets hurt, there are a few things you need to know. If it's a minor burn, like a sunburn or less, use cold water soaked cloths to cool off the area. Once it's cooled, keep it clean and dry for a couple of days. If the burn is worse than that, use cold water soaked cloths to cool off the burn then go to the emergency room or doctor. Never put anything other than cold water on the burned skin.