Booster
Seats Saves Lives
Motor vehicle crashes are the number one killer of children ages 2-14. But
children ages 4-8 who use booster seats are 59 percent less likely to be injured
in a car crash than children who are restrained only by a safety belt. During
National Child Passenger Safety Week, February 13 – 19, the National Highway
Traffic Safety Administration is placing emphasis on the use of booster seats to
protect children in auto accidents.
While 94 percent of America’s toddlers are now regularly restrained, not enough
kids ages 4-8 are properly and safely restrained. Only 10-20 percent of kids
ages 4-8 who should be using booster seats to protect them are actually in them.
Children need to be in the right restraint for their size and age. In a traffic
crash, the shoulder strap of a safety belt will hit a child shorter than 4’
9”across the neck or face rather than the chest, and there is also a greater
risk of internal injury because an adult belt hits across the child’s stomach
rather than his/her lap. These children need a booster seat – which raises them
up so that adult safety belts fit over their chests and hips properly – and
protects them in the event of a crash.
For maximum child passenger safety, parents and caregivers simply need to
remember and follow the 4 Steps for Kids:
§
Use rear-facing infant seats in
the back seat from birth to at least one year of age and at least 20 pounds;
§
Use forward-facing toddler
seats in the back seat from age one and 20 pounds to about age four and 40
pounds;
§
Use booster seats in the back
seat from about age four to at least age eight – unless the child is 4 ft. 9
inches or taller;
§
Use safety belts in the back
seat at age eight or older or taller than 4 ft. 9 inches. All children age 12 or
younger should ride in the back seat.
Copyright 2005 - Article City
All rights reserved.
Big Backpacks Painful
Children who lug heavy backpacks can later develop more serious physical
problems, such as chronic back pain and scoliosis, U.S. researchers reported.
The study at Northeastern University
found about 70 percent of middle school students who were observed were carrying
around backpacks that were harmful to their growing bodies. The American
Physical Therapy Association suggests backpacks should weigh no more than 15
percent of a child's body weight, but the Northeastern researchers said it
should be no more than 10 percent of a carrier's weight.
"Kids who use backpacks often use them incorrectly and add to their physical
detriment," said Mary Hickey, a physical therapy professor. "Big bags can have a
lasting physical impact on developing skeletal systems and posture." Hickey
offered several recommendations to parents for the upcoming school year,
including buying smaller backpacks, reminding children of the value of lockers
to store books, and encouraging them to clear their bags of unnecessary clutter.
Copyright 2005 – eContent Matters
All rights reserved
Cutting Calories to Weight Loss
No matter how you slice it, when it comes to losing weight calories count, a
University of Virginia
specialist says. Glenn Gaesser, professor of exercise physiology, says eating
and living well is about providing bodies with proper nutrients.
"Too many consumers continue to buy into the fad diet rhetoric, the latest of
which has been the low-carb craze," said Gaesser, director of the Kinesiology
Program in the Curry School of Education. "Unfortunately, when consumers cut
carbohydrates, they're eliminating an entire food group that not only can assist
with weight loss, but also provides many important health benefits."
Copyright 2005 - Article City
All rights reserved.
New Detection Technique for
Breast Cancer
ROCHESTER, Minn., Jan. 11 (UPI) -- U.S. researchers said they used a modified
gamma-ray camera to find more instances and types of breast cancer than
traditional mammograms could locate.
Researchers at the Mayo Clinic studied 40 women whose mammograms had turned up
suspicious objects. When they used a specially designed gamma-ray camera they
detected four more cancers than could be seen in the mammograms. The technique,
called molecular breast imaging, also detected 33 of the 36 lesions eventually
found in the women during surgery.
The modified camera uses differences in the metabolic behavior of the tumor vs.
normal breast tissue to detect tumors. A mammogram relies on visual differences
in the appearance of tumors vs. normal tissues -- differences that often can be
obscured by densities in the breast tissue. "Approximately 25 to 40 percent of
women have dense breast tissue, which decreases the chance that a cancer will be
visible on their mammograms," said Dr. Douglas Collins, a Mayo Clinic
radiologist who worked on the study. "With molecular breast imaging, the
visibility of the tumor is not influenced by the density of the surrounding
tissue, so this technique is well-suited to find cancers in women whose
mammograms may not be very accurate."
Copyright 2005 - United Press International.
All rights reserved.
Short Bouts of Exercise
Effective
A University of Missouri-Columbia
study shows short bouts of exercise can be more effective than one continuous
bout of exercise. Classic recommendations for endurance exercise have been 20 to
60 minutes of continuous exercise at a vigorous intensity.
The study suggests, however, intermittent exercise is more effective at lowering
artery-blocking fat in the bloodstream than continuous exercise when exercising
just 30 minutes. "Most Americans who exercise are exercising around 30 minutes a
day and the intermittent approach would probably be best for most at lowering
fat in the bloodstream," says study leader Tom Thomas.
The findings, published in Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, also
suggests that exercising before eating was crucial for fat clearing, because
researchers believe muscle contraction during the exercise process stimulates a
fat-clearing enzyme in the muscle.
Copyright 2005 – ARA Content
Don't Minimize Your Symptoms
The first step in securing the correct
treatment plan for your pain and discomfort is to tell your doctor about all
your symptoms and any changes in those symptoms, as the treatment progresses.
Do not minimize any symptoms: even if you
feel that they are not related to your condition, your doctor needs to know
about them. You should also be completely honest about your lifestyle.
For example, if you use tobacco, alcohol, or
illicit drugs, tell your doctor. This information will be held in the strictest
confidence and will only help to guide your doctor toward the most appropriate
plan of care.
Try to be as specific as possible. Tell your doctor:
-
When your symptoms started,
-
What they feel like,
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How they are affecting your life, and
-
What makes the symptoms better and worse.
The more descriptive your explanation, the
more helpful it is.
Copyright 2005 - United Press International.
All rights reserved
Power
of Touch for Pain Relief
Massage is well known for reducing stress and promoting relaxation. A growing
body of research also shows that massage therapy is effective for relieving and
managing chronic and acute pain, a significant national health problem.
According to the National Institute for Health, more than one-third of all
Americans will suffer from chronic pain at some point in their lives, and
approximately 14 percent of all employees take time off from work due to pain.
Increasingly, massage therapists are being incorporated into pain management
programs and healthcare professional’s offices. The Joint Commission on
Accreditation of Healthcare Organizations has suggested massage therapy as one
means to manage pain without use of pharmaceuticals.
American Massage Therapy Association
amtamassage.org
