Fit Bits

CDC gets ALS Registry to track the disease

Harry Jackson Jr. — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 20:33:10 +0000

In the midst of the economic madness, President Bush found time to sign into law this week the ALS Registry Act, which mandates the U.S. Centers Disease Control and Prevention to create a registry of people living with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis, or Lou Gehrigs Disease.
Crusaders for ALS have long lamented that because of the disease’s small population, about 30,000 at any given time, it doesn’t get much attention from health agencies that spend their time on diseases that affect millions of people.
The ALS Association says, “The registry would collect information leading to the cause, treatment and cure of the deadly neurological disease that took the life of baseball legend Lou Gehrig in 1941.”
Currently little is known about the diease other than it destroys the central nervous system while not destroying the mental sharpness of the individual. The disease is nearly always fatal, although some people live for years, and a lucky few a lifetime.
Frankly no one knows how it works or why it strikes who it does, mostly healthy young adults, often with nothing apparently in common. Monitoring the registry is expected to begin clearing up some of the mysteries. The ALS Association already has projects under way for the registry.

Home remedies help Sinus disruption, says Mayo Clinic

Harry Jackson Jr. — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 18:32:36 +0000

If your sinuses are causing you problems, try mom’s rememdies, says the Mayo Clinic Women’s HealthSource. You know the symptoms: stuffed up nose, your face hurts, headache and fatigue. Doctors report about 32 million patients a year report symptoms lasting more than 12 weeks, when it’s called chronic sinusitis.

When symptoms persist, or get worse, see your doctor. Sinus problems can becaused by viruses, bacteria, allergic reactions,

Try these tips, which are inexpensive and can work, says Mayo:

– Use nasal irrigation or a nasal spray. Flushing out your nose twice a day with a saltwater solution (available in drug stores) can effectively treat and even prevent sinusitis attacks” You can do it more than that; it can’t hurt and it can help.

– Snort steam. Drape a towel over your head as you breathe in the steam from a bowl of hot water. That’s why you feel better after a hot, steamy shower.

– Apply warm compresses. Place warm, damp towels around your nose, cheeks and eyes for 20 to 30 minutes, two to four times a day to ease facial pain. Hot water bottles over the towels will keep the towels warm.

– Drink plenty of fluids. Fluids, primarily water, help dilute mucus and promote drainage.

– Avoid alcohol and smoking. Drinking alcohol can worsen swelling of the lining of the nose and sinuses and smoke, including secondhand smoke, damages sinuses.

Fitness Magazine ranks its “Fit 50″ list of people, products & trends

Cindy Gregorian — Fri, 10 Oct 2008 17:57:37 +0000

Fitness Magazine has come up with a slideshow profiling its Fit 50, which is divided into three categories. The Best Breakthroughs for Your Workout includes blurbs on all sorts of nifty people and gadgetry that will either inspire or get your blood pumping, including Hula-Hoops, Rihanna’s “Don’t Stop the Music,” and Abby Lentz, a 243-pound yoga instructor who’s helping full figures get limber. One interesting nugget pays homage to Venus Williams, 28, who’s been tearing up the pro tennis circuit for 14 years with her 129-mph serve.

Flu kills kids, says CDC (video below)

Harry Jackson Jr. — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 21:46:32 +0000

The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has stepped up its efforts to get parents to have their children vaccinated by posting a mini-documentary on YouTube.com the popular video library that features anyone’s videos. Thousands of children are hospitalized and die from the flu each year. Only 7 percent of the youngsters who got hospitalized had been vaccinated, says the CDC.

The documentary, “Why Flu Matters - Personal Stories of Families Who Lost Children to the Flu,” seeks to bring home the point that influenza can kill. “The six minute film is part of an aggressive grassroots effort to educate parents on the dangers of influenza,” says the CDC.

Thousands of children younger than 5 are hospitalized because of flu-related complications. Vaccination is the most effective way to prevent infection, says the CDC.

NYC Marathon Book & Cindy’s Marathon Training Weekly Recap

Cindy Gregorian — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 18:36:45 +0000

Before I bore you with my marathon training recap, I’d like to shout out to some friends.

First, my good buddy Dr. Ed Wolfgram will be competing in the Hawaiian Ironman this coming weekend. He’s 75 and had major open heart surgery less than 9 months ago. As our business reporter Jeremiah McWilliams likes to say, “He’s a beast!” Good luck, Ed!!!!

And speaking of Jeremiah: I’d like to thank him once again for running 10 miles with me Saturday. He lent lots of mental support. Jeremiah is one of the sweetest, politest young men I’ve ever met. Truly. His mother should be proud.

I’d also like to plug a “Race Like No Other,” by Liz Robbins which hits bookstores today. Liz, a sportswriter at the NY Times for 16 years, is a friend of my husband, Vahe Gregorian, a sportswriter here. The book is getting rave reviews from critics who say it’s a must-read for marathoners. Can’t wait to get my hands on it.

Now for last week’s training for the New York City Marathon on Nov. 2.

Tuesday: 8.4 miles
Thursday: 6 miles
Saturday 20 miles

Since I’ve temporarily lost my Tuesday morning training buddy (that’s Ed Wolfgram), I’ve decided to run higher mileage on Tuesday and skip the Monday runs giving me a little more recovery time between it and the Saturday long run. It seemed to work well as I did a negative split on last week’s 8.4-miler.

This past Saturday’s 20-miler felt better than the previous week’s 18-miler, and I think that’s because I paid closer attention to pacing early on. I ran it at about a 10-minute a mile pace.

Recovering from long runs takes some thought. Here’s what I like to do immediately afterwards.

Drink a Gatorade to replenish electrolytes followed by several glasses of water the rest of the day
Take Ibuprofen to decrease muscle and joint inflammation
Eat a high-carb, high-protein meal within an hour of finishing. Carb-depleted muscles are like sponges at that point.
Stretch really well, especially legs and lower back
Take a shower (because I stink and, worse, my hair looks horrible)
Take a nice long quiet nap with HGTV playing in background

By evening, I usually feel pretty good. What kind of recovery plans do the rest of you have?

Infertility Awareness Week

Harry Jackson Jr. — Mon, 06 Oct 2008 19:53:19 +0000

For the 19th Annual National Infertility Awareness Week, The National Infertility Association, will host two Take Charge! Web chats.
– 8 p.m Oct. 21, Lindsay Nohr Beck, of Fertile Hope, will discuss cancer and infertility, including options for people who face the challenges.
– 8 p.m. Oct. 22, Dr. Alice Domar with the Harvard Medical School will discuss “Get ‘In the Know’ About Your Fertility.” She’ll discuss a range of topics from causes of infertility to tips for coping with the emotional impact.
Officially, the week is Oct. 19-25.

John McCain’s skirmish with melanoma skin cancer

Cindy Gregorian — Fri, 03 Oct 2008 17:26:45 +0000

One more thing to consider when deciding who you’ll vote for: Presidential candidate John McCain had rather extensive surgery on his face and neck in 2000 to remove melanoma skin cancer. According to the American Melanoma Foundation, one American dies of this type of skin cancer every 65 minutes. Patients with Stage IIa melanoma, like McCain, stand a 65 percent chance of surviving 10 years after being diagnosed. And that rate improves for those who have already survived more than eight years like he has.

How to cool down before you exercise & refuel afterwards

Cindy Gregorian — Wed, 01 Oct 2008 10:08:48 +0000

Here’s one I’ve never heard before. Prevention recommends hopping in a pool, taking a cold shower, or soaking your T-shirt in ice water before exercising. Studies show it might help you go faster.
They also offer tips from Indiana University researcher Joel Stager on what snacks to eat post-workout so that you don’t consume all the calories you just burned.

Cindy’s Marathon Training: Recap Week 7

Cindy Gregorian — Tue, 30 Sep 2008 20:30:43 +0000

Monday: 6.6 miles
Tuesday: 4.5-mile fun run with Dr. Ed Wolfgram
Thursday: 4.5-mile fast run
Saturday: 18-mile slow run in 2 hours 53 minutes
Total: 33.5 miles

Saturday’s 18-mile run was really hard. I think I may have gone out too quickly on the first 10 miles, because I was sluggish on the last 8 and my legs hurt afterwards. When training for my first 2 or 3 marathons, feeling this bad got me worked up and emotionally down. But I’ve since learned that you can have a bad run one week and a good one the next, so I don’t panic anymore.

My friend Zeta Cooper joined me for the final 6 miles. She tells stories to distract me from my fatigue. (She also brought me a Gatorade. Thanks, Zeta!) Marathoners have gobs of ways to distract themselves on long training runs. They listen to podcasts and digitally-downloaded books, they listen to their favorite music (Old 97s for me), they play mental games such as listing cars, fruits, dogs via the alphabet (A is for airedale terrier B is for bichon frise, C is for collie. . .), they list state capitols, you get the idea. Anyone else have clever ways to pass time on a long run? Let’s hear it.

Exercise reduces hunger in lean women but not obese women

Cindy Gregorian — Thu, 25 Sep 2008 23:46:12 +0000

Exercise is good — there’s no question about that.

But earlier this summer researchers at University of Michigan found that it doesn’t suppress appetite in obese women like it does in lean women. Apparently obesity interferes with a hormone called leptin that detects energy expended during exercise and with appetite suppression. The study should help experts figure out the limitations of using exercise in weight loss. Read more about it here.