Weekly News & Insights

Results-Driven Health Care for Baby Boomers

on May 30, 2019

Never Too Late for Fitness: Trendsetters Share Empowering Strategies For Fitness After 50 (Volume Book 1)

“Never Too Late for Fitness (Volume One)” is a collaborative book series featuring leading health and fitness professionals from across the country who are passionate and committed to helping people over 50 get fit, stay fit and live longer, healthier and happier lives.

In this edition, Phil Faris has conversations with the fitness trendsetter, Thomas M. Mitchell, D.C.,CCSP, look for new volumes of the Never Too Late for Fitness series soon.

Phil Faris: For Baby Boomers who want to get back into fitness but haven’t worked out in a long time, what are the first couple of things that they should be doing to start?

Dr. Mitchell: First, you must always have the blanket statement; talk to your general practitioner and all those things. The ideal thing for people to start doing is drinking more water; I’d say anywhere between 64 and 96 ounces a day, then, just start walking. Start getting the body moving, so they can condition their body and their muscles to start to work, and pump fluids through their bodies. When their blood's pumping, they're eliminating lactic acid, and everything starts to move freely again. That's the best place to start that I've found for my patients. If they're just getting back into an exercise program, it's literally: start with a 5-minute walk. Depending on their health conditions or the condition of their body, you just start slow, and before you know it, with enough water and enough walking, the possibilities are endless. You're running an Ironman a year and a half later. Who knows?

Phil Faris: When you talk about, “based on your physical condition”, that means what is right for that person at that time. For some people, that's going for a walk. For some people, it’s 5 minutes. Other people, it's 2 hours. It's relative to you. Then, the idea is to go to the next level. Once you get a certain level of fitness, what would be the next level? If they're able to walk for 30 minutes or an hour without pain, what would be the next level of fitness that you would try and add to that?

Dr. Mitchell: It's dependent on the individual. What I tell people is, find an activity that keeps you active, but it must be something that you enjoy doing. It could be playing pickleball, walking, running, or climbing trees. That part I don't care too much about. It's more about, do something you enjoy, because then you look forward to it and it's not a chore anymore. It's not a thing that you must do. It's not a necessary evil. It's like the thing that helps you get through the day. It clears your head, you feel better afterward, and that is individual for everyone. For some people, it's yoga and classes, and for others, it's weight training or resistance training, and others, it's just continuing to walk and listen to music or their books on tape. The next level is always to find something you really enjoy doing. If you can walk a half an hour to an hour consistently, then you're ready to move to the next step of, okay, let's play pickleball, see if I like it. Whatever it may be, you definitely want to push yourself. The only way to make it sustainable is if you enjoy it.

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Warning Signs Your Body Drastically Needs Water

on May 23, 2019

In everyday life, most people walk around in a state of mild or moderate dehydration because they don’t consume enough liquids that will supply their bodies with the hydration needed. Chronic dehydration puts stress on the organs and can interfere with bodily functions, which in some cases will lead to illness, fatigue, difficulty focusing, and irritability. Physical activity in hot weather depletes the body of water, which makes consuming water essential in warm climates especially in summer months, and anytime surrounding exercise.

Signs of Dehydration

These are some things you can look for that would indicate dehydration:

  • Your skin and mouth will feel dry.
  • You will be thirsty, you have a headache, and you will be constipated.
  • You may feel dizzy or lightheaded and urine will be a dark yellow color.
  • You will feel foggy brained and sluggish, and will constantly crave snacks and sugar.
  • In the most extreme cases of dehydration some people experience palpitations, fainting, weakness, confusion, decreased urination, and sometimes even seizures.

If any signs of dehydration present themselves, they do require immediate medical attention. Of course all of these symptoms might be caused by a variety of things but even something as simple as mild dehydration may have a more negative affect on physical and mental well-being than most people will realize. In addition to this, the older someone is the more prone they are to dehydration with more serious consequences.

The Solution

Of course drinking water is the best solution for hydration, but fruits and vegetables with high water content are a good source too. This could be things like broccoli, carrots, cucumbers, watermelon, and grapes, tea, coffee, and sports drinks can help, but beverages with caffeine will increase the amount you will urinate in those who are not regular drinkers.

Benefits of Staying Hydrated

The body will use water to maintain its temperature, lubricate joints, and remove waste. Having an adequate fluid intake will help maintain healthy skin and will keep it clear, which is important for not only looking your best but also maintaining the body’s protective outer layer. Proper hydration will help the heart to pump blood more easily, which will help to avoid stressing the heart and other organs during any routine daily activities and strenuous activities. Proper hydration aids in brain function to help focus and improve concentration. Studies have shown that even mild dehydration will lead to inattention.

How Much is Enough

A quick and easy guide to see whether or not you are well hydrated is the color and concentration of urine. If it is pale yellow like lemonade, you are probably getting enough water. If it is a dark yellow and appears more concentrated, you need to drink more water. If urine is clear and colorless you may be drinking too much water and should slow down. Staying properly hydrated regularly will keep you mentally and physically at your best. Always check with your doctor about proper intake of fluids and if you have a medical condition before dramatically increasing or decreasing your water intake.

Source: Tuesday, March 29, 2016 by: Sasha Brown http://blogs.naturalnews.com/warnings-signs-body-drastically-needs-water/

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Need another reason to drink more water? Check out these amazing health benefits

on May 16, 2019

The average American child is water-deficient from a very young age, while official statistics say that at least one-third of U.S. citizens don't get enough H2O in their systems. The people that do get enough actually rely heavily on other sources. Indeed, 48% of their total intake of liquids comes from soft drinks, food and other kinds of beverages.

For a species that starts off with 78% of their body made of water at birth, we sure end up hating it a lot. In fact, we've messed up liquid circulation so badly that our physiology is likely to send us hunger signals rather than thirst. What? Don't be surprised, but your body doesn't actually need food every time you're hungry. Some of us get so used to drinking minimal amounts of water that our bodies demand food instead, knowing that there are higher chances of getting some hydration that way. Nonetheless, drinking enough plain water has numerous health benefits for our bodies, while being depriving of this vital fluid may lead to serious health concerns.

What happens when you don't hydrate enough

If you're not big on chugging aqua, the first consequence you'll notice is that you go to the bathroom less often. Surprised? You shouldn't be. When human physiology doesn't have enough liquids to run vital processes, it starts squeezing the last drop out of everywhere it can. It begins with the colon. Consequently, when your body isn't getting enough water, you'll become constipated. Instead of eliminating the waste, your body starts hoarding it in the hope that there will be some water around there. Yuck.

Another way for the human body to eliminate toxins is urination. It's not called "number 1" for no reason. Our kidneys process an incredible range of harmful substances from our blood and send them on their way through urination. This task becomes increasingly difficult to complete when there isn't enough water available. It gets worse. If you don't drink enough H2O, you severely increase your risk of developing kidney stones.

Besides regulating our internal temperature (particularly important in certain climates), water helps carry the entirety of the proteins and carbohydrates processed by our bodies through the bloodstream. Ever experience muscle twitching after a day of physical destruction? Lack of water in a fatigued muscle can also cause that.

Not all water is good

It is true that proper hydration can make your skin look years younger. This happens because when you lack water, your body will also start to absorb water molecules from your skin, making wrinkles look deeper and your eyes sink in their sockets. You may think that appearance is important, but your body thinks that your skin can deal with a few creases in order to keep those vital organs up and running.

What's most surprising for a civilization that's no less than a few decades away from veritable artificial intelligence is that not all water sources are clean and good. One concern is that most of us are drinking too much chlorine, fluoride or other toxic chemicals through potable water. A good water filter is an investment that pays off instantly. Don't postpone getting one another second, if you don't own one already. When push comes to shove and you can't afford a filter, excess chlorine can be removed if you add a bit of lemon or vitamin C powder. It'll neutralize it instantly.

Perpetual movement

Even if we've become increasingly sedentary in the past 50 years, life is perpetual movement. Our blood moves around, supplying each and every one of our cells with beneficial substances, while taking out those harmful toxins. Food comes in and, as we speak, it's on its way out. Even our minds move, metaphorically. If we don't drink enough water (almost 3 liters for adult men and a little over 2 for women), things start to slow down. If you give it a shot, you may be surprised of how much good H2O can do for you.

Source: Tuesday, March 08, 2016 by: Harold Shaw http://www.naturalnews.com/053224_hydration_clean_water_health_benefits.html

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State researchers exploring health risks of sugary beverages

on May 9, 2019

Professional athletes who rely on popular sports drinks like Gatorade and Powerade are really doing themselves a disservice, impairing their performance potential. Once in the body, these dye-filled "Kool-Aid-like" drinks actually acidify the cellular environment, restricting oxygenation of cells while limiting ATP energy production from the mitochondria. Still, drinks like these are promoted by athletes and marketed as replenishing sports beverages that enhance athletic performance.

According to a new report by UC Berkeley, these sports drinks aren't much different from soda. After exploring their sugar content and related health risks, the researchers described the beverages as "essentially sodas without the carbonation." In the study, 21 popular drinks with health claims were investigated, as researchers compared flowery marketing with the drinks' actual compositions.

"We often see labels on energy and sports drinks that tout health benefits, but the sugar levels in these products rival that of sodas," said lead author Patricia Crawford, director of the Atkins Center for Weight and Health. "They are essentially sodas without the carbonation, but they give the misleading impression that they are healthy," she said.

Synthetic vitamins, fake energy, and loads of dyes and refined sugar

The beverage industry tries to convince the public that drinks like these are healthy, but they are often loaded with sugar; in one drink, there were 18 teaspoons of sugar in the container. Other drinks are fortified with vitamins, but these often go unused by the body, because they are often synthetic derivatives that aren't readily broken down, absorbed and utilized by the body. Vitamin and herb content of some of these energy drinks fools some people into thinking that they are getting a fair share of nutrition for the day, when in reality, they are being inundated with nothing but loads of refined sugar that acidify the cells.

The researchers concluded that common sports drinks on the market are also contributing to diabetes and obesity in youth, because they contain so much added sugar. Energy drinks provide short-term energy with heightened caffeine levels, but that energy is quickly lost, addicting youth to want more of the beverages which give nothing but headaches and heart arrhythmia.

A true energy drink is simply fresh fruit and vegetable juice, which neutralizes excess hydrogen in the cells as it enters the body. The OH- molecules from the juice combine with excess hydrogen in the acidic environment to form water (H2O); thus flushing the cells, reducing edema and allowing mitochondria to produce more longer-lasting ATP energy.

Study debunks marketing claims of sports and energy drinks, highlights their negative effects

A marketing analysis conducted at Yale University's Rudd Center picked apart the beverages' marketing claims and refuted them here in a simple, straightforward chart.

For example, the researchers showed that Gatorade G Series Recover is marketed as "providing hydration and muscle-recovery benefits with its specially designed protein replenishment formula," but the researchers refuted, saying, "Water is the optimal beverage of choice for hydration. The average diet is already high in protein and adequately supports physically active adolescents' muscle rebuilding and growth."

Energy drinks like the popular "RockStar" claim that the beverages are "Double Strength, Double Size. Bigger. Better. Faster. Stronger," but according to the researchers, the level of caffeine and guarana in these beverages "stimulate the cardiovascular and nervous system, and can have detrimental effects (such as tachycardia)." On top of that, the researchers correlated energy drinks with increased stress, nervousness, anxiety, headaches, insomnia and reduced academic performance. They were even found to cause hallucinations, tremors and seizures.

In fact, the researchers found that all the drinks have one thing in common: explicit sugar content. Anything from popular fruit drinks to flavored water and from sports drinks to flavored teas all contained deleterious amounts of sugar and were determined to be fueling the increase of obesity and diabetes in today's culture.

Source: Tuesday, August 19, 2014 by: L.J. Devon, Staff Writer http://www.naturalnews.com/046513_sports_drinks_sodas_sugary_beverages.html

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Experts Offer New Guidelines for Athletes Competing in the Heat

on May 2, 2019

With new recommendations, a panel of experts aims to help athletes compete in hot environments.

Many major sporting events take place in the summer, including the Summer Olympics, the FIFA World Cup and the Tour de France.

“Our motivation was to offer recommendations on how to best protect the health of the athlete and sustain/enhance performance during events taking place in the heat," Andreas Flouris, who helped write the new guidelines, told Reuters Health in an email.

"These guidelines represent the state-of-the-art for training and competing in the heat and should be followed by athletes, coaches, and event organizers," said Flouris, an assistant professor in physiology at the University of Thessaly in Greece.

Flouris and other experts in sports medicine and physiology met recently in Qatar, where the 2022 FIFA World Cup is to be held, to discuss training and competing in the heat.

In Qatar, daytime summer temperatures regularly surpass 40 degrees Celsius (104 F).

What's more, exercise generates large amounts of heat in the body and if this heat is not released into the environment, the athlete's body temperature will rise, which can reduce performance and cause serious health risks.

And in hot environments, it is more difficult for heat to be released from the body, Flouris noted.

One important factor for athletes is heat acclimatization, or the process of adapting the body to the environment in the time before competition.

Body functions such as heart rate and internal temperature will adapt after one week of training in the heat, but the experts recommend two weeks as an ideal adjustment period.

Athletes can adapt to the heat by arriving at the competition's location early to train. Or, they can train in artificially heated environments for an hour per day.

"Acclimatization can decrease the risk of heat illness, which includes symptoms like nausea, fatigue, fainting etc.," said Sven Voss, an exercise physiologist at Anti Doping Lab Qatar. He was not involved with the new recommendations.

In their June 11 online report in the British Journal of Sports Medicine, the experts also stress the importance of hydration and recommend that athletes drink fluid every two to three hours leading up to exercise.

Voss noted in an email that as a general rule, thirst is a good sign for an athlete to drink, but that under extreme conditions like ultra-marathons, it may be advisable to drink before signs of thirst occur.

The panel recommends taking plenty of fluids with meals and Flouris advised that recovery regimens should include sodium, carbohydrates and protein.

"Athletes training in the heat have higher daily sodium (i.e., salt) requirements than the general population," Flouris added. So they may need to take sodium supplements during exercise.

Lastly, the guidelines note that cooling down before, after or in-between events is an important consideration for athletes.

External cooling methods can include applying ice to the body, being immersed in water or fanning. Athletes can also use internal cooling methods such as drinking cold or icy fluids.

In addition to competitors' individual efforts, Flouris advised that event organizers and sporting federations can support athletes by "allowing additional (or longer) recovery periods for enhanced hydration and cooling opportunities."

"Try to find out beforehand how temperature, humidity, etc. will be at the place of competition and try to acclimatize," Voss recommended. "Make sure that you have a strategy when and how to drink according to your individual needs."

"Failing to prepare means preparing to fail, as heat can have deleterious effects on our health," Flouris said.

Source: Madeline Kennedy, June 26, 2015 http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/846989

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Allergic Rhinitis a Significant Burden

on April 25, 2019

Allergic rhinitis continues to exact a high toll on the quality of life of Americans, according to a survey presented here at the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology (AAAAI) 2011 Annual Meeting.

"The data are timely, as they were collected from patients who have allergies in surveys less than 1 year ago," study presenter Gary Gross, MD, from the Dallas Allergy and Asthma Center, Texas, told Medscape Medical News. "The results are more of a stimulus to try to improve the care for these patients whose lives are so dramatically influenced by allergies."

Reached for comment, Neeta Ogden, MD, an adult and pediatric allergist at Englewood Hospital and Medical Center in New Jersey, and member of the AAAAI, noted that "the quality-of-life impact can be overlooked in clinical practice."

"People may think allergies are not as 'life-threatening' as other medical problems like diabetes or high blood pressure, etc. However, untreated allergies, especially during the peak pollen months, can lead to daily impairment that affects work/school and quality of life," Dr. Ogden said.

Comparative Look at NASL 2010 and AIA 2006

At the AAAAI's annual gathering, Dr. Gross presented results of the 2010 Nasal Allergy Survey Assessing Limitations (NASL) Survey, looking at the effect allergic rhinitis currently has on the quality of life of Americans.

As part of the survey, 400 people aged 18 years and older who had been diagnosed with allergic rhinitis and who had experienced nasal allergy symptoms or taken medication for their condition in the past 12 months were interviewed. The findings were compared with 2500 respondents from the 2006 Allergies in America Survey (AIA) to determine the degree to which allergic rhinitis still affects patient quality of life.

A look at the 2 data sets suggests no apparent easing of the emotional toll of allergic rhinitis, the researchers say.

Table. Comparison Between NASL 2010 and AIA 2006

table

"The survey reminds us all that these patients suffer far beyond the congestion, runny nose, and sneezing that are characteristic symptoms of allergic rhinitis, and that they need more effective treatment to be productive and to improve their quality of life," Dr. Gross told Medscape Medical News.

He advised clinicians to "question patients who have allergic rhinitis more thoroughly regarding how allergic rhinitis impacts the quality of the patients' lives, and then try to determine the best approach to treatment."

The NASL 2010 survey also confirms that allergic rhinitis limits peoples' ability to participate in social activities (29%), to have or play with pets (34%), and to participate in outdoor (52%) and indoor (13%) activities.

Mirroring the AIA 2006 survey, 33% of respondents in NASL 2010 reported their symptoms affected them "a lot" or a "moderate" amount during the month when nasal symptoms were at their worst. In NASL 2010, work productivity was roughly 71% when nasal symptoms were at their worst; the figure was nearly the same (72%) among AIA 2006 respondents.

Nasal symptoms of allergic rhinitis also contribute to "substantial" sleep disturbances, including trouble falling to sleep and staying asleep, according to other data from the NASL 2010 Survey reported separately at the meeting.

New Data "Not Surprising"

In Dr. Ogden's view, the NASL 2010 findings are "not surprising, especially since allergy symptoms seem to be more intense than ever and people are experiencing new-onset allergies and worsening of existing allergies in the last few years."

"In terms of seasonal allergies," she said, "this has been attributed to global warming leading to more intense, longer seasons. People seem to have worse symptoms and often express breakthrough allergy symptoms even on doses of medications that used to help them before."

Following up with patients is key, Dr. Ogden said, "because there are a number of therapies out there that can be added if the first medication doesn't work. In addition, getting patients on your and their own radar in terms of allergy so they can start medications 2 to 3 weeks before the peak season is also important."

Dr. Gross and Dr. Ogden have disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology 2011 Annual Meeting: Abstract 838. Presented March 20, 2011.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/739928 Megan Brooks

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Shifting Temps May Prime Patients for Spring Allergies

on April 18, 2019

Spring allergy season is again off to an early start in many parts of the country, and doctors say there are some signs it may be even more miserable than usual this year.

Last year was the fourth warmest winter on record, with consistently mild temperatures. That led to record-breaking pollen counts that struck about a month earlier than normal in some places.

But this year, many areas got a false spring. Temperatures rose briefly and then dipped again. The swings caused pollen levels to rise, then fall, then rise again.

That pattern of pollen release sets people with allergies up for something called "the priming effect," says Stanley M. Fineman, MD, an Atlanta-based allergist and past president of the American College of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology.

“When patients are exposed, then the pollen goes away for a while, there’s a weather change or whatever, then they are re-exposed to that pollen, they can have an even more significant effect because their system is primed to respond,” Fineman says.

“It results in patients having a lot more difficulty with significantly worse symptoms” that may be tougher to get under control, he says.

Some parts of the South and East Coast began logging high tree pollen counts in January. Then pollen levels dropped in early February before climbing again by the end of the month. Plenty of allergy-prone people were caught unprepared.

At the Allergy and Asthma Center of Georgetown, in Texas, doctors say they began seeing people with seasonal allergies about a month earlier than usual.

“The typical symptoms are congestion, runny nose, itchy eyes, sneezing, watery eyes, sore throat, itchy throat, headaches, itchy ears,” not to mention all the patients who have asthma that’s triggered by allergies, says Sheila Amar, MD. “It’s pretty miserable."

Blame Climate Change

The bad news is that these amped-up spring allergy seasons probably aren’t flukes. Scientists say that as climate change accelerates, so will allergies.

“Springs are coming earlier,” says Jake Weltzin, PhD, executive director of the USA National Phenology Network, a government project to track the effects of climate change on the habits of plants and animals.

As the weather gets warmer earlier in the year, more plants and trees start to bloom at the same time, creating “a pollen bomb,” Weltzin says.

What’s more, experiments show that plants exposed to higher levels of the greenhouse gas carbon dioxide make more pollen. The pollen they make also has higher levels of proteins that trigger allergies, which makes it more potent.

Beat Allergy Symptoms

Doctors say the best time to treat allergies is before they flare up.

“Once your immune system is revved up and reacting to the allergens, it’s always harder to get it under control,” Amar says. “In general, being proactive is a much better approach.”

That can be tough to do when winter weather is unpredictable. If allergies already have you in their grips, some common-sense steps can cut the misery:

  • On higher-pollen-count days, avoid going outside, especially in the morning when pollen levels are highest. If you have to go out, take your allergy medications with you.
  • Keep windows and doors closed. Run the air conditioner instead.
  • Wear a mask if you have to work outdoors.
  • Take a shower at the end of the day to wash sticky pollen grains from your hair. That can help you get a better night’s sleep.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/780516 Brenda Goodman

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EpiPen Supply in Schools Not Enough Without Training

on April 11, 2019

More than one in five cases of anaphylaxis that occur in schools happen in people with no known allergies, and school staff are not always properly trained to handle them, a new study suggests.

"Bottom line, I think our findings underscore the need for continued education in the school setting," Martha White, MD, director of research at the Institute for Asthma and Allergy in Wheaton, Maryland, told Medscape Medical News.

Dr White presented the findings here at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2015 National Conference.

The study highlights two different scenarios: people who experience their first anaphylaxis event and would benefit from epinephrine autoinjectors stocked by the school, and people with a diagnosis of anaphylaxis who may or may not have their injectors handy.

"We want to have this lifesaving medication at school," said session organizer and moderator Mandy Allison, MD, from the University of Colorado in Aurora.

Several states now have passed or are passing legislation that allows the school to stock lifesaving medication not designated to a specific person, she reported.

The data come from a web-based survey of schools participating in the EpiPen4Schools program, developed by Mylan Specialty, which distributes epinephrine autoinjectors to more than 30,000 elementary and high schools, free of charge, in the United States.

Of the 32,387 schools invited to participate in the survey from May to July 2014, 6019 responded. Most were completed by the school nurse.

There were 919 anaphylactic events reported by 607 (11%) of 5683 schools.

Information on the anaphylactic event was included in 852 of the completed surveys. People with no known allergies experienced 187 (22%) of the events, and students experienced 757 (89%) of the events. Of the 757 events experienced by students, 32% were in grade school, 19% were in middle school, and 49% were in high school.

Food, Insect Bites, Other Triggers

Triggers were included in 847 of the surveys: 62% of the triggers were food, 20% were unknown, 10% were insect bites, 7% were environmental or related medication or health factors, and 1% were latex.

Treatments were included in 851 of the surveys: 75% were epinephrine autoinjectors, 24% were antihistamines, and 1% were unknown.

"Epinephrine is the only approved treatment, yet even in the schools that received free EpiPens, only 75% used them," Dr White pointed out. "That is an opportunity for education, because antihistamines won't stop anaphylaxis."

There were no deaths reported, suggesting that those who received antihistamines most likely had mild symptoms that would have cleared anyway, she pointed out.

Of the 636 epinephrine-treated events, 49% used autoinjectors from the school supply and 45% used the person's personal autoinjector.

Use of the school supply does not necessarily mean the individual did not have their own autoinjector with them. It might just have been easier for the school nurse to grab the stock pen than to go searching for the personal pen in an emergency, Dr White explained.

And, of course, the stock pen would have been used in all of the cases of first-time anaphylaxis treated with epinephrine, she added.

Trained to Treat

Of the 5613 schools that responded to questions about staff training, 36% reported that the only people trained to recognize the signs of anaphylaxis were the school nurse and a small number of others, 29% reported that most staff members were trained, and 31% reported that all staff members were trained. However, 54% of the schools permitted only the school nurse and select staff members to administer epinephrine.

"Teach the kids how to use the devices themselves, as long as they're mature enough to do it. For the adolescents, try to reinforce non-risk-taking and the avoidance of triggers. They need to be told this can kill you," Dr White advised.

"There's not always a nurse in every school, so other folks need to be trained to use these medications," Dr Allison told Medscape Medical News. "We still have a long way to go in terms of when to use epinephrine autoinjectors and what the indications are. They're probably being underutilized," she said.

"Our training should focus on school nurses, but also on the folks who are more likely to be present at the moment the reaction occurs. That's not always the nurse," she pointed out.

This can be a real problem if, for example, a child has an anaphylaxis event on the playground, said Dr White. In such a scenario, "the teacher has to transport the kid to the health room to get treated. That's an opportunity for education as well," she said.

She noted that many of her teenage patients know how to administer the epinephrine themselves, and that many teenage babysitters are trained to use the devices for their charges. "If I can train teenagers to do it, I'm sure the schools could train the teachers."

Dr. Allison said that these data are fairly consistent with those from other publications, although there is not a huge database to compare them with. And, she said, these results are not ideal because of the extent of the missing data, both in the overall response rate and in the answering of individual questions.

"It's not the perfect study, but it is some of the better data that we have on a national level. It's starting to give us an idea of what's going on in schools," she added.

Dr White is a consultant for Mylan and has worked with most of the other companies that make allergy- and asthma-related products. Dr Allison has disclosed no relevant financial relationships.

American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) 2015 National Conference. Presented October 24, 2015.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/853486 Miriam E. Tucker

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Severe Allergies and Travel: The Journey Begins With a Single Step

on April 4, 2019

Many travelers now come equipped with tissues and antihistamines. But for those with severe allergies, travel can be a much more harrowing, and potentially deadly, experience.

Consider, for example, a few incidents that highlight how challenging severe allergies while traveling can be for individuals. A recent story that grabbed international headlines drew attention to a 7-year-old boy and his family who were forced by the airline to deplane after he had a severe allergy attack prompted by the presence of service dogs on the domestic flight.

Although in this instance the boy's allergies were not life-threatening, other high-profile stories in the past couple of years have featured young children who have gone into anaphylaxis after consuming, or simply being exposed to, tree nuts during flights—allergic reactions extreme enough to force the planes to land for the children to receive medical treatment.

Sensational media coverage aside, there is a recurrent thread to stories like these: Severe allergic reactions during travel are unpredictable, can come on swiftly, and are increasingly common. Knowing one's risk and planning ahead may make all the difference, which makes communication between physicians and patients about the management of severe allergies that much more important.

Source: http://www.medscape.com/viewarticle/860408   Rebecca E. Cooney, PhD  March 21, 2016

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Nutrition Before Competition

on March 28, 2019

What you eat several days before an endurance activity affects performance. The food you eat on the morning of a sports competition can ward off hunger, keep blood sugar levels adequate, and aid hydration. Try to avoid eating high-protein or high-fat foods on the day of an event since this can put stress on your kidneys and take a long time to digest.

To perform at your highest level, follow these general nutrition guidelines before an event:

  • Eat a meal high in carbohydrates.
  • Eat solid foods 3 to 4 hours before an event. Drink liquids 2 to 3 hours before an event.
  • Choose easily digestible foods, rather than fried or high-fat foods.
  • Avoid sugary foods and drinks within one hour of the event.
  • Drink enough fluids to ensure hydration. A good guideline to follow is: Drink 20 oz. of water 1 to 2 hours before exercise and an additional 10 to 15 oz. within 15 to 30 minutes of the event. Replenishing fluids lost to sweat is the primary concern during an athletic event. Drink 3 to 6 ounces of water or diluted sports drink every 10 to 20 minutes throughout competition.

Source: http://orthoinfo.aaos.org/topic.cfm?topic=a00370

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