A few years ago, researchers at the National Institute of Health and Nutrition in Japan put rats through a series of swim tests with surprising results. They had one group of rodents paddle in a small pool for six hours, this long workout broken into two sessions of three hours each. A second group of rats were made to stroke furiously through short, intense bouts of swimming, while carrying ballast to increase their workload. After 20 seconds, the weighted rats were scooped out of the water and allowed to rest for 10 seconds, before being placed back in the pool for another 20 seconds of exertion. The scientists had the rats repeat these brief, strenuous swims 14 times, for a total of about four-and-a-half minutes of swimming. Afterward, the researchers tested each rat’s muscle fibers and found that, as expected, the rats that had gone for the six-hour swim showed preliminary molecular changes that would increase endurance. But the second rodent group, which exercised for less than five minutes also showed the same molecular changes.
The potency of interval training is nothing new. Many athletes have been straining through interval sessions once or twice a week along with their regular workout for years. But what researchers have been looking at recently is whether humans, like that second group of rats, can increase endurance with only a few minutes of strenuous exercise, instead of hours? Could it be that most of us are spending more time than we need to trying to get fit?
The answer, a growing number of these sports scientists believe, may be yes.
Asthma is the most common cuase of chronic illness in childhood, affecting up to 12% of children in the U.S. Most children experience initial symptoms such as chronic cough, intermittent rapid breathing, shortness of breath, unusual fatigue or weakness, or feelings of tightness in the chest by the age of 5. Family history, nasal allergies, frequent respiratory infections and exposure to tobacco smoke (pre- or postnatal) are all risk factors- as is antibiotic use during the first year of life, according to a recent study published in the March issue of the peer-reviewed medical journal Pediatrics.
The study evaluated antibiotic exposure in more than 250,000 infants, looking for a potential association between antibiotic use during infants' first 12 months and the development of asthma during the first 24 months. Results showed a small risk that increased with the number of antibiotic courses prescribed; the risk was highest in children treated with more than four courses during their first year. Findings were adjusted to exclude other potential factors that could have contributed to asthma onset, including birth weight, acute bronchitis, gestational age, delivery method, socioeconomic status, and other variables. Even when considering these factors, an independent association between antibiotic use and asthma remained.
If you think sinus problems are limited to the winter months, think again. Sinusitis- inflammation of the mucous membranes in the nose, sinuses and throat, eventually leading to blocked sinuses and potential infection- can be triggered by a number of things, from viral or bacterial infection to allergis or hay fever, Regardless of the precise cause, sinusitis is a common problem with frustrating symptoms: congestion, cough, sore throat, fatigue, fever, pain and pressure around the eyes, cheeks nose or forehead, and sinus drainage in the form of a thick yellow/green discharge.
What can you do to prevent sinusitis? Harvard Women's Health Watch offers a few simple suggestions for reducing your risk or relieving early symptoms of the condition. First, keeping your nasal membranes moist is a great way to avoid/ reduce sinus symptoms. Stir 1 teaspoon salt into 2 cups of lukewarm water; use a squeeze bottle to stream the solution through you nose. Do this 1-2 times daily to keep you nasal passages from drying out and clear excess mucus before it has a chance to cuase congestion and/or infection.
Go green by making your own eco-friendly, DEET-free repellent. Mix 1/3 cup apple cider vinegar, 1/3 cup witch hazel and a few drops of citronella essential oil. Funnel it into a spray bottle, and you'll have enough to ban bugs all summer.
~Family Circle, July 2009
