Archive for the ‘Medical’ Category

What Are Shin Splints?

Sunday, January 9th, 2011
What Are Shin Splints
What Are Shin Splints?

What is a Shin Splint?

“Shin splints” is a term used to describe the pain felt between the knee and the ankle after athletic activity, and are considered a cumulative stress disorder rather than an acute injury. This painful condition occurs when muscles and tendons in the lower legs pull on the tibia bone along the shin.

There are several reasons why athletes develop shin splints, but ultimately we can say they develop when the constant stress placed on the joints, bones, and muscles of the lower leg overwhelms the body’s natural ability to recover from trauma.

The most common cause is inflammation of the periostium, the sheath that surrounds the tibia. Traction forces on the periostium from the muscles of the lower leg cause shin pain and inflammation.

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Weightlifting Injury Prevention: Protect Your Back!

Thursday, November 18th, 2010
Shaun Stay Fit
Shaun Sinclair

This is a guest post from Shaun Sinclair, founder and author of Stay Fit Bug. Shaun is a former 100/200 meter runner and professional athlete. Visit him at his website and connect with Shaun on Twitter.

Look after your BACK!
Because once that goes you are FINISHED!

It really is that simple.

The spine and the muscles surrounding it are the backbone to our physical existence ‘Pun intended’.

However, it is a part of our body that is prone to injury. Now, prevention isn’t a difficult thing to do. But one thing I am certain of is that trying to cure the issue of back pain is an entirely different matter (Yes… not always easy).

  • Good form
  • Good exercise execution
  • Embracing good posture

All of those things are highly important when it comes to protecting your back. Heck, embracing good posture isn’t even something you need to worry about in the gym only. In fact, that has a lot more to do with your activities outside of the weight room.

  • How you sit at your desk in the office.
  • In your bed and how you sleep (sleeping on the floor is still one of the best things you can do).
  • How you position your body when using a computer at home, which of course, is where most of us spend most of our time in today’s world on Facebook and the like.

These lifestyle habits are highly important in regards to back injury prevention. Now let’s see how you can change your lifestyle to proactively protect yourself from back injuries.
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Being Overweight Could Cost You More Than $8000 a Year

Wednesday, September 22nd, 2010

Obesity is Expensive

Consider the statistics:

  • 72 million adults are considered obese (defined by the BMI being over 30)
  • 84.8 million adults have no leisure-time physical activity
  • total obesity-related health care costs are estimated at $147 billion

Those are some frustrating numbers.

Given those ridiculous health care costs, and all the other money that you have to shell out food, clothing, fad weight loss gimmicks, etc… just how much does it cost annually for the average person to be obese?

A recent study conducted by George Washington University researchers found that the annual cost of being overweight is $8,365 for men and $6,518 for women with an obesity-related shortened life span factored in.

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Do Not Use Dr. Mostafa El Sherif as Your Dentist

Monday, July 26th, 2010
Dentist
Dentist

Here is my review of a local dentist from Concord, NH. Dr. Mostafa El Sherif is one of the few dentists in the area to specialize in cosmetic dentistry. He does lots of work on teeth whitening, bridges, implants, caps, veneers, etc… Too bad he’s rude, uncompassionate, and greedy.

Why to Avoid Dr. Mostafa El-Sherif

Dr. Mostafa El-Sherif is a scumbag. All he cares about is the almighty dollar. Let me tell you about a situation wherein Sally, we will call her Sally, had a loose veneer on her front tooth. It started to become so loose that after a while that it would fall out randomly while talking or walking and it caused her great stress while eating.

On the first visit, all Sally wanted was for Dr. El-Sherif to cement the tooth back onto its post while she saved up to pay for a full implant. Dr. El-Sherif refused, saying instead that it would be cheaper, easier, and better for everyone if she could just come back with the money to replace BOTH of her front teeth. Since the second tooth was also a veneer, he wanted to take both teeth out (extractions) and replace them with implants for well-over $10,000. He wouldn’t do a thing for her without that money up front.

Now, Sally has no dental insurance and she sure as hell doesn’t have $10k sitting in the bank. El-Sherif would not help her at all. Instead he left everything alone and refused to do any work until she could come up with the payment in full. All she wanted was to have the veneer cemented back onto the post so that it wouldn’t constantly bug her until she could save up for the implant.

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Please Help Support Bella Tucker

Thursday, May 20th, 2010
The Bella Tucker Fund


Please Help

You think you have it bad? Maybe you do, but I’m sure 99.9% of your stories are not as unfortunate as what has happened to an 8 year old girl from Londonderry, NH named Bella Tucker.

Who is Bella Tucker?

Bella is an 8 year old third grader who was a budding gymnastics star, loved to ride her bike and listen to music, liked going to school and hanging out with her friends, and is now going to be confined to a wheelchair without her own arms and legs for the rest of her life.

A cute little girl with long blond hair, Bella attended South School Elementary in Londonderry, New Hampshire and was a talented member of the Phantom Gymnastics team. Maybe she will do those things again one day, but for now she is confined to a hospital bed at the Children’s Hospital in Boston. She and her family need all the help they can get.

What Happened to Bella Tucker?

Bella Tucker
Bella Tucker

Easter Sunday 2010 was going to be a fun-filled day with egg hunts, jelly beans, and Easter dinner with family. As the day progressed Bella began to feel under the weather; she eventually developed a fever and had the chills.

She went to bed early with what appeared to be flu symptoms, but woke up early in the morning with a fever of 103, complaining that her hands and feet were cold. Bella’s step-dad rushed her to the local emergency room, where doctors said she needed to be transferred by helicopter to Boston Children’s Hospital.

No one could have guessed what would happen next; Bella and her family would never be the same.

Surviving Streptococcus Pneumoniae Sepsis

With a temperature that peaked at a whopping 105.8 degrees, doctors at Boston Children’s Hospital initially figured she might have meningitis. They were wrong. Two days later Bella was diagnosed with streptococcus pneumoniae sepsis, a rare form of pneumonia that had stopped the flow of oxygen to her arms and legs.

With a 10% survival rate for streptococcus pneumoniae sepsis, the future did not look good.

Doctors placed Bella into a drug-induced coma, no one could be sure if she would ever regain consciousness. After 5 days she emerged from her coma, but her body had already sustained severe tissue damage.

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Melatonin Helps You Fall Asleep

Thursday, February 18th, 2010

I found this article today that talks about a lack of ‘blue light’, which we get from early morning exposure to sunlight. When teenagers are not properly exposed to ‘blue light’ for one week, their bodies release melatonin 30 minutes later in the day, which causes them to stay up later and fall asleep in class the next day. The release of melatonin is often also responsible for lack of sleep due to insomnia.

Insomnia
Insomnia

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Drinking Soda Increases Risk of Pancreatic Cancer by 87 Percent

Tuesday, February 9th, 2010

Don't Drink SodaHere’s another reason never to drink soda or anything else containing high-fructose corn syrup ever again.

A recent study published in Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research, links sugary soft drink consumption to an increased risk of developing pancreatic cancer.

Noel T. Mueller, MPH, the author of the study and a research associate at the Cancer Control Program at Georgetown University Medical Center in Washington, D.C. notes:

“People who drank two or more soft drinks a week had an 87% increased risk — or nearly twice the risk — of pancreatic cancer compared to individuals consuming no soft drinks.”

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Does Whey Protein Powder Cause Gout?

Thursday, January 28th, 2010
Your Questions
Your Questions

I get plenty of questions in various comments throughout the website, but I also get comments and questions via the Project Swole Contact Form.

Generally I address those questions through e-mail, but often I do not have the time to reply to each and every question personally.

From now on I want to take a more proactive approach to answering Your Health Questions by posting them separately in the blog. This way we can be sure that everyone benefits from the Q & A.

Jim R wrote:

“I am 61 and in generally good shape, bicycled for years (at least 1000 miles per year).

The past two years I’ve converted to weight training (three days a week) plus spinning (three days a week). I’ve always been thin 6’2 – 195lbs.

Joined a gym 2 months ago (with a personal trainer)and really haven’t seen the results I’ve been looking for. I’ve reduced my body fat but haven’t seen any gains in muscle mass. I feel better but would also like to look better.

Also I just had another issue arise – a minor case of gout. I have been using a Whey protein drink 40 grams a day and need to know if Whey based supplements contain large amounts Purine (the largest contributer to gout).

I’m looking for info for us ‘old guys’ that haven’t given up.”

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Dabigatran, Childhood Obesity, and the Patriots

Monday, December 7th, 2009

Here’s some recent health news for the day.

Dabigatran – a Potential Alternative to Warfarin

In an issue that is close to my own heart, there may be a new, better medication for controlling chronic blood clots. The drug, called Dabigatran Etexilate, is just as effective at controlling clots as Warfarin/Coumadin, but is far easier to manage.

Regarding Dabigatran, Dr. Sam Schulman of McMaster University and the Henderson Research Center in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada said this:

“For patients and health-care providers, Dabigatran is a far more convenient drug than Warfarin because it has no known interactions with foods and minimal interactions with other drugs and therefore does not require routine blood-coagulation testing.”

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Breast Cancer Awareness Month October 2009

Thursday, October 1st, 2009

breast cancer donation

Breast Cancer Awareness

Breast cancer is an awful disease that affects millions of women each year.

If you have a wife, sister, daughter, mother, grandmother, aunt, or niece, you could be affected by breast cancer too.

Breast cancer is the seventh leading cause of death for women in the US.

It is the second most common form of cancer in women, and is the number one cause of cancer death in Hispanic women.

It is the second most common cause of cancer death in white, black, Asian/Pacific Islander, and American Indian/Alaska Native women.

Donate to Susan G. Komen for the Cure.

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