Costco Connection - April 2011

April
IBS Awareness
Month

Fending off spring allergies

IRRITABLE BOWEL Syndrome (IBS) affects between 25 million and 45 million people in the United States. The number is difficult to pin down because many sufferers do not seek treatment.

IBS is a complex disorder characterized by abdominal pain, cramping, bloating, diarrhea and constipation. The exact cause is unknown, but the symptoms may result from the way the gut, brain and nervous system interact, and involve problems with contractions in the muscles of the colon. Symptoms occur for at least 12 weeks in a 12-month period.

This is a long-term condition for which there is no known cure. The individual symptoms can be treated by medications and changes in diet and lifestyle. Counseling often proves beneficial.

By Deborah Herlax Enos

FIFTY MILLION Americans suffer from allergies. I have spent the majority of the spring season indoors and out of the line of fire. After years of dreading spring, I decided to fight back.

Here are a few tips that have helped me.

Irrigate. Your nose, that is. Nasal irrigation is a part of one’s daily routine in India and Southeast Asia. Look for a neti pot (looks like a little teapot) or nasal saline spray.

Take a shower. Pollen can really accumulate in your hair and on your skin. I find that if I take a shower before bed, my sinuses are clearer, making it easier to sleep.

Avoid peak pollen times. Stay inside from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. If you exercise outside, do it early in the morning, when pollen counts are lowest.

Shampoo your pet. Pollen can cling to your pet. Get a spring haircut for Fido and wash indoor/ outdoor pets often. Keeping your pet out of your bedroom and off furniture can also be helpful.

Start cleaning. Do a thorough cleaning or, better yet, pay someone else to do it. Windows, screens and furnace filters collect mold and dust throughout the season, which can provoke your symptoms.

Go on an anti-inflammation diet. When you are suffering from allergies, your nose is already inflamed. Avoid eating foods that will cause more inflammation, such as sugar. (This is a good incentive to cut back on your sugar intake.)

Limit your dairy intake. Many doctors believe that dairy products increase mucus production, which can agitate and provoke allergy symptoms.

I hope you find these tips helpful. Make sure you consult with your physician before starting any new health program. C

Deborah Herlax Enos, CN, ( www.deborahenos.com) is the author of Weight a Minute! Transform Your Health in 60 Seconds a Day. She regularly appears on NBC, ABC and FOX News.

Little pitchers have big fears

What parents need to know about pitch counts

IBS facts

• More women than men are affected, by a ratio of two to one.

• Most persons with IBS are under the age of 50, but older adults can suffer as well.

• IBS is second to the common cold as a cause of absenteeism from work.

• Stress does not cause IBS, but it can worsen or trigger symptoms.

• IBS is unpredictable; symptoms vary and are sometimes contradictory.

• The impact of IBS can range from mild inconvenience to extreme debilitation. People with moderate to severe IBS must struggle with symptoms that often impair their physical, emotional, economic, educational and social well-being.

For more information, visit the website of the International Foundation for Functional Gastrointestinal Disorders, www.aboutibs.org.

By Star Lawrence

SINCE 2006, KEEPING track of the number of pitches thrown has been a rule in Little League.

Why? Research done at the American Sports Medicine Institute (ASMI) in Birmingham, Alabama, shows that all pitches, even in practice sessions, count toward stressing young, growing muscles and pulling joints in stressful directions.

A one-year study at ASMI reviewed 172 pitchers between the ages of 9 and 12 and found that 40 percent had elbow injuries. Around the same time, an American Academy of Pediatrics study showed that half of the 15 million to 18 million youth sports injuries were from overuse. Additionally, other research showed that stressing the growth plates in developing kids could stunt growth and produce painful and damaged joints.

“Baseball is year-round now,” says Kevin D. Plancher, M.D., clinical associate professor at the Albert Einstein College of Medicine in New York City. He started seeing a lot of elbow pain in young ballplayers in the 1990s.

At first, it was thought that throwing “junk”—curveballs, changeups and sliders—instead of fastballs contributed more to throwing-arm injuries. Then the research began to indict the number of throws, as well as types of pitches.

In response, Little League and USA Baseball developed “safe numbers.” Pitches per day for kids age 7 to 8 was set at 50; for age 9 to 10, 75. At age 17 to 18, 105 pitches in a day would be allowed. Rest and recovery periods were also suggested—e.g., pitching more than 61 throws in a day should be followed by three days off the field.

What can conscientious parents do? Plancher says, “Become familiar with the rules on pitch types and counts.” If you want your child to be in the sport for the distance (or the scholarship), limit play to nine months a year at most. Urge cross-training in other sports. Have your child ice his or her elbow after every game. If an elbow or muscle hurts longer than three days, see a sports medicine specialist.

On a cautionary note, a famous name is now associated with these conditions when they are at their worst: Tommy John, the former Los Angeles Dodgers pitcher. “Tommy John surgery” replaces an elbow ligament with a tendon taken from somewhere else in the body.