Research finds concussions common in teens

A new study has found that one out of five adolescents has probably suffered a traumatic brain injury. It also link a history of traumatic brain injury and poorer grades, underage drinking and use of illicit drugs.

62% of students in grades seven through 12 in Ontario, Canada anonymously completed a computerized questionnaire administered during the school day, which gauged their drug and alcohol consumption patterns and a wide range of health-related behaviors. Among the questions, students were asked if they had ever been knocked unconscious for five minutes or more or had been kept overnight in a hospital following a blow to the head. The survey also asked students to indicate if such an incident had occurred in the last year.

The results, published Tuesday as a "research letter" in the Journal of the American Medical Assn. (JAMA), were startling. A total of 20.2% of respondents reported that at some point in their average 15 years of life, they had either been hospitalized overnight after a blow to the head or had been knocked unconscious for more than five minutes. And 5.6%--more than 1 in 20 students--said they had suffered such an injury within the last year.

Concussions are often diagnosed after blows to the head far milder than those causing loss of consciousness or hospitalization. So this study probably yields a very conservative estimate of brain injury among children. Though it's not known how widespread traumatic brain injuries are among American kids, almost half a million children under 15 are brought to hospital emergency departments each year in the United States to assess signs of such an injury.

For as many as 15% of patients with traumatic brain injury, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimates that symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, concentration difficulties and mood changes may persist for more than a few days or weeks. But the Canadian researchers found evidence suggesting that a history of such injuries may also suppress academic performance and increase likelihood of drug or alcohol use.

Among students who reported receiving poor grades in school, the likelihood of having a history of traumatic brain injury was almost four times greater than among those who received high grades. Those who reported the most frequent use of alcohol were about twice as likely to have a history of traumatic brain injury as were those who could recall no such history. And those who reported a severe blow to the head in the last year were seven times more likely to report such alcohol use than were those with no history of traumatic brain injury. Frequent cannabis use was more than four times more common among those with a recent history of traumatic brain injury than among those who had never been concussed.

That relationship between traumatic brain injury and poor grades and alcohol and cannabis use "needs further investigation," the researchers wrote. Such findings do not reveal whether a history of concussion puts children at higher risk of drug and alcohol abuse and poor grades, or whether children already at risk for those outcomes might be more prone to head injury.

source: http://www.latimes.com/news/science/sciencenow/la-sci-concussions-teens-20130625,0,4331205.story

How to Cure Snoring

There are tons of products, procedures, drugs, and surgeries that promises to treat snoring. But a simeple changes can help stop it.

• Try a different sleeping position, like sleeping on your side. This may help decrease snoring.
• Do not drink alcohol or take medicines that make you drowsy within three hours of bedtime.
• If you're overweight, lose the extra weight.
• Exercise. Exercise can strengthen and tone muscles, including those in the neck.
• Wear a dental device like a mouth guard, that helps keep your airway open while you sleep.
• Use a humidifier if the air in your home is too dry.
• Try to eliminate allergens in the bedroom such as pets, regularly washing your sheets in hot water to remove dust mites, and removing any mold.

Common causes of snoring:

• Age. As we age our throats becomes narrower, and the muscle tone in our throat decreases.
• Males have narrower air passages than women and are more likely to snore.
• Nasal and sinus problems. Blocked airways make inhalation difficult and create a vacuum in the throat, leading to snoring.
• Overweight, the fatty tissue and poor muscle tone contribute to snoring.
• Alcohol, smoking, and medications. Alcohol intake, smoking, and certain medications can increase muscle relaxation leading to more snoring.
• Sleep posture. Sleeping flat on your back causes the flesh of your throat to relax and block the airway.

15 minutes walk helps control diabetes

A study released by Diabetes Care said that a short 15-minute walk at moderate speed and 30 minutes after eating results to a significant control over the high blood sugar of older people and could prevent older people developing type-2 diabetes.

Dr. Loretta DiPietro of the Department of Exercise Science (George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services) said that blood sugar spikes after meals and for young and fit people insulin helps drive that sugar, glucose, into muscle cells and the liver where it's stored for energy. But for old people that system becomes less efficient and if there are too much glucose in the blood it can lead to type 2 diabetes and ardiovascular diseases. So resting after eating is the worst thing one can do.

source: NBC News Health

Weight Loss may lessen Psoriasis

pic from wikipedia

Psoriasis is an immune-mediated disease that affects the skin. It causes skin redness and irritation. People with psoriasis have thick, red skin with flaky, silver-white patches called scales.

It is a lifelong condition and there is currently no cure, but various treatments can help to control the symptoms.

New study shows that losing weight may help reduce symptoms of psoriasis. They studied  a group of obese people with psoriasis over 120 days. Half of them had a low-calorie diet. Those who had a low-calorie diet that lost 30 or more pounds had less skin irritation and reported improvement in their overall quality of life.

The study said the link between obesity and psoriasis may be explained in part by a common denominator is inflammation. Obesity is associated with inflammation, and psoriasis, once thought to affect only the skin, is now known to be a reflection of systemic and chronic immune-related inflammation.

You can check the Journal Here: JAMA Dermatology

How to treat Migraine

I. Migraine

Migraine is a chronic neurological disorder characterized by recurrent attacks of moderate to severe headache. A migraine headache has a throbbing or pulsating pain, usually on only one side of the head or unilateral lasting from 2 to 72 hours. Symptoms that are associated with this kind of headache are nausea, vomiting, and extreme sensitivity to light (photophobia) and sound (phonophobia). Migraine headaches, which are often misdiagnosed as sinus or tension headaches, are severe enough to interfere with sleep, work, and other everyday activities. They may occur as often as several times per week or as rarely as once or twice a year.

Most people with migraine headaches perceive a transient visual, sensory, language, or motor disturbance which signals that the headache will soon occur which is called an aura, but sometimes they feel the aura but won't have a migraine. 

Approximately 30 million people in the US are suffering from migraine. Though it can affect teens and kids, it is most common among people with the age range of 25 to 55. Women are more prevalent to have migraine than men.

My top 3 American Cheese Slices

If you are making cheeseburgers you want the cheese to melt quickly so that the patty will not overcooked. When making cheeseburgers and grilled cheese sandwich I always use American cheese slices instead of fancy stuff like Gruyere which is a hard yellow cheese, slow to melt, and is very expensive. American cheese is cheaper and melt faster, I just love the creamy and and rubbery texture of the American cheese. Here are my top three American Cheese:

1. Land O'Lakes

I like that it melts very fast and there is a strong milky taste.

Ingredients: Cultured Pasteurized Milk And Skim Milk, Buttermilk, Milkfat, Salt, Contains Less Than 2% of Sodium Phosphate, Tricalcium Phosphate, Lactic Acid, Milk Protein Concentrate, Artificial Color, Enzymes.

2. Kraft Singles

The cheese also melts fast, it also has a strong milk taste, and it is a bit saltier.  

Ingredients:

Ingredients: Milk, Whey, Milkfat, Milk Protein Concentrate, Salt, Calcium Phosphate, Sodium Citrate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sodium Phosphate, Sorbic Acid as a Preservative, Apocarotenal (Color), Annatto (Color), Enzymes, Vitamin D3, Cheese Culture.

3. Velveeta

It melts like butter, it has a soft, gooey, and sticky texture. I'm pretty certain that it is because it contains gelatin. It is also a bit salty.     

Whey, Milk, Milk Protein Concentrate, Modified Food Starch, Sodium Citrate, Maltodextrin, Gelatin, Salt, Milkfat, Sodium Phosphate, Calcium Phosphate, Whey Protein Concentrate, Sorbic Acid As A Preservative, Cheese Cultures, Oleoresin Paprika (Color), Enzymes, Annatto (Color).

No Time to Cook try McDonalds Healthy Menu Options

Most of the time we are too busy at work and just can't find time to cook home meals so we have no choice but to eat at a quick-service restaurant chain like McDonalds. However, if we eat at McDonalds too often, calories will add up and will make us fat and unhealthy. But you can't also starve yourself to death, don't panic you can eat at McDonalds and keep your healthy figure. McDonalds have been offering healthy food options for quite sometime now. They have even been named one of America's Top 10 Healthiest Fast Food Restaurants. 

Breakfast - McDonalds have a huge selection of breakfast food items like hotcakes and sandwiches. Yes, most of them are high in calories, good thing they also offer lower calorie foods.

Fruit & Maple Oatmeal: Calories 290, Total Fat 4g, Carbs 58g, Protein 5g, and Sodium 160mg

Egg White Delight McMuffin: Calories 250, Total Fat 7g, Carbs 32g, Protein 18g, and Sodium 800mg

*High in protein foods are beneficial for weight loss.

Salads - Most of McDonalds salads contains chicken, choose the grilled chicken over the crispy. Salads with grilled chicken are significantly lower in calories and fat than the salads with crispy chicken. You can opt to remove the chicken, however it will reduce the protein.

Side Salad: Calories 350, Total Fat 18g, Carbs 24g, Protein 23g, and Sodium 740mg

Premium Caesar Salad with Grilled Chicken: Calories 190, Total Fat 5g, Carbs 10g, Protein 27g, and Sodium 580mg

Premium Caesar Salad with Crispy Chicken: Calories 350, Total Fat 18g, Carbs 24g, Protein 23g, and Sodium 740mg

Burgers & Sandwiches – these are items that have the highest calorie content in their menu. Most of these burgers contain 2g of trans fat, which is the total recommended daily intake (American Heart Association). Too much trans fat will have an adverse to your cardiovascular health.

If you are really craving for Burgers or Sandwiches go for the wraps they are low in calorie and low in fat.

Chipotle BBQ Snack Wrap (Grilled): Calories 250, Total Fat 8g, Carbs 27g, Protein 16g, and Sodium 670mg

Ranch Snack Wrap (Grilled): Calories 270, Total Fat 12g, Carbs 25g, Protein 16g, and Sodium 700mg

Check out the Angus Bacon & Cheese, you must really hate your body if you try to eat that calorie packed item: Calories 820, Total Fat 41g, Carbs 64g, Protein 48g, and Sodium 2110mg

Desserts - Most of McDonald's desserts like Hot Fudge Sundae or shakes are high in calories and fat, but there are few items that are low in calories and low in fat.

Fruit 'N Yogurt Parfait: Calories 150, Total Fat 2g, Carbs 30g, Protein 4g, and Sodium 70mg

If you are really in a diet then go for the Apple Slices: Calories 15, Total Fat 0g, Carbs 4g, Protein 0g, and Sodium 0mg

As for the drinks, avoid sugary drinks and go for a glass/bottle of water. Also avoid diet Soda it's not good for you as I posted before here.