Month: July 2014

Accidental Overdose: Metric System Can Help Children’s Medicine

Accidental Overdose Metric System Can Help Children's Medicine

Parents aren’t doing a great job measuring out medications for their little ones — and the problem may be that we’re still using the so-called English system rather than switching to the metric system, a new study shows.

Busy multitasking parents make all kinds of medication errors, such as reading tablespoons for teaspoons, which results in three times the dose, or substituting a kitchen spoon for an actual teaspoon. That may at least partially explain the more than 10,000 annual calls to poison centers, researchers suggested in the study which published in Pediatrics.

The researchers found that when parents were given a prescription in teaspoons or tablespoons nearly 40 percent measured wrong, while more than 40 percent read the dosage off the prescription wrong. When prescriptions were written in metric units parents were half as likely to make mistakes. The findings suggest that medicines should switch to a milliliter-only standard, the researchers say.

Source: NBC news

Tamarind: The best fruit you’re not eating

Tamarind The best fruit you're not eating

Sweet and tangy, tamarind is one of the widely used spice-condiments found in every South-Asian kitchen!

Tamarind is a very large tree with long, heavy drooping branches, and dense foliage. Completely grown-up tree might reach up to 80 feet in height. During each season, the tree bears curved fruit pods in abundance covering all over its branches. Each pod has hard outer shell encasing deep brown soft pulp enveloping around 2-10 hard dark-brown seeds. Its pulp and seeds held together by extensive fiber network.

Botanically, the tree is among the large tropical trees belonging to the family of Fabaceae, in the genus: Tamarindus. Scientific name: Tamarindus indica.

Tamarinds are evergreen tropical trees native to Africa. They grow throughout tropical and subtropical regions of Africa, South Asia, South America and Caribbean islands for their fruits.

Health benefits of Tamarind

Tamarind fruit contains certain health benefiting essential volatile chemical compounds, minerals, vitamins and dietary fiber.

Its sticky pulp is a rich source of non-starch polysaccharides (NSP) or dietary-fiber such as gums, hemicelluloses, mucilage, pectin and tannins. 100 g of fruit pulp provides 5.1 or over 13% of dietary fiber. NSP or dietary fiber in the food increases its bulk and augments bowel movements thereby help prevent constipation. The fiber also binds to toxins in the food thereby help protect the colon mucus membrane from cancer-causing chemicals.

In addition, dietary fibers in the pulp bind to bile salts (produced from cholesterol) and decrease their re-absorption in the colon; thereby help in expulsion of “bad” or LDL cholesterol levels from the body.

While lemon composes of citric acid, tamarind is rich in tartaric acid. Tartaric acid gives sour taste to food besides its inherent activity as a powerful antioxidant. (Anti-oxidant E-number is E334). It, thus, helps human body protect from harmful free radicals.

Tamarind fruit contains many volatile phytochemicals such as limonene, geraniol, safrole, cinnamic acid, methyl salicylate, pyrazine and alkyl­thiazoles. Together these compounds account for the medicinal properties of tamarind.

This prized spice is a good source of minerals like copper, potassium, calcium, iron, selenium, zinc and magnesium. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps control heart rate and blood pressure. Iron is essential for red blood cell production and as a co-factor for cytochrome oxidases enzymes.

In addition, it is also rich in many vital vitamins, including thiamin (36% of daily required levels), vitamin-A, folic acid, riboflavin, niacin, and vitamin-C. Much of these vitamins plays antioxidant as well as co-factor functions for enzyme metabolism inside the body.

Medicinal uses of Tamarind

  • Its pulp has been used in many traditional medicines as a laxative, digestive, and as a remedy for biliousness and bile disorders.
  • This spice condiment is also used as emulsifying agent in syrups, decoctions, etc., in different pharmaceutical products.

source: nutrition and you

Tooth decay is the biggest cause of primary school children

tooth decay

Rotting teeth is the most common cause of primary school aged children being admitted to hospital, new figures show

Almost 26,000 primary school children were treated for tooth decay in the past year, making it the most common reason youngsters are admitted to hospital, research shows.

Nearly 500 children aged five to nine were hospitalized due to rotten teeth each week in 2013-14. In some cases dentists are forced to remove all 20 baby teeth from their young patients.

The figures sparked further calls for a crackdown on sugary drinks and fruit juice. The number of hospital admissions for five to nine-year-olds with dental problems increased by more than 3000 in the just three years, from 22,574 in 2010-11 to 25,812 in 2013-14, according to the Health and Social Care Information Centre.

Graham Barnby, honorary vice-president of the British Dental Health Foundation, said: “It all relates to the consumption of sugary, fizzy drinks.” Kathryn Harley, a consultant in paediatric dentistry, said: “We have children who require all 20 of their baby teeth to be extracted. It beggars belief that their diets could produce such a drastic effect.”

She added: “They are going into hospital because they are either presenting with acute problems with pain or because the stage of dental disease, the number of teeth with decay, is such that they need a general anaesthetic.”
Ms Harley said most children need four to eight teeth removed but that having ten to 14 extracted is not uncommon.

She claimed fruit juice should be banned in schools to prevent the problem worsening and pointed the finger at parents who were “inadvertently responsible”.

NHS England also urged parents to take action to protect their childrens’ dental health. “We have some of the lowest rates of tooth decay in the world but these statistics are of course worrying,” the health body said in a statement.

“Parents of young children should discourage them from drinking fizzy drinks as this can lead to tooth decay.” The rising number of young tooth decay patients has also raised questions about whether dentists should carry out more childhood fillings.

Professor Jimmy Steele, head of the dentistry school at Newcastle University, said some dentists are unwilling to carry out filling due to uncertainty about their effectiveness.

They prefer to monitor decay in the baby teeth, he claimed. “Dentists are much less likely nowadays than they used to be to try to fill teeth using conventional measures,” he said.

Tonsillitis is the second most common reason for children of 5 to 9 being admitted to hospital, with 11,522 cases in 2012-13.

Source: The telegraph

Older age women must exercise to reduce death risk: Study

Older age women must exercise to reduce death risk

The benefits of regular physical activity extends far beyond weight management as research shows that prescribing exercise as treatment to older women helps reduce the risk of death in them.

Loss of muscle mass in the body is inevitable with age, and one of the major causes of muscle loss is sedentary lifestyle. According to the American Association of Retired Persons, after the age of 50 seniors lose muscle mass at the rate of about half a pound per year, especially if they don’t exercise. Older people achieve significant health benefits from physical activity.

Researchers at the Queensland University of Technology, Australia, found that along with the conventional treatments for physical and mental health, moderate to high intensity tailored exercise program is needed to lower the risk of death in older women above the age of 50 years.

The study led by Professor Anderson and QUT’s Charlotte Seib, reviewed the five years of research that looked at the impact of exercise on the mental and physical health in women above the age of 50 years.

“Studies clearly show moderate to vigorous intensity activity can have mental and physical health benefits, particularly when part of broader positive health changes,” Professor Anderson said. “When once we thought that 30 minutes of mild exercise a day was enough to improve health, research is now telling us that older women should be doing at least 30-45 minutes five times a week of moderate to high intensity exercise and by that we mean exercise that leaves you huffing and puffing.”

The exercise program must be tailored to ensure that it is a high intensity activity needed to obtain the positive sustained effects of exercise.
The study clearly revealed that the high intensity exercise over a sedentary lifestyle significantly lowers the risk of death.

Older adults who adhere to regular physical activity also experience less disability, enhanced physical function irrespective of the body mass. The women who are most active are more likely to survive than those who are least physically active.

“We have an ageing population and as a result promoting healthy ageing has become an important strategy for reducing morbidity and mortality,” said Professor Anderson. “The research also linked exercise to improvements in mental well-being.” As high intensity exercise not just boosts physical health, but also brain health.

Researchers noticed that older women were capable of undertaking a range of activities that is beyond simple walking. The study highlights that mid-to-later in life women are seen jogging, running, hiking, swimming and riding.

Hence, the healthcare professionals should develop exercise programs that are home-based and easy to follow as part of everyday activities.

Source: science world report

 

Now check your eyes, sense of smell to spot Alzheimer’s early

Now check your eyes, sense of smell to spot Alzheimer's early

New research has revealed that Alzheimer’s key biomarker could be identified in the retina and lens of the eye, moreover, the ability to identify odors might indicate the development of cognitive impairment to Alzheimer’s disease in its early ages.

The study found that the decreased ability to identify odors was significantly associated with loss of brain cell function and progression to Alzheimer’s disease. In two other studies, the level of beta-amyloid detected in the eye was significantly correlated with the burden of beta-amyloid in the brain and allowed researchers to accurately identify the people with Alzheimer’s in the studies.

Beta-amyloid protein is the primary material found in the sticky brain “plaques” characteristic of Alzheimer’s disease. It was known to build up in the brain many years before typical Alzheimer’s symptoms of memory loss and other cognitive problems.

Heather Snyder, Ph.D., said that advanced researches were needed in the very promising area of Alzheimer’s biomarkers because early detection was essential for early intervention and prevention, when new treatments become available.

Clinically, at this time it was only possible to detect Alzheimer’s late in its development, when significant brain damage has already occurred, however, biological markers of Alzheimer’s disease might be able to detect it at an earlier stage.

Source: Business standard

Medicines for cough and cold

Medicines for cough and coldHaving cough and cold is probably one of the most annoying conditions to have. But you don’t have to necessarily suffer through it. There are medicines that can help you deal with the symptoms and infection, if any.

For colds:

Colds are most often caused due to a viral infection and one is usually affected when their immune system is weak. Cold spreads easily from one person to another; it is not uncommon to see many people suffering from one simultaneously. According to Dr Pradip Shah, consultant, Fortis, Mulund, ‘In case of a cold, a patient usually is advised enough rest and to drink a lot of fluids. Apart from that they can try steam inhalation as this will help unblock their nose and chest making breathing easy. If the discomfort is very severe, one can opt for OTC (over-the-counter) nasal saline sprays or decongestant nasal sprays. In some cases, a cold may lead to sinusitis ( a condition where the lining of the sinuses – spaces present above your eyebrows, below your eyes and on either side of your nose – gets infected and becomes inflamed. This leads to collection of fluid in those areas causing pain and discomfort). Here patient is usually prescribed pain killers, antibiotics (if the cause of the sinusitis is due to a bacterial infection) and anti-inflammatory agents such as fluticasone.’

For a cough: Cough is a condition that is most often triggered either by an infectious agent or an allergen and is divided into two main types – wet or productive cough and dry cough. Easily discernible from each other a wet and a dry cough do require specific treatments.

For dry cough: According to Dr Pradip Shah, ‘A dry cough brought on due to allergies is usually treated with antihistamines. These drugs help in controlling the allergic reaction in the body and lead to relief in cough.’ Apart from that a person with a dry cough will be most likely prescribed a cough syrup to help soothe his/her throat and to help suppress their cough reflex.

According to Dr Mehul Thakkar, pulmonologist practicing at various hospitals in Mumbai, ‘Though finding the root cause of the cough is a key to treating it completely, certain home remedies and OTC medication can give some symptomatic relief. Steam inhalation moistens the airways and helps relieve a sore and irritated throat. Other remedies include using lozenges to soothe the throat and OTC cough syrups specifically formulated to treat a dry cough. In cases where the cough is due to an infection or allergy, one may be prescribed antibiotics and anti-histamines respectively to relieve the associated symptoms. If the patient’s condition worsens it may be necessary to use a nebulizer, which is a method to help the patient breath easily by dilating the bronchioles.’

Antihistamines work by blocking the combination of histamines (compounds produced by the body in response to an allergic reaction) with their receptors in the body. By doing so they prevent the body from launching an attack on an allergen. Although these pills are highly effective in stopping an allergic reaction they do have certain side effects{3} like drowsiness, stomach aches, dizziness, confusion, muscle weakness, tremors. These drugs are also contraindicated in cases where a person is required to perform activities requiring alertness, in a pregnant or lactating woman, in children below 12 years, in people suffering from prostate enlargement, glaucoma, heart disease and peptic ulcers as the drug can increase the severity of symptoms. People who have consumed alcohol should also avoid antihistamines since they further the sedative effect of alcohol. And finally, antihistamines should be avoided in cases where the person is already taking other sedative drugs.

Bronchodilators are specifically used for asthmatics and in those people who have severe chest congestion that prevents them from breathing effectively. They work by helping the muscles around your airways to relax and help ease breathing. Bronchodilators can cause dryness in the mouth and throat, irritation in the throat and mouth (after using inhalers), nervousness, restlessness and trembling.

Productive cough: In the case of productive cough, an expectorant cough syrup works well to relieve the symptoms by reducing congestion due to mucus in the lungs. In addition, the cause of the cough is treated. According to Dr Pradip Shah, ‘If a productive cough is due to a bacterial infection then a patient is usually prescribed antibiotics. On further examination if one is diagnosed with pneumonia or tuberculosis then he/she will be prescribed pneumonia or TBspecificmedication and drugs to fight the infection.’

Cough caused due to asthma: ‘In the case of people with asthma, a cough is usually because they are unable to breathe. Therefore for such patients a doctor will normally prescribe bronchodilators and corticosteroids. Both these drugs help the person breathe more easily and prevent the onset of another asthmatic attack,’ says Dr Shah.

Source: the health site

Chainsaw in the neck: How surgeons saved one man from a traumatic accident

Chainsaw in the neck

A chainsaw to the neck is no routine injury – but fortunately for one Pittsburgh man, hospital trauma surgeons are prepared for the worst.

In April, 21-year-old James Valentine was working as a tree-trimmer when he was struck in the neck by a chainsaw. In a new episode of “Untold Stories of the ER,” his doctors revisited the case.

“As a trauma surgeon, we see a large collection of unusual things, including object impalement,” Dr. Christine C. Toevs, trauma ICU medical director at Allegheny General Hospital in Pittsburgh, Penn., told. “But chains to the neck with a chainsaw is still very impressive, even in the world of a trauma surgeon.”

Toevs and her team had only 10 minutes’ notice before Valentine was brought in. Her biggest concern was that he would bleed to death or that he had injured his carotid artery, which supplies the brain with blood. An injury to his esophagus would have also presented a major issue, as breathing comes first in terms of sustaining life.

Fortunately, when Valentine arrived, he was able to speak and wiggle his toes, which indicated his airway wasn’t compromised and his spinal cord wasn’t damaged. He was in some degree of shock and was appropriately scared, but he wasn’t panicking, which could have worsened the situation.

“It’d be a big issue if he panicked; we couldn’t stabilize the chainsaw, which could come out and he could bleed to death… or we could lose the airway,” Toevs said.

When the accident occurred, the chainsaw still had the motor attached, but emergency personnel were able to take it off before they reached the hospital. However, the chainsaw blade needed to remain still, so in the trauma bay, Toevs designated one person’s sole responsibility to hold the blade.

The team took a chest X-ray and found no other injuries to the chest or lungs and no blood in the chest. Valentine was taken to the operating room (OR) after a brief examination in the trauma bay.

“If there’s a problem, you want all the [surgical] resources you have,” Toevs said. “We took him to the OR and in a very controlled situation, put him to sleep, and then we pressed and got totally all set up and took out the chainsaw in a very controlled situation.”

Because there was no damage to his trachea, doctors were able to intubate him and put him on a ventilator for the surgery. Though he was losing blood, it wasn’t an alarming amount, Toevs said.

“Yes, he was losing blood because the chainsaw did injure his muscles, skin, small veins and arteries that can be tied off and don’t supply blood to the brain,” Toevs said. “It wasn’t what we call ‘firehose’ bleeding [with blood spraying uncontrollably].”

The team put Valentine to sleep, then took out the blade. Exploring the wound, they found that the blade went in about three inches in his shoulder and one inch into his neck, injuring his trapezius muscle, sternocleidomastoid muscle and other smaller muscles. But, most importantly, they found that the blade had not damaged his carotid artery.

“If it had gone a centimeter deeper, it would’ve hit. The muscle overlying the carotid was intact. Then we just explored the wound,” Toevs said. “At that point in time, it’s a huge letdown— we were preparing for the absolute worst.”

With the situation stabilized, the surgery then became routine. It took about five minutes to explore the wound to ensure nothing else was injured, then the surgeons cleaned up the blood, dirt and tree particles and closed the wound.

Valentine was admitted to the hospital overnight and began working with a physical therapist the next day. After Valentine was released from the hospital, Toevs ordered physical therapy for him to help him get his arm back to normal usage, as well as help him to move his arm above his head again.

Since Valentine is a young, healthy adult, Toevs doesn’t expect him to deal with any residual issues from the accident, and he should fully recover.

Overall, the surprisingly benign nature of the injury and the coordinated efforts of everyone involved made the procedure go smoothly, Toevs said.

“He was very blessed that he wasn’t injured more and it was also a blessing that every part went perfectly, like it was supposed to,” she said. “It was a real testimony to the EMS, the emergency department, the OR, to all the people involved… each playing a critical role to making sure he did okay.”

As for Valentine, his calmness during the perilous situation was helpful for the team— and for his recovery.

Source: fox news

Hospital elevator buttons hide more germs than toilets

Hospital elevator buttons hide more germs than toilets

Elevator buttons are more likely to be colonised by bacteria than toilet surfaces, a new study of three large urban hospitals in Canada has found.

“Elevators are a component of modern hospital care, and are used by multiple people with ungloved hands who will later go on to make contact with patients,” said Dr Donald Redelmeier, University of Toronto professor and co-author of the study.

In the study, 120 randomly selected interior and exterior elevator buttons were swabbed over a ten-day period at each hospital.

These were compared against swabs of toilet surfaces in men’s washrooms, including exterior and interior entry-door handles, the privacy latch and the toilet flusher.

Sixty-one per cent of the elevator button samples showed microbiological growth, compared to only 43 per cent of the toilet surface samples.

Bacteria cultured from the elevator buttons and toilet surfaces included Staphylococcus, Streptococcus, coliform (or bowel) bacteria, Enterococcus and Pseudomonas, though they are unlikely to cause specific diseases in most cases, researchers said.

“We were surprised by the frequency of bacterial colonisation on the elevator buttons, but we were also struck by how easily it could be avoided, specifically by the use of good hand washing or hand hygiene,” said co-author Dr Andrew Simor, a professor of Medicine and of Laboratory Medicine and Pathobiology at U of T and chief, department of microbiology and infectious diseases at Sunnybrook.

The authors suggest several strategies for reducing the frequency of bacterial colonisation on commonly touched surfaces.

“Use alcohol-based hand sanitiser before and after touching the buttons, or avoid touching them altogether by using the tip of a pen or your elbow,” said lead author Dr Christopher Kandel, a fellow, department of infectious diseases, at U of T.

The study was published in Open Medicine Journal.

Source: Business standard

Custard Apple Nutritional Facts And Health Benefits

benefits-of-custard-apple

Custard apples, also known as chermoyas, are native to the West Indies and South America. The custard apple also grows on the slopes of the Andes and in several parts of Asia. The custard apple fruit is generally priced at the higher side because of the difficulty in transporting these (custard apples are soft and fleshy, with hard exteriors). This fruit with a sugary, grainy taste is rich in iron, niacin and calcium, and is also rich in calories.

So, what is a custard apple? It isn’t an apple and neither is it a dessert.

Custard apple is fruit with a sweet taste, which measures about 8-16 cm in diameter. This fruit can be round, heart-shaped or irregular. The skin that covers this fruit is thin but tough and generally green or brown in color. Once you break open this skin, you’ll find thick, creamy flesh surrounding the seeds. Sugary and granular, it’s this custard like texture that gives the fruit its name. An evergreen plant that grows up to 6 meters, the custard apple plant bears flowers and fruits in the mature branches.

Custard apples, with its high calories, natural sugars and delicious taste, are good as a dessert and as a nutritious snack. Custard apples can be made into shakes or smoothies, or even into natural ice creams. It is good for those who have hyper thyroidism or want to gain weight – a mixture of honey and custard apple is supposed to help people add on those much-needed calories. Let’s looks at some other custard apple nutritional facts.

Custard Apple Health Benefits

  • Custard apples are packed with vitamin C, an antioxidant that can combat the free radicals in the body.
  • The fruit also has vitamin A, which is good for healthy skin, better vision and for healthy hair.
  • The magnesium in custard apples can protect the heart from cardiac diseases and can relax the muscles.
  • Custard apples are also rich in vitamin B6 and potassium.
  • Custard apples are also rich in copper and have plenty of dietary fiber, which is good for keeping the digestive tract healthy and aids digestion as well prevents constipation.
  • Custard apples have low levels of fat, which is good for health.
  • It is believed that a paste made with the creamy flesh of the fruit can be used as a balm to treat boils, abscesses and ulcers.
  • Custard apples can be sun-dried and then ground into a powder, which can treat dysentery and diarrhea.
  • Custard apples also act as coolants, stimulants and expectorants. These fruits are good for treating anemia.
  • Some people make the fruit into a beverage that can act as a substitute to milk.

Custard apple fruit:

The custard apple fruit is a sweet fruit that has many benefits. Some of these benefits are:-

1. It is low in calorie content and therefore good for maintaining optimum health.
2. It contains Vitamin A which is good for the skin, hair, eyes.
3. It helps in digestion as it is a rich source of dietary fiber.
4. It is a coolant, stimulant and expectorant.
5. It has healing properties as well – the flesh can be applied on boils, abcessess and ulcers.
6. The magnesium in custard apples helps to protect the heart from cardiac diseases. It can relax the muscles as well.
7. Custard apples can also be used to treat dysentery and diarrhea.
8. It is good for anemic people.
9. The potassium present in a custard apple helps fight muscle weakness.
10. It is also a rich source of magnesium. It therefore helps to equalize the water balance in the body and this helps in removing acids from the joints. It is thus beneficial for rheumatic and arthritic patients.

Even the bark of the custard apple tree, which contains astringents and tannins, is used in making herbal medicines. The leaves of the tree are supposed to be god for treating cancer and tumors; while the bark can relieve toothaches and gum pain.
Thus, these were some of the custard apple health benefits.

Custard apple:
The custard apple fruit is taken but naturally from the custard apple tree. This tree is not very attractive to look at. It stands erect with a rounded or spreading crown. The trunk is about 10-14 inches thick. These custard apple trees grow from 4.5-10 meters long. The deciduous leaves of this tree can be either oblong, alternate or narrow lanceolate. These leaves do not have a pleasant smell but are wide with conspicuous veins. This tree is often made up of long drooping branches that can touch the ground. These trees have many light yellow trumpet shaped flowers that emit a sweet fragrance in the evening. Only a small number of these flowers will set fruit. This tree belongs to the Annonaceae family of trees. The custard apple fruit from this tree is rich in taste and can be used in various ways. Some people like it as dessert in the form of ice cream or a tart.

This fruit is also known as Cherimoya in the USA. They are considered an exotic fruit in the USA and are in high demand there.

Apple custard

Apple custard pie or apple custard cakes are delicious ways to end a meal with the family. Follow the recipe given below for pie.

Take 1-1 ½ cups all purpose flour, ½ cup cold butter, ½ teaspoon salt, 3 cups of peeled and sliced apples (about 4 apples should do), 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon, 1/3 cup sugar. For the custard you need 1 egg, ½ cup sugar and 1 cup evaporated milk. Combine flour, salt and butter till crumbly. Press this into a pie plate and put apples over the crust.  Mix the sugar and cinnamon and sprinkle over the apples. Bake this at 375° for 20 minutes. Whisk all the ingredients for the custard and pour over the apples. Bake till smooth.

There are several apple custard cake recipes that are easy to make as well. These can be found online or in recipe books.

Custard apple benefits:

There are several custard apple benefits and these include benefits during pregnancy as well. Some of these benefits are:-

  • Custard apples contain a great deal of copper which helps the body to form hemoglobin. This is especially useful for pregnant women as they need about 1000 micrograms of copper daily. Eating custard apples during pregnancy is therefore beneficial for the mother and child.
  • Custard apples are a rich source of Vitamin B.
  • This fruit is also a rich source of Vitamin C.
  • Custard apples in a dried and powdered form can be used to treat lice.
  • Custard apples contain potassium, magnesium and carbohydrates.
  • Skin infections such as abcessess or ulcers can be treated with custard apple. Simply grind the flesh into a thick paste and apply it to the affected area.

Source: diet health club

 

 

 

 

 

3 good yoga poses for runners

3 good yoga poses for runners

If you’re a runner, you’ve probably been told you “should do yoga.”
While generic yoga classes can help with recovery, one of the best ways runners can use yoga is by applying it specifically to correct and prevent chronic issues, such as achilles tendonitis, plantar fasciitis, IT band syndrome, knee discomfort, quad strains and hip pain.

Ask a runner about their past or present physical complaints and you can expect to hear about one or more of these conditions. So what’s behind these ongoing problems?

Consider this: Running is a symmetrical activity and human beings aren’t symmetrical. We all have a dominant side. Which side of your hips is your weight resting on as you read this? How about when you drive your car? Or sit on your couch?

Consequently, spending hours doing a symmetrical activity without awareness of your asymmetrical tendencies can wreak havoc on weight distribution and muscle firing patterns, resulting in compensations that feed all the issues listed above.

Most runners’ issues are due to an inability to transfer their center of gravity out of their dominant side,” said Mike Cantrell, president of the Cantrell Center for Physical Therapy and Sports Medicine in Warner Robins, Georgia, and a faculty member at the Postural Restoration Institute in Lincoln, Nebraska.

Lack of acknowledging the problem causes “a cascade of mechanical breakdown, particularly in elite runners.”

Here are three yoga-based moves I use with running athletes to help them address compensations. These can be integrated into overall training programs or used as part of a dynamic warm-up.

Step-forward and step-back lunges
From standing, inhale and raise your arms as you step forward with your right leg into a lunge. Exhale to hold. Inhale as you step back to standing and lower your arms. Repeat on the left side the same way. Once back to center, repeat on both legs, but exhale as you raise your arms and step forward, inhale on the hold and exhale to return back to standing.

Next, switch to step-back lunges, incorporating the same breathing pattern; begin stepping back on the inhalation and do the second set stepping back on the exhalation.

While practicing these, avoid rolling your forward foot inward or to the outer edge, and maintain knee alignment above the ankle. Be sure both hips point forward and your back-leg-glute area fires. Pay attention to your breath and core stabilization. If your pelvis and diaphragm function properly, you should be able to stabilize and absorb the shock of stepping backward or forward on either side, regardless of phase of breath.

Flowing bridge
Begin on your back with your knees bent and feet on the floor hip-distance apart. Be sure your feet are pointed forward and aligned horizontally. Your knees/feet indicate hip position, so a forward knee/foot means your hip on that side is pushed forward. Position yourself to place your hips, knees and feet in alignment. Exhale and lift your hips. Inhale and release to the floor. Repeat 8-12 times.

Pay attention to weight distribution in your feet and whether your hips lift evenly; you shouldn’t rely on one side more.

Like the lunges, this move allows you to establish awareness and work to correct favoring one side of your body while also counterbalancing quad and hip-flexor dominance with proper hamstring and glute firing.

Windshield wipers

Start in a bridge position, but place your arms out to the sides and feet wider than hip distance with knees dropped inward. Exhale and allow both knees and legs to drop to the right, coming as close to the floor as comfortable without pain. Inhale and bring the knees together again. Exhale and take the knees left. Repeat 10 times (five each side).

This move stretches and inhibits runners’ overactive hip flexors and quads.

Source: cnn