Wednesday, February 20, 2013

Exercise Trends That Could Be Hazardous to Your Health

Advanced Orthopedic offers guidance on mitigating potential risks of recent health trends

Denver, CO, February 20, 2013 — Each new year brings a renewed desire to get healthy and active. However, Advanced Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists, Denver’s premier orthopedic practice for those determined to be active, warns of new exercise trends that may actually be hazardous to your health.

“Exercise and fitness trends are great at getting people active, healthy and engaged. But, they could also be harmful,” warns H. Andrew Motz, MD, orthopedic surgeon at Advanced Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists. “It is critical that people approach these exercise options carefully to avoid ending up in our offices.”

Some of the recent health trends that the physicians at Advanced Orthopedic have identified as potentially harmful include:

1. Barefoot running advocates argue that the human body began running without shoes and that wearing shoes actually prevents foot muscle development. However, as this fitness trend continues to take off, runners could be risking injury by too quickly shifting to a new running style. Runners may experience stress fractures, shin splints and increased soreness in the calves as a result of not properly transitioning to this new running style and attempting to change their gait.

Instead of tossing your running shoes, Advanced Orthopedic recommends focusing on how your foot lands as you run and working to distribute the impact of each step throughout your entire foot, rather than mainly your heel.

2. High intensity circuit training classes have taken the fitness world by storm. But, the high intensity nature of these types of activities can pose increased injury risks if people try to do too much too fast. Without proper training and easing into an activity, even the most elite of athletes can suffer an injury.

If a high intensity workout is what motivates you to stay active, take part in a class that lets you move at your own pace and remember to take the crucial time at the beginning of your workout to warm up and stretch. Also, pay careful attention to form. Many times in these fast paced workout environments, in an effort to keep up, individuals struggle to maintain good form and end up hurting themselves.

3. For the right individual, yoga is a great way to de-stress and workout, but that does not mean it is the fitness trend for everybody. First-time yogis trying a more advanced class or pose could overextend their muscles aggravating them, even pulling a muscle. Yoga is all about stretching, but if you do not listen to your own body you could harm yourself.

If you are giving yoga a try for the first time, or even as you advance in your yoga practice, take it slow and come out of a pose if it is too difficult and you feel your muscles begin to shake and fatigue.

4. Spin classes are an excellent way to get a great cardiovascular workout, but many enthusiastic instructors may incorporate too many gyrations while on the bike. Incorporating squats, hovers, push-ups, hip thrusts, jumps or one-foot spins are not always appropriate to be performed on a bike. These types of moves can risk shoulder and knee injuries.

Remember that these extra movements are merely suggested options, not required and not recommended. Simply riding a bike at the appropriate intensity and incline level can be a productive workout.

5. At first glance, the exercise items being sold on TV may look like a fast, easy way to get in shape—but if it seems too good to be true, it probably is. Whenever you bring a stationary piece of equipment into your home to augment your workout regimen, it is important to make sure you have taken all the proper precautions to ensure its safety.

Not properly securing punching bags or pull-up bars could cause injuries if they come loose from the wall during a workout. Additionally, a new abdominal or weightlifting machine may look like the quick fix on TV, but individuals should always slowly ease into a new activity to reduce unnecessary strain and stress on joints and muscle.

6. The Kinesio Taping® Method, an exercise trend seen frequently in the 2012 London Olympics, is applying highly elastic athletic tape to muscles in an effort to reduce pain and inflammation and support muscles in their normal, day-in and day-out movement.

However, it is certainly not a cure for tired or overused muscles. Kinesio tape can be helpful to ease muscle aches and pains, but is not advised as a replacement option for orthopedic treatments due to a torn meniscus or rotator cuff, for example.

“Exercise can help you lose weight, reduce risk of disease and prolong your life. But it should be done thoughtfully,” explains Dr. Motz. “A good rule of thumb is to listen to your mind and body—if it looks too good to be true, it probably is; and if you’re feeling shaky or overwhelmingly fatigued, you could be putting yourself at serious risk of injury.”

For other injury prevention guidance, visit Advanced Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists at www.advancedortho.org/sports.html.

About Advanced Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists:
Advanced Orthopedic & Sports Medicine Specialists is the premier orthopedic practice for those determined to be active. Home to the top doctors in their fields of expertise, Advanced Orthopedic educates, prepares and supports patients from diagnosis through recovery. Active in innovation, Advanced Orthopedic offers a full continuum of care – from physical therapy to non-surgical options to advanced surgery – for orthopedic injuries and conditions ranging from knees, hips, shoulders, backs, hands and feet. As the premier orthopedic provider, Advanced Orthopedic strives to return patients of all ages, at all levels of activity and who have a variety of orthopedic conditions to their peak performance.

Contact:
Molly Koch
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, Colo., 80206
(303) 433-7020
mkoch@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com

Innova Biosciences Develops Technology to Increase Sensitivity of Diagnostic Tests

World healthcare models are continuously facing financial challenges when it comes to providing for an ageing population.

Oxford, UK, February 20, 2013 - World healthcare models are continuously facing financial challenges when it comes to providing for an ageing population. The current models for provision are increasingly questioned with the upward trend in healthcare spending becoming a significant portion of the GDP. One solution to alleviate the ever increasing burden is earlier detection of disease using more accurate and sensitive diagnostic kits. 

Innova Biosciences has recently launched a technology called Thunder-Link® which will facilitate the development of diagnostic tests. The innovative technology has been designed to allow non-specialists to engineer oligonucleotide conjugates with ease. Such biomolecule complexes are increasingly used in high-sensitivity diagnostic kits, and are designed to overcome limited sensitivity and linear range often encountered with traditional antibody-enzyme conjugates. Prior to Thunder-Link® such biomolecules were difficult and expensive to develop and required specialist knowledge.

Commenting on the launch Nick Gee, CEO, ‘All of Innova’s products in one way or other are geared towards generating conjugates more easily and quickly and improving assay performance. The launch of the Thunder-Link® range of oligo conjugation products firmly places Innova as a key reagent supplier to the diagnostic industry and will assist in bringing high performance diagnostic kits to market.’

About Innova Biosciences Limited
Innova Biosciences is a growing, dynamic business based in Cambridge, UK. At the core of Innova's business are Lightning-Link® and InnovaCoat® technologies that simplify the production of antibody-based reagents. The expanding portfolio of products is sold to research laboratories, pharmaceutical companies, biotechnology companies and diagnostic companies worldwide. The company is ISO 9001:2008 certified.

Contact:
Mathew Taylor
Director
Algorythm Solutions Ltd
10 Torkington St, Stamford
Lincolnshire PE9 2UY
+44 (0)773 403 2112
mtaylor@algorythmsolutions.com
http://www.algorythmsolutions.com

Eating Recovery Center Offers Guidance to Help Individuals Avoid Eating Disorders Relapse

International treatment center encourages four strategies for living a life of recovery

Denver, CO, February 20, 2013 – Tens of millions of Americans struggle with eating disorders, including a growing population of baby boomers, adolescents and children. For individuals in recovery from these complex illnesses, a frightening reality is the possibility of eating disorders relapse. In fact, a 2005 study in the European Eating Disorders Review found that more than one-third of individuals who have struggled with anorexia nervosa or bulimia nervosa will experience an eating disorders relapse in the first two and a half years after leaving a treatment center.

With National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2013 taking place next week, February 24-March 2, Eating Recovery Center, an international center providing comprehensive treatment for eating disorders, seeks to highlight the skills and support structures that help men, women and children live a life of recovery. Recognizing that the hardest work of recovery often begins upon returning to “real life” following intensive eating disorders treatment, Eating Recovery Center offers these four strategies to help individuals protect their health and avoid eating disorders relapse.

1. Remain actively engaged with the aftercare plan. Discharge planning and the development of a recovery-focused post-treatment strategy are critical in creating sustainable recoveries and preventing relapse. These individualized aftercare plans are created by licensed therapists who work closely with a patient’s treatment team to identify emotional, behavioral and situational discharge challenges, and outline personal and recovery-focused goals.

2. Develop a strong supportive network. Friends, family and colleagues who have been educated about eating disorders and understand how to support a loved one in his or her recovery can be very helpful in sustaining recovery. Many individuals find a strong recovery-focused community through the alumni programming offered by many treatment centers. These programs generally provide ongoing education, events and a sense of community to support a life of eating disorders recovery.

3. Identify values and pursue valued life directions. Values not only serve as a compass for people’s lives, but also help individuals with eating disorders understand why change is necessary and pursue that change, even when it feels overwhelmingly difficult. Not surprisingly, identifying values and valued life directions are key components of the eating disorders recovery process. Taking time to be in touch with values and align thoughts and actions with valued life directions can help sustain recovery, even in times of stress or challenges.

4. Seek help. Sustainable recoveries do not just happen. Individuals and families in recovery from eating disorders must work diligently to protect and maintain a healthy weight and body image. The need for additional support – through support groups, outpatient therapy or an intensive treatment program – does not indicate failure, but rather underscores an ongoing commitment to doing whatever it takes to sustain eating disorders recovery.

“By nature, individuals with eating disorders tend to be perfectionistic and high achieving—they like to do things right, and they like to be the best at their endeavors,” explains Julie Holland, MHS, CEDS, chief marketing officer at Eating Recovery Center. “Their approach to recovery is generally no different, and patients often struggle to understand that life without an eating disorder looks different for every individual and there is no ‘right’ or ‘perfect’ way to live a life of recovery. In addition to developing recovery skills and implementing effective support systems, patients must also accept that challenges are likely to arise and understand that they have not failed even if recovery lapses occur.”

For more information about National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2013, visit www.nationaleatingdisorders.org/nedawareness-week.

Join Eating Recovery Center and its partner programs, The Moore Center and Summit Eating Disorders and Outreach Program, at the following events during National Eating Disorders Awareness Week 2013:

* National Eating Disorders Association Walk, hosted by The Eating Disorder Network of Central Florida; Sunday, February 24, Orlando, Fla. (Eating Recovery Center sponsoring)

* Mind and Body Fair, hosted by the University of Northern Colorado’s Women’s Resource Center; Monday, February 25, 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Greeley, Colo. (Eating Recovery Center exhibiting)

* Eating Recovery Center Patient Artwork Exhibit; February 25-March 1, Eating Recovery Center lobby, 1830 Franklin Street, Denver, Colo.

* Eating Recovery Center Patient Artwork Exhibition Reception; Thursday, February 28, 5:30-7:00 p.m., Eating Recovery Center lobby, 1830 Franklin Street, Denver, Colo.

* Amber Sokoll, MA, NCC, RYT, speaking at Beyond the Mirror’s professional networking event; Tuesday, February 26, Fort Collins, Colo.

* Jennifer Lombardi, MFT, speaking at the Celebrate Your Body Week event, hosted by the University of California Davis; Wednesday, February 27, Davis, Calif. (Summit speaking, exhibiting)

* Jennifer Lombardi, MFT, speaking at the Love Your Body event, hosted by California State University Sacramento; Thursday, February 28, Sacramento, Calif. (Summit speaking, exhibiting)

* Celebrity Dance Challenge, hosted by the Eating Disorders Information Network; Thursday, February 28, Atlanta, Ga. (Eating Recovery Center sponsoring, attending)

* Jen Sommer, RD, speaking at Eating Disorders Coalition of Iowa event; Saturday, March 2, Des Moines, Iowa. (Eating Recovery Center speaking, exhibiting)

* National Eating Disorders Association Walk, hosted by the University of Nevada Reno; Saturday, March 2, Reno, Nev. (Summit sponsoring, exhibiting)

* Binge Eating Disorder Workshop, hosted by The Moore Center; Saturday, March 2, Bellevue, Wash.

Editor: Nationally recognized eating disorders experts, including Julie Holland and Drs. Kenneth L. Weiner, Emmett R. Bishop, Ovidio Bermudez and Craig Johnson, along with patients in recovery, are available for interviews to supplement your National Eating Disorders Awareness Week stories. Contact Molly Koch at (303) 433-7020 or mkoch@csg-pr.com to arrange an interview.

About Eating Recovery Center
Eating Recovery Center is an international center providing comprehensive treatment for anorexia, bulimia, EDNOS and binge eating disorder. Under the personal guidance and care of Drs. Kenneth Weiner, Craig Johnson, Emmett Bishop and Ovidio Bermudez, programs provide a full spectrum of services for children, adolescents and adults that includes Inpatient, Residential, Partial Hospitalization, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient Services. Our compassionate team of professionals collaborates with treating professionals and loved ones to cultivate lasting behavioral change. Denver-based facilities include the Behavioral Hospital for Adults, the Behavioral Hospital for Children and Adolescents, the Partial Hospitalization Program and Outpatient Services for Adults, and the Partial Hospitalization Program for Children and Adolescents. In an effort to increase patient access to care throughout the United States, Eating Recovery Center partners with Summit Eating Disorders and Outreach Program in Sacramento, Cali., and The Moore Center for Eating Disorders in Bellevue, Wash. Summit offers Partial Hospitalization and Outpatient Services as well as Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient Services in Fresno and Roseville. The Moore Center offers Partial Hospitalization, Intensive Outpatient and Outpatient Services. For more information, please contact us at 877-218-1344 or info@EatingRecoveryCenter.com or confidentially chat live on our website at www.EatingRecoveryCenter.com.

Contact:
Molly Koch
Communications Strategy Group
3225 East 2nd Avenue
Denver, Colo., 80206
(303) 433-7020
mkoch@csg-pr.com
http://www.csg-pr.com