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Child Concussion: What To Know If Your Child Takes a Blow To the Head

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When a child tumbles to the floor from a blow to the head, a parent’s inner alarms should sound. The child may have a brain injury.  Here’s what parents need to know: What is a concussion? A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that results from a direct hit to the head, face or neck. Concussions may or may not involve a loss of consciousness. Symptoms may occur immediately or over the course of hours. They usually resolve within days. What are the concussion symptoms in a child? When a child receives a blow to the head, watch for these warning signs of concussion: Headaches Confusion, disorientation Difficulties with memory Blank stare or a stunned appearance Difficulty following directions (inattentiveness) Slow or incoherent speech Dizziness Balance problems Vomiting Emotional instability (inappropriate laughing or crying, increased irritability, depressed mood) What are common ways a child may get a concussion? Any blow to the head, neck or face can cause a concussion. However, the majority of concussions are associated with contact/collision sports. Higher risk sports and activities include: Football Ice hockey Soccer Lacrosse Wrestling Basketball Rugby How is a concussion diagnosed? A concussion is a clinical diagnosis based on the patient history and physical exam done through a variety of standardized assessments performed by a trained healthcare provider such as a physician or an athletic…  read on >  read on >

Child Concussion: What To Know If Your Child Takes a Blow To the Head

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When a child tumbles to the floor from a blow to the head, a parent’s inner alarms should sound. The child may have a brain injury.  Here’s what parents need to know: What is a concussion? A concussion is a mild traumatic brain injury (TBI) that results from a direct hit to the head, face or neck. Concussions may or may not involve a loss of consciousness. Symptoms may occur immediately or over the course of hours. They usually resolve within days. What are the concussion symptoms in a child? When a child receives a blow to the head, watch for these warning signs of concussion: Headaches Confusion, disorientation Difficulties with memory Blank stare or a stunned appearance Difficulty following directions (inattentiveness) Slow or incoherent speech Dizziness Balance problems Vomiting Emotional instability (inappropriate laughing or crying, increased irritability, depressed mood) What are common ways a child may get a concussion? Any blow to the head, neck or face can cause a concussion. However, the majority of concussions are associated with contact/collision sports. Higher risk sports and activities include: Football Ice hockey Soccer Lacrosse Wrestling Basketball Rugby How is a concussion diagnosed? A concussion is a clinical diagnosis based on the patient history and physical exam done through a variety of standardized assessments performed by a trained healthcare provider such as a physician or an athletic…  read on >  read on >

First Weight-Loss Pill From Lilly Shows Promising Results

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A new pill designed to help with weight loss and blood sugar control is showing promise in early studies. Eli Lilly said its experimental drug, orforglipron, helped people with type 2 diabetes lower their blood sugar and lose weight. The company is hoping to bring the first GLP-1 weight-loss pill to market, The Wall Street Journal said. GLP-1 drugs, such as Ozempic and Wegovy, are popular for helping people manage diabetes and lose weight. But right now, they are only available as injections. Doctors and patients have been hoping for a pill version that would be easier to take. “It really gives us an opportunity to reach many more patients than you can reach with an injectable,” Jeffrey Emmick, senior vice president of product development at Lilly Cardiometabolic Health, told The Wall Street Journal. Some people don’t like injections, and injectable drugs often need to be kept cold. The pill version could help more people around the world who don’t have easy access to refrigeration. It may also be easier to produce in large amounts. Lilly’s injectable GLP-1 drug went into shortage shortly after it was released. In the new study, orforglipron was tested for 40 weeks in adults with type 2 diabetes. People who took the highest dose lost an average of 16 pounds, or about 7.9% of their body weight. The most common…  read on >  read on >

Pregnancy Complications Affect Future Heart Health

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Complications during pregnancy can mean a woman’s future heart health is at risk, particularly if she is overweight or obese, a new study says. Women who are carrying excess weight prior to pregnancy are more likely to develop complications like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure while expecting, researchers said. These complications act as a natural “stress test” that provides a glimpse into a woman’s future health and risks for chronic illness, researchers said. The results “suggest that prioritizing weight management among those considering pregnancy may promote both maternal and future cardiovascular health,” lead investigator Jaclyn Borrowman, a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University, said in a news release. For the study, researchers tracked nearly 4,300 women across nine countries, following them for 10 to 14 years after their pregnancy. About 67% of the women had a normal body mass index (BMI), 22% were overweight and 11% were obese, researchers said. BMI, which stands for body mass index, is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. Results showed that women who developed gestational diabetes were more likely later in life to suffer from higher blood glucose levels and other warning signs of type 2 diabetes. Likewise, those who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy were more likely to have high blood pressure in later life. However, Borrowman noted that these pregnancy complications…  read on >  read on >

Pregnancy Complications Affect Future Heart Health

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Complications during pregnancy can mean a woman’s future heart health is at risk, particularly if she is overweight or obese, a new study says. Women who are carrying excess weight prior to pregnancy are more likely to develop complications like gestational diabetes and high blood pressure while expecting, researchers said. These complications act as a natural “stress test” that provides a glimpse into a woman’s future health and risks for chronic illness, researchers said. The results “suggest that prioritizing weight management among those considering pregnancy may promote both maternal and future cardiovascular health,” lead investigator Jaclyn Borrowman, a postdoctoral research fellow at Northwestern University, said in a news release. For the study, researchers tracked nearly 4,300 women across nine countries, following them for 10 to 14 years after their pregnancy. About 67% of the women had a normal body mass index (BMI), 22% were overweight and 11% were obese, researchers said. BMI, which stands for body mass index, is an estimate of body fat based on height and weight. Results showed that women who developed gestational diabetes were more likely later in life to suffer from higher blood glucose levels and other warning signs of type 2 diabetes. Likewise, those who developed high blood pressure during pregnancy were more likely to have high blood pressure in later life. However, Borrowman noted that these pregnancy complications…  read on >  read on >

Smoking/Vaping Combo Poses Health Risks

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People might think they can reduce their risk of cancer by occasionally swapping their cigarettes for a vape pen — but they would be wrong, a new study says. So-called “dual users” — folks who both smoke and vape – are exposed to the same levels of nicotine and cancer-causing toxins as those who only smoke cigarettes, researchers reported in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. “In the U.S., dual-use of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes is the most common multiple tobacco-use behavior. Some individuals try to cut back on cigarettes or work toward quitting cigarettes this way,” lead researcher Zheng (Ashley) Xue, a senior associate scientist of tobacco control research at the American Cancer Society, said in a news release. “However, our results highlight that dual-use is not an effective way to safeguard health and more evidence that tobacco use is harmful,” she added. For the study, researchers analyzed data for nearly 2,700 adults participating in a federal study of the long-term effects of tobacco use. Results showed that dual-users and cigarette smokers had higher levels of a tobacco-specific nitrosamine — an organic substance that is a probable cause of cancer — than people who exclusively vaped. Dual-users also had higher levels of three volatile organic compounds that have been linked to cancer, the study said. “Clinicians and public health practitioners should increase awareness that dual…  read on >  read on >

Smoking/Vaping Combo Poses Health Risks

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People might think they can reduce their risk of cancer by occasionally swapping their cigarettes for a vape pen — but they would be wrong, a new study says. So-called “dual users” — folks who both smoke and vape – are exposed to the same levels of nicotine and cancer-causing toxins as those who only smoke cigarettes, researchers reported in the journal Nicotine and Tobacco Research. “In the U.S., dual-use of combustible cigarettes and e-cigarettes is the most common multiple tobacco-use behavior. Some individuals try to cut back on cigarettes or work toward quitting cigarettes this way,” lead researcher Zheng (Ashley) Xue, a senior associate scientist of tobacco control research at the American Cancer Society, said in a news release. “However, our results highlight that dual-use is not an effective way to safeguard health and more evidence that tobacco use is harmful,” she added. For the study, researchers analyzed data for nearly 2,700 adults participating in a federal study of the long-term effects of tobacco use. Results showed that dual-users and cigarette smokers had higher levels of a tobacco-specific nitrosamine — an organic substance that is a probable cause of cancer — than people who exclusively vaped. Dual-users also had higher levels of three volatile organic compounds that have been linked to cancer, the study said. “Clinicians and public health practitioners should increase awareness that dual…  read on >  read on >

Alternative To Hip Replacement Helps Patients Remain Physically Active

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Jason Cutter had been feeling pain in his hips for years, and it had started to put a dent in his activities as an amateur hockey player and outdoorsman. Cutter, 50, chalked up his hip problems to aging, insufficient stretching and strain from the heavy tool belts he wore during his side hustle as a house remodeler. But former professional hockey players in Cutter’s rec league said his pain could be coming from the hip joint itself, and urged him to see an orthopedic surgeon. Cutter wound up getting an alternative to total hip replacement surgery that can help hardcore athletes and weekend warriors with hip problems stay in the game and remain highly active. The procedure, called Birmingham hip resurfacing, allows three times as many patients to remain active in high-intensity sports compared to total hip replacement, according to a new study in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Total hip replacements often limit recipients’ ability to participate in high-impact or intense physical activity, researchers said. But Birmingham hip resurfacing is much more likely to allow patients in their 30s, 40s or 50s to stay active in demanding sports, researchers said. In the procedure, only the hip socket is replaced, and the head of the thigh bone is resurfaced to work more smoothly with the new socket, researchers said. For the new study, researchers…  read on >  read on >

Alternative To Hip Replacement Helps Patients Remain Physically Active

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Jason Cutter had been feeling pain in his hips for years, and it had started to put a dent in his activities as an amateur hockey player and outdoorsman. Cutter, 50, chalked up his hip problems to aging, insufficient stretching and strain from the heavy tool belts he wore during his side hustle as a house remodeler. But former professional hockey players in Cutter’s rec league said his pain could be coming from the hip joint itself, and urged him to see an orthopedic surgeon. Cutter wound up getting an alternative to total hip replacement surgery that can help hardcore athletes and weekend warriors with hip problems stay in the game and remain highly active. The procedure, called Birmingham hip resurfacing, allows three times as many patients to remain active in high-intensity sports compared to total hip replacement, according to a new study in The Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery. Total hip replacements often limit recipients’ ability to participate in high-impact or intense physical activity, researchers said. But Birmingham hip resurfacing is much more likely to allow patients in their 30s, 40s or 50s to stay active in demanding sports, researchers said. In the procedure, only the hip socket is replaced, and the head of the thigh bone is resurfaced to work more smoothly with the new socket, researchers said. For the new study, researchers…  read on >  read on >

Outdoor Play, Sports Can Promote Motor Skills In Youngsters

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Children who spend more time playing outdoors or participating in different sports tend to develop better motor skills as they advance through elementary school, a new study says. Even a half-hour of independent outdoor play after a day at childcare makes a difference in kids’ motor skill development, researchers reported in the Journal of Sports Sciences. Children also did better if they tried more than one type of sport, researchers noted. “Engaging in two or more sports during early childhood education predicted better motor competence later in school age,” lead investigator Nanne-Mari Luukkainen, a doctoral researcher with the University of Jyvaskyla in Finland, said in a news release. “Based on the results, coaches and physical education teachers should consider the importance of both organized and non-organized physical activities in the holistic development of children and encourage children to engage in diverse physical activities,” Luukkainen added. For the study, researchers tracked more than 600 children living in Finland. The kids were ages 3 to 8 at the start of the study, and reached grades 1 through 3 during the three years that researchers followed their motor development. Children who picked up more than one sport were better able to walk and run; had better hand-eye coordination; were better at holding, catching and throwing objects in their hands; and had overall better fundamental movement skills, the study…  read on >  read on >