Tai chi may ease fibromyalgia pain

Tai chi, an ancient Chinese practice of exercise and meditation, may relieve symptoms of a painful chronic condition called fibromyalgia, a small new study shows. Tai chi involves gentle, flowing movements in which students shift their weight and breathe deeply, cycling through a series of stances with poetic names, such as “white crane spreads its wings.” The philosophy of tai chi involves moving a person’s vital energy, or qi (”chee”), through the body. In the study, doctors randomly assigned 66 fibromyalgia patients to take either a 12-week tai chi class or attend a “wellness education” class that included stretching exercises, according to a study in today’s New England Journal of Medicine. Fibromyalgia patients experience pain, stiffness, fatigue…

Sports concussions researchers turn to video games for help

One of the great unknowns in treating athletes who have suffered a concussion is determining when they are ready to resume playing their sport. The University of Maryland has turned to a popular video game for help. Clinicians and trainers have found that an athlete’s balance – in addition to his or her ability to think and reason – is an important yardstick for assessing recovery from a concussion, though the best method for doing so remains up for debate. At Maryland and a handful of other colleges, athletic department trainers are using Nintendo’s Wii Fit, as an objective and practical – if unproven – method of balance assessment. For the past year…

Stay hydrated in hot weather with lifestyle-geared tips

With the heat and humidity on high this summer, give some thought to your fluid intake. Maintaining proper fluid intake is important for many bodily functions including these: • Transporting nutrients • Digesting • Eliminating wastes • Lubricating joints • Dissipating heat Being dehydrated as little as 2% can affect your body and leave you feeling lethargic and cranky as well. Some general guidelines: Inactive lifestyle The average adult requires 64 ounces of water a day as a base. Water, tea, soda, coffee, lemonade etc, all count toward your daily …

Go For Swimming For Your Health and Welfare

If you are hunting for an activity which is beneficial as well enjoyable to perform, then swimming is the ideal choice. Swimming is one of the widely performed and universal forms of exercise. Regardless of gender and age, people can engage themselves in swimming. It is also an economic mode of leisureliness as individuals can easily perform swimming without having to spend any large amount of cash on it. There are many commercial establishments like clubs and resorts, which allow …

Woman saves her own life by losing 200 pounds

Things hit the “big crescendo” for Marci Williams in December 2005. Williams, 47, of Greensboro, N.C., had been obese for some time, weighing as much as 332 pounds at just 5-foot-3. That month she went to her family doctor for a routine physical. The physical changed her life. “That day, I left her office with a couple of medications for high blood pressure,” Williams said. “The following day, I got a call that I needed to go to her office to get a referral to a diabetes educator, who would teach …

Ropes courses and zip lines turn exercise into an adventure

You might say Adan Caraballo is an adrenaline junkie. Actually, you definitely would. “I’m always hang-gliding, skydiving and jet-skiing,” says the 49-year-old graphic designer, whose recent vacations have taken him bungee-jumping and to the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. So how does he keep his body primed for such thrills? By traversing wobbly logs and pulling himself up cargo nets every other weekend. This Story Ropes courses and zip lines turn exercise into an adventure Get in the swing Caraballo holds a season pass at Terrapin Adventures, an outdoor amusement park that opened in spring 2009 …

Ropes courses and zip lies turn exercise into an adventure

You might say Adan Caraballo is an adrenaline junkie. Actually, you definitely would. “I’m always hang-gliding, skydiving and jet-skiing,” says the 49-year-old graphic designer, whose recent vacations have taken him bungee-jumping and to the running of the bulls in Pamplona, Spain. So how does he keep his body primed for such thrills? By traversing wobbly logs and pulling himself up cargo nets every other weekend. This Story The Misfits: Learning the ropes can teach you about yourself Get in the swing: Get in the swing Caraballo holds a season pass at Terrapin Adventures, an outdoor amusement park that opened in spring 2009 in the appropriately named town of Savage in Howard County. It has four main…

Word games may predict life of relationship

Want to know if your romantic relationship will last “’til death do you part” — or if you are cruising toward a breakup? A simple word association game may reveal the hidden truth about your union, a new study suggests. Most research on successful relationships is flawed because it relies on asking the people involved how they feel about each other, said researcher Dr. Ronald Rogge, an associate professor at the University of Rochester and co-author of a study recently published online in the…

A growing body of evidence links exercise and mental acuity

I do some of my best writing on the run. I mean literally. When the words won’t come, when the syntax doesn’t feel right, when I just can’t figure out what angle to take on a column, I’ll often go for a good, hard run. This Story AGING WELL: Spouses face hurdles in caring for themselves and their ill partners In sickness and in health: Elderly caregivers Where to find help AGING WELL: As longevity grows, the world might become a better place Push your brain by pushing your body View All Items in This Story View Only Top Items in This Story And usually it works. With the sweat pouring …

Mom’s voice can ease stress even if she’s not there

Grateful children have long recognized the healing power of a mother’s love. Scientists have even measured its biological effects, charting the chemical reactions set in motion by a hug or kiss. When mothers soothe their children, levels of hormones involved with love and trust surge, and stress hormones plummet. Now, for the first time, a study shows that just a mother’s voice can set off the same chemical cascade. The findings could shed light not only on the way that the brain works but also on the way language and relationships…

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