I have the privilege of coaching the 9-10 Gridiron Flag Football Eagles this season. For those of you with the opportunity, I strongly recommend making the time for coaching kids’ sports. It’s a great way to have fun, influence some young minds, and learn a thing or two from the kids. We beat the Texans in a 20-19 nail biter. 

Mental Attitude: Mild Brain Injuries Have Long-Term Effects.
Kids who have suffered even mild head trauma appear to be more prone to serious issues later in life, such as psychiatric problems and premature death. In this study, researchers compared data collected from 100,000 Swedes who had suffered a minimum of one traumatic brain injury before age 25 to their unaffected siblings and found that those who had head injuries were more 70% more likely to die before age 41 and twice as likely to be hospitalized for psychiatric issues. Moreover, those with head trauma early in life were also 80% more likely to receive government financial assistance due to disability. The findings suggest a strong need for improved brain injury prevention as well as improved treatment post injury.
PLOS Medicine, August 2016

Health Alert: Improper Contact Lens Use Can Lead to Serious Eye Damage.
Researchers from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention analyzed nearly 1,100 cases of eye infections related to contact lens use and found that nearly one in five patients had either a scarred cornea, required a corneal transplant, or had other types of eye damage due to infection. Furthermore, over 10% of the patients had to go to the emergency room or urgent care for immediate treatment. Examples of unsafe use of contact lenses include: wearing contacts overnight, failing to clean and replace lens solution frequently, and getting contact lenses wet while swimming or in the shower. Study author Dr. Jennifer Cope adds, “While people who get serious eye infections represent a small percentage of those who wear contacts, they serve as a reminder for all contact lens wearers to take simple steps to prevent infections.”
Morbidity and Mortality Weekly, August 2016

Diet: Shopping for Fish.
Adding fish to your diet is a very healthy choice, and many health experts recommend eating fish at least twice per week. When shopping for fish, the Food and Drug Administration suggests the following: choose fish displayed on fresh ice in a case; fish should smell mild and fresh, not fishy and sour; the fish’s eyes should be clear and bulging, gills bright red, and flesh firm and shiny; avoid fish with signs of darkening or dryness at the edges; and choose shrimp of other seafood that shines and has no odor
Food and Drug Administration, August 2016

Exercise: Helps Improve Non-Motor Symptoms of Parkinson’s Disease.
A review of twenty published studies on the effects of physical activity on patients with Parkinson’s disease (PD) reveals that exercise improves a PD patient’s motor skills and benefits non-motor symptoms such as depression, apathy, fatigue, day time sleepiness, sleep, and cognition.
Frontiers in Medicine, August 2016

Chiropractic: May Help COPD Patients Breathe Better.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a chronic lung disease that makes breathing difficult, and it is the third leading cause of death in the United States. In this study, researchers found that patients who received the combination of pulmonary rehabilitation (PR), soft tissue therapy (ST), and spinal manipulative therapy (SMT) experienced greater improvements in lung function than those who received either PR alone or PR and ST only.
Journal of Manual and Manipulative Therapies, August 2016

Wellness/Prevention: Let Your Child Walk to School.
Letting kids walk to school is a great way to increase physical activity and teach independence. However, parents must teach their children the basics of pedestrian safety. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommends the following: make sure kids cross the street at crosswalks or intersections; have children wear reflective clothing and carry a flashlight if it is dark; have children walk on the sidewalk or on the shoulder of the road in the opposite direction of traffic; do not allow children to use technology (phones, tablets) while walking; and take extra precautions with small children who may not be able to judge speed and distance of vehicles and don’t understand traffic rules.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, August 2016