One Human, One Animal. Two heartwarming and motivational stories you may find hard to believe…

6 Mar

In October, the World Health Organization (WHO) came out with a shocking statistic: More than 350 million people suffer from depression globally.

“It is not a disease of developed countries, it is a global phenomenon. It’s present in both genders and in rich and poor populations,” Dr. Shekhar Saxena, head of the WHO’s Mental Health and Substance Abuse Department, told reporters in Geneva.

Researchers claim that nearly 1 million people take their lives every year and more than half of them suffer from depression.

That’s why it is important to hear about people like Chuck Pagano. Chuck is the Head Coach of the Indianapolis Colts and was hospitalized with leukemia the week before his team’s 4th game in the NFL this season.  Chuck sent a letter (email) to his team that showed his true character. The email told them to focus on their task at hand and not on him.

Here is a portion of the letter:

My condition will not determine my position. I understand the condition but choose to focus on my position. That is to stay positive and SERVE.

WE WILL, WE CAN, WE MUST. WE HAVE NO CHOICE. BY ANY MEANS NECESSARY. WE WILL OVERCOME.  IT’S ALL IN THE PROPER STATE OF MIND.

There is no better owner in the NFL, period! He has built an organization based on Faith, Family and Football. Don’t ever mistake the ORDER.

We all have a job to do. We know and understand that. That’s why we signed up for it. We knew there were going to be tough times. This is not for everybody, but I know deep in my heart we are all here because we’re supposed to be.

Focus on being .500 by 4:30 p.m. on Sunday. Nothing else. LASER SHARP FOCUS. That has to be our mindset.  60 minutes, all you got, one play at a time!  WIN!

His team won in dramatic fashion, and the owner offered Chuck the game ball.  Chuck declined because it was not supposed to be about him.

Now for one of the most touching animal stories EVER…

Capitán is a German Shepherd that lives in Argentina.  Capitán may also be the most loyal dog that ever lived.  Here is why…

In 2006, Capitán’s owner, Manuel Guzman, died, and Capitán ran away from home. A week later, Guzman’s family found Capitán at his owner’s gravesite… heartbroken.  No one had ever taken Capitán to the gravesite; he found it all by himself.

Since then, every day for 6 years, Capitán spends most of his time in the cemetery near his master’s grave. The cemetery director has been feeding and taking care of loyal Capitán. According to the cemetery director, “During the day, he sometimes takes a walk around the cemetery, but always rushes back to the grave.  And every day, at 6:00 p.m. sharp, he lies down on top of the grave and stays there all night.”

 

Tags: , ,

Nerve Transfer Surgery A Success If Done Soon Enough.

6 Mar

Modern medical science and technology have come a long way.  Now there is a medical procedure called nerve transfer.

Nerve transfer is a surgical technique that may be used when a patient has a nerve injury resulting in complete loss of muscle function or sensation.

Nerve transfers involve taking nerves with less important roles, or branches of a nerve that performs redundant functions to other nerves, and “transferring” them to restore function in a more crucial nerve that has been severely damaged. The surgeon will use functioning nerves that are close to the target muscle or sensory area, and these nerves are transferred or “plugged in” to the injured nerve that no longer functions. The nerve that has been “plugged in” now supplies that function.

Time Is Of The Essence

According to Science Daily, “Nerve injuries requiring nerve transfer can be caused by many things such as accidents, sports or surgeries. Once a nerve is cut from a muscle, it has to be reinnervated within about 18 months before the muscle atrophies. Since nerves only regenerate one millimeter per day, sometimes they cannot regenerate and reach the muscle before it wastes away.”

Associate Professor of Orthopedic Surgery at the Weill Cornell Medical College and Associate Attending Orthopedic Surgeon at Hospital for Special Surgery, Dr. Steven Lee adds, “It has been shown that if you do nerve reconstruction work and surgery before six months after a nerve is severed, then patients do far better… If it has been more than 18 months, even if the nerve regeneration length is two centimeters, it may still be too late.”

New Study Suggests When To Exercise To Lose More Weight.

6 Mar

Exercise stimulates appetite?  New Research says… WRONG!

This has been a hot topic for a very long time.  In fact, it’s quite possible that cavemen and cavewomen were debating this while sitting around the campfire chomping on Mastodon burgers. The question is:

What’s The Best Time Of Day To Work Out?

Okay.  Fine.  Cave people had a few more important things to worry about like food, shelter, and getting eaten by Saber-Toothed Tigers.

But, if you are trying to lose weight and get in shape TODAY, then the answer to this question may be VERY important to you.

If you are like most people, you have very limited time.  So, you want to get the maximum results from exercise that you can in as little time and with least effort possible.

The good news is that a few recently published research papers may have some answers…

The first is a study published in the October issue of Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

This research out of Brigham Young University (BYU) shows that 45 minutes of moderate-to-vigorous exercise in the morning actually reduces a person’s motivation for food.  This is contrary to the common belief that exercise STIMULATES appetite.

According to BYU: Professors, James LeCheminant and Michael Larson, measured the neural activity of 35 women while they viewed food images, both following a morning of exercise and a morning without exercise. They found their attentional response to the food pictures decreased after the brisk workout.

“This study provides evidence that exercise not only affects energy output, but it also may affect how people respond to food cues,” LeCheminant said.  The report went on to say, “The 45-minute exercise bout not only produced lower brain responses to the food images, but also resulted in an increase in total physical activity that day, regardless of body mass index.”

One thing of interest was that the women did not eat more food on exercise days than non-exercise days.  In other words, they did not eat more to make up for the calories burned from working out.

“The subject of food motivation and weight loss is so complex,” Larson said. “There are many things that influence eating, and exercise is just one element.”

What About Peak Performance?

There are studies that show the AFTERNOON is the best time for peak performance.  One study published in Sports Medicine in 1995 revealed that, “Performance of physical activity is generally improved in the afternoon or evening, compared with morning.”

Even more important are the results from a study published in Medical Science Sports Exercise in 1998 that found: “These results demonstrate that there is temporal specificity in training to increase work capacity in high-intensity exercise. Greater improvements can be expected to occur at the time of day at which high-intensity training is regularly performed.”

In other words, training at the same time every day yields the best results in regards to performance.

 

Here’s something to keep in mind…  The last two studies mentioned concern performance (strength, speed, etc.)  The first study done at BYU is about appetite and potential weight loss. Once again, science does not give us the clear-cut answer we are looking for.

So, What’s The Bottom Line?

Make an exercise plan and exercise regularly.  That is the number one priority.  Clearly, any workout is better than none.  But, TRY to workout at the same time every day.

These studies used small sample sizes and it is very possible that not everyone fits into these results.  For example, some people are morning people.  They jump out of bed at 5:30 every day cheering.  For others, that is torture.

So, is it possible that these two types of people have different peak performance times?  One early and the other later?  Yes, it is. Once again, try it out for yourself.  Just be consistent and give it a valid shot.  Don’t try something for a week or two and think it did not work. Exercise, weight loss, and athletic performance simply do not work like that.  Neither does health.

All of these things take consistency.  You must do the right things… long enough…  and “long enough” is for the rest of your life.

Sometimes reality can be a little harsh, but the alternative is much worse.

Tags: ,

Are E-Cigarettes Safe?

5 Mar

Marketers claim they are safe, but now research is telling them to pump the brakes with that claim. According to a press release by the
European Lung Foundation, “The results showed that for all people included in the study, the e-cigarette caused an immediate increase in
airway resistance lasting 10 minutes. In healthy subjects (never smokers), there was a statistically significant increase in airway
resistance from a mean average of 182% to 206%. In smokers with normal [breathing], there was a statistically significant increase from a
mean average of 176% to 220%. In COPD and asthma patients, the use of one e-cigarette seemed to have no immediate effect to airway resistance.
airway resistance in our group of participants, which suggests e-cigarettes can cause immediate harm after smoking the device. More research is needed to understand whether this harm also has lasting effects in the long-term.”

One major drawback of this study is that it only included 8 people who had never smoked before and 24 smokers. The limited sample size does not prove if e-cigarettes are harmful, but it does raise important questions and a potential red flag, and shows the need for more research. In the end, the question is not if they are 100% safe with NO side effects, but are they safer (with fewer side effects) than regular cigarettes?

Our tip: It is probably best to do neither.

Alcohol, PTSD, and the Leading Cause Of Preventable Birth Defects.

5 Mar

A new study has been released that shows alcohol use might increase trauma victims’ chances of getting post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Heavy drinkers are at an increased risk to have traumatic events like car accidents and domestic violence, but now research is showing that drinking may affect the brain’s “circuitry” and recovery speed.

According to Andrew Holmes, PhD, at the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, “A history of heavy alcohol abuse could impair a critical mechanism for recovering from a trauma, and in doing so put people at greater risk for PTSD… The next step will be to test whether our pre-clinical findings translate to patients currently suffering from comorbid PTSD and alcohol abuse. If it does, then this could lead to new thinking about how we can better treat these serious medical conditions.”

In another study reported by the University of North Carolina School of Medicine, Kathleen K. Sulik, PhD, reports, “We now know that maternal alcohol use is the leading known and preventable cause of birth defects and mental disability in the United States… Alcohol’s effects can cause a range of cognitive, developmental and behavioral problems that typically become evident during childhood, and last a lifetime.”

Tags: , ,

The Tale Of Two Heroes.

5 Mar

What do you imagine when you think about a hero?  Most envision people with super-human qualities that make them larger than life.  Hollywood movies have trained us to think this way through characters like Batman, Superman, the X-Men, and more.

But, the fact of the matter is, real heroes do exist.  They NEVER have super-human powers.  Ironically, most of the time, they are either completely average or are even challenged in a way that would lead some people to believe they could never be a hero.

Harry Moseley is a perfect example.  Harry was a cancer stricken Birmingham, England youngster who is the subject of a new book written by his mother.

Harry was only 11 years old and struggled with a brain tumor.  At a time when many people feel sorry for themselves and give up, Harry dedicated his life to helping others.

He made bracelets to raise cash for several charities.  He also donated gifts sent to him from other people and went to schools to talk to students.  From doing all of this, he raised more than £650,000 for charity.

Harry’s legacy will live on partly because of what he did and partly because his mother has authored a book about her son with the help of a ghost writer. She said, “He would have been so proud of the book.  I only wish that it was an autobiography rather than a biography. I’m just writing it on his behalf…  It has been a real labor of love to put together. There have been emotional moments, and I cry whenever I have to read through it again, but I believe Harry deserved this.”

She added, “The story relives Harry’s life, but focuses more on when he was diagnosed and how he selflessly helped others. A lot of people know about the bracelets, but they don’t know about the other things he did… I wanted to tell people about his work and this was the perfect way to do it.”

Harry is not alone.  Paul Oxley has a story that is equally impressive.  Paul suffered with cystic fibrosis his entire life, but he did not let his illness get in the way of helping others.

He belonged to a site called “post pals” and took time every single day to help other sick children.  He constantly encouraged the children to make the most of their lives and stay positive despite their illnesses.  Even with everything he did, Paul still had time to play football or referee the games.

Not only that, over the years he raised more than £12,000 for the Cystic Fibrosis Trust in the hopes of helping other sufferers with the condition. He was named a Herald Young Hero in 2010 and received the Marjorie Lynden Stannator Award for his charity work. The devoted youngster also received a Lifetime Achievement accolade at the Pride of Plymouth awards in 2009.

All this time, he was struggling himself and waiting for a transplant that never came.  Several times he got the call saying they had found a donor, but each time they ended up not being compatible.

Paul Oxley passed away at the age of 21, still waiting for that transplant.

That’s why his parents are making a plea to change organ donor laws.  They would like to see it changed to an opt-out system.  In other words, everyone is automatically an organ donor and must opt out if they do not want to do it.

 

← Older Entries
Newer Entries →