August – September 2005 IN THIS ISSUE Healthy Tips for Summer Sports Part 6—Simple Things You Can Do To Stay Healthy: Spend At Least 30 Minutes a Day Outdoors Playing It Safe: Healthy Tips for Summer Sports by Amy Day, ND Warmer weather getting you more motivated to exercise? This is a great time of year to play sports and be more active. Here are a few tips to keep you safe and healthy. Warm up first Before any strenuous exercise, it is best to warm up your muscles and gradually increase your heart rate and circulation. Start by walking then jogging, and work up to doing slow versions of the movements you will be performing at full force later. By moving the muscles through the anticipated ranges of motion, they can loosen up and prepare for the exertion. Stretching is helpful for preventing injuries, too. The most benefit, however, comes from stretching at the end of an exercise session, after the muscles are warm. Stay hydrated When you exercise, your body produces excess heat and the primary method of cooling off is through evaporation of sweat. For longer periods of exercise, it is important to drink fluids containing electrolytes, such as sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium, as these are lost in the sweat. Consuming extra fluids ensures that your body can sweat and helps the blood carry nutrients to your exercising muscles. Watch out for signs of dehydration such as thirst, dry mouth, clammy skin, small amounts of dark yellow urine, lightheadedness, weakness, cramping in arms or legs, and headache. When looking for a sports drink, watch out for too much sugar and artificial colors. Here are a few suggestions: R. W. Knudsen’s Recharge, Alacer’s Electro-Mix packets, or E-caps’ Endurolyte capsules or powder. Alternatively, here’s a recipe for a rehydration solution you can make at home. Hydrotherapy for overexertion If you find yourself with sore muscles or with a mild sprain or strain, hydrotherapy (water treatment) can be very helpful. Alternating applications of hot and cold water will stimulate circulation, decrease inflammation, and encourage healing of injured tissues. Adding Epsom salt to the warm water can further help as the magnesium absorbs through the skin and helps to relax sore muscles. Prepare by gathering a bowl of warm water, a bowl of cool water, and two towels. Soak the towels, one in each bowl, then apply the warm moist towel (wring it out first) over the area for 3 minutes. Follow with a 30 second application of the towel from the cold bowl. Alternate 3 times and end with cold for maximum effect. Repeat several times a day until you are feeling better.   Part 6—Simple Things You Can Do To Stay Healthy: Spend At Least 30 Minutes a Day Outdoors by Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc Sunlight is every bit as central to our health and well-being as proper nutrition, clean water, and exercise. Naturopathic Doctors often recommend that we spend at least 30 minutes a day outdoors. Here are a few reasons why: Our bodies make Vitamin D when our skin is exposed to sunlight. 4-10 minutes in the noon day sun in the southern US, for example, produces the equivalent of 10,000 to 25,000 IU of oral Vitamin D. (Milk, for example, contains 400 IU Vitamin D per quart.) There is strong evidence for a protective effect of Vitamin D on healthy bone density, muscle weakness, more than a dozen types of internal cancers, multiple sclerosis and Type 1 Diabetes. You do not need to get a sunburn to get adequate vitamin D and suncreens that block UVB diminish our bodies ability to make Vitamin D. Sunlight affects moods positively and is a natural antidepressant.  Exposure to sunlight stimulates the pineal gland to produce melatonin which plays a role in proper sleep and has been shown to fight cancer.  When we are outdoors we tend to be more active by walking, hiking, and enjoying other physical activities. Also, being outdoors puts us in touch with nature and allows us to see and experience the rhythms and cycles of the natural world, reducing stress and increasing our sense of connectedness. If you live in a new house or work in a modern office building, you may be exposed to high levels of indoor air pollution. New buildings are well insulated, trapping gases from carpets, pesticide and cleaner residues, smoke, dust and other respiratory irritants. Being outdoors part of the day allows us to get fresh oxygen and reduces our exposure to indoor irritants.  Finally, by doing a brisk walk for 30 minutes outdoors every day you can accomplish several simple healthy tip[s at once!	Amy Day, ND Carl Hangee-Bauer, ND, LAc Michele Hangee-Bauer, Office Mgr Rehydration Solution Add the following to 1 liter of drinking water: 2-4 Tbs sugar or honey ¼ tsp sodium chloride salt ¼ tsp potassium chloride salt ¼ tsp baking soda (sodium bicarbonate) Optional: ½ cup juice to improve taste New positive studies on Green Tea & Cancer Green tea has been shown in a number of recent studies to have positive effects in both preventing and treating a wide variety of cancers. A study published in the journal Cancer Research in 2004 found that the polyphenols in green tea combats mouse prostate cancer on a number of levels, including reduction of cancer spread and reducing the ability of the cancer to get blood and nutrient supplies. The journal (Intl) Cancer published a study showing that 3 years after diagnosis of ovarian cancer, 78% of 104 green tea drinkers were still alive compared with 48% of 140 non-tea drinkers. And Phytotherapy Research reports that both black and green teas have been shown to counter brain enzymes associated with Alzheimer's disease, with green tea showing the best effects. Unfortunately for coffee drinkers, a Greek study published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reported that drinking just one cup of coffee daily increased the levels of inflammatory blood markers which have been linked with heart disease, arthritis, diabetes, and cancer.
© 2006