Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity

You know exercise is good for you, but do you know how good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your life. Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life. No. 1: Exercise controls weight Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don't need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can't do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores. No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls. No. 3: Exercise improves mood Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. No. 4: Exercise boosts energy Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores. No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don't exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep. No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise. No. 7: Exercise can be fun Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new. The bottom line on exercise Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any health concerns. Source : http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/exercise/HQ01676/NSECTIONGROUP=2 © 1998-2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.

Exercise for a Healthy Heart

A sedentary (inactive) lifestyle is one of the top risk factors for heart disease. Fortunately, it's a risk factor that you can do something about. Regular exercise, especially aerobic exercise, has many benefits. It can: * Strengthen your heart and cardiovascular system. * Improve your circulation and help your body use oxygen better. * Improve your heart failure symptoms. * Increase energy levels so you can do more activities without becoming tired or short of breath. * Increase endurance. * Lower blood pressure. * Improve muscle tone and strength. * Improve balance and joint flexibility. * Strengthen bones. * Help reduce body fat and help you reach a healthy weight. * Help reduce stress, tension, anxiety, and depression. * Boost self-image and self-esteem. * Improve sleep. * Make you feel more relaxed and rested. * Make you look fit and feel healthy. How Do I Get Started Exercising? Before starting an exercise program, talk to your doctor about: * Medication changes. New medications can greatly affect your response to exercise; your doctor can tell you if your normal exercise routine is still safe. * Heavy lifting. Make sure that lifting or pushing heavy objects and chores such as raking, shoveling, mowing, or scrubbing aren't off limits. Chores around the house can be tiring for some people; make sure you only do what you are able to do without getting tired. * Safe exercises. Get the doctor's approval before you lift weights, use a weight machine, jog, or swim. What Type of Exercise Is Best? * Stretching: slow lengthening of the muscles. Stretching the arms and legs before and after exercising helps prepare the muscles for activity and helps prevent injury and muscle strain. Regular stretching also increases your range of motion and flexibility. * Cardiovascular or aerobic: steady physical activity using large muscle groups. This type of exercise strengthens the heart and lungs and improves the body's ability to use oxygen. Aerobic exercise has the most benefits for your heart. Over time, aerobic exercise can help decrease your heart rate and blood pressure at rest and improve your breathing. * Strengthening: repeated muscle contractions (tightening) until the muscle becomes tired. For people with heart failure, many strengthening exercises are not recommended. (See below) What Are Examples of Aerobic Exercises? Aerobic exercises include: walking, jogging, jumping rope, bicycling (stationary or outdoor), cross-country skiing, skating, rowing, and low-impact aerobics or water aerobics. How Often Should I Exercise? In general, to achieve maximum benefits, you should gradually work up to an aerobic session lasting 20 to 30 minutes, at least three to four times a week. Exercising every day or every other day will help you keep a regular aerobic exercise schedule. Source : ©2005-2011 WebMD, LLC. All rights reserved. WebMD does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.

Health Benefits of Regular Physical Exercise: What are the Facts?

Introduction Regular physical activity provides enormous health benefits. It helps reduce heart disease, cancer, type 2 diabetes and many other diseases and metabolic conditions. Regular fitness exercise is also highly beneficial for weight reduction and weight maintenance, and may improve brain chemistry to reduce depression. By contrast, health studies that have monitored the wellbeing of large groups of people over many years clearly show that inactivity significantly increases the risk of overweight, obesity and chronic diseases. The Healthy Weight Loss Program That Gives You REAL Personal Support The Health Benefits of Exercise Studies show that regular physical activity: - improves your chances of living longer - improves quality of life - reduces the risk of heart disease - helps lower high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol - helps protect you from developing certain cancers - helps prevent or control type 2 diabetes (adult-onset diabetes) - reduces the risk of arthritis and alleviates associated symptoms - helps prevent osteoporosis (gradual loss of bone mass/strength) - improves mobility and strength in later life - alleviates symptoms of depression and anxiety - benefits weight reduction and weight management What is the Healthiest Type of Exercise? Different types of exercise offer different benefits. Aerobic or cardio workouts primarily improve the cardiovascular system (heart, lungs), while weight-training or strength-training improves muscular strength and flexibility or stretching exercises improve overall mobility and coordination. Cardiovascular Exercise If you lead a fairly inactive or sedentary life, any increase in aerobic activity is good for you. Studies show that a brisk walk for even one to two hours a week (15 to 20 minutes a day) reduces your risk of having a heart attack or stroke, developing diabetes, or premature death. Weight-bearing aerobic exercise can also strengthen joints, and improve bone strength. How Much Exercise is Needed? The U.S. Surgeon General,(1) along with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine, recommend getting a minimum of 30 minutes of moderate-intensity physical activity on most days of the week. You can do all 30 minutes at once or break it up into 10- or 15-minute periods. Moderate intensity exercise or physical activity is activity that causes a slight but noticeable increase in breathing and heart rate. One way to gauge moderate activity is with the "talk test" - exercising hard enough to break a sweat but not so hard you can't comfortably carry on a conversation. Brisk walking is an ideal moderate-intensity activity. For the average person, a brisk walk means walking 3-4 miles an hour, or about as fast as you'd walk if you were late for a ball-game or PTA meeting! Walking Improves Health Research studies like the Nurses' Health Study, Health Professionals Follow-up Study, Women's Health Study, Harvard Health Study, National Health Interview Survey, Women's Health Initiative, Honolulu Heart Program, and others show that this simple form of exercise substantially reduces the risk of developing heart disease, stroke, and diabetes in different populations. 30 Minutes Exercise is Not a Maximum Training Period Although a mere 30 minutes of moderate-intensity activity a day is an excellent way to start, exercising longer, harder, or both can result in even greater health benefits. Exercise For Weight Reduction If you are walking or exercising mainly to reduce weight, 30 minutes or so a day will only be beneficial if you also monitor your calorie-intake. Even then, you may need to increase the duration or intensity of your workout. A report from the US Institute of Medicine reveals that it takes 60 minutes a day of moderate-intensity activity to maintain a healthy weight. Among the 3,000 men and women who are part of the National Weight Control Registry, a select club that includes only people who lost more than 30 pounds and kept them off for at least a year, the average participant burns an average of 400 calories per day in physical activity. That's the equivalent of about an hour of brisk walking. Strength-Training This type of exercise (also called weight-training or resistance training) includes any workout that uses resistance - like weights - to strengthen and condition the musculo-skeletal system. It includes, weight-lifting, resistance band workouts, cycling, climbing stairs, as well as exercises like pushups. Such exercises can improve metabolic rate, coordination, balance, muscle strength and overall physical condition. Strength-Training Improves Metabolic Rate The point is, muscle is metabolically active - it needs calories to work, repair and refuel itself. By contrast, body-fat needs very few calories to sustain itself. From our mid 20s onwards, we gradually lose muscle as part of the natural aging process. This means that the number of calories we need each day decreases. So if we continue to eat the same amount of calories, we gain weight. By taking regular strength training exercise, it is possible to reduce this loss of lean muscle tissue and even replace some that has been lost already. Health studies repeatedly show that strength training increases muscle mass, decreases fat tissue and raisesmetabolic rate. Strength-Training Improves Bone Health Another health benefit of resistance training is improved bone health. In addition to weight bearing cardiovascular exercise, strength training has been shown to reduce osteoporosis. For example, according to one study of postmenopausal women, 2 strength training sessions a week for one year increased bone mineral density by 1 percent. A sedentary control group lost 2 percent in the same time period. Strength-Training Improves Physical Quality of Life Among elderly people, resistance training can help improve/maintain the ability to carry out basic functional tasks such as walking, rising from a chair, climbing stairs and so on, thereby enhancing confidence, independence and quality of life. Flexibility Training Stretching exercises are also beneficial for health and physical fitness. Studies show that this type of flexibility training increases your range of motion, while reducing exercise-related muscle soreness and injury. In addition, by warming up and cooling down with 5 minutes of stretches before and after your workout, you will minimize the risk of looking bulkier, especially in your thigh and calf muscles. Sources: Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition Physical Activity and Health: A report of the Surgeon General. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. (1996) Pate RR, Pratt M, Blair SN, et al. Physical activity and public health. A recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the American College of Sports Medicine. JAMA 1995; 273:402-7. Manson JE, Hu FB, Rich-Edwards JW, et al. A prospective study of walking as compared with vigorous exercise in the prevention of coronary heart disease in women. N Engl J Med 1999; 341:650-8. Hu FB, Sigal RJ, Rich-Edwards JW, et al. Walking compared with vigorous physical activity and risk of type 2 diabetes in women: a prospective study. JAMA 1999; 282:1433-9. Tanasescu M, Leitzmann MF, Rimm EB, Willett WC, Stampfer MJ, Hu FB. Exercise type and intensity in relation to coronary heart disease in men. JAMA 2002; 288:1994-2000. Lee IM, Rexrode KM, Cook NR, Manson JE, Buring JE. Physical activity and coronary heart disease in women: is "no pain, no gain" passe? JAMA 2001; 285:1447-54. Sesso HD, Paffenbarger RS, Jr., Lee IM. Physical activity and coronary heart disease in men: The Harvard Alumni Health Study. Circulation 2000; 102:975-80. Gregg EW, Gerzoff RB, Caspersen CJ, Williamson DF, Narayan KM. Relationship of walking to mortality among US adults with diabetes. Arch Intern Med 2003; 163:1440-7. Manson JE, Greenland P, LaCroix AZ, et al. Walking compared with vigorous exercise for the prevention of cardiovascular events in women. N Engl J Med 2002; 347:716-25. Hakim AA, Curb JD, Petrovitch H, et al. Effects of walking on coronary heart disease in elderly men: the Honolulu Heart Program. Circulation 1999; 100:9-13. Jakicic JM, Marcus BH, Gallagher KI, Napolitano M, Lang W. Effect of exercise duration and intensity on weight loss in overweight, sedentary women: a randomized trial. JAMA 2003; 290:1323-30. Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for energy, carbohydrate, fiber, fat, fatty acids, cholesterol, protein, and amino acids. Washington, DC: National Academies Press, 2002. Wing RR, Hill JO. Successful weight loss maintenance. Annu Rev Nutr 2001; 21:323-41. Ballor D, Poehlman E, Resting Metabolic Rate and coronary heart risk in aerobically and resistance trained women. Amercian Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1992; 56:968-74. Broeder C, Burrhus K, et al. The effects of either high intensity resistance or endurance training on resting metabolic rate. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1992; 55:802-810. Campbell W, Crim M, et al. Increased energy requirements and changes in body composition with resistance training in older adults. American Journal of Clinical Nutrition 1994; 60:167-75. Nelson ME, Fiatarone CM, et al. Effects of high-intensity strength training on multiple risk factors for osteoporotic fractures. A randomized controlled trial. JAMA 1994; 272:1909-14 Source : http://www.annecollins.com/health-benefits-of-exercise.htm Add Your Site | Site Map © 2000-2007 Anne Collins. All rights reserved.

Physical Fitness In America

Americans today are living in the generation of big screen TV’s, the all you can eat buffet and armchair quarterbacks. Finding ways to accomplish things with as little physical work as possible has become revered and take out pizza has replaced mom’s home-made lasagna. With the fast pace at which Americans live and the desire for everything to be easy and fast driving many individuals it is no wonder that America is loosing it’s battle against disease and obesity. During a 2006 study the National Center for Disease Control determined that the percentage of adult’s age 20 years and over who are overweight or obese was an astounding 67 percent. As if that were not bad enough, it showed that the lack of physical fitness leading to obesity was affecting not only the adults, but their children as well. The numbers for adolescents age 12-19 were 18 percent, children age 6-11 were 15 percent and children age 2-5 had an overweight or obese percentage of 11 percent. These percentages are shown to have been on a steady incline since their studies in 1971. Aside from obesity, afflictions that have been linked to poor physical fitness and obesity such as heart disease, cancer and diabetes took the lives of over 1 million people in 2006 alone. In America 1 The World Health Organization in Geneva, Switzerland released data that showed when looking disease (such as cardiovascular and heart disease, cancer and diabetes) mortality rates before age 75, America came in dead last out of the 19 nations studied. Americans have abandoned hard work and nutrition for convenient and fast. Many American families no longer have a sit down dinner prepared at home. When Americans choose to grab fast food instead of a home cooked meal they are subjected to high levels of hydrogenated vegetable oils and preservatives. Portion sizes that have become “the norm” in America are two to three times the size of normal portions in other countries. The thought of “bigger is better” has caused Americans to keep super sizing their way to an ever increasing waist line and fatal diseases. Along with the lack of proper nutrition, Americans have become lazy. Going to play basketball has been replaced by playing a basketball video game. The importance of daily physical activity has been lost. Even the schools that are in charge of educating the population have reduced physical and nutritional education, along with taking away the time children have to run and play outdoors. In America 2 Although the detrimental changes to physical fitness in America have been taking their toll on all ages, it can be reversed. Nutritional changes may be difficult for many people to make at first. Bodies become mentally “addicted” in a sense to fatty, sugar packed and over processed food. But after just a few short weeks of beginning to eat healthier, the body begins to crave the new healthier foods much more. Adding between 7 to 9 servings of fruits and vegetables every day to the American diet can help give a person the required nutrients and fiber their body needs to begin functioning properly. Reducing intake of animal fats, drinking between 90 and 100 ounces of water a day and reducing sugar intake may seem like an impossible task considering how much of the American food choices consist of all the negatives and little of the good. When choosing to prepare fresh food at home, however, you can monitor the amounts of sugar or fats that are going into your dinner, making it much easier to make these changes. Diet alone is not enough, however, to get Americans physically fit. It will take hard work. Exercise and physical activity is essential to a healthy body. The National Institute of Health recommends at least 30 to 45 minutes of continuous physical activity every day at the very minimum. Adding weight training to exercise can help your body to burn excess fat better, and aid in overall body strength. This will help you to enjoy more strenuous activity without becoming quickly exhausted. In America 3 Although Americans have fallen into a lifestyle that promotes ill health and disease, a few simple lifestyle changes can help to turn around this trend and get Americans back to being lively and physically fit. Copyright © 2009 PhysicalFitness.com - All rights reserved. Website Privacy | Terms | Contact

Agility training: how to develop an athletes reaction time

A training programme to improve your reaction time Objective: to improve reaction, main focus on whole body response. Suitable for: a variety of field and racquet sport players. Can also be used by sprint and other power athletes, as a means of improving their general reaction and coordination. Many of the drills require acceleration and agility plus reaction, which makes them particularly relevant to sport. Reaction is obviously crucial in numerous sporting situations, for example, for a football defender reacting to a striker who is turning to try to spin past them. If the defender is able to 1) react, and 2) crucially position their body in the most efficient position to turn and accelerate, then they will be all the more likely to dispossess the attacker of the ball. Time in the training year: all year round – the drills can be incorporated into sports specific warm ups after body temperature has been increased by relevant CV exercise and preliminary dynamic mobility drills and sports specific practices have been performed – see dynamic warm ups A bit more on reaction Top sports coach Brian McKenzie defines reaction as follows: ‘Reaction time is the interval between the presentation of a stimulus and the initiation of the muscular response to that stimulus. A primary factor affecting a response is the number of possible stimuli, each requiring their own response to those that are presented.’ Basically Brian is saying that the more factors that could influence a decision, the longer the response may be. These are the types of situations that occur in field sports games, where a defender will perhaps not only have to ‘mark’ the player nearest to him, but will also need to adjust to his fellow defenders and the movements of other opposition players. Although beyond the scope of this PPP workout it should be noted that experience and being able to ‘read the game’ and visual acuity are also key determinants of reactive ability and are applicable to numerous sporting situations. (Ref: www.brianmac.co.uk/reaction.htm) Although reaction to opponents or team-mates or both is often dependent on anticipation in sports such as football and basketball, it can be improved through sport specific practices and drills. It is also important that the sportsman or sportswoman is ‘in the zone’ and concentrating when they train for reaction, otherwise responses and training transference will be reduced. 1) Kneeling to sprint 10–20m Purpose: to develop acceleration – great for rugby and football players who will find themselves on the ground during match play. Equipment: cones to mark the finish. Description: kneel on all fours. On a command given by the coach or training partner react quickly and sprint 10m. Technique tips: encourage the first step from the kneeling position to be made with the stronger leg, whilst maintaining a low driving position during acceleration. Variation: include a sports specific skill, for example a rugby player could have to run into a tackle bag. Do: 4 repetitions. 2) To the left or right reaction drill Purpose: to develop change of direction reaction and acceleration – particularly relevant to all sports and field sport players. Equipment: tape/cones. Description: mark out three lines, each 10–15m apart. Straddle the centre line, assuming a ready stance with feet shoulder width apart and facing to the front. On the coach’s command ‘left’ or ‘right’, react, turn and sprint in that direction Coaching points: although this drill is fun, stress the importance of quick pushing strides to accelerate rapidly, after dropping the centre of gravity by bending the knees and pushing off from the turning foot . The accelerative strides should be made with the legs pushing behind the body. Variations: change the commands of ‘left’ or ‘right’ to a clap and whistle – having informed the performer which sound indicates left or right Do: 10. 3) Ball drop reaction drill Purpose: to develop reaction and explosive first steps – suitable for all field and racquet sport players and sprinters. Equipment: football. Description: you’ll need a partner to do this drill. They should hold the ball at shoulder height and out to one side of their body and then drop it. You will need to react, accelerate and attempt to catch the ball before it bounces for a second time. Trial and error will be needed to establish the ‘right’ distance to make the drill most effective. Coaching points: stress a snappy first step, with a dynamic leg drive and head up position. 4) ‘Falling’ starts over 10m Purpose: to react in order to achieve a technically correct quick get away – suitable for field and racquet sport players and sprinters. Equipment: cone. Description: stand with your feet shoulder-width apart. Then, keeping your body straight, start to lean forwards to lose balance. When you reach a position when you would fall, quickly advance one leg dynamically forward to ‘catch’ yourself and accelerate away. Try not to advance this foot too far in front of you as this will block your fall and slow the acceleration – learning to ‘catch’ the fall and initiating the drive from the same leg can give a footballer, for example, an extra half-yard on their opponent by teaching a smooth transition from a falling/ standing position when acceleration is needed. The acceleration movement should be made with the legs working ‘behind the body’ pushing against the ground. The movement should be initiated from the hip flexors – the muscles at the top of the thighs. Coaching points: confidence is required for this drill and it should be progressed slowly whilst this gained. The aim is to achieve a fluid ‘fall and sprint’. Discourage a ‘step and sprint’ movement. During the acceleration phase a forward lean of the body should be maintained past the finish line at 10m. 5) T drill with ball catch Purpose: to develop agility plus hand eye and body coordination – particularly relevant for cricketers, racquet sports players, rugby and basketball players and football goalkeepers. Equipment: 4 cones, ball (rugby, cricket, football, basketball depending on sport). Description: use 4 cones to mark out a T shape (the base of the T should be 3m long, as should the bar). From the bottom of the T, sprint to the mid-cone in the bar of the T, drop into a squat type position and then sidestep to the left end cone and across to the right end cone, back to the centre cone and then back pedal to the start. The coach should stand in front of the T holding a ball. At any time whilst the athlete is performing the drill they should throw the ball for the athlete to catch. Depending on the sport, the ball can then be passed back (for basketball, for example) or held until the drill is completed. The drill could be included in a circuit or repeated 4-6 times with, for example, 30 seconds’ recovery between efforts. This would introduce fatigue, which is something that may lead to the break down of both the agility and reaction and catch aspect of the drill. Repetition would therefore develop specific endurance, which would reduce the potential of this occurring in a match situation. Coaching points: remain light on your feet throughout the drill and make short dynamic steps. You will need to keep your head up in order to watch for the ball being thrown to you. Do: 2-6. 6) Heads up – ball reaction drill Purpose: to develop hand eye coordination, particularly relevant for field sport players. Equipment: netballs, basketball, rugby balls, reflexive of the sport. Description: players stand in a large circle approximately 3m from each other. Two balls are passed around the circle. In response to the coach blowing a whistle the direction of the pass is altered. Coaching points: players should pass to the players’ chests and have their hands up and ready to catch. They should also communicate with each other, as they would in a game situation, in order to ready each other for the catch/catches Variations: introduce more balls dependent on the number of players in the circle. Using two balls pass one anti-clockwise and the other clockwise. Players should not throw the ball into the back of one of their colleagues who may not be facing the pass (!) – rather, if this situation seems likely they should call out the player’s name to alert them and pause before passing. Players may also have to ‘think’ to slow down the passage of one or both balls in order to prevent them catching up with one another which in would in all likelihood lead to the practice breaking down. Source : http://www.pponline.co.uk ©P2P Publishing Ltd. No material may be reproduced without permission.3

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10 Tips to Prevent Motion Sickness Motion sickness , sometimes referred to as sea sickness or car sickness, is a very common disturbance of the inner ear that is caused by repeated motion. In addition to sea travel, motion sickness can develop from the movement of a car or from turbulence in an airplane. The symptoms of motion sickness are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, sweating, and a sense of feeling unwell. These symptoms arise from the inner ear (labyrinth) due to changes in one's sense of balance and equilibrium. While it may be impossible to prevent all cases of motion sickness, the following tips can help you prevent or lessen the severity of motion sickness: 1. Watch your consumption of foods, drinks, and alcohol before and during travel. Avoid excessive alcohol and foods or liquids that "do not agree with you" or make you feel unusually full. Heavy, spicy, or fat-rich foods may worsen motion sickness in some people. 2. Avoiding strong food odors may also help prevent nausea. 3. Try to choose a seat where you will experience the least motion. The middle of an airplane over the wing is the calmest area of an airplane. On a ship, those in lower level cabins near the center of a ship generally experience less motion than passengers in higher or outer cabins. 4. Do not sit facing backwards from your direction of travel. 5. Sit in the front seat of a car. 6. Do not read while traveling if you are prone to motion sickness. 7. When traveling by car or boat, it can sometimes help to keep your gaze fixed on the horizon or on a fixed point. 8. Open a vent or source of fresh air if possible. 9. Isolate yourself from others who may be suffering from motion sickness. Hearing others talk about motion sickness or seeing others becoming ill can sometimes make you feel ill yourself. 10. The over-the-counter medication meclizine (Bonine, Antivert, Dramamine) can be a very effective preventive measure for short trips or for mild cases of motion sickness. Your doctor also may choose to prescribe medications for longer trips or if you repeatedly develop severe motion sickness. One example of a prescription medication is a patch containing scopolamine (Transderm-Scop) that often is effective in preventing motion sickness. Remember that scopolamine can cause drowsiness and has other side effects, and its use should be discussed with your physician prior to your trip. ©1996-2011 MedicineNet, Inc. All rights reserved. Terms of Use. MedicineNet does not provide medical advice, diagnosis or treatment. See additional information.

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Dynamic Stretching Routine and Tips While static stretching basically means no movement, dynamic stretching equates to actively stretching through a range of motion. Scientific studies have actually shown static stretching’s negative affect on performance. It is almost as if static stretching puts the muscles to sleep. To perform optimally in your given event or exercise program perform dynamic stretching before you go into your sporting event or exercise program. This in essence will wake up the muscles. This article will help you maximally perform dynamic stretching. What Dynamic Stretching is not? Dynamic stretching is not ballistic stretching. Ballistic stretching has a couple disadvantages according to Allen Hedrick: “1) There is an increased danger of exceeding the extensibility limits of the tissues involved. 2) Activation of the stretch reflex.”(4 ) What is Dynamic Stretching? It utilizes active movement to take the body part through its range of motion. This active movement prepares the muscles for exercise. Examples of dynamic stretching include: walking lunges with upper body twist, walking knee hugs and much more. It is used to both wake up and warm up the body along with stretching it. Why Develop Balance-One great although less mentioned benefit of dynamic stretching is its development of balance. Many of the exercises are done standing and often require you to be on one leg at a time. Various exercises like the superman (see below), leg cradles, knee hugs are one leg exercises. Wake up the Muscles-Static stretching in essence puts the muscles to sleep (I want to point out that asleep is more of a metaphor). So immediately after performing static stretching dynamic stretching should be implemented as a way to wake up the muscles and prepare them for the exercise or event to come. Make you stronger-Certain Dynamic stretches will actually make you stronger. According to Core Performance, “As opposed to a traditional warm-up, movement prep actually makes you stronger…”(3) Specific way to prepare the body for exercise or sport-According to Allen Hedrick, “Dynamic flexibility provides a more sport-specific mode of stretching than does the other more commonly used stretching techniques..” I would add that it also provides movement specific warm up to everyday fitness people as well. Just because an athlete uses Dynamic flexibility does not mean that you cannot reap the benefits as well. (4) Performance Enhancement- There is some evidence to suggest a performance enhancement with dynamic stretching. One study suggested that dynamic stretching enhanced muscular performance. (2)Another study compared static stretching, dynamic stretching with front squats and dynamic stretching. The study showed a dynamic warm-up produced greater sprint and jump performances compared to a warm-up consisting of static stretching. (1) Warm Up the body-Dynamic Stretching will also warm up the body and the working muscles to prepare for activity. Reduce Injuries-Because of the nature of dynamic stretching, injuries rates can go down. One person tested this on a softball team and found injury rates lower for the dynamically stretched group compared to another team on a static stretching based program. When is the best time to perform Dynamic Stretching? The best time is immediately before exercise or a game. After you do dynamic stretching you should then go into your exercise program or sport, ready to perform. Where dynamic stretching should be done? Dynamic Stretching is performed at the location of your exercise or game. If the stretching and warm up routine are done too far from your exercise location your muscles could cool down. Then you would need to go through the routine again. Dynamic stretching requires more room than static stretching. Because of the nature of the stretches, movement will be required. Preferably you would want about 5-10 yards at least to be able to do your stretches. For athletes this is typically not an issue. Who Athletes, weekend warriors, and everyday fitness individuals can do dynamic stretching, unless it is contraindicated. Certain dynamic exercises could possibly cause grave damage if done under the wrong circumstances. If you had any major injuries or surgeries please consult with a doctor before you do these types of stretches. If you are elderly dynamic stretching could cause a fall risk. Consult with a doctor in this instance too. Certain types of dynamic stretches require shoulder and arm strength. If you struggle with shoulder stability or arm strength you may be unable to complete all dynamic stretches. How-Dynamic Stretching Routine Dynamic stretching utilizes gravity, body weight and the muscles to achieve the proper warm up and dynamic flexibility. You will stretch the muscles used in your workout dynamically, or with movement. Design your dynamic stretching routine around the activity or sport you are doing. A swimmer's warm up routine will be different from a soccer player's. WIth that as a background lets get into routine design. How many Repetitions? The first measure is do you feel warmed up. There are general guidelines out there but ultimately you want muscles and a body that feels warmed up to the point where you can compete. Your objective is to warm up the muscles and wake them up. You should shoot for approximately 5 to 10 repetitions (3) of each exercise in your dynamic stretching routine. You will find that 5 repetitions per exercise might suffice if you are quite out of shape. As you progress forward shoot for 10 repetions or maybe more if you are not warmed up. A word of warning. Many of the exercises involved in dynamic stretching can be very difficult to do. So start slow and learn the movements first before increasing the number of repetitions. Dynamic stretching exercises can be viewed under the purple bar titled "Dynamic Stretching by Muscle" on the Dynamic Stretching homepage. References * 1. RA, N. (2009). The acute effect of different warm-up protocols on anaerobic performance in elite youth soccer players. J Strength Cond Res. , 2614-2620. * 2. Yamaguchi T, I. K. (2005). Effects of static stretching for 30 seconds and dynamic stretching on leg extension power. J Strength Cond Res , 677-683. * 4. Hedrick, A. N. (October 2000). Dynamic Flexibility Training. Strength and Conditioning Journal , Vol 22, Number 5, pages 33-38. * 3. Performance, C. (n.d.). Movement Prep. Retrieved from Core Performance: http://www.coreperformance.com/knowledge/training/movement-prep.html Stretching World © 2010 | Privacy Policy

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RI assured of one champion`s title at Indonesia badminton open Samarinda, East Kalimantan (ANTARA News) - Indonesia is now assured of a champion`s title with the victory of its men`s single player, Taufik Hidayat, over China`s Zhengming Wang at the quarterfinals of the Indonesia Open Grandprix Gold badminton tournament here on Friday. Taufik beat Zhengming Wang in a straight set 21-17, 21-15. With Taufik`s win, Indonesia will field four men`s single players in the semifinals on Saturday, namely Taufik, Tommy Sugiarto, Alamsyah Yunus and Dionysium Hayom Rumbaka. Tommy Sugiarto advanced to the semifinals after beating Kwong Beng Chang of Malaysia 21-15, 21-19 while Dionysius Hayom Rumbaka defeated Takume Ueda of Japan 21-14, 21-16. Alamsyah Yunus also qualified for the semifinals following his victory over Misbun Ramdan Mohme Misbun from Malaysia 21-16, 21-14. Other semifinalists from Indonesia are Anneke Feinya Agustin and Nitya Krishinda Maheswari in the women`s doubles. They are to meet China`s eighth-seeded Bao Yixin/Qianxin Zhong. Anneke Feinya/Nitya Krishinda won a spot in the semifinals after defeating compatriots Vita Marissa/Nadya Melati 21-13, 21-11. Indonesian mixed doubles players Nova Widianto/Vita Marissa meanwhile would meet China`s fourth-seeded Chen Ju/Jin Wa in the semifinals. In the men`s doubles event, Yohanes Rendy Sugiarto/Afiat Yuris Wirawan gained a place in the semifinals after subduing Yao Ha Ow/Wee King Tan of Malaysia 21-19, 21-17. Yohanes Rendy Sugiarto/Afiat Yuris Wirawan will meet seventh-seeded from Japan Hiroyuki Endo/Kenichi Hayakawa. (*) Sumber: * www.antaranews.com * Copyright © 2011

http://en.wikipedia.org

BWF World Championships From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia Jump to: navigation, search Official logo until 2006 The BWF World Championships (formerly known as IBF World Championships, also known as the World Badminton Championships) is a tournament organized by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) to crown the best badminton players in the world. The tournament started in 1977 and was held once every three years until 1983. However, the IBF faced difficulty in hosting the first two events as the World Badminton Federation (which later merged with the IBF to form one badminton federation) hosted the same tournament a year after the IBF World Championships with the same goals. Started 1985, the tournament became bi-annual and played once every two years until 2005. Starting 2006, the tournament was changed to an annual event on the BWF calendar with the goal to give more chances for the players to be crowned as official "World Champions". However, the tournament will not be held once every four years to give way to the Olympic Games. Location of the World Championships The table below gives an overview of all host cities and countries of the World Championships. The most recent games were held in London. The number in parentheses following the city/country denotes how many times that city/country has hosted the championships. From 1989 to 2001 the world championships were held immediately after the Sudirman Cup at the same location. Past winners Main article: Gold medalists at the BWF World Championships So far, only 17 countries have achieved at least a bronze medal in the tournament: nine in Asia, five in Europe, one in North America, South America, and Oceania. Africa is the only continent that has not won a medal. [edit] Successful players & national teams [edit] Successful players Several players have won gold medals in more than one category in a World Championship; this includes: * Denmark Lene Køppen, 1977, mixed doubles and women's singles * Indonesia Christian Hadinata, 1980, men's doubles and mixed doubles * South Korea Park Joo-bong, 1985, men's doubles and mixed doubles, 1991, men's doubles and mixed doubles * China Han Aiping, 1985, women's singles and doubles * China Ge Fei, 1997, women's doubles and mixed doubles * South Korea Kim Dong-moon, 1999, men's doubles and mixed doubles * China Gao Ling, 2001, women's doubles and mixed doubles From 1977 up to 2001, the medals were usually divided among five countries, namely China, Korea, Denmark, Indonesia, Malaysia. However, in 2003, the winners included seven countries and in 2005 the medal board contained a record high of ten countries. Tony Gunawan also bears the distinction of winning a gold medal in Men's Doubles, representing two different countries, 2001 partnering with Halim Haryanto for Indonesia and in 2005 partnering with Howard Bach to give the United States its first medal in the competition. The 2005 edition also brought new faces in the mixed doubles event which had been dominated by China and Korea since 1997. With the retirement of defending champions and two time winners Kim Dong-moon/Ra Kyung-min (Korea), Nova Widianto/Lilyana Natsir won Indonesia's first mixed doubles gold since 1980 when Christian Hadinata/Imelda Wiguna won it last for Indonesia. Below is the list of the most successful players ever, with 3 or more gold medals.[1] Rank Player MS WS MD WD XD Total 1 South Korea Park Joo-bong 2 3 5 2 China Gao Ling 3 1 4 China Lin Dan 4 4 China Cai Yun 4 4 China Fu Haifeng 4 4 3 China Ge Fei 2 1 3 China Guan Weizhen 3 3 China Han Aiping 2 1 3 China Huang Sui 3 3 South Korea Kim Dong-moon 1 2 3 China Li Lingwei 2 1 3 China Lin Ying 3 3 MS: Men's singles; WS: Women's singles; MD: Men's doubles; WD: Women's doubles; XD: Mixed doubles [edit] Successful national teams Below is the gold medalists shown based by category and countries after the 2007 BWF World Championships. China has been the most successful in the World Championships ever since its inception in 1977. They were the only country ever to achieve a shutout of the medals which they did in 1987, 2010 and 2011. They are followed by Indonesia and Korea with Denmark being the leading European country in the winners list. Rank Country 77 80 83 85 87 89 91 93 95 97 99 01 03 05 06 07 09 10 11 Total 1 China 2 3 5 4 3 1 1 3 21 3 3 22 4 3 4 5 5 53 2 Indonesia 1 4 1 3 2 1 2 22 2 18 3 Denmark 3 1 1 1 1 1 1 1 10 4 South Korea Korea 2 1 2 1 21 1 9 5 England 1 1 1 3 6 Sweden 1 1 2 7 Japan 1 1 United States 1 1 BOLD means overall winner of that World Championships ^1 China and Korea are tied with two gold medals. However, Korea won two silver medals and China won none, thus Korea became the overall winner. ^2 China won on superior of silver medal of four silver medals to Indonesia one, thus, China became overall winner. * This page was last modified on 15 October 2011 at 08:22. * Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License; additional terms may apply. See Terms of use for details. Wikipedia® is a registered trademark of the Wikimedia Foundation, Inc., a non-profit organization. * Contact us

http://www.guardian.co.uk

Wales bow out of World Cup with pride intact after defeat to Australia A tournament that promised so much for Wales a week ago, with talk of new dawns and horizons, ended in the stale familiarity of a narrow defeat to a Tri-Nations side, their second of the World Cup. Australia left with the bronze medal, but what meant far more to them than a symbol of failure was an end to a 25-year sequence of defeats in Auckland. The play-off is a scrap for a prize no one wants. There is an element of cruelty to it, forcing players whose minds had drifted elsewhere the week before to rouse themselves for a battle they do not have the heart for and Wales suffered a marked drop in the intensity that had characterised their previous six matches in the tournament. They even conceded points in the final quarter for the first time since their opening group game against South Africa, and for all the gains they have made in the World Cup in terms of conditioning and a varied tactical approach they have still to find a way of defeating sides above them in the world rankings. They have played the Tri-Nations teams 45 times in the professional era and won on three occasions, while they have prevailed against France in seven of the last 34 meetings. The combined margin of their defeats in this World Cup to South Africa, France and Australia was five points, missed kicks costing them each time. Wales missed three kicks against Australia, including a penalty from James Hook, a player who is struggling to find his instinctive touch, and while their kickers found their range against Namibia and Fiji, matches where the result was never in doubt, when the pressure was on they became inaccurate. Since the group stage they have missed 10 attempts at goal out of 17. Australia not only had a better strike-rate in the play-off but they were more accurate in their passing. Their defence, the staple of their campaign, was rarely stretched as Wales reverted to the predictable and even though the Wallabies lost Kurtley Beale, who aggravated a hamstring injury, and Quade Cooper, who twisted his knee as he tried to jink through the Wales defence and ruptured the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee, leaving them with just five of the players who had started the semi-final against New Zealand, they were largely in control. It was a miserable end to the tournament for Cooper, who insisted on limping off rather than risking being jeered by the crowd as he lay on a stretcher, and his departure had a material bearing on the outcome. He attended the presentation ceremony on crutches, with his right leg immobilised, and it was when Berrick Barnes moved to outside-half that the Wallabies started to flummox Wales. Cooper had tried to bedazzle defenders with his footwork but did not riddle them with doubt. Barnes was more understated, bringing his outside backs into play early, kicking when nothing was on and breaking when he saw space. It was the sort of performance Rhys Priestland had given for Wales before injuring his shoulder towards the end of the quarter-final against Ireland, and while Wales missed the prop Adam Jones, surprisingly vulnerable up front, and the flanker Sam Warburton it was Priestland's absence they felt most acutely. Wales conceded a soft try on 11 minutes when Cooper fed Barnes from a scrum and the Welsh midfield became distracted by a decoy run made by James O'Connor coming in from the right wing. Jamie Roberts and Jonathan Davies looked at each other as Barnes touched down underneath the posts and their game deteriorated into a series of kicks downfield. "We made too many silly mistakes," said Roberts. "Defeats at this level come down to a missed kick or a missed tackle. It is brutal." Wales did haul themselves back with Shane Williams's 56th international try after Hook's only decisive contribution with the ball in hand, even if there was a forward pass, but two breakdown offences allowed O'Connor to restore his side's lead and Ben McCalman's try five minutes from time sealed a comfortable victory. Wales clambered off the floor to put together a 31-phase move that ended with Leigh Halfpenny ensuring they had the last word. It was a tribute to their endurance but a tournament record of four victories and three defeats seems an indifferent return for a side that was within one kick of making the final. "We were not quite up for this game emotionally as we were in the others," said the Wales coach, Warren Gatland. "We can take a lot from this tournament and the players will be stronger for this experience." It was left to Stephen Jones, a veteran of four World Cup campaigns, to sum up a campaign that held little in the way of expectation outside the squad at the outset but which gradually generated a momentum that left many here feeling they were the main threat to New Zealand: "We have put a lot of pride back into Welsh rugby and that is of huge importance. We now have to become more ruthless." Wales Halfpenny; North, J Davies (Scott Williams, 69), Roberts, Shane Williams; Hook (S Jones, 50), Phillips (L Williams, 63); Jenkins (capt), Bennett (Burns, 69), James (Bevington, 63), Charteris (AW Jones, 52), B Davies, Lydiate (Powell, 63), Faletau, R Jones. Tries S Williams, Halfpenny. Con S Jones. Pens Hook, S Jones. Australia Beale (Horne, 9); O'Connor, Ashley-Cooper, Barnes, Ioane; Cooper (A Faingaa, 20), Genia (Burgess, 63); Slipper, Polota-Nau (S Faingaa, 53), Ma'afu (Alexander, 60), Horwill (capt; Samo, 69), Sharpe (Simmons, 45), Higginbotham, Pocock, McCalman. Tries Barnes, McCalman. Con O'Connor. Pens O'Connor 2. Drop goal Barnes. Referee W Barnes (England). Attendance 53,013. * Print thisPrintable version * Send to a friend * Share * Clip * Contact us * larger | smaller Sport * Rugby World Cup 2011 · * Wales rugby union team · * Australia rugby union team · * Rugby union More match reports See also * 21 Oct 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011: Wales denied once more as Australia take third * 20 Oct 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011: Wales look for consolation with a bronze finish * 4 Oct 2011 Rugby World Cup 2011: Northern soul is the top draw this weekend * 11 Sep 2011 The best of the Rugby World Cup action – in pictures * Print thisPrintable version * Send to a friend * Share * Clip * Contact us * Article history Ads by Google * Offshore Savings Compared We Can Find You The Very Highest Offshore Savings Rates. Enquire Now www.OffshoreInvestmentDesigner.com * Rugby Shirt Customize you own rugby shirt Order online get 20% discount www.playmore-sports.com * Rp 300.000 Free on Google Advertise On Google And Gain New Customers. Sign Up Today! www.Google.com/AdWords3 * © 2011 Guardian News and Media Limited or its affiliated companies. All rights reserved.

http://www.independent.co.uk/sport

Football League accepts big clubs' academies plan By Jack Pitt-Brooke Friday, 21 October 2011 * Share The Independent Close o DiggDigg o del.icio.usdel.icio.us o FacebookFacebook o RedditReddit o GoogleGoogle o Stumble UponStumble Upon o FarkFark o NewsvineNewsvine o zYahooBuzz o BeboBebo o TwitterTwitter o CommentsComments * Print * Email Sponsored Links Ads by Google Microscope Photometer Fluorescence Simultaneously w EPhys Ca++, FRET, NA++, pH, Add-On www.obb1.com Auto Imaging Microscope Image & Analysis of Particles and Cells with FlowCAM - Learn More! www.fluidimaging.com Leica Microsystems Total Digital Pathology Solutions for Health, Research and Education leica-microsystems.com Expatriate Savings Advice £25k-£1m Or £250+ Regular Savings? Find The Best Interest Rates Today! www.OffshoreSavingsDesigner.com The Football League yesterday voted to approve a controversial new set of rules over the status of young players. The Elite Player Performance Plan, backed by the Premier League and the Football Association, will abolish the tribunal system for setting fees for the transfer of young players, as well as removing restrictions on top academies' recruiting of young players. At a meeting in Walsall, the 72 Football League clubs voted 46 in favour and 22 against, with three no-shows and one abstention. If the vote had been defeated, the Premier League would have withheld the £5.4m portion of its annual solidarity payment to the Football League which is set aside for youth development. Under the new system, Football League clubs will receive more funding for youth football over four years, but may lose out in other ways. It is no surprise the Premier League is so keen on the EPPP: they wrote it. Members and employees of six Premier League teams (including Arsenal, Manchester United and Chelsea) drafted the document. The EPPP creates four categories of academy and those which qualify as category one – with an annual budget of £2.3m and at least 18 full-time employees – will reap the most benefits. The leading academies will no longer be prevented from signing under-16s who live more than 90 minutes' travel time away from their clubs (or an hour's travel for under-12s). This means clubs no longer need to focus on their immediate locality but can cast their nets across England for the best youngsters. Such transfers of young players would traditionally have seen fees set at a tribunal. Under the EPPP, though, selling clubs will receive only set payments: £3,000 per year for every year of a player's development between nine and 11, and between £12,500 and £40,000 per year between the ages of 12 and 16. There will then be mandated add-on payments, from £150,000 for 10 Premier League appearances up to £1.3m for 100 appearances, and 23.5 per cent of a transfer fee if he is sold on within England. While these will reward clubs selling players who go on to be successful, they mean much smaller initial payments, thereby encouraging top clubs to gamble on signing as many youngsters as possible. The EPPP will also remove restrictions on top academies in terms of the amount of time they can spend with their youngsters. They are currently only allowed 90 minutes' coaching per day, while Barcelona's academy is effectively a full-time boarding school. With the EPPP in place that gap will narrow. The Peterborough director of football, Barry Fry, condemned the changes. "The Premier League wants everything and they want it for nothing," he said. ©independent.co.uk Terms & Policies | Privacy Policy | Email newsletter | RSS | Contact us | Syndication | Advertising Guide | Subscriptions | Jobs | Evening Standard | Homes & Property | London Careers | Novaya Gazeta (English)

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AB Newswire Home • Account • Search 11 Thursday, October 20, 2011 Study Tracks Head Impacts in Youth Football Emily Attwood — AB Associate Editor A first-of-its-kind study by Virginia Tech could have a significant influence on the future of youth football helmet design. Working with a local youth football team comprised of children between the ages of six and eight, researchers used helmets equipped with sensors to track data on location, severity and frequency of head impacts. Since 2003, Virginia Tech has used similar technology to track data related to head impacts in its collegiate team, developing the National Impact Database to catalog the information. The data was used to develop a safety rating system for adult helmets known as the STAR Evaluation System. Using the information gathered from their ongoing youth study, researchers plan to develop a similar rating system for youth helmets. The results of the 400 impacts recorded thus far in the youth team show that head impacts are generally less severe compared to adults, but while fewer severe impacts have been recorded overall, the hits were harder than originally thought, on par with the intensity of concussion-causing hits in adult players. Quantifying the characteristics of head impacts in youth football will not only allow for better evaluation of current helmet effectiveness but give manufacturers of helmets the information they need to improve design. Currently, youth helmets follow the same standards as adult helmets. The findings of the study will also have applications on head protection design for other sports. © Athletic Business Publications Inc. 2011 ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

The Hole Game

To add a bit of levity here at work, we have a persistent gag game we play called "The Hole Game". It basically consists of people making a hole with their thumb and pointer finger and enticing other people to look at it. Generally you hold the hole about waste high, and say, "Hey look at this," and see who you get. There are lots of variations on the standard sucker and the rules are created on the fly Calvinball style. The only immutable rules are that the hole must be made before the enticement, and that the hole cannot be hidden. My best get so far was in a meeting with a couple of clients and a coworker. My coworker was sitting across from me, and we'd talked during a break about how the client was constantly scratching his nuts during the meeting. The client started scratching, I made the hole, and slightly motioned over toward the client with the tip of my head. As my coworker scanned over to look at the client there was the hole halfway between. My coworker seized up desperately trying to suppress a laugh, excused himself and left the meeting to ROTFL in the bathroom. This page courtesy of The Everything Development Company. All content copyright © original author unless stated otherwise.

http://www.mayoclinic.com

Exercise: 7 benefits of regular physical activity You know exercise is good for you, but do you know how good? From boosting your mood to improving your sex life, find out how exercise can improve your life. By Mayo Clinic staff Want to feel better, have more energy and perhaps even live longer? Look no further than exercise. The health benefits of regular exercise and physical activity are hard to ignore. And the benefits of exercise are yours for the taking, regardless of your age, sex or physical ability. Need more convincing to exercise? Check out these seven ways exercise can improve your life. No. 1: Exercise controls weight Exercise can help prevent excess weight gain or help maintain weight loss. When you engage in physical activity, you burn calories. The more intense the activity, the more calories you burn. You don't need to set aside large chunks of time for exercise to reap weight-loss benefits. If you can't do an actual workout, get more active throughout the day in simple ways — by taking the stairs instead of the elevator or revving up your household chores. No. 2: Exercise combats health conditions and diseases Worried about heart disease? Hoping to prevent high blood pressure? No matter what your current weight, being active boosts high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or "good," cholesterol and decreases unhealthy triglycerides. This one-two punch keeps your blood flowing smoothly, which decreases your risk of cardiovascular diseases. In fact, regular physical activity can help you prevent or manage a wide range of health problems and concerns, including stroke, metabolic syndrome, type 2 diabetes, depression, certain types of cancer, arthritis and falls. No. 3: Exercise improves mood Need an emotional lift? Or need to blow off some steam after a stressful day? A workout at the gym or a brisk 30-minute walk can help. Physical activity stimulates various brain chemicals that may leave you feeling happier and more relaxed. You may also feel better about your appearance and yourself when you exercise regularly, which can boost your confidence and improve your self-esteem. No. 4: Exercise boosts energy Winded by grocery shopping or household chores? Regular physical activity can improve your muscle strength and boost your endurance. Exercise and physical activity deliver oxygen and nutrients to your tissues and help your cardiovascular system work more efficiently. And when your heart and lungs work more efficiently, you have more energy to go about your daily chores. No. 5: Exercise promotes better sleep Struggling to fall asleep? Or to stay asleep? Regular physical activity can help you fall asleep faster and deepen your sleep. Just don't exercise too close to bedtime, or you may be too energized to fall asleep. No. 6: Exercise puts the spark back into your sex life Do you feel too tired or too out of shape to enjoy physical intimacy? Regular physical activity can leave you feeling energized and looking better, which may have a positive effect on your sex life. But there's more to it than that. Regular physical activity can lead to enhanced arousal for women. And men who exercise regularly are less likely to have problems with erectile dysfunction than are men who don't exercise. No. 7: Exercise can be fun Exercise and physical activity can be a fun way to spend some time. It gives you a chance to unwind, enjoy the outdoors or simply engage in activities that make you happy. Physical activity can also help you connect with family or friends in a fun social setting. So, take a dance class, hit the hiking trails or join a soccer team. Find a physical activity you enjoy, and just do it. If you get bored, try something new. The bottom line on exercise Exercise and physical activity are a great way to feel better, gain health benefits and have fun. As a general goal, aim for at least 30 minutes of physical activity every day. If you want to lose weight or meet specific fitness goals, you may need to exercise more. Remember to check with your doctor before starting a new exercise program, especially if you have any health concerns. © 1998-2011 Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. All rights reserved.

http://www.thejakartapost.com

14 soccer clubs threaten to ditch Indonesian League The Jakarta Post, Jakarta | Fri, 10/14/2011 11:26 AM Fourteen soccer clubs have threatened not to take part in the upcoming Indonesian League competition unless its organizers, the Indonesian Soccer Association (PSSI), repeals a decision to include 24 soccer clubs first before officially launching the league. “We don’t understand why the PSSI is so persistent with such a problematic decision,” Persisam football club chairman Harbiansyah Hanafiah said Thursday as quoted by tempointeraktif.com. Harbiansyah urged the PSSI to start the competition with the 14 clubs that had already agreed to play.They are,Swiwijaya FC,Persidafon,Persiwa Wamena,Persela,PSPS,Pelita Jaya,Semen Padang,Deltrans Sidoarjo,Persisam,Mitra Kukar,Persib Bandung,Arema and Persiba. Harbiansyah also criticized the schedule for the competition, slated to commence on Oct.15, as being unrealistic. Copyright © 2008 The Jakarta Post - PT Bina Media Tenggara. All Rights Reserved.

20 Great uses of social media in sports

Even in its relative infancy, social media has already proved itself to be an effective tool to boost fan interaction, forge connections between teams and leagues and their fans, sell tickets and merchandise, and help drive TV viewership.

But there remains nothing close to a one-size-fits-all approach for effectively leveraging social media. Rather, many different strategies have been pursued by sports properties, often in concert with traditional media extensions.

What follows is a snapshot of 20 effective uses of social media within sports over the past year, from properties to personalities, illustrating some of the ways the industry is finding traction.

SnappyTV gets the picture

If Mike Folgner, chief executive of San Francisco-based startup SnappyTV, gets his way, “snap” will be a social media verb in the same vein as tweet.

Folgner’s company is trying to create a niche in which its technology is used to take clips of live online video, usually one minute in length or less, and post them on Twitter and Facebook. SnappyTV’s near-realtime distribution of video highlights, what it calls “snapping,” is done in full cooperation with partner networks and is positioned as a powerful, social media-based marketing vehicle for boosting viewership of the live content.

“Quite simply, the best ad for watching a game is the game itself,” Folgner said. “Our technology helps make that happen.”

A test conducted in May with Tennis Channel for the French Open generated more than 2 million views of snapped video clips. One clip, in which a ballboy accidentally interfered with a point during an Andy Murray match, generated more than 400,000 video views through SnappyTV. The company is now aggressively targeting college football networks for additional deployments, and is seeking to develop an advertising-based revenue model around the snapped clips.

“We’ve got great evidence that we can drive tune-in,” Folgner said. “So we believe we’re resonating with rights holders and can begin to grow very quickly.”


Cleveland Indians Social Media Suite

The Cleveland Indians wanted to participate in the local social media conversation around the team rather than just be bystanders. As opposed to simply credentialing bloggers and other active social media participants with press box access, the club last year opened the Social Media Deck in the bleachers of Progressive Field. Seating 10, outfitted with wireless Internet access, and sponsored by Time Warner Cable, the section helped build good will for a club coming off a 97-loss season.

CLEVELAND INDIANS The suite at Progressive Field has built a waiting list of more than 200 people.

The Indians built upon that success this season by expanding the Social Media Deck into a 12-seat luxury suite at the ballpark. Still administered on an invitation-only basis, the Social Media Suite this season has built a waiting list of more than 200 people and is almost fully subscribed for the rest of the season. The move comes in concert with several senior club executives, including team President Mark Shapiro, activating Twitter accounts.

“This has given us a tangible platform to show our commitment to the social media space,” said Curtis Danburg, Indians senior director of communications. “We’re creating new brand ambassadors who are then going out and talking about the Indians experience and are in essence spreading our message. It’s hard to fully quantify the effects of that, but we know there’s been incremental lift [in ticket sales and attendance].”


MLB’s All-Star performance

MLB’s All-Star fan voting process is already the largest of its type in pro sports. But balloting this year soared to a record 32.5 million, 36 percent above the prior mark of 23.9 million ballots set in 2009, thanks in part to an aggressive Twitter hashtagging effort concentrated on several key positional races.

MLB Advanced Media, overseeing the online balloting, pushed out several designated hashtags, such as #voteavila and #votemartin for a close battle between Detroit catcher Alex Avila and New York Yankees catcher Russell Martin.

The All-Star Game social media blitz continued during the July 11 Home Run Derby during which 23 players, including Toronto slugger and Derby participant Jose Bautista, tweeted and posted to Facebook during the event under the coordinated hashtag of #HRDerby. Those 23 players collectively gained more than 121,000 new Twitter followers in the 18 hours following the event, and more than 18,000 mentions back to their accounts. The event peaked at 4,995 tweets per second, good for the eighth-highest such figure in Twitter’s five-year history.

MLB encouraged player tweets and Facebook posts, even setting up social media stations near the Chase Field dugouts.

“It’s one thing to have a TV analyst talk about how a David Ortiz did at the plate in that last round,” said Andrew Patterson, MLBAM manager of new media. “But to have Ortiz himself go right on Twitter and do it, that’s very compelling.”


Twackle measures up

Octagon Digital began Twackle in early 2009 as a consumer-facing Twitter aggregation engine. It has since morphed into a social media-powered news analytics engine aimed primarily at publishers and other business-to-business clients. Twackle now primarily tracks which news stories are shared the most on Twitter, and, in turn, are most likely to go truly viral.

With a variety of analytics that include heat maps, geographic clusters and detailed sharing patterns, Octagon Digital has now positioned Twackle closer to Google Analytics, comScore and other third-party measurement outfits. The strategic shift holds the promise of more revenue for Octagon Digital, but more broadly, many publishers are frenetically searching for ways to gauge the performance of their content within social media.

“We’re basically train spotting,” said Jim DeLorenzo, Octagon Digital vice president. “But we now have tools in place where content can be measured and evaluated in real time.”


Red Sox ask for advice

Construction of the master MLB schedule is a complex affair that involves months of work and endless compromise to balance many competing interests. But the Boston Red Sox this spring, during the playoff run of the neighboring Bruins, went to Twitter and Facebook to conduct real-time crowdsourcing about a game time change under consideration for June 4.

The club quickly received more than 4,300 Facebook likes and 650 Twitter responses from fans overwhelmingly voting in favor of moving the game against Oakland from 7:10 p.m. to 1:10 p.m. The shift enabled fans to watch the Bruins in Game 2 of the Stanley Cup Final that night. In addition to the club’s own social media channels, the Red Sox used sister company and regional sports network NESN to alert fans to the polling. Two weeks later, after the Bruins won the Cup, the city of Boston requested a similar switch to accommodate the hockey team’s championship parade.

The polling initiative came as part of a heightened use of Twitter overall by the Red Sox during games, such as Tweet Your Seat merchandise giveaways and Tweet Your Tunes, in which fans request songs to be played in the ballpark during rain delays.


Turner buddies up to fans

Through services like NASCAR.com’s RaceBuddy and TNT’s Overtime, Turner uses social media applications as a companion to its broadcasts. These applications use alternate camera angles and chat rooms to attract online viewers while Turner Sports’ events are being telecast.

“There’s a lot of social activity happening along a given sporting event and we wanted to capture that,” said Matt Hong, senior vice president and general manager of sports operations for Turner Sports. “The metrics have all been positive. We’ve seen no decrease in TV ratings as more people consume the digital product.”

Hong pointed to RaceBuddy as an example. Turner saw TV ratings for its six races in 2011 jump for the first time in three years, averaging 5.125 million viewers. It also saw online activity around RaceBuddy increase. The social media platform saw a 76 percent increase in viewership, averaging 936,000 streams per race.

— John Ourand

Women’s World Cup sets mark

The current record for most tweets per second isn’t held by the Super Bowl, World Series, NBA or NHL finals, or even the men’s World Cup, but rather the July 17 Women’s World Cup final between the U.S. and Japan.

GETTY IMAGES The final set a record for tweets.

Even as women’s soccer faces an uphill climb for commercial success in America, the Women’s World Cup distilled a potent combination of nationalism, large-scale international competition, and dramatic back-and-forth lead changes that caught fire on Twitter. The presence of Japan, Twitter’s most fertile territory in Asia, also was crucial.

But unlike many other league-coordinated social media efforts, the Women’s World Cup frenzy on Twitter was essentially all organic and fan-driven. Even U.S. President Barack Obama tweeted 13 times during the match. The match’s 7,196 tweets per second beat out not only every other sporting event in tweet volume, but other major news events such as the Japan earthquake and the death of Osama bin Laden.

Individual stars for the U.S. team saw their own social media lift, as well. Goalie Hope Solo entered the tournament in late June with fewer than 10,000 followers. She now has more than 244,000.


JetBlue flies with Twitter

JetBlue Airways, only 12 years old, is an airline born in the digital age. It also is by far the most followed airline on Twitter, with more than 1.6 million followers, and is widely praised as one of the most active consumer brands of any type in social media.

Social media is a prime component of activating its sports partnerships, including ones with the New York Jets, Boston Red Sox, Los Angeles Dodgers, and many others. Announcements of such deals are heralded with special airfare offers distributed to Twitter and Facebook followers and fans. The airline also directly engages on Twitter and Facebook with fans of its partner teams who are traveling on its planes to upcoming games.

In January, JetBlue Chief Executive Dave Barger conducted a Twitter challenge with Doug Parker, his counterpart at US Airways and a Pittsburgh Steelers sponsor, over the AFC Championship Game. After some friendly back-and-forth on Twitter and a Pittsburgh victory, Barger made good on his bet and posted a picture of himself wearing a Steelers jersey and US Airways hat.

“This is all about having a direct dialogue with our customers,” said Morgan Johnston, JetBlue manager of corporate communications and head of the company’s social media efforts. “Sports is obviously a big part of our marketing efforts, and our customers are clearly passionate about sports. So that is an important part of the conversation, too.”


This is Mission Control

The concept behind the New Jersey Devils’ “Mission Control,” a social media hub housed within the club’s Prudential Center home, is strikingly simple: Who better to engage the club’s fans on social media than the fans themselves?

PRUDENTIAL CENTER Fans volunteer to staff the New Jersey Devils’ social media hub.

A group of 25 fans, dubbed “generals,” volunteers by taking turns manning the Mission Control office, monitoring social media conversation around the team and relaying information to other fans.

Inspired by other brands, such as Dell and Gatorade, that have built similar on-site social media centers, Mission Control is staffed about six hours a day during the offseason, and as long as 12 hours on game days. Since Mission Control launched in February, the Devils’ Facebook following has nearly doubled to more than 192,000 fans, and the Twitter audience has grown to more than 28,000 followers. Two ticket promotions that were run through Mission Control sold more than 850 tickets and generated nearly $18,000 in incremental gross revenue.

Among the elements under exploration for Mission Control during the next hockey season are an expansion into location-based social media and daily online deals for tickets and merchandise.

“This new social media platform gives our fans the opportunity to get even more deeply invested in the team they love,” said Devils owner Jeff Vanderbeek.


ESPN goes virtual

It wasn’t much of a surprise when ESPN launched its second Farmville-style game last month. “Sports Bar” feels a lot like its first social media game, “College Town.”

ESPN executives say the performance of “College Town,” in which users build virtual campuses, convinced them that a second similar game will work.

“‘College Town’ has been our biggest social media business success to date,” said Patrick Stiegman, ESPN.com’s vice president and editor-in-chief. “We’ve seen a lot of stickiness with fans. And they’ve spent a fair amount of money to purchase upgrades.”

ESPN launched “College Town” in September 2010 and says more than 582,000 monthly users still are logging in to play. Up to 60,000 people still interact with the game every day. ESPN has seen more than 7 million total downloads, with users spending about 70 minutes per session.

“Activity has leveled out a bit,” Stiegman said. “But the amount of money people are spending on it is increasing.”

— John Ourand

NBA players hold court

The NBA is well-known for its strong social media position within the sports industry, with a combined Facebook and Twitter following of more than 23 million at the league level. The NBA conducts daily social media strategy sessions and is as aggressive as anybody in the space.

But what truly fuels the league’s presence in these forums are the players. No other property has as many of its highest-profile superstars prolifically and skillfully tweeting and posting on Facebook as the NBA.

Shaquille O’Neal (see related item) staged an early foothold on Twitter and remains a force there. But he is joined by a legion of other current megastars, including Orlando’s Dwight Howard, Miami’s LeBron James and Dwyane Wade, New York’s Carmelo Anthony, Boston’s Paul Pierce and Phoenix’s Steve Nash, among many others.

NBA-related entities occupy 10 slots in the 500 most-followed Twitter accounts, far more than any other sports property.


Social Bowl XLV

Super Bowl XLV this past February quickly became known in some circles as the Social Bowl, as many of the game’s advertisers debuted their spots and conducted supplemental contests and fan activities on Twitter and Facebook.

The shift dramatically changed the time-honored playbook of corporate marketing in and around the game, and

Volkswagen’s ad went viral before the Super Bowl.

effectively extended the advertising window for companies well beyond their 30- and 60-second spots.

Among the Super Bowl advertisers most active on social media were Volks-wagen, which leaked its Star Wars-inspired ad several days before the game and saw it go viral with more than 12 million views by Super Bowl Sunday; and Lipton Brisk, whose animated ad featuring Eminem pushed viewers to the company’s Facebook page. There, consumers found additional videos, and could submit their own stories and enter to win an Xbox 360.


Shaq touts his future

Legendary NBA center Shaquille O’Neal often has had a keen sense of the moment, and he showed it again in June when he announced his retirement from the league. O’Neal did the customary press conference, but he first broke his news through Tout.com, a startup, real-time video messaging service.

O’Neal saw an opportunity to break new ground with Tout.com, and reached out to the San Francisco-based outfit. After a series of negotiations, Tout.com had a major news event to boost awareness in the market, and O’Neal gained an undisclosed equity stake in the company.

O’Neal’s 15-second retirement video on Tout.com gained more than 500,000 views in the first three hours after it was posted, and he has since made numerous additional videos for the platform. Tout remains in an early developmental stage, but has raised $2 million in venture capital funding.


Dana White gets punchy

UFC President Dana White is widely known as a brutally candid, outspoken executive. Those traits have lent themselves powerfully to social media, where the league has more than 6 million fans on Facebook, and White himself has 1.5 million Twitter followers.

Like many other sports entities, the UFC employs help from social media consultants, and the UFC itself works with

GETTY IMAGES The UFC president is known to hit back via Twitter.

Phoenix-based agency Digital Royalty. Specific social media-fueled initiatives for the mixed martial arts property include streaming live undercard matches on Facebook, and rewarding fighters a total of $240,000 in cash for creatively tweeting and building larger followings.

But the centerpiece of the social media initiatives is White himself, who has been known to use his Twitter following to excoriate high-ranking executives such as EA Sports President Peter Moore and respond to some fan questions with a terse, “Total BS.”

The approach at once fits the graphic, confrontational nature of the sport and removes any sort of public relations veneer.


NHL heats up Winter Classic

The NHL for years has boasted a fan base younger and more technologically adept than many other properties, making its full-throttle entry into social media over the past several years a natural extension of what had already been happening on its various digital platforms.

For its midseason showcase, the Winter Classic, the league in January partnered with NBC to conduct a Watch-and-Win promotion on Facebook, blending social media with the traditional on-air broadcast.

Fans were asked to register at the league’s Facebook page. During the game, names of selected winners would appear on the TV screen. Those fans would then receive phone calls from NHL staffers with questions related to the Winter Classic game. Prizes including a Honda CR-Z and a trip to the NHL All-Star Game were awarded for correct answers.

The effort helped boost awareness and usage of the NHL’s Facebook page, now with more than 1.7 million fans. The game on TV also grew to an average audience of 4.5 million viewers, the largest draw for a regular-season NHL game since 1975, though a rain-delayed shift to a prime-time window also played a key role.


Speed slows down for questions

Many networks in recent months have sought to boost interaction between broadcasters and fans during telecasts, such as answering questions on air submitted via Twitter and Facebook. Speed is the latest to pursue such a strategy, employing the Speed Social Tracker for the Sprint All-Star Race in May at Charlotte.

The effort involved a social media dashboard featuring more than 20 network personalities answering fan questions, including Kyle Petty and Darrell Waltrip, and posting analysis of the race on Twitter and Facebook.

Coordinated under several hashtags, including #sprintallstar and #speedQA, the dashboard also pooled all other driver and fan comments on the event. The Speed Social Tracker generated more than 67,000 views on the day of the race, and helped boost Speed’s Facebook page by 54 percent during the month.

Ratings for the race on Speed grew 1 percent overall, and by 58 percent among men ages 18-34, helping amplify a broader resurgence for the sport on TV.


Shaun White works some corporate magic

Champion snowboarder Shaun White appeals strongly to a younger demographic fully engaged with social media.

GETTY IMAGES The action sports star has found ways to give exposure to his many sponsors..

White boasts vibrant followings on Facebook, Twitter and YouTube, and one of the largest sports Q Scores for any current or former athlete. Where White particularly excels in social media is integrating his battery of corporate sponsors.

Companies such as Oakley, Stride and BF Goodrich are given exposure on his social media channels without crossing over into blatant and constant commercialism.

During a recent promotional trip to New York, White gave away free Oakley sunglasses to Twitter and Facebook followers who came to the company store armed with a code word.


EA’s gaming turns social

There’s little debate in the industry that gaming is a red-hot segment of social media. Until recently, the space has been dominated by smaller entities, many of which did not have any licensed intellectual property within their games. But now the major players are taking notice.

EA Sports, after several initial efforts around Facebook-based gaming, is applying a broad social media element to “FIFA 12,” the upcoming version of its largest-selling title. The EA Sports Football Club, a free service included in the purchase of the game, will inject real-world happenings in soccer into the game, allow users to conduct challenges against others, earn experience points and share accomplishments on external social channels.

The effort seeks to blend all the interaction of social media with a full-featured gaming experience not possible on Facebook.


Pedal power

He’s now retired from cycling competition and probably will always be under suspicion that he used performance enhancers during his run of seven straight Tour de France titles. But few current or former athletes aside from Shaquille O’Neal have adopted social media as early and readily as Lance Armstrong.

With nearly 3 million Twitter followers, 1.8 million Facebook fans and an active channel on YouTube, Armstrong aggressively uses the platforms to promote his Livestrong Foundation and global health causes.

After a most recent set of doping allegations in May on “60 Minutes” from former teammate Tyler Hamilton, Armstrong posted on Facebook, “20+ year career. 500 drug controls worldwide, in and out of competition. Never a failed test. I rest my case.”


My tenant hits .300

In the lower reaches of affiliated and independent minor league baseball, housing can sometimes be a big challenge for players. With call-ups, trades, injuries and outright releases all constant threats, signing leases for rental property can be a difficult proposition for players earning minimal salaries.

For many collegiate summer baseball leagues, where the only income for players is typically outside odd jobs, the

GARY SOUTH SHORE RAILCATS Host families pose with their RailCats players.

housing issue is even more pressing.

As result, many individual clubs and leagues have successfully turned to Facebook to find host families to provide places for players to stay for the summer, relying on the viral nature of the platform and the ability to reach fans where they are spending significant time as opposed to more static forms of outreach.

The Gary (Ind.) South Shore RailCats of the independent Northern League were one team that recently went to Facebook, under the front of its mascot Rusty, to find player housing from local fans.

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Cushing’s Disease in Dogs - Treatment and Diet Suggestions
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also see Photo - Advanced Cushing's Disease in Dogs

also see Cushing's Disease or hyperadrenocorticism

Cushing's disease page 2
Page 2 is a continuation of our Cushing's page and has more recent Q&A and information


Cushing's Disease or Hyperadrenocorticism

Cushing's disease is probably more accurately referred to as hyperadrenocorticism -- the production of too much adrenal hormone, in particular corticosteroids. It can be naturally occurring or due to over administration of corticosteroids such as prednisone (iatrogenic Cushing's). The latter is easy to cure - just cut out the corticosteroid administration slowly to allow the body to return to normal function. The former is more difficult.

Hyperadrenocorticism occurs for two reasons --- a tumor of the adrenal gland that produces adrenal hormones or stimulation of the normal adrenal glands from the hormones that control it. The primary reason for this to occur is a pituitary gland tumor that produces excessive ACTH, which stimulates the adrenal gland to produce corticosteroids. Adrenal gland tumors account for 15% of the cases of spontaneous hyperadrenocorticism. Pituitary tumors account for 85%.

Cushing's disease causes increased drinking, increased urination, increased appetite, panting, high blood pressure, hair loss - usually evenly distributed on both sides of the body, pendulous abdomen, thinning of the skin, calcified lumps in the skin, susceptibility to skin infections and diabetes, weakening of the heart and skeletal muscles, nervous system disease and other symptoms. Most owners reach a point where the water consumption and urination become bothersome to them.

The diagnosis of Cushing's can be done with several blood tests. A general hint of Cushing's can be obtained by a blood panel. To confirm it, a test known as a low dose dexamethasone test is done. A baseline blood sample is drawn in the morning, an injection of dexamethasone given and a follow-up blood test done 8 hours later. In a normal dog, the dexamethasone should suppress cortisol levels in the blood stream. In Cushing's disease this effect does not occur. Once the disease is diagnosed, it is possible to differentiate between the adrenal tumors and pituitary gland tumors using a second test, a high dose dexamethasone suppression test. Most dogs with pituitary tumors will have cortisol suppression on this test. There are other tests used, including ACTH response tests and urine cortisol/creatinine ratios to diagnose this disease. X-rays and ultrasonography can help determine if an adrenal gland tumor is present.

If it can be determined that there is an adrenal gland tumor, it can be removed. Many veterinarians prefer to have a specialist attempt this since the surgical risks can be high. Pituitary gland tumors are not usually removed in veterinary medicine. This situation is treated using Lysodren (o'p'-DDD, which is a relative of DDT) or ketaconazole. Some research with Deprenyl for treatment of this is being done, too, I think. Lysodren selectively kills the outer layer of the adrenal gland that produces corticosteroids. By administering it in proper amounts it is possible to kill just enough of the gland off to keep the production of corticosteroids to normal levels. Obviously, close regulation of this using blood testing is necessary since overdoing it can cause severe problems with Addison's disease - hypoadrenocorticism. Adverse reactions to Lysodren occur at times but it is the standard treatment at this time. Over medication with Lysodren can cause inappetance, vomiting, diarrhea, lethargy and weakness. If any of these signs occur then your veterinarian should be immediately notified.

Treatment of Cushing's disease caused by pituitary tumors is symptomatic therapy -- it does not cure the pituitary tumor. The average lifespan of dogs diagnosed with Cushing's, with or without treatment is estimated at 2 years by Dr. Mark Peterson, but in a recent conversation with another endocrinologist I came away with the impression that this was an "educated guess" rather than the result of extensive survey of Cushing's patients. At present, though, I think that treatment should be viewed as a means of providing a better quality lifestyle rather than as a method of extending longevity.

Michael Richards, DVM

Cushing's

Q: Dr. Mike:

I have an 11 yr old poodle mix (Tina) (14 lbs, epileptic, female, spayed). She has been on pheno most of her life, now 30mg twice a day. A year ago, found hypothyroid, and vet has been trying to adjust levothyroxine dosage. (We are due for new blood test soon on this).

She had been vomiting for quite a few months, incidences started out to be every month have been getting to be every 3-4 days, she would vomit early in the AM before food or meds and could not digest some of the treats, carrots, grapes that we had been giving her for many years.

Also, she has been steadily losing fur on her back and the skin shows through, sometimes the skin changes color but she does not itch or scratch.

Vet thought possibly Cushings but after testing, she showed normal ranges. In subsequent conversations, however, he said he is still not ruling out Cushings for the future. He doesn't seem to be too sure.

Sugar was high but urine test showed she is not diabetic. Also, ultrasound showed a couple of nodules in the spleen. Vet said he discussed this with radiologist but that more than likely benign. (Even if they were not, I am not prepared to remove the spleen or do exploratory surgery on her).

Vets conclusion was that the vomiting was probably due to pancreatitis due to the high numbers on the amylase panel. She had high numbers once before and old vet asked if she threw up a lot but at that time she didn't. I don't know if pancreatitis causes vomiting or vomiting causes pancreatitis.

Right now, I have finally gotten her stabilized by virtue of Reglan in the AM and before bedtime. The vomit is usually clear frothy or yellow. It takes a lot out of her and this may be the first time in months that we are able to get through a week without her vomiting. I am prepared to keep her on the Reglan forever but I am afraid that there may be underlying problems that my vet doesn't know about.

His last suggestion is to put her on the Hills i/d diet which I have started. I will also pick up some flax seed oil for the fur and see if that helps.

I am sorry to be so lengthy but I wanted to give you the whole story. Thank God, she has not had a seizure as of lately or that would have complicated the story even more.

I don't know if the years of pheno can be the cause of her problems but vet rules out liver disease from tests done. I don't want to put her through any tests than are not necessary and I am aware that she is an older dog but I just want to make sure that the time she has left are quality time for her.

Eileen

A: Eileen-

Hyperadrenocorticism will produce clinical signs in some dogs whose lab values never reach the cortisol levels necessary to be sure that that the disease is present. I can't explain that but when the clinical signs are highly suggestive (and your dog's clinical signs are highly suggestive) of the disease, it is sometimes necessary just to treat for the condition to see if it is present. This has gotten a lot easier to do with the introduction of l-deprenyl (Anipryl Rx). It isn't nearly as toxic as mitotane (Lysodren Rx), which is the other approved treatment for hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease). It is hard to decide when the clinical signs justify treatment without supporting lab values but if your vet really feels strongly that Cushing's disease is present and suggests treatment for it, I think that there are times when it is reasonable to try that approach.

I also think it is really important to be sure you aren't causing Cushing's disease. Once in a while I forget that a patient is on prednisone and has been for some time. Patients that have been on prednisone chronically often have symptoms of Cushing's disease. If you aren't using this medication then it isn't the cause of the symptoms but if you are, be sure to remind your vet. Even corticosteroid eye drops can lead to Cushing's symptoms in some patients -- so any source of chronic corticosteroid use has to be considered.

High amylase levels are sometimes present when pancreatitis is present and pancreatitis can be chronic so that seems like a reasonable assumption, too. Since dogs with Cushing's disease are more prone to pancreatitis, having both conditions is not unusual.

It is OK to use metoclopramide (Reglan Rx) chronically when necessary. You are correct that it is better to find and treat an underlying condition whenever possible, though.

Mike Richards, DVM
5/3/99

Please also note that Tina has been eating grapes as well, now known to be toxic..

Grape and Raisin toxicity

Cushing's in Rottie

Q: Dr. Mike, I have a 5 year old female Rottweiler, Regal, who possibly has Cushings, but we are not sure. She has most of the classic symptoms: excessive drinking and urination, pot bellied abdomen, panting, excessive eating, loss of muscle mass and strength and skin problems. She is allergic to pollen, dust and fleas, so to combat her allergies, she has been on Prednisone pretty regularly for the past two years. 20 mg per day, the minimum effective dosage. She has been off of the pred. for almost a week and the initial blood tests were inconclusive of Cushings. Her skin problems are VERY bad with open sores and calcifications on her skin. This is very painful for her and she is constantly licking herself. I am bathing her every other day, with a bezoil peroxide shampoo our Vet prescribed, but it is not helping, and the sores are only multiplying. She also smells very bad in these areas. I have tried Benadryl spray topically, tablets orally and nitrofurzone topically to try to ease the pain, but nothing seems to help. I'm afraid to keep putting anything on her, since she keeps licking it off, that can't be good for her. I am told by our vet, that until the prednisone is completely out of her system, ( a month, minimum) the blood tests won't be totally accurate, and that once you go on medication for this, there is no turning back, you're on it for life. It also seems that Cushing's is more common among small dogs and not big ones like mine, so I am very skeptical whether this is it.

Is there anything you can suggest in the interim to help her. She is on antibiotics, and we'll be swinging back and forth from Clavamox to another (can't remember name) for the next few weeks, and I started her on Atarax today to help with the itching. Any other suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Thank you for your help. Wanda and Regal


A: Dear Wanda (and Regal)

I suspect that your Rottweiler is very likely to have Cushing's disease. I also suspect that after a month or so your Rottweiler will no longer have Cushing's disease. How can this be?

Probably the most common cause of the Cushing's disease syndrome is administration of prednisone or other corticosteroids at levels sufficient to induce clinical signs of Cushing's disease. This is not a "true" case of hyperadrenocorticism since the adrenal gland isn't producing excessive cortisone. But it is the same syndrome. The only difference is that you have been giving the corticosteroids instead of her body producing them. Most dogs will not develop clinical signs of Cushing's disease if prednisone is administered every other day at anti-inflammatory dosages. Unfortunately, prednisone works better if it is given everyday and many pet owners ignore the admonition to give it on alternative days and their pets develop signs of Cushing's disease. Veterinarians will sometimes resort to gradually increasing the dosages of prednisone when pets don't respond as expected to lower dosages. Eventually the dose administered exceeds the anti-inflammatory dose and gets into the immunosuppressive range, which is high enough to produce signs of Cushing's disease. Sometimes, prednisone is being administered orally at appropriate dosages but ear medications or eye medications containing a corticosteroid are being administered at the same time and this leads to an overdosage situation. In a few instances eye drops containing potent corticosteroids have induced Cushing's disease symptoms in dogs without administration of any oral or injectable corticosteroids.

One of the paradoxes of treating skin disease with corticosteroids is that dogs will develop extremely itchy sores known as calcinosis cutis when they are exposed to corticosteroids at high enough dosages or long enough to produce signs of Cushing's disease. These sores often look like allergic reactions or skin infections and so the vet tries even harder to control the situation by increasing the prednisone more. I have been caught in this scenario once or twice myself.

It is a very good idea to discontinue the prednisone in a situation like yours, in order to try to rule out iatrogenic (caused by the veterinarian or client administering medications or treatments) Cushing's syndrome. It isn't a good idea to just abruptly stop prednisone, though. After two years of regular prednisone administration your Rottie's adrenal glands are not used to having to work hard to make cortisone. You have been administering it and doing their job. Stopping the cortisone administration suddenly can leave your dog in a situation in which she does not have cortisone source and can't make adequate quantities. There is a purpose for corticosones in the body and sudden withdrawal of prednisone can leave a dog vulnerable to shock, high serum potassium levels and even heart failure. I am hoping that you withdrew this medication slowly.

The dermatologist we send patients to currently likes a shampoo, Etiderm (TM), better than the older antibacterial shampoos such as benzoyl peroxide. We don't have very much experience with its use yet but we do trust the dermatologist. In addition, clemastine (Tavist Rx) is currently considered to be the best antihistamine for control of itching. Hydroxyzine (Atarax Rx) is often effective and there is no need to switch if it is working.

I don't see the need to test for Cushing's disease if the symptoms improve after withdrawal of prednisone. It is far more likely that the signs you are seeing are due to administration of prednisone than to naturally occurring Cushing's disease.

The most likely scenario is that you will see a lot of improvement but that you won't see total improvement because you were using prednisone to treat an existing skin condition and it may not be gone. In a young dog it is worthwhile to consider allergy testing and hyposensitization with injections of small amounts of the allergen instead of using prednisone. Some Rottweilers appear to have difficulty controlling normal skin bacteria. In these dogs control of the infection with antibiotics can sometimes be achieved with long-term use.

If withdrawing the prednisone doesn't help it may also be worthwhile to ask about referral to a veterinary dermatologist. Sometimes it really can help to see a specialist.

Mike Richards, DVM

Cushing's disease- seizures and skin rash

Q: Dear Dr. Mike,

I really marvel at the information available on your site and as a new subscriber to VetInfo Digest I look forward to receiving the information.

I went back over previous material on Cushings Disease and found some helpful information, but not on my current problem.

Psaltee is a 14 yr. old neutered Staffordshire Bull Terrier female. She had a serious bout with seizures several years ago which were finally controlled with phenobarb 30mg twice a day. She was pretty "dopey" so I gradually cut back to 30mg once a day which has held the problem in check.

Almost a yr. & a half ago she was diagnosed with Cushings. She's been on 500mg Lysodren twice a week since then. I also mix Solid Gold wate-on, seameal, flaxseed oil and a combo of yeast and garlic powder in her food, anticipating possible skin and joint problems. (I also have a young mini-bull terrier who gets 'crusty skin' occasionally; so the mix is for him too.)

Lately, the hair on her forelegs has fallen off and she has developed what appears to be an infected rash on her chest, feet, and on both sides of her face. A new vet in the office gave me clavamox 250mg. twice a day and said the rash was a result of mites and that the Lysodren dosage would have to be increased. She was tested in January and the levels were slightly elevated but the dosing schedule remained the same. I hate to put her through the all day event if it's not absolutely necessary.

Is there any kind of shampoo I can use that would make her a little more comfortable and ease the redness? What else can I expect in the latter stages of this disease? I'm already the only dog owner on the block whose pooch has her own litter tray to use while I'm at work, and a full-time air conditioner!

Thanks for any direction you can give me.

Pam

A: Pam-

There are several things to consider with the skin rash.

The first is to be sure that mites really are the problem, or at least part of the problem. The reason this is important is that the most likely mite problem to suddenly appear in an older dog that has not been exposed to other dogs is demodecosis (infestation with Demodex mites). If skin scrapings have been done and this mite has been identified as a problem it would be a good idea to consider treating for the mites. It is a little more complicated to treat for mites in a dog that has hyperadrenocorticism but it can be done.

The second thing to consider is that Cushing's disease can produce itchy scaly skin lesions all by itself. There is a specific skin condition associated with hyperadenocroticism, called calcinosis cutis and the only cause I know of is the Cushing's disease. It may be necessary to obtain a skin biopsy in order to test for this condition since the lesions are not easily identified in many cases without microscopic examination of the tissue. The sores usually look like a cream colored (from calcium deposition) plaque at first, then often become scaly and itchy. It is easy to miss the initial stage of the disorder, though. The sores are usually most prevalent in the inquinal area and surrounding abdomen, near the base of the tail and on the top of the neck. If calcinosis cutis is the problem it will be necessary to try to adjust the dosage of mitotane (Lysodren Rx) to better control the Cushing's disease or to consider switching to one of the other treatments. If your vet is used to treating with Lysodren it is probably best to stick with it. We have recently had some success using l-deprenyl (Anipryl Rx) for pituitary dependent Cushing's disease which is the type that affects most dogs. Ketaconazole inhibits the release of cortisones from the adrenal gland which also helps to resolve the clinical signs of hyperadrenocorticism in some dogs.

I have seen skin disease associated with the use of phenobarbital. It seems very likely that if 30mg of phenobarbital once a day appears to be controlling the seizure activity that your dog may not need it at all. The only way to see if the dosage of phenobarbital is less than that needed to control seizures is to test the blood level of phenobarbital. So far, when we have tested dogs that had lower than the needed blood levels and weren't having seizures we have been able to stop the medication after tapering it off for a month or so without any of the dogs suffering a return of seizure activity. Withdrawing the phenobarbital if it is unnecessary may help with the skin problems.

It may not be necessary to do an all day test to monitor how well the Lysodren is working. Once we know that Cushing's disease is present we usually use the ACTH response test to monitor the response to treatment. It is usually possible to do this test in an hour (although some vets recommended two hours). Many of our clients come, let us draw the blood and give the ACTH and then walk their dog around our clinic property for an hour or go on a short errand and return. This test takes less time than a dexamethasone suppression test which is usually thought of as the best way to diagnose Cushing's disease and is the initial test that many dogs get, for that reason.

To get to the actual question you asked, there are definitely shampoos that help with itching. I personally like tar and sulfer shampoos like Lytar (tm) and oatmeal shampoos like Relief (tm). There are a number of both types of shampoos available. Other anti-seborrheic shampoos may be helpful for calcinosis cutis. Antihistamines can be helpful in relieving itchiness, too. Currently clemastine (Tavist Rx) is the antihistamine that many vets favor but there are many others and there is no way that I know of to predict which antihistamine will work best in any particular dog. Antibiotics are often necessary if the itchiness has led to secondary skin infections.

I hope that you and your vet can work through this problem. I realize that I have suggested a lot of testing (skin scraping, skin biopsy, phenobarbital levels and ACTH response testing). If money isn't an object you could easily have all of this done in one morning if your vet has the time to cooperate in the venture. The two blood tests would be very easy to do at the same time since you have to drawn an initial sample for the ACTH response test and it can be used for both tests.

Hope this helps some.

Mike Richards, DVM

Cushing's Disease and Corticosteroids

Q: Dr. Mike

I have recently moved and my dog's new vet. has said that my chow could have cushings disease. We transferred and Kenya (my chow) has been treated by the same Dr. for several years. At the time I took her to the vet she was constantly chewing herself to the point of bleeding and causing "hot spots". After 3 months with her new Dr. she stopped chewing, regained her personality and all in all began to get healthier everyday. This was due to shaving her hair, conditioning her skin, and allergy shots. When I discussed this with her Dr. I was told that the shots could shorten her life span a couple of hers. Well, I made the difficult decision to allow the shots and let her life be enjoyable and to best quality I was capable of suppling verses quanity. When she needs a shot she will let me know and is relieved within a 24 hrs of that shot. Kenya has never had to suffer thru any hot spots or sleepless nights since I made this decision, she is now 10 years old and yes, age is taking somewhat of a toll but no more than any other at 10 yrs and maybe not even as much as others her age. I do not regret the decision I made and I know by her loyalty and love she feels the same.

To set some history, I fed my chow whatever was on special from the grocery store(not really knowing any better) and all table scraps she wanted. Well, needless to tell you she became very fat. But was happy and content. My Vet. suggested that she lose 25 pounds and that began my research on premium foods. She was on Prescription r/d and lost her weight. She now eats Nutro Lamb & Rice (because of allergies) and is maintaining this weight very well. Results of her being over weight and then losing 25 pds is some wrinkles and saging here and there. (which unfortunately we all experience).

Kenya does not drink accessive amounts of water (except a couple days after recieving her shot), she does not eat fast, urinate alot or show any signs of cushings. I have loved Kenya for 10 years and will do whatever is best for her. The Vet here basically accused me of killing my dog. They said that every shot I give her is killing her more and more. That she has the classic signs of cushings. (thining hair,saging skin, and something about her abdomen) As I told you she lost alot weight and that allows for the sagging, she is ten years old and I shave her for the summer to allow her skin to breathe and keep her more comfortable in the heat.

They had also suggested thyroid problems. Well, I purposely gave her vet records to them so they would know her past. The whole conversation let me know they didn't read her records and didn't even know how old she was. They thought her short hair was of natual causes I guess. She was tested for thyriod problems years ago and results were nortmal and after hearing the statement that I have cut my dogs life in half, I could only assume that they thought she was young??!! It absolutely blew my mind. My heart sank that allowed my dog to stay with them a week while I was out of town.

I know I seem to be rambling on and going no where with this conversation but this was so upsetting to me. I looked up cushings disease on the net and ended up here, please give me any suggestions you have, I know in my heart I have done the best with kenya, but after going through something like this I can only question her diagnosis, please respond and restore my faith in myself and the vet. that I have always referred to as saving kenya.

Thank you for taking the time to read this letter and the access to this page. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sharon

A: Dear Sharon-

It is possible that Kenya could have Cushing's disease. If so, it is possible that the Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism) is due to the injections or that it is occurring due to natural causes. Hyperadrenocorticism is not that unusual in older female dogs. Signs of hyperadrenocorticism occur with some frequency in dogs treated with corticosteroids on a continual basis for an extended period. This happens most frequently when prednisone is used on a daily basis rather than every 48 hours but can happen with the injectable corticosteroids as well, especially if they are used more frequently than once a month.

It is also possible that Kenya doesn't have Cushing's disease. Most dogs with this disease drink a lot and urinate a lot. Not all of them, but most of them. Thinning of the haircoat, thinning of the skin itself, a pendulous abdomen (think of a pot-bellied dog), changes in liver enzymes, itchy skin sores, increased susceptibility to infection, lethargy and behavioral changes are some of the signs that can be seen with Cushing's disease. Without seeing Kenya it is hard to evaluate how many of these problems may be present. It doesn't sound like many in your note, though.

Hypothyroidism is fairly common in older female dogs, too. It also can cause thinning of the haircoat, failure of hair to regrow after being shaved, increased susceptibility to infections, especially skin infections, reproductive disorders and has been implicated in so many other clinical signs of illness that testing for it is easy to justify. Proper testing is pretty important with this condition because treatment requires lifelong supplementation and there are a lot of dogs on thyroid replacement therapy who never had hypothyroidism to begin with. I attended a seminar on endocrine disease once in which the speaker said that hypothyroidism was probably the most over-diagnosed condition and the the most over-looked condition at the same time. Meaning, I suppose, that it is missed many times when it should be found and diagnosed many times when it is not present.

Pharmacology professors at veterinary schools seems to universally abhor corticosteroids. I think this is because they don't often practice veterinary medicine and when they do they don't practice it in a real world setting. Their view is probably further skewed by a tendency to see the worst cases of everything at referral hospitals, including the worst cases of corticosteroid abuse. They teach students based on their view of the world. Many veterinarians graduate from veterinary school with a firm belief that the use of corticosteroids is highly dangerous and almost completely unjustified. This is a tragedy for a lot of dogs who could have relief from problems very responsive to corticosteroids without undue risk, as long as they are used with reasonable care. It usually takes new veterinarians a year or two to realize that corticosteroids are often beneficial and then a few more years to realize that they aren't seeing all that many bad reactions, either. Pharmacology professors also tend to teach that the injectable corticosteroids are much worse than using prednisone on an every other day basis and to taper off the dosage when the allergy season is over. In theory this is probably true. In practice it doesn't take too long to notice that a lot of clients ignore the admonitions to use prednisone on an every other day basis because it works a lot better if you give it every day. This can cause problems. Then clients often run out of the pills and simply stop dosing the prednisone rather than tapering it off. Most of the time this works out OK but I have seen some reactions that occurred from suddenly stopping the medications. The injections by-pass both of these problems but create some of their own. The veterinarian controls the frequency of the injections and if this is done conscientiously it is a good thing. There is a period of time when the injections suppress adrenal function but they naturally taper off which allows the dog's body to start production of cortisones and limit the possibility of reactions from withdrawal. In general, if the dog is receiving less than five or six injections a year and is getting them at least a month apart there is not a huge risk of complications. More frequent use increases the risk of producing iatrogenic Cushing's disease but the risk of this may be worth taking to provide comfort. If we have to use injections more than four or five times a year we do try to get the clients to switch to every other prednisone.

If you are not using Frontline (TM), Frontline Topspot (TM) or Advantage (TM) for flea control you should do so. Even if you don't see fleas. Use of Frontline has drastically reduced the number of itchy dogs we treat at our practice, making the use of long-acting injectable corticosteroids pretty infrequent in our practice over the last two years.

It is relatively easy to test for both hypothyroidism and hyperadrenocorticism. If your vet really suspects these conditions are present it is reasonable to test for them. If there is any question about the results, an internal medicine specialist or endocrinologist can be contacted to help with interpretation and reassure you that the results are accurate. If Cushing's disease is present and appears to be due to corticosteroids you or your vet are administering it is easy to "cure" the disease. Just stop administering the corticosteroids. This may present a lot of problems in keeping Kenya comfortable, though.

I think that keeping Kenya comfortable was the right approach to her problems. If your new vet can work out a way to keep her comfortable without the use of corticosteroids that would be even better. If not, I don't see much reason to feel guilty about providing her with a comfortable life.

Mike Richards, DVM

Cushing's disease in Corgi

Q: Dr. Mike: Our 7-year old Pembroke Welsh Corgi has been diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. She is on Lysodren once a week, plus 1500 mg of L-Carnitine and 50 mg of Coenzyme Q-10 per day. I know there are many symptoms to Cushings, but the ONLY outward symptoms that we see on her is a loss of muscle, especially her rear end. She will not put any weight on her left hind leg now. When standing, she holds it straight out behind her. My concern is this: will Cushing's affect one area (or side) of a dog more than another? I am afraid there is something else wrong with her leg besides the Cushings. Our vet feels that it is the Cushing's causing this limping, and that swimming therapy may help. I have searched the San Diego area for a canine hydrotherapist, but can't find one. Is there any other kind of therapy I could give her? Should her back be x-rayed? (Hip Displaysia has been ruled out.) Another thing, her orginal test in January for Cushings was negative, but came back positive in May. During this period, she was found to have over eighty bladder stones which were surgically removed. Upon no improvement in her limping after surgery, a more extensive test was done for Cushings (in May) and found to be positive. I guess my questions are this: can Cushings cause such severe muscle loss in one particular area of an animal, and is there a way I can help her get some muscle back? Is it just muscle loss that could cause her to not use her hind leg at all, or could it be something else? I know this is long-winded. Thanks Dr. Mike, Mary

A: Mary- I think Cushing's disease can have some odd effects at times and I would not want to say it couldn't cause the symptoms you describe. I would want to be really certain it was the cause, though. You may want to ask your vet about referral to a veterinary endocrinologist, or internal medicine specialist. There are very good endocrinologists at the University of California at Davis, if that is a reasonable trip for you to make.

Mike Richards, DVM

Cushing's possible

Q: Dr. Mike- First, thanks for developing such a wonderful web site. I've found it to be very helpful. I'm looking for more information on pancreatitis, or whatever the problem is that has my 14 year old, 15 lb. Terrier-Spitz mix, Melissa, so miserable. Over the last 3-4 weeks, Melissa has seemed to dramatically increase her consumption of water, pants heavily and constantly, and has begun sleeping on the cool tile floor of the bathroom. We assumed that it was her reaction to yet another unbearably hot Austin summer, so we made lots of water available to her, turned the air conditioner down, and bought her a little electric fan for her favorite sleeping spot. Nothing seemed to change with her behavior. Last week we came home from work to find little Melissa in a puddle on the bathroom floor, unable to rise to her feet. Once we picked her up, she was able to stand but she hobbled when she walked, favoring her back right leg. [This is getting long, but please indulge my continuance, as I'm quite distraught.]

The next morning, our trusted vet looked her over and was much more concerned about her panting than her leg problem. He ordered blood work which revealed: ALB 3.11 g/dl .ALKP 1719 IU .ALT 128 IU .AMYL 2334 IU .BUN 18.2 mg/dl .Ca 8.52 mg/dl .CREA .33 mg/dl .GLU 118.1 mg/dl .LIPA (vet's note: "too high to read") .PHOS 5.22 mg/dl ,TIL .54 mg/dl .TP 7.58 g/dl .GLOB 4.47 g/dl .HCT 46.1% .HGB 16.5 g/dl .MCHC 35.8 g/dl .WBC 17.5 X 10(9)/L .GRANS 16.2 X 10(9)/L .%GRANS 93% .L/M 1.3 X 10(9)/L .%L/M 7% .PLT 476 X 10(9)/L .Her health history is pretty unremarkable other than she's always had what both this Dr.and Melissa's previous vets have called a "sensitive stomach"--off and on for years she's had a gurgly tummy and refused to eat, but blood work as recently as Oct 95 ruled out pancreatitis. Furthermore, she was on cortisone shots and pills for years for itching, but we cut those out about a year ago b/c they seemed to cause her stomach upset. Our Dr. seems to think Melissa's suffering chronic pancreatitis and probable liver disease/progressive failure. He gave her an antibiotic shot and an anti-inflammatory shot (from her vet records it looks like 0.5ml FLO/0.5 ml Dex and 0.2ml Cent/0.1 Torbutrol) and prescribed Amoxil tabs 100mg 2x/day; Centrine as needed for nausea (although she doesn't seem to have any problem with nausea lately so we haven't given her but one of these); Pancrezyme 1/2 tsp. with each meal; Torbutrol 1 mg 2-3x/day as needed; and Vet's Choice Sensitive Care food-- 2 heaping spoons 3x/day. Since beginning this treatment last Friday (6/20), her appetite has returned with a vengeance, but her heavy panting, labored breathing, and lethargy/depression continues. She has had three good spells of a couple of hours each where she seemed perky, met me at the door when I got home, followed around the house, and actually rolled over to have her tummy rubbed--all "well" Melissa behaviors.

The bad symptoms, though, have returned afterward each time. In fact, early this morning, her breathing was so loud and labored that it woke me up. I gave her a Torbutrol, assuming she was in pain, and within 30-45 minutes she was breathing quietly. To top all of this off, I also noticed today that she's got tapeworms (darn these Texas fleas!!), so I've called in a request to our vet for one of those worm pills. Thinking that these continued symptoms are probably her response to pain, I've begun looking for ways to make her more comfortable. Our vet mentioned that the analgesic we're giving her may be tough on her liver, so I'm hesitant to rely on that. On the suggestion of a couple of friends and with the OK of our vet, I've made an appointment for tomorrow with another vet who incorporates accupuncture into her practice. Since I don't see that we have the luxury of a wait-and-see approach with this old doggie, I'm in search of as much information as I can get on pancreatitis and other problems that might present in the same ways. And, I guess, I'm looking for additional confirmation that we're taking the right approach with Melissa. Any advice for reading materials, thoughts on her diagnosis, or additional or alternative treatment options, or words of reassurance? Many thanks in advance for addressing my question and for putting together such an informative web site. Leslie

A: Leslie- Based on the description of increased drinking and urinating, along with lethargy, I'd be suspicious of Cushing's disease (hyperadrenocorticism). This can lead to pancreatitis and it is entirely possible that both problems could be present (or that my suspicion is off base). Cushing's disease frequently causes elevations of the alkaline phosphatase level, too. It requires special testing specifically for this disease, most commonly a "low dose dexamethasone response test". Cushing's disease causes panting, increased drinking and urinating, muscular weakness, promotes diabetes and pancreatitis and is associated with hairloss in many dogs, as well.I'm sure your vet has continued to think this through and has probably considered this possibility but it might be worth asking about.

Mike Richards, DVM
Cushing's and Melissa - continued

Q: Dr. Richards- Thought you might be interested the latest twist in Melissa's on-going saga. Her high-dex test to determine the origin of her Cushing's came out inconclusive. Apparently she reduced her cortisol (or whatever the test is supposed to reduce) by 50.46%. The internist we have begun dealing with suggested an ultrasound to determine more definitively whether or not an adrenal tumor was the problem. No abdominal abnormalities were seen in the ultrasound with one big exception: she had a ~2.5 cm pocket of fluid in one lobe of her liver. Based on the surgeon and internist's recommendations, exploratory surgery was done, the pocket removed and a biopsy of her liver was done. The hands-on examination of her adrenal glands showed them to be symmetrically enlarged with no signs of growths. Ironically, one end of Melissa's pancreas appeared to be a little tough, so it, too, was biopsied. The fluid pocket in her liver was determined to be a cyst adenoma, and her liver tissue, according to the surgeon, looked to be very healthy. Her pancreas, on the other hand, was determined to be in the healing stages from an attack of acute pancreatitis. So, our weird little dog has both pancreatitis and pituitary-dependent Cushing's. She'll be in the doggie hospital for six days, working her way off of IV fluids and back to food during her last two days. We visited with her yesterday and she looked really good--perky and up for a mini-walk outside. Today, according to the internist, she looks even better--up schmoozing with the staff! Once she's back home, I think the plan is to give her Pancrezyme supplements (haven't confirmed this with the internist) and in few weeks we'll probably begin treatment with Lysodren. Any thoughts on the choice of Cushing's treatment options (Lysodren, Ketoconazole, or L-deprenyl)? Yet another big, warm thank you for spurring me to push further and harder into figuring out what was making sweet Melissa so sick! -Leslie

A: Leslie- We still use Lysodren therapy most of the time for Cushing's disease because we are familiar with it, it costs less and it is easily available. I have used ketoconazole twice, once successfully. I wasn't too disappointed that it didn't work in the other case because it is supposed to have about a 20% failure rate in helping with Cushing's. We chose it in both these cases because of reactions to Lysodren. So it is good to have a third choice and l-deprenyl looks good on paper but I haven't tried it yet.

Mike Richards, DVM

Michal Response: Leslie, thanks for keeping us informed on Melissa's care and progress.


Cushing's Disease with immune mediated hemolytic anemia

Q: Dear Mike: Our bichon was recently diagnosed with Cushing's Disease. The vet. put her on Anipryl or four days straight with one tablet each week thereafter, for four weeks. Into the third week she became very weak, and upon her vomiting...I rushed her to the vet... We have now been told that they think she has auto immune hemolytic anemia. She tested neg to the Coomes test....even thought that doesn't mean she doesn't have it. They began giving her steroids and within 34 hours her red blood cell count had climbed from 9,000 to 12,000.. they said they had hoped for higher...they will increase the amount of steriods today...her wbc is very high as well... My question....Do you think that the Anipryl brought on a drug -induced immune hemolytic anemia? or is this just a part of having Cushings? and lastly never having been down this road before...should I prepare myself for days of sadness ahead? I so appreciate having found this supportive site on the web...not in anyway do I discount the abilities of my vets...by asking you these questions...I only hope to gain further insight into this horrible disease that anyone has. With appreciation, Mrs. J.

A: Mrs. J- I think that it is necessary to consider the possibility that l-deprenyl (Anipryl Rx) could have lead to a immune mediated hemolytic anemia as a drug reaction. I am not familiar enough with this medication to know how likely that might be, though. I have forwarded your email to a veterinarian I know who is involved with the research on this medication and maybe he will know more. I'll pass on any information I get.

There are other medications for hyperadrenocorticism (Cushing's disease). Ketaconazole is pretty safe and mitotane (Lysodren Rx) has been used with success many times, although overall it is more likely to cause side effects than either ketaconazole or l-deprenyl, probably.

If the immune mediated hemolytic anemia is a drug reaction it will normally respond to treatment and it is not likely to recur with other medications. I hope that everything is improving now.

Mike Richards, DVM

High Alkaline phosphate levels

Q: My 12 year old Maltese was diagnosed with Cushings the first of April. He has been taking Lysodren (daily 10 days, 2x wkly since). His alkaline phosphatase is now 1500, up from 1108 on Apr 1. the Vet did not retest until June 13. I now realize (from the various Web articles I've read) that retesting should have been done sooner. Have you had experiences with a similar situation? Any opinions? I live in Dallas, TX. Any opinions on speciality vets here who deal with Cushings?

A: Teresa- It is not unusual for dogs with Cushing's disease to have high alkaline phosphatase levels --- often in the range of your Maltese. This doesn't always resolve with therapy but our experience has been that it rarely indicates a clinically serious problem. I know that there are good veterinarians on the staff at

Texas A&M, if your vet does not know of a specialist closer.
Mike Richards, DVM

Cushing's - no response to treatment

Q: Hi! I have a dog of ten years, diagnosed with Cushing's, possibly due to a tumor in the hipofisis (adrenal glands have been seen by Ultrasound and they are normal in size; liver is enlarged). Yokie is a dog of 10 kilos of weight and is being treated with Lysodren. We have tried for ten days and it didn't work (symptoms didn't change: polydipsia, polyuria, polyfagia, pendulous abdomen, hair loss, panting...) We have begun again for ten days more and we are in our ninenth day and no change till now. We are going to continue five days more (in total 15 days this time) and then we will do an ACTH. Do you have any reference of dogs with Cushing's that don't react to the treatment? What can I do if my dog doesn't react to the treatment? Thanks for your attention - from Spain

A: Some dogs do not respond to Lysodren and it seems likely that your dog may be one of them. There are several options in this case. The medical options are ketoconazole (Nizoral Rx) and l-deprenyl (Eldepryl Rx and Anipryl Rx). l-deprenyl will only work with pituitary dependent Cushing's disease, so it is good that your dog appears to have this type. Both of these medical treatments have been pretty widely reported in the veterinary literature and I am pretty sure that your veterinarian will be able to find references for their use. l-deprenyl may be a little harder to find information on as its effects on cushingoid dogs has been a more recent discovery.

In a small number of dogs there may be operable tumors contributing to this condition - pheochromocytomas. It may be worth considering this possibility if the condition continues to be resistant to therapy.

Good luck with this.
Mike Richards, DVM

Diet For Cushing's

Q: Dear Dr.Mike, I don't mean to make a pest of myself, but I forgot to ask if you there are any dietary recommendations in Cushing dogs. We have her on a strictly dog food diet.(Iams dry minichunks and canned science diet senior).I have absolutely forbidden family members from sneaking her any table scraps any more,as she did used to get more than a little dogs share of meat scraps,cottage cheese and anything that fell to the floor. Any special things I could do for her?? I have been led to understand that if her metabolic functions and enzymes are not normal she may not be absorbing the needed vitamins,proteins and fat that a dog needs for proper health. Thank You in advance for any help.

A: I have been reading some interesting articles on hyperadrenocorticism today. I found a recent issue of the Clinics of North America, "Adrenal Disorders", March 1997, edited by Peter Kinzer, DVM.

It has an article suggesting that the pathogenosis of pituitary dependent hyperadrenocorticism has not been fully worked out. This article, by Dave Bruyette, DVM et. al., mostly concerns the use of a new medication, l-deprenyl, for the treatment of Cushing's disease. It suggests that it is possible that this is a neurologic degenerative disease similar to Parkinson's disease in humans in the way it progresses, but with different effects and clinical signs. It is a different view entirely from the one I have held for a long time on how this disease occurs. It will take me a while to research this and I am sure that the university vets will already be aware of this hypothesis. Still, it is interesting and made researching this worthwhile.

The only dietary recommendations I can find are in Small Animal Clinical Nutrition III by Morris, et. al. It says to feed a high protein, low fiber, low fat, low purine diet. It suggests that it is important not to oversupplement calcium. It is also important to make sure potassium levels are adequate and that sodium is not restricted in any way if mitotane (o'p'DDD) is being used to treat the hyperadrenocorticism. Also, it is important not to restrict water intake, as you might imagine. Feeding Hill's i/d diet is one way to meet the requirements for these things. One of the book's authors is the son of the veterinarian who founded Hill's, so there may be a little bias in the recommendations, at least as to the recommended diet.

Mike Richards, DVM

Seizures and Cushing's Disease:

Q: Mikki is 15. She is a mutt...Terrier dominates. She has never been sick to any degree. An upset stomach might take place if she's eaten sothing she shouldn't have.....like the time she got into the chocolate chip cookies. Generally speaking, however, she is pretty healthy. She eats Vets dog food, half can in the morning and the other in the evening ....and milk bone bisquits. That's it. We don't vary the diet. She has always downed her food in about a minute..now I water it down so she will eat slower. Her appetite does not change. she has begun to display slight siezures lasting a few seconds. There is no change of weight, behavior, or appetite. Her vision is getting weaker but not worse than expected for a 15 year old. Nothing seems to be changed except very (infrequent) short seizures. Her Vet took a blood test and he's looking at Cushings Disease..but from what I read he is on the wrong path....and there is no mention of seizures in Cushings. Any help would be welcome

A: My guess is that most seizures occurring in older dogs are the result of degenerative changes in the nervous system and cancer. However, Cushing's disease is reported to be associated with an increase in seizure activity. This probably occurs because most cases of Cushing's disease are caused by pituitary gland tumors in the brain. As the tumor grows, seizures can occur. Most dogs (about 80% if I remember correctly) affected with Cushing's disease show a marked increase in drinking and urinating. It is relatively easy to rule this disease out with labwork and if other clinical signs of the disease are present, such as abdominal distension, hairloss, thinning of the skin, increased skin pigmentation, panting, excessive drinking, urination or appetite, it is a good idea to rule it out. I hope you find a treatable cause for Mikki's seizures. My terrier mix, Maggie Mae, also has seizures. I haven't been able to find a cause for them but they are infrequent and we are not treating her at the present time for them.

Mike Richards, DVM

Cushing's disease page 2

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Read more: Cushing's Disease in Dogs - What is it, and how do we treat it?