Health & Safety

During pre-season, staying hydrated is one of an athlete's top priorities. Accurate hydration regulates body temperature, fluid, and electrolyte balance, and is essential for comfort, optimal performance, and safety. Hot humid weather, padding and uniforms, along with two-a-days can increase sweat and electrolyte losses tenfold.

In a 2010 speech, a world-reknowned expert lists fourteen of the most common myths about sexual abuse in sports, and issues a call to action.

 

For American parents who want their kids to be fit, focused and feeling good, the first step is get them outside, according to the National Wildlife Federation (NWF), which has just issued a health report, Whole Child: Developing Mind, Body and Spirit through Outdoor Play as part of the group's Be Out There ™ campaign.

Asthma is becoming more common, and as a result, more children and teens are discovering they have asthma when they start playing a sport that may never have wheezed in the recent past.  Although a diagnosis of exercise-induced asthma may sound scary, it has become a very manageable respiratory illness. As long as some key precautions are taken, asthma should not prevent your child from safely participating in sports.

Dr. Lindsay Baker, a senior scientist at the Gatorade Sports Science Institute, answers frequently asked questions about sports drinks and  why it is important for young athletes to stay hydrated and consume carbohydrates to perform at their best.

Experts say youth athletes need to drink more fluids and more often during the summer heat.

Concussion rates in thirteen high school sports from 1998 to 2008, as reported in three separate studies, vary widely by sport and, in some cases, by gender.

A 2010 national survey by the C.S. Mott Children's Hospital and the University of Michigan of parents of chidren age 12 to 17 years playing school sports reported a surprising lack of knowledge by parents of concussion risks despite the fact that more than six in ten were at least somewhat worried their children will suffer a concussion while playing school sports.

With its high pollen counts, increased humidity, and air pollution, summer is asthma season. Approximately 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma during their lifetime, and the number of people with asthma will grow by more than 100 million by 2025. ChicagoHealers.com Practitioner Dr. Ian Wahl, DAc, LAc, CH  debunks common asthma myths and offers tips parents can take to prevent asthma attacks.