I came across an interesting website dedicated to ‘Preventing, treating and living with brain injury’. I have to say i am very impressed with the content on there.

I spotted a starting page with a FAQ and i will report on some of the things I’ve read there.

The article responds a wealth of questions and i will just pick on some of the most important to me

1. What is a Traumatic brain injury and what is TBI versus ABI?
Traumatic brain injury or TBI happens when you experience any forceful contact to your head, and it disrupts your brain’s natural functions.Your brain can be injured by other conditions, like infections or strokes, but those kinds of injuries are called “acquired brain injuries,” or ABIs. They can be just as life altering as a TBI.

TBIs can be either mild, moderate, or severe. Most TBIs are mild and a lot of the mild TBIs sufferers find that their symptoms get better over time. In the most serious cases of TBI, the effects of the damage can last a lifetime.

2. How many people have TBI?
The website states that almost 1.6 million Americans sustain a TBI each year.More than 50,000 people die as a result of the TBI every year, and some 125,000 are permanently disabled as a result of the injury.

3. What causes TBI?
The leading causes of TBI are:
Falls (28%); Motor vehicle/traffic crashes (20%); Other events, like industrial accidents or sports-related injuries (19%); Assaults (11%).

4. Who is at highest risk for TBI?
Males are approximately 1.5 times as likely as females to sustain a TBI.The two age groups at highest risk for TBI are 0 to 4 year olds and 15 to 19 year olds.

5. How does a TBI affect the brain and body?
When a TBI occurs, anything having to do with your brain is potentially affected. That means your basic body functions, like eating and sleeping, can be altered. It also means that the complex parts of your life — your emotions, your thoughts, and your ability to communicate — can also be disrupted.

You’re back from a day in the sun and you’re sunburnt. You’re reading my blog and you need help.

I’ve got the best advice for you and trust me i’ve spent a day reading about it.. Let’s go !

Step 1: Cool off your skin (using water/baking soda/Vinegar)
If the area is small and the pain is acceptable then use a wet compress with baking soda. Yes you got to find some around you -there should be baking soda in any kitchen. No baking soda ? Use Vinegar.

If area is larger and pain is greater go for a bath. Same thing :
add a half cup of baking soda or several cups of colloidal oatmeal (available at drugstores). Soak for 10 minutes. Repeat as often as needed.

Step 2: A treatment for soothing (regardless of whatever cream you use here apply and leave for 45min, then apply again)
If you can go to your drugstore and get Aloe Vera gel. It is the best sunburn remedies hands down. It soothes, cleans and speeds up the healing process while also providing incredible skin moisture.

If you’re a health freak and have Aloe Vera leaves at home, break the leaves/extract the juice/apply.

Alternatively you can also go to the pharmacy/drugstore and
ask your pharmacist a cream to repair sunburnt skin. He may give you a 1% hydrocortisone cream. Apply to the sunburned areas – it works very well. [Don't use this on a child younger than two years of age]

[There are other esotheric treatment for soothing such as Cold yogurt applied to the skin. Or fizzy mineral water helps relieve the pain. Also the insides of cool cucumber skins rubbed on the skin feels good too. Finally for severe burns, make a paste of slippery elm bark and water also helps]

Step 3: Take an aspirin
If you’re an adult, take an aspirin; its anti-inflammatory properties will help relieve the pain. If treatment is for a child under 16 aspirine is not appropriate; give them acetaminophen or ibuprofen instead.

Step 4: Let your skin heal
Let your skin heal. If blisters form, leave them alone; if they break and it’s hitchy, go to a pharmacy and ask for an antibiotic ointment. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about peeling—but a moisturizing lotion can ease any itching.

Step 5: Buy a good sunscreen
Buy a good sunscreen and a big sunhat so you don’t get burned again. And stay out of the sun until your burn has healed!

That is all you need to know. Period !

Okay i have done Yoga myself and i can guarantee that Yoga does help with back pain.

Recently Dr Kimberly Williams concluded years of research studying people with chronic lower back problems. she found that those who did Iyengar Yoga were better at overcoming pain and depression than those who followed conventional treatments for lower back pain.

The three-year study showed that the group that did yoga had lifted mood, less pain and improved function compared to the control group that received standard medical therapy.

Proponents of yoga have often described how it helps back pain, but not everyone was convinced so Williams and colleagues conducted this research, which they say is the biggest and most rigorous evaluation ever done.

Williams told the media that: “Yoga improves functional disability, pain intensity, and depression in adults with CLBP [chronic low-back pain].”

“There was also a clinically important trend for the yoga group to reduce their pain medication usage compared to the control group,” she added.

Iyengar Yoga emphasizes postures and breathing that promote strength, flexibility and balance.

Almost all types of Yoga will help. Don’t get stuck on a name. But if you intend to do Yoga, have a chat with your teacher and ask him to make you work on your back posture. Some Yoga positions are dedicated to strenghen your back.

Dr Kimberly Williams is a research assistant professor in the Department of Community Medicine at West Virginia University in Morgantown. Her study can be read online in the 1st  September issue of the journal Spine. [no link as you have to pay for that journal, but if you're ready to pay it's here]

A recent report from the National Academy of Sciences has recommended that people get at least 60 mins of moderate activity on a daily basis.

Is this new? YES because beforehand a report from 1996 was recommending at least 30 mins of moderately intense activity on most or all days of the week.

I agree with you 60 minutes a day seem a bit much.
“The concern is that individuals will see this call for 60 minutes and think, ‘My gosh, now it’s 60 and I can’t even do 30,’” says Edward T. Howley, Ph.D., president of the American College of Sports Medicine. “Sedentary individuals might be dissuaded from physical activity altogether.”

However these are the benefits cited by the new report :

· Reduce the risk of premature heath, particularly from cardiovascular disease
· Reduce the risk of developing diabetes & colon cancer
· Reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure or reduce already elevated blood pressure
· Promote psychological well-being & reduce depression & anxiety
· Control weight
· Build & maintain healthy muscles, bones & joints
· Improve the strength of older adults & their ability to move without falling
Happy sports to all of you