5 Common Injuries Suffered by Dancers

Dancing is a physical activity that is accompanied with a certain level or risk. Dancing is something that needs to be gradually built up from scratch and one cannot simply jump into it expecting to do something they have never tried. Proper warm up and stretching as well as cooling down exercises will need to be performed religiously before and after every session. Injuries can be career threatening to any dancer and it is important to take precautions to prevent them from happening.

Meniscus Knee Tear

Dancing requires a lot of jumping and knee twisting actions accompanied by sudden direction changes. This will place a lot of stresses on the knee, particularly the ligaments and meniscus. A tear in the knee meniscus is one of the most frequent injuries experienced by dancers and it can put you out of action for up to 6 months depending on the severity. It is important to strengthen the leg muscles particularly the knee, thigh and calf to help reduce the burden on the knee.

Ankle sprains

A proper ankle connection is important in dancing. Ankle sprains occur when upon landing from a jump, the outside of the ankle rolls inwards due to a loss of balance. This will cause the ligaments in the ankle to tear. Ankle sprains are painful and will hinder you in many aspects of your daily life. You will be out of action for up to a month.

Achilles Tendonitis

Achilles tendonitis is tendonitis of the Achilles tendon and it occurs due to muscle overuse after repeatedly acting pressure on the calf muscle. It happens most frequently in dancers who place a lot of their weight on the lower body.

Neck strain

Neck strain is a common injury and it happens so frequently because dancers have to move their head throughout a dance and many of them control it incorrectly. Instead of using the spine when they arch their neck, they use the tendons, overusing them.

Muscle cramps

Dance practices and rehearsals can sometimes take a long time and start from early in the morning till late at night. As a result, they are easy victims to muscle cramps due to fatigue and a lack of required electrolytes to replace the ones they lost throughout the day. Sometimes it can happen due to improper warm up exercises.

Dancing is a very physical demanding activity and the risk of injuries is high. New dancers will need to start slow while experienced dancers cannot be complacent and skip the basic warm up and cooling down exercises. Dancers will also need to ensure that they replace their lost fluid to prevent muscle cramps.

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Learning the Importance of Skin Care

When you were young, you probably spent hours in the sun with no sunscreen. You might have even used oil to make yourself bake even more. You may or may not have washed your face every night, but you definitely did not do any more than that. Most people ignore skin care until there is a problem.

If you have never really had trouble with acne or other skin care issues, then you might have never done anything to your face other than wash it at the end of the day. Everyone is different when it comes to this organ of the body. Yes, it is an organ, and it is actually the largest one. Most people do not think of it as important or as an organ for that matter, but it is one of the most important. It protects your other organs and muscles, and it is waterproof on top of that. It is a pretty amazing organ. It is too bad that people neglect it so much.

Skin care is probably something that you got serious about when you turned twenty-five or maybe thirty. If you had acne, you might have cared for that. So many things can affect this part of your body. Stress, the food you eat, and the environment around you all have some bearing on issues with it.

If you have decided that it is time to get serious about skin care, then you would be wise to go to a board certified plastic surgeon that has a clinic in your area, or you might want to find a dermatologist or spa that does treatment. It is important that the individual doing the treatments is well trained.

There are a variety of treatments available to keep this major organ in shape. You can consider chemical peels, microdermabrasion, Botox or filler, and many other options that will give you the beautiful face that you desire.

It is important to remember that skin care should not only be done at a clinic. It is something that you need to do everyday. It does not have to cost a great deal. If you search on the internet, you can find many home remedies to keep it in good shape. If you can afford the treatments at a plastic surgery clinic, then by all means do this periodically. If you cannot afford it, you can still do something. Washing, moisturizing, and using sunscreen are key things that you can do to keep it beautiful and young.

When they want to get more serious about their skin care Columbus Ohio locals may want to consult with a professional. To learn more about your options in this area, visit the following: http://www.donaldsonplasticsurgery.com.

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How Does Winter Impact Our Health?

It's pretty safe to assume that most people don't particularly care for the winter season. Sure, there are exceptions - if you're an avid skier or snowboarder, winter might be the perfect time of year for you - but most of us associate winter with frigid temperatures, outbreaks of cold and flu, horrendous weather, car and traffic problems caused by said weather and dead-black skies by 5PM. No wonder so many people look forward to spring and summer.

All of these factors can exact a heavy toll on your emotional and physical wellbeing. Many people claim that the harsh winter environment makes them feel more stressed, tired and depressed than usual. If these feelings sound familiar, you can take heart that they might not be all in your head; Old Man Winter can indeed have a negative impact on our overall health. The following list details how the wrath of winter impacts various parts of the body.

Lips - Our lips can be very susceptible to wear and tear, both from our own bodies (from heavy breathing from the mouth) and outside elements. This is especially true during winter, with its cold winds and temperatures sapping moisture from the lips. Dry lips, of course, are very prone to noticeable chapping, cracking and peeling.

Skin - Like our lips, our body's skin can lose a good deal of moisture due to the unforgiving winter climate. In temperatures below freezing, skin that is not covered by winter clothing is vulnerable to both frostnip and frostbite. Frostnip affects the outer layers of the skin, causing our fingers, toes, and nose to feel cold and eventually turn red and numb. If these parts of the body are not soon warmed, they can develop frostbite, a condition that can lead to permanent tissue damage.

Waistline - The notion that a change of seasons can lead to weight gain might initially seem questionable. However, research has shown that people tend to exercise less during the winter months. This might be due to the shorter amount of daylight in the winter, which can discourage people from leaving the house. In addition, exercise tends to have an inverse relationship with unhealthy eating habits - the less you get of one, the more you get of the other.

Mental Health - Given the early sunsets and hostile weather, you might find yourself feeling downbeat and dejected on more than a few occasions from December through March. If you've noticed this correlation, you are hardly alone - numerous studies have found that depression is far more common in the icy throes of winter than in the sunny summer. In fact, this condition even has its own name, as seasonal affective disorder (or SAD, an apt acronym if there ever was one) is estimated to impact 10 million Americans.

Heart - The link between winter weather and serious heart problems has some well-respected supporters, most notably the American Heart Association (AHA), which notes that the frequency of heart attacks doubles during the winter season. Though this connection might sound a bit baffling, it actually makes sense when one considers all the effort it takes to clear mounds of snow and ice from driveways and sidewalks. All of this heavy lifting and shoveling can be exhausting to anybody, but can be downright deadly for those who are significantly out of shape and/or have heart problems. For people who fall into these categories, the AHA recommends taking frequent breaks during shoveling, and urges against eating big meals beforehand.

Shoveling Injuries - Your heart isn't the only body part that can be damaged from purging mounds of snow from your driveway. Each year, approximately 11,000 people in the United States are hospitalized due to injuries sustained while shoveling snow. The most common reasons for hospitalization include head injuries, muscle sprains, fractures, cuts and lower back problems.

Michael Harris is a contributor to Natural Knowledge 24/7, a monthly newsletter focusing on health and wellness issues. This article, along with many others covering a wide range of subjects, can be found at http://naturalknowledge247.com/

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Pregnancy Week 20 Development: What To Expect And One Beneficial Food

Congratulations! You have now reached the halfway of your pregnancy. In the next weeks to come, you should expect more amazing changes to take place in and out of your body. Your baby is growing at such an impressive rate. In fact, it has now grown into a size that everyone could almost notice your pregnancy.

The Baby's Development on Week 20
If you are anxious and excited about your baby's gender, now is the best time to have an ultrasound. A second trimester ultrasound can be administered from week 18 to week 22.

If you are having a baby girl, you should know that by this time, her uterus has now fully developed and her ovaries contain more than 7 million primitive eggs. Meanwhile, if you're having a baby boy, his testicles have now descended from the abdomen to the scrotum. Beginning this week, you may start feeling the acrobatic movement of the foetus.

What Can You Expect This Week
At Week 20, there are still lots of pregnancy symptoms that occur. First, vaginal discharge is still present and as days pass, its volume increases. As the baby begins to crowd in your body, heartburn and digestion come very often. Also, shortness of breath happens due to the expansion of the uterus.

Mild swelling and leg cramps are still present. Make sure to drink plenty of water and do some stretches to prevent the legs from cramping. On the other hand, mild swelling shouldn't really be a major concern during pregnancy. It eventually diminishes after delivery. Surprisingly, your energy and libido increases beginning this week.

Due to the surge of pregnancy hormones in your body, you can notice that your hair is getting thicker and fuller. Also, your nails can turn brittle, dry and stronger. Some pregnant women report symptoms such as occasional headaches, dizziness and faintness during this time.

A Healthy Diet For A Healthy Pregnancy
Since time immemorial, it has always been the desire of every pregnant woman to give their baby the best possible health. Maintaining a healthy diet throughout the course of pregnancy is considered as one of the most effective ways to help your baby obtain the best health possible.

Eating cantaloupe during pregnancy can definitely help in giving you a healthy pregnancy. Cantaloupe contains lots of vitamins, minerals and nutrients which are very beneficial to pregnant women and to their babies.

Cantaloupe for Pregnancy
Belonging to the Cucurbitaceae family, cantaloupe is a ground-growing oval fruit which contains seeds. Its yellow flesh is naturally soft and when ripe, it has a husky smell.

As mentioned earlier, cantaloupe contains high levels of vital nutrients which provide lots of healthy benefits to the body. In fact, cantaloupe is considered as one of the healthiest and most nutritious foods to eat during pregnancy. It is packed with 19 vitamins and other minerals with minimal amount of calories per serving.

Apart from being an excellent source of dietary fibre, cantaloupe is also fortified with Vitamin B6, thiamine, niacin, folic acid, Vitamin C, carotenes and potassium. As commonly known, intake of folic acid in pregnant women is beneficial in preventing the onset of neural tube defects. Meanwhile, its Vitamin A and beta-carotene content is useful in optimizing eye health.

Its Vitamin C helps in boosting the immune system of the body which enables it to fight against infections. It also helps in scavenging free radicals which is one of the major risk factors for cancer. The fruit actually contains lots of antioxidants which help in preventing the onset of heart diseases and cancer. Also, Vitamin C is useful in regenerating the Vitamin E in the body which have become inactive.

Cantaloupe delivers high levels of proteins which are useful in maintaining healthy nails, hair and skin. Cantaloupe is also a good source of potassium, a mineral which plays a vital role in regulating the balance of fluids and minerals in the body. It helps in regulating digestion, muscle function, energy and blood pressure.

According to research, intake of cantaloupe is beneficial to people of all ages. The fruit contains nutrients which are useful in treating and preventing the onset of diseases such as insomnia, menstrual problems, high cholesterol, cataracts, stroke, arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, water retention, stress and menstrual cramps.

Find FREE expert information about the progress of your baby in the twentieth week of your pregnancy, on the blog of Merrion Fetal Health. The ultrasound clinic in Dublin has long years of experience in providing state of the art pregnancy scans.

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4 Simple Healthy Steps to Saving Time

In these times everyone wants, and perhaps needs to, save time and money - right? As Olivia, a client of mine, once said "I have been able to save so much money these past 2 months by simply bringing my lunch to work and by not picking up unhealthy afternoon snacks from the vending machine - that I've actually saved enough money to go on a weekend trip to Catalina with friends." Or how about Vicky's comments: "My husband and I stopped going out to restaurants - instead of 3x- /week it's maybe once or twice and sometimes not at all! I saved enough money to go on a shopping spree so I can buy some new clothes. Since I have gone down 2 dress sizes, I am rewarding myself in very different ways now."

You see - eating within a caloric "budget" can prevent overeating or choosing the wrong things to eat. Eating, fresh, clean, whole and green just makes good sense and makes you feel so good about yourself. I encourage you to try as much as possible to stay away from foods that come in bags, boxes and any other types of packaging as they will cost your waistline and your pocketbook much more in the long run. There's not a lot of nutritional value in packaged foods, unfortunately, certainly nothing like the value you would find in real whole foods. Eating out less and eating at home more let's you have more control over what and how much you eat. I often hear clients mention they eat less when they go out to dinner and more when they are at home. And I also hear the exact opposite from others. The bottom line is to identify your trigger foods and environments and then manage them appropriately and you may need expert help with this piece of puzzle.

Here are 4 Simple and Healthy ways to Save...

#1 Be good to yourself. Don't beat yourself up if you are not behaving perfectly - you were not put on this earth to be a robot and to do everything by the book. You are here to experience, learn and to get comfortable with yourself and your own skin. Being hard on yourself can waste valuable time and energy. Eating balanced and healthy meals can actually help improve your self confidence and self esteem.

#2 Eat your greens. By this I mean - eating fresh fruits and vegetables - any and all are good for you! Natural enzymes are still intact when you eat fresh and from local growers. Visiting your local Farmers Markets or growing your own is also more cost effective and you will be benefiting from the rich inherent nutrients in the foods themselves. It helps to maintain good health when you are getting the most out of what you are eating.

#3 Create a calm, peaceful and nurturing environment when eating. This may be a difficult feat in our fast paced world but it's essential to at least attempt to eliminate as many distractions as possible when eating. Turn off the TV, play beautiful music in the background, respect your food and give thanks. I know, I know - not a simple feat - but allow me to plant some seeds for your next meal. A relaxed environment will create better digestion and save on possible problems like acid reflux, overeating (and thus weight gain) and bloating.

#4 What about Vitamin L? Yes, Vitamin Love absolutely but let's not forget about the other Vitamin L - Laughter! An often overlooked health habit laughter is just plain good medicine for the body and soul and needs to be incorporated into a healthy lifestyle. Debilitating diseases have often been eliminated due to this one simple ingredient. Yes, laughing or lack of it can be a habit. Finding things to make you laugh, be light and happy - it can be as economical as watching a funny movie on TV versus an intense crime filled 

drama!

(c) Monika Klein

Monika Klein, BS, CN. is an award winning clinical nutritionist and weight loss expert. Monika is the "Compassionate and Practical Nutrition and Lifestyle Coach." Her company, Coaching For Health, offers life transforming weight loss and wellness programs, classes and products throughout the world. To learn more about Monika's services and programs, visit http://www.coachingforhealth.com.

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A Human Knee Model: Aiding In Explanation, Understanding And Healing

The human knee is a wonder. At the same time, it has to bear much of the weight of the body while also performing some very complex maneuvers. This critical synovial joint suffers more damage over the long-term than many other aspects of the human anatomy.

The knee is not just an important focus for medical students and doctors. People of all walks of life will probably need to understand more about their knees during their lifetime, either to avoid injury or to recover. A knee model is uniquely capable of helping people understand this joint and how to take better care of it.

Knee Anatomy

The knee is the meeting place between the femur and the two bones of the lower leg, the tibia and the fibula. While the tibia is the bone that meets the joint directly, all three bones are linked in an intricate web of muscles, bones, tendons and ligaments. The most well known structure in the knee is the patella, which you can see as the knob protruding anteriorly from the joint. Without a knee model, it would be impossible to understand or explain the knee adequately.

Uses

A knee model is useful in many different applications. Medical students can gain valuable knowledge and spend long hours of study with such a model. While they may have limited access to cadavers and skeletal examples, there is nothing like a realistic model to which they can devote hours of study and research.

Most medical patients will also need to study knee models at some point in their lives. Knee replacements are becoming more common as people live longer. However, these surgical procedures are not ideal. It is best for people to preserve the integrity of their knees for as long as possible.

Doctors can use knee models in their offices to be proactive with aging patients. Proper understanding of the way in which the knee works can help regular people avoid situations, which damage their knees. Doctors can relax when they have a knee model because they do not have to rely on their patients' understanding of complex, medical jargon. Instead, the significance of their explanation is immediately apparent.

Athletes are also rewarded by study of knee models. Virtually every sport depends heavily on the proper function of the knee. Anything that involves movement of the body ultimately depends on the knee doing its job flawlessly. Many athletes note that knee injuries or simple, unrelieved soreness can herald the beginning of the end of an athletic career. They can derive great benefits from studying a knee model.

Types

The kind that you acquire should depend on your needs. Basic ones may be sufficient for explaining the knee to people outside the medical field who are occupied in largely sedentary work. Medical professionals and athletes may benefits greatly from functional models that show significant details about the motion of the knee.

The usefulness of these models is apparent. The only decision remaining for interested parties regards which kind of knee model to use.

Lilly Anne is a student of medicine and an experienced medical writer. She has research and written about the knee model and a variety of other medical topics.

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Advantages of Consuming Whole Foods

One reason for sourcing your health foods from whole food stores is that they care about your health. These grocery outlets stock items of superior nutritional value. Organic and natural foods contain less or no toxins which would otherwise be detrimental to human health.

Whole foods are foods that are in their natural state. They are unprocessed and mostly organic. Foods that are packaged with preservatives or those that have been modified in some way away from their original state cease to be whole foods. Unpolished cereal grains, fruit, vegetables and fresh milk products are all examples of whole foods. Retailers and wholesalers of these foods are termed whole food stores. Reputable stores are dedicated to provide you with the best quality healthy foods, along with being environmentally friendly. They are keen on using things which are biodegradable. Whole food stores are the smart solution for anyone needing healthy food options.

One reason for sourcing your health foods from whole food stores is that they care about your health. These grocery outlets stock items of superior nutritional value. Organic and natural foods contain less or no toxins which would otherwise be detrimental to human health. It is well known that the modifications made to foods such as homogenization, preservation, polishing and such alterations undermine the original value of that food. When consumed overtime, these foods can have adverse effects on the body. However, acquiring items from whole food stores ensures that you only consume certified, high quality and natural foods that guarantee good health.

Whole food stores are environmentally friendly and it is for this reason that you should buy items there. Because the foods are rarely packaged (and if so, biodegradable materials like paper are used) the problem of contaminating the environment with harmful toxic waste is eliminated. Packaging materials such as plastic polythene bags, when poorly disposed of, create an environmental hazard. Whole food stores remove this problem and emphasize their green footprint by not packaging, using organic packaging materials (if they must package) or insisting on reusing shopping bags. This ensures that the environment is spared of any kind of contamination. Waste from whole food stores is easily, safely and naturally broken down without affecting the ecosystem.

Advice on the best health food solutions is also offered at whole food stores. Often, people do not know exactly what they need for their bodies. And shopping at a whole food store would be meaningless if you did not have the proper information about what you really need for your body. Not everything acquired from a whole food store is necessarily what you need. At whole food stores, there are specialists whose job is to provide the relevant advice to customers who need it. And with regular commodity reviews, you will be sure to get the highest quality foods from whole food stores. Certification seals are normally attached to almost all items in these stores.

A whole food store also gives back to the community in a number of ways. A shopper may take pride in shopping at a local store that is just not all about profit maximization but has the community's best interests as part of its brand values. The mere fact that whole food stores use biodegradable materials for packaging (that is if they must package at all) means that the community is spared of environmentally harmful litter. Emphasis by whole food stores is often put on recycling and reusing items which translates into affirmative action towards the community. Some whole food stores also donate items to individuals and institutions as part of their social responsibility.

Author of this article is associated with Acton Store who are a wholesaler and retailer of whole foods.

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