Issue Date: May 14, 2006
Quiz yourself about pool party safety
Tell all the kids your rules.
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As pool party season draws near, there's no such thing as being too vigilant where kids and water are concerned.
If you're the host, the U.S. Lifesaving Association recommends hiring a teen lifeguard (check at your local YMCA, swim club or rec center) or at least designating specific adults to monitor the pool. Also, remember to discuss basic pool rules with all the kids -- no running and no holding anyone under the water while playing.
If your child is the guest, be sure:
* He swims well enough alone.
* There are flotation devices or tubes that can be used for rescue. (Rafts don't qualify.)
* The pool's depth is safe for diving.
* There is no alcohol that kids might be able to access. Pools and alcohol can be a deadly mix.
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Exercise busts headaches
Medication can temporarily relieve tension headaches. But did you know that exercise may help prevent them?
"No studies currently demonstrate why, but in a recently published paper, women who suffered tension-type headaches said exercise helped," says Jerry Swanson, of the Mayo Clinic College of Medicine. "They also noted that in periods when they didn't exercise, headaches were worse."
The consensus from doctors: If you stay fit, you have fewer headaches. Regular aerobic exercise seems to help, as do yoga and stretching.
If you experience chronic headaches or if exercise brings on a headache, contact your doctor.
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WiFi in airports is a checkerboard
Buying daily WiFi access is often cheaper.
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A high-speed Internet connection with WiFi -- shorthand for wireless fidelity -- can help travelers use long wait times at airports to read e-mail, surf the Web or listen to streaming audio on their laptops, PDAs, Pocket PCs or cellphones.
At some airports, access is free, but in most cases, you'll have to buy a plan. Luckily, there are ways you can save.
Most often, you must buy a plan from the airport's WiFi provider -- companies such as Boingo, T-Mobile and Concourse Communications. They usually charge on a daily or monthly basis. Boingo, for example, asks $9.95 for 24 hours or $21.95 for one month. Because airports often use different and not always compatible WiFi companies, buying daily plans for your departure and return may be cheaper.
Visit JiWire.com to discover the providers at airports. Those offering free WiFi, such as Palm Beach International Airport in Florida and Portland International Airport in Oregon, can be found at wififreespot.com.
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Ease your joints
Fatty fish, like salmon, can thwart rheumatoid arthritis.
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How much can diet affect arthritis? In some cases, quite a bit. Help prevent or ease it with foods and supplements that curb inflammation.
FOR RHEUMATOID ARTHRITIS
Eat fish. Omega-3 fish oil is a powerful anti-inflammatory. Recent Danish research shows that people who ate an extra ounce of fatty fish a day, like salmon, cut their risk of developing rheumatoid arthritis by 49%.
Cut meat. In other research, meat promoted inflammation and RA, while vegetables helped deter it, and a vegetarian diet reduced symptoms.
Take fish oil and olive oil. High doses of fish oil, or fish oil and olive oil, cut joint pain, morning stiffness and fatigue, and added handgrip strength, a recent study says. Daily doses: 3,000mg fish oil (EPA and DHA types) and 2 teaspoons olive oil. See a doctor before taking megadoses of fish oil.
FOR OSTEOARTHRITIS
Lose weight. In obese arthritics, a 10% weight loss boosted knee joint function by 28%.
Get antioxidants. The Arthritis Foundation says that antioxidants and vitamins may fight OA, although evidence is mixed. In one study, high intake of vitamin-C-rich foods cut the risk of cartilage loss and progressive knee pain by 70%.
Try fish oil. Doses are unclear.
Take supplements. The best bet for relieving moderate to severe knee pain, says a recent National Institutes of Health study: glucosamine-chondroitin. It helped 80% of patients; a placebo helped 54%. Daily dose: 1,500mg glucosamine hydrochloride and 1,200mg chondroitin sulfate. Contrary to some reports, it didn't raise blood glucose, cholesterol or pressure.
SCIENTIFIC SOURCES FOR EAT SMART
Rheumatoid arthritis and fish:
-- Pedersen M., J. of Rheumatol, 2005 Jul;32(7): 1249-52
Rheumatoid arthritis and meat: Ê
-- Grant WB. Br J Nutr 2000 Nov; 84(5): 589-95 Ê
-- Hailu A. J Nutr Health Aging 2006 Jan-Feb;10(1): 7-14
Rheumatoid arthritis and vegetarian diet:
-- Linos A. Am J Clin Nutr. 1999 Dec;70(6): 1077-82
Rheumatoid arthritis and fish oil and olive oil:
-- Berbert AA. Nutrition, 2005 Feb; 21(2): 131-6
Osteoarthritis and weight loss:
-- Christensen R. Osteoarthritis Cartilage 2005 Jan, 13 (1): 20-7
Osteoarthritis and antioxidants:
-- Arthritis Foundation
-- McAlindon TE. Arthritis Rheum 1996 Apr; 39(4): 648-56
Osteoarthritis and Êfish oil:
-- Curtis CL. Arthritis Rheum 2002 Jun; 46(6): 1544-53
Osteoarthritis and supplements:
-- Clegg DO. N Eng J Med 2006 Feb 23;354(8): 795-808.
Contact Contributing Editor Jean Carper at stopagingnow.com. Scientific sources for this column are at usaweekend.com.
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