News, Advice, and Tips for Parenting Teenagers

A number of young athletes have died during training sessions or games because they had an undiagnosed heart condition. Now a new study from Stanford University concludes that requiring athletes to undergo electrocardiograms(EKGs) could prevent these tragedies.

• Dr. Matthew Wheeler of the Stanford University School of Medicine examined sudden cardiac death among athletes in high schools and colleges.
• The researchers then went through the records of a mandatory screening program for young athletes in Italy that require them to have electrocardiograms before participating in sports.
  
• The Italians managed to cut the incidence of sudden cardiac death by 89 percent over a 25-year period.
  
• Dr. Wheeler's analysis indicates that each electrocardiogram adds two years of life per 1,000 athletes.

The problem is that electrocardiograms are expensive, about $89 each, and they produce false positives as often as 20 percent of the time, which in turn forces people to undergo more expensive tests. Some argue that it may be better to have defibrillators available where people play sports.

"The information should not be a prescription -- we are not telling people what to do," Dr. Wheeler wrote in a report in the Annals of Internal Medicine.

Labels: health, athletics

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Parents whose sons and daughters are pleading to be allowed to take protein supplements to improve their athletic performance may want to think twice before giving the go-ahead.

The vast majority of athletes who are taking protein supplements do not need them. In fact, taking supplements can lead to health problems, such as an excess of Vitamin A, iron, sodium, magnesium, niacin, and folate.

• Dr. Martin Frechette and his colleagues at the University of Montreal found that 90 percent of the athletes they surveyed took protein supplements regularly.
  
• However, 80 percent of them already had sufficient protein in their diet.
  
• The protein supplements did not approve athletic performance.

Dr. Frechette said that supplements often contain ingredients not listed on the labels, including illegal substances.

Labels: athletics, supplements

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A new report from the American Medical Association indicates that 18,650 people died in 2005 of a drug-resistant strain of bacteria.

The super-bug, known as MRSA (methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus areus) is on the increase all over the United States. The AMA report estimates that between 25 to 30% of Americans carry the infection in their bodies. Parents worry because several high school athletes have died from MRSA infections.

Dr. Julie Gerberding, of the Center for Disease Control, said it was important to get medical treatment early for wounds that are swollen and red. Death occurs when people wait too long for treatment.

"The healthy person -like the high school athlete-is going to be able to be treated adequately without adverse outcome," she said. Children undergoing MRSA treatment can be allowed to go to school.

The study appeared in the October 18, 2007 issue of the Journal of the American Medical Association.

4TroubledTeens offers help for parents of struggling teenagers, including programs for troubled teens and private schools that offer therapy in addition to accredited academics.

Labels: health, athletics, school

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Teenaged girls who participate in sports report 68% more concussions than their male counterparts, according to a study in the Journal of Athletic Training. In the case of some sports, like basketball, the rate of concussion is three times more for girls.

Researchers from Ohio State University analyzed data kept in 2004-2005 by 425 athletic trainers. They believe that girls may simply be more honest about their injuries than boys are.

Labels: health, athletics, sports

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For generations, professional athletes have been popular role models for young people. But as more stories surface about athletes egaging in violent behaviors and substance abuse, Stephen Hume from the Vancouver Sun questions whether our kids should look up to professional athletes at all.

“Sports is all about building character, right? Well, I suppose it is, if character means cheating, thieving, lying, philandering, violence, using drugs and going to prison… can there be a worse role model for kids than pro sport?” [Source: The Vancouver Sun]

Where professional athletes used to take seriously their responsibility as role models, many now shrug it off saying they “didn’t ask for this,” or defending their behavior saying their personal lives have nothing to do with their professional performance. Unfortunately, attitudes aren’t likely to change unless the historically-faithful professional sport fan base suddenly disappears.

 

Labels: athletics, role models

Posted By: Stefanie Hamilton 1 Comment