Children and School-Based Yoga

In this article, you will read about how Tulane University has been researching the effects of yoga on third-grade students. There was a group of students who practiced age-appropriate yoga and mindful techniques for 8 weeks. Read the article and tell me what you think of this type of practice with children. Do you think these types of alternative methods are appropriate for children of this age? Is this something that needs to be incorporated into more schools across the nation? What were the benefits of this program for the students and teachers?

Children and School-Based Yoga Programs

Alabama Sets New Legislation for Youth Sports

In this article, you will read about how new legislation has passed in the state of Alabama. This law will now require youth coaches in the state of Alabama to take injury prevention and response training courses before they can coach teams. This law will be enacted this summer. With the significantly large increase of youth injuries in the country, what are your thoughts on this article? What measures have some other states used to help with this problem? How will this affect the medical professionals that work with these teams or individuals?

New Law for Youth Sports

Pathway to Addiction: Painkillers are Changing the Game for Athletes

In this article/video, you will read about high school athletes and their use of painkillers. With the current rise of opioid addiction, especially in Ohio, one athletic trainer talks about the new responsibilities ATs in Ohio have in dealing with those situations. What are your thoughts on the use of painkillers for long-term injuries? What about for high school students? Do you think AT's/Medical Professionals on the sideline of high school games should start carrying Narcan because of the rise of opioid overdosages?

Pathway to Addiction

No Guts No Glory

No Guts No Glory: Harvesting The Microbiome of Athletes

Scientists have tapped into the microbiome of elite runners and rowers, and have identified particular bacteria that may aid athletic performance. The goal is to develop probiotic supplements that may help athletes -- and even amateur fitness enthusiasts -- recover from a tough workout or more efficiently convert nutrients to energy. What do you think of this idea? Could this lead to a breakthrough in recovery time for all types of athletes? Do you think it will lead to better performances in all athletic competition? What about in the general population and how they workout? Could it lead to the implementation of an overall healthier lifestyle in the general and athletic population? Let me know what you think! 

No Guts No Glory

Predicting Concussions with Spit!

Molecules In Spit May Be Able To Diagnose, Predict Length of Concussions

Concussions are always a hot topic in medicine. Recently, Penn State College of Medicine did a study on how the duration of concussions can be diagnosed using spit. This could revolutionize the way concussions are treated and potentially diagnosed. Concussions have always been very subjective and not very objective. This treatment option would allow sports medicine professionals to be more objective with their treatments. What do you think? Would something like this be possible to implement into high school and college concussion protocols? Or is something like this a little too far-fetched to potentially treat concussions?

Spit to Diagnose Concussions

Resistance Training

Resistance training – an underutilized drug available in everybody’s medicine cabinet

Read the article on this topic and let me know what you think. What is the purpose of resistance training? Besides athletics, what other populations do think this type of training would be good for? Another popular thought, should we rely more on exercise to prevent and cure diseases or continue to use drugs? 

Resistance Training, An Underutilized Drug

Gray Area of Baseball Pitching

This article discusses the sport of baseball and pitchers. There has been a movement to start a pitch count for younger pitchers to help prevent long-term injuries from occurring. However, not all programs in the nation are agreeing with these programs. What do you think? Should pitch counts be set in place for pitchers in baseball and maybe softball? Or we should not be concerned about this because pitch counts are only used in college and the pros?

Gray Area of Baseball Pitching Overuse