Little League injuries on the rise

By: Sara Sultanik / Good Medicine

April 8, 2010

Syracuse N.Y -- April showers may bring May flowers, but they have also brought the beginning of little league season here in Syracuse.

But while kids and parents dust off those gloves and bats, coaches and medical professionals want them to know about the risks associated with playing baseball at a young age.

In March, the University of Tokushima in Japan released a study which concluded that youth baseball injuries were on the rise. Especially for kids between the ages of eight and twelve.

Overuse Injuries

According to the study, twenty-five percent of youth baseball players between the ages of eight and twelve had elbow pain.

And most of these injuries happen to throwers: “[I]t’s because they’re starting playing at a younger age,” said Dr. Marc Pietropaoli, a Skaneateles based sports medicine orthopedic surgeon, “They’re playing year round...and there are less and less athletes that are specializing in one sport they’re specializing a little too early.”

Pietropaoli discussed that the more sports a child plays, the less likely they are to develop injuries because a child will be using more muscles when playing multiple sports.

And since a child’s bones have not fully grown yet, they are more susceptible to soreness and pain.

How to Prevent These Injuries

Dr. Pietropaoli said good coaching was an effective way to reduce the chance of developing injuries.

And at Perfect Practice indoor baseball facility, they have tried to do just that: “We want to make sure whatever technique it is whether it’s running or throwing, hitting...that they learn properly,” claimed owner of Perfect Practice Mike DiPaulo, “We’re going to make sure that they understand that technique is very important in injury prevention.”

At Perfect Practice many kids come out each day to learn the correct baseball technique and throwing mechanics to make sure they don’t end up on the bench this baseball season instead of out on the field.

The Risk Won’t Keep Them Away

At Perfect Practice, the kids learned to warm up and stretch out their muscles so they won’t get sore.

And because of this training, some of the young boys did not seem to worry about the risk of injury: “You could get hurt walking down the street you could get hurt playing soccer you could get hurt doing pretty much anything but you cant live your life that way,” stated thirteen year old Jonah Badiab.

And seventh grader John Teixiera believed he knew how to take of himself: “if you stretch properly and stay prepared and stay loose you’re not going to get hurt as easily. A loose body is much more durable than a tense body,” he said.

And Dr. Pietropaoli stated that parents should not worry because overall, baseball is a very safe game. But everyone involved should just be educated about the risks.

Little League injuries from CP2E on Vimeo.

Washing Out The Green

By Michael Contino

Syracuse, N.Y. - There are many ways one can go green, and that includes the use of environmentally friendly cleaning products.

These "green cleaning" items can benefit your health through the removal of certain harmful chemicals that can among other things, worsen chronic ailments.

"I have a pretty significant case of asthma going," said Michelle "Kiki" Brown, a Syracuse resident who uses green cleaning products. "I have to be very careful with the materials I use in my home."

"You can keep your body healthier, you can keep your lungs healthier," said Richard Kampos, owner of Syrause's Green Cleaning Technologies about the benefits of using Green Cleaning Products. "Your skin is the largest organ in your body, and if you're using products that are potentially toxic, you're taking in carcinogens."

Not All Green

Then again, a product you think of as green may be just as toxic as the cheaper, regular products. That's because many manufacturers put fake green logos on normal products and sell them as environmentally friendly.

"Most distributors, manufacturers, private label companies, will put a maple leaf on it [the product] or a nice green hue to it with a brook or a creek running through it," said Michael Gosson, owner of Parish Maintenance Supply in Syracuse, which sells green cleaning products to companies in the area.

Though not every company partakes in "Greenwashing," it is something to be aware of if you're considering going green in the cleaning department.

Spotting a Fake

With so many companies putting green logos on their products, how does the average person determine if a given product is real or not? Gosson's answer is simple: outside approval.

"Unless it has some independent certification, the only person that can state with all empirical data that it's green is a third party. Otherwise, you can say whatever you want," Gosson said.

Among Gosson's certified products is the Activeon Ionater Pro, which can clear the H1N1 Virus off of surfaces while using only tap water. It's part of an entire line of Parish products under the heading of "Chemical Free Cleaning."

The Local Effort

Ask anyone who knows about Greenwashing and they'll all have a similar answer as to why it happens: certification can be very expensive, going as high as thousands of dollars per year.

One local company doing it anyway is Brophy Services Incorporated, a Building Services Contracter in Syracuse.

Owner Eileen Brophy says her certified products will not only be healthier for clients but it will make her company unique.

"There are no companies in my line of work that are lead certified. You take a $25-30 million dollar a year company like Janitronics and Matrix that are my competitors. They aren't lead certified," Brophy said.

Among the harmful chemicals not in Brophy's new products are Sodium Silicate, which irritates the eyes and skin, and Ammonium Hydroxide, which effects the eyes and respiratory tract.

To Gosson's knowledge, she's the only supplier in "at least a 500-mile radius" to go green the legitimate way.

Washing out the green from CP2E on Vimeo.

Different Shades of Tan

By Michael Contino

Syracuse, N.Y. - If always having a tan is important to you, then living in Syracuse may prove challenging.

With clouds frequenting the air to winters that usually surpass 100 inches of snowfall a year, there simply aren't too many summer days between November and March.

Many in the area go to local tanning beds to make up for their perceived Vitamin D deficiency. At the same time, not every tanning bed or tanning salon is alike, and there are a few things people should know about tanning before stepping into a booth.

Fast Facts

It doesn't take much searching to find long-standing medical arguments against going tanning. Among the established health risks of tanning is overexposure to ultraviolet, or UV radiation, which can lead to Melanoma, the most dangerous type of skin cancer.

Here's a fact on tanning you probably didn't know, it comes from Dermatologist Dr. Joyce B. Farah.

"In cloudy cities such as Syracuse the clouds filter at best 15 to 20 percent of the UV radiation. So you're still getting 80 percent of radiation coming through."


On the Side of Caution

Melanoma can appear after going tanning only a couple of times, as Kelly Covert of Baldwinsville, NY found out the hard way.

At the age of 24, she had just started going tanning when she discovered "a large mole" on the back of her leg that ended up being "a malignant melanoma, the worst kind."

Now Covert is in full remission, but the tanning incident sticks with her today.

"I've been going to a dermatologist ever sicne, every six months, getting check-ups," Covert said.

Different Viewpoints

Something separating local tanning Salons from one another is how far they go to prevent people they know shouldn't be tanning from tanning anyway.

Syracuse Tanning Salon Hakna Matata, led by owner Joe Contini, takes a very active role in monitoring it's customers. This includes a "skin type" survey which determines how long one should tan, structured tanning plans and dertailed electronic records of each customer.

It's important to note Hakuna Matata is a Tanning Salon only, unlike another local Salon like Garbo's, which also operates as a Hair Salon. Contini says there's a big difference between the two.

"You know hair salons right now, you go into a hair salon, it's mainly a cash business," Contini said. "You go in the back room, and you tan in a bed that's not controleld by anything."

At Garbo's, owner Dominick Barbano says his staff urges people with light skin or family histories of Melanoma not to tan, but in the end, it's up tot he idnividual to make the final choice at to whether or not to go tanning.

"It's all about self responsibility, and being responsible for your own behavior," Barbano said.

What's Next

In Congres right now is the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act. It would encrease tanning regulation, especially in terms of limiting UV radiation and increasing the size of warning size on tanning beds.

Opinions on the risks of tanning go from it being an absolute danger to your health, to it being something that simply needs more regulation and even an industry that should simply be left alone.

"There are no benefits to tanning and tanning booths, there are only risks." Dr. Farah said.

"We need to put alittle restriction on tanning salons, and you know, a lot of people at tanning salons are going to go nuts on me but, we really should," Contini said.

"The governmetn has no business in my decision maknig process," Barbano said. "It's really important that we as individuals decide what's right for us."

Tanning in CNY: Too Hot to Handle?

February 2010

By Sara Sultanik / Good Medicine 

SYRACUSE N.Y. -- With the cold weather and lack of sun light in the winter months here in Central New York, you may like heading to the tanning bed.

But a new bipartisan bill, the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act could, if passed, change the way many people tan.  The bill would allow the government to set controls on the amount of ultraviolet (UV) radiation emitted by the beds as well as set limits on the amount of time tanners can stay inside the machines.  

All of this to reduce to risks of developing melanoma, the deadliest form of skin cancer.

A Triathlete’s Tale

Kelly Covert of Baldwinsville was only twenty-four when she was diagnosed with skin cancer and she stated she headed to the tanning beds a few times before she was diagnosed, “I dont think it was the only reason that i got skin cancer but it certainly did not help me at all and I would never do it again.”

Kelly is now an advocate for preventing young people from using tanning beds.  She does not want people to end up in the same position she was in.  She said, “You know the risks and they still do it which is shocking to me but i just people are going to make their own decisions but as long as they know what they’re up against...then that’s the choice that they have to make.”

Aren’t There Any Health Benefits to Tanning?

According to dermatologist Dr. Joyce Farah, this is not the case, “There are absolutely no health benefits to being in a tanning booth,” she said, “none that have been documented whatsoever.”

Dr. Farah claimed that even in cloudy cities such as Syracuse, 80 percent of the sun’s radiation still shines through so Central New Yorkers should still be getting a good amount of Vitamin D, even in the winter months.

But Isn’t Every Salon Different?

According to Joe Contini, owner of Hakuna Matata salon in Syracuse, his salon is different than most because his employees are certified under the International Smart Tan Network.

Contini said, “We need to put a little restrictions on tanning salons...people should be certified”

Contini claimed his salon will not allow individuals who are too fair skinned to tan at his salon.  

But Dominick Barbano of Garbo’s Salon in Syracuse said it is ultimately the tanner’s decision, “Act responsibly, do it in moderation, you’ll be fine.”

It is unknown at the time if the Tanning Bed Cancer Control Act will be put into place.  But experts have said, even if less radiation is emitted by these machines, tanners may come into the tanning salons more often to get the same skin tone.  

Eating Healthy in Hard Times

By V. Michelle Bernard/Good Medicine

High produce prices are making it hard, but not impossible for New Yorkers to eat healthfully.

High Costs, Low Nutrition
It’s no secret that the recent economy has impacted every aspect of American life, including nutrition. Feeding America, a national network of 203 food banks, including several in Central New York, has said that one in eight Americans have needed help buying groceries this year. To add to the problem, produce prices have recently increased while prices for snack food seem to have gone down according to a recent American Dietetic Association study.

Although the high calorie snack options seem to offer a better deal, it is a better long-term deal to buy fresh fruits and vegetables, making the decision to eat healthfully even harder for low income Americans.

Balanced Budget & Checkbook Possible
Registered dietician Karen Ertel said there are many options for low income families to make sure they’re eating healthfully including using government subsidized programs and food banks for those who qualify.
Ertel, a dietician at the Syracuse Community Health Center, has noticed that a lot of people on strict budgets leave the vegetables out of their diet, but there are cheaper ways to get your servings of vegetables including canned and frozen vegetables.

Cutting down on the amount of meat eaten is another way to stretch the food budget, said Ertel.

“When you cut down on your meat portion sizes you actually do open a pretty good part of the budget to use for other things,” she said.
She also said eating staples such as rice and beans can add good nutrition, while keeping the budget low.

Reaching Out For Help
Jeanette Stanard is part of one of the many families from Central New York who are making their food dollars stretch by visiting the Food Bank of Central New York’s fresh food giveaways, like the one at the 1st Ukrainian Pentecostal Church in Camillus.

Stanard hasn’t been working since her daughter was born last summer. But going to giveaways, like the one in Camillus, has allowed her to provide more diverse and nutritious food to her family.

“The cost of living and the cost of food is outrageous,” said Stanard. “And going to pantries and fresh food giveaways, such as this, forces you to eat healthy. There’s normally fresh foods as well as baked products, milk, cheese, a lot of real healthy ingredients,” she said.

Last year alone, more than 2.1 million New Yorkers, such as Stanard, were served by food banks.

Tips
Not everyone can qualify to visit food banks, but that isn’t an excuse not to eat vegetables and fruit.

Eat healthfully on a budget by following these tips from registered dietician Karen Ertel:

• It’s OK to buy frozen vegetables and some canned vegetables. They provide almost as many nutrients as the fresh.
• Try to buy in-season and locally grown produce
• Buy and eat less meat
• Replace soda with water or sugar free drinks
• Buy cheap, yet healthy staples such as rice and beans

For more tips on eating healthfully on a budget click here.

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