"What is Pranic Healing?" By Dr. Eugenius Ang. Dr. Ang leads weekly meditation sessions at FVPT - Unionville.

"Practicing Yoga in India and the US" By Elizabeth Gait, lead Yoga Instructor at the Soma Yoga Studio, FVPT

"What Causes Tight Muscles?" By Mary Badon, Health & Wellness Coordinator of FVPT
 

Manipulative and Body-Based Practices: An Overview

Energy Medicine: An Overview

Mind-Body Connection: An Overview

Biologically Based Practices: An Overview
 

Ice water immersion and delayed onset muscle soreness: a randomised controlled trial. Sellwood KL, et al., Br J Sports Med. 2007 Jan 29; [Epub ahead of print]
Summary: Ice water emersion is commonly used by athletes as a technique to minimize the occurrence of delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) after strenuous exercise. This study tested whether or not ice water emersion made a difference in 40 volunteers. The researchers tested several parameters before and after exercise and emersion in water that was either 5 degrees Celsius (cold) or 24 degrees Celsius (close to room temperature). The researchers measured pain and tenderness (visual analogue scale), swelling (thigh circumference), function (one-legged hop for distance), maximal isometric strength and serum CK recorded at baseline, at 24, 48 and 72 hours post-exercise. There were no significant differences between the two groups with regards to tenderness, isometric strength, swelling, etc. The only significant difference was that the ice water group felt greater pain on to sit-to-stand test than the room temperature water group. This study questions challenges ice water emersion as a recovery technique for athletes.

Medical Problems of Marathon Runners. Sanchez LD et al., American Journal of Emergency Medicine. 2006 Sep;24(5):608-15.
Summary: A review of some of the medical conditions that endurance athletes encounter as a result of their sport and their etiologies. Problems of marathoners summarized include:

• Musculoskeletal injuries - Knee injuries are more common in road racing, and ankle injuries predominate in track races. There is more muscle damage associated with downhill racing as opposed to flat or uphill racing due to trauma to the quads while they brake the body from falling down the hill, etc.
• Gastrointestinal - Of runners, 30% to 81% report gastrointestinal (GI) complaints such as bloating, cramps, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, and fecal incontinence during long runs and races. Blood is preferentially diverted to supply the muscles during running and thus there is less blood to supply the GI tract and there is mechanical trauma due to repetitive impacts of running. These have been proposed as reasons for GI bleeding and blood in the stool after running.
• Hyponatremia (decreased sodium electrolyte in the body) - The body sweats to dissipate heat generated during exercise. The sweat contains sodium, potassium, water, etc and often athletes drink water to keep "hydrated," resulting in a net loss of sodium. Many athletes also "over hydrate" during exercise resulting in dilution of the electrolytes in their blood. The symptoms of hyponatremia can range from cramping, dizziness and weakness to seizures, etc.
• Renal (Kidney) - Running can increase the amount hormones in your body that lead to the retention of water. After running, there maybe left over effects due to these hormones resulting in post race water retention. Chemicals released from the muscles during running can also harm the kidney

Read the article for more information.

Does Long Distance Running Cause Osteoarthritis? Cymet TC and Sinkov V. Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. 2006 Jun;106(6):342-5.
Summary: The authors review the evidence for and against the claim that running causes osteoarthritis. Osteoarthritis can be caused by trauma to, or overuse of, the joints. The authors contend that a clear causal relationship has not been shown between running and osteoarthritis and that more research is needed.

The changes in running performance and maximal oxygen uptake after long-term training in elite athletes. Legaz Arrese A et al., J Sports Med Phys Fitness. 2005 Dec;45(4):435-40.
Summary: This study was designed to assess the relationship between VO2max and performance in both younger and older elite athletes. Both male and female athletes, their training, performance, and VO2max were tracked over four years. In older athletes, neither performance nor VO2max improved. In younger athletes, there was increased performance but VO2max remained unchanged. The increased performance in younger athletes may be attributable to other physiological or psychological variables in their training.

Is running performance enhanced with creatine serum ingestion., Astorino TA et al., J Strength Cond Res. 2005 Nov;19(4):730-4.
Summary: The product Runners Advantage (RA) creatine (Cr) serum has been marketed to increase running performance. This paper tested this claim by comparing cross country runners by comparing their performance on a 5K treadmill run and VO2max testing before and after using RA or Cr. Heart rate, rating of perceived exertion, run time on the 5K, and VO2max did not change before and after ingestion of RA or Cr beyond physiologic variation.  These data do not support the claims of RA in its current form and dose.

Energy balance in weight stable athletes with and without menstrual disorders. Tomten SE and Hostmark AT., Scand J Med Sci Sports. 2006 Apr;16(2):127-33.
Summary: Some female athletes experience irregular menstrual periods while training and others do not. This study investigated a possible relationship between food intake and the occurrence of irregular periods in athletes with stable body weight over time. They found that women that had irregular periods tended to have an small energy deficit (they took in less calories than they burned) primarily as a decrease in dietary fat when compared to women with regular menstrual periods.
 

Kick Off Your Shoes and Run Awhile - By Christopher McDougall
June 23rd, 2005 - The New York Times
Summary: 65 percent to 80 percent of all runners - joggers and elite marathoners alike - are injured in an average year. Knee injuries, plantar faciitis, and Achilles tendonitis are more common today as 30 years ago. For years kinesiology professors, physical therapists and athletic-shoe designers have been puzzling over the same paradox: if running shoe protection and cushioning have improved, why haven't injuries among joggers decreased? This article reviews current the current shoe technological advancements, their impact on rising injury rates among runners, and with references to POSE Method and ChiRunning.
 

CT Chapter of the USATF

Road Runners Club of America