Sports Medicine Direct

Freddic asked:


With over 200 million people suffering from diabetes worldwide, and counting, it’s fast becoming the #1 epidemic of modern times. A major cause of end-stage renal disease, preventable amputations and blindness, the efficacy of many alternative medicine treatments in managing diabetes has been explored.

While conventional medicine has prescriptions of endocrine disorder drugs for diabetes, alternative therapeutic approaches to its management include herbs, plant extracts and more.

The following are some naturals and alternative therapeutics that seem promising to scientists studying their effect on diabetes.

1. Fenugreek: This herb is commonly used for appetite loss, and to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding women. And a handful of studies have discovered that fenugreek may help in bringing down blood sugar levels in diabetes sufferers, that’s according to the National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicines (NCCAM).

Some time back, the Diabetes UK referred to several herbs being studied, including momordica cymbalaria, gymnema sylvestre and swertia chirayita.

2. Momordica Cymbalaria Roots:This a cucumber-like vegetable was assessed by scientists for its effect on Type 2 diabetes control and their tests on diabetic rats showed an improved glucose tolerance.

3. Gymnema Sylvestre Herb: Originating from the Indian tropical forests, this herb when tested for its effects on the body’s ability to produce insulin, seemed to have a direct impact on the pancreatic insulin producing cells.

4. Swertia Chirayita Bark: Laboratory studies on the bark have found that some compounds separated from it appear to set off insulin production, in addition to enhancing its action.

5. Berberine: Chemically classified as a salt and found in the roots and barks of many plants, it has been documented in Chinese literature for having glucose lowering properties. According to Research Australia, the compound is indeed able to help lower blood sugar levels in animal models of diabetes.

6. Tai Chi Exercises: This isn’t quite a herb, nonetheless, according to the April 2008 issue of the British Journal of Sports Medicine, Tai Chi exercises can improve the management of type 2 diabetes via improving blood glucose levels.

Despite appearing promising, experts believe that a lot more research is needed to definitively establish some of these alternative medicines’ degree of efficacy.



Debra

Zach T asked:


i’m currently focused on making something in sports medicine for a career. i know that i am only in high school, but i want to keep my options open for the near future. thanks alot!

Anita

KL21 asked:


I need to come up with a topic and I want to do it on what I’ll be doing in the future..I need to make a question on sports medicine..any tips?

Jo

*~T~* asked:


I am thinking of transfering to the University of Central Florida in Orlando next year, but i want to major in sports medicine and minor in nutrition. Does UCF offer both of these?

Raymond

kelsey0415 asked:


i want to major in sports medicine, more specifically athletic training. I don’t know of any colleges that offer sports medicine programs other than longwood university.

also, what other jobs are in this field besides althetic training? and what is the median income for these jobs?

thanks in advance.

Mildred

Alisha Dhamani asked:


Over the past decade, the scientific information on traumatic brain injury has increased considerably. A number of models, theories and hypotheses of traumatic brain injury have been elaborated.

Despite dramatic advances in this field of medicine, traumatic brain injury, including the mild 2 Slobounov and Sebastianelli traumatic brain injury (MTBI), commonly known as a concussion, is still one of the most puzzling neurological disorders and least understood injuries facing the sport medicine world today.

Definitions of concussion are almost always qualified by the statement that loss of consciousness can occur in the absence of any gross damage or injury visible by light microscopy to the brain.

According to a recent NIH Consensus Statement, mild traumatic brain injury is an evolving dynamic process that involves multiple interrelated components exerting primary and secondary effects at the level of individual nerve cells (neuron), the level of connected networks of such neurons (neural networks), and the level of human thoughts or cognition.

The need for multidisciplinary research on mild brain injury arises from recent evidence identifying long-lasting residual disabilities that are often overlooked using current research methods. The notion of transient and rapid symptoms resolution is misleading since symptoms resolution is not indicative of injury resolution.

There are no two traumatic brain injuries alike in mechanism, symptomology, or symptoms resolution. Most grading scales are based on loss of consciousness (LOC), and post-traumatic amnesia, both of which occur infrequently in MTBI. There is still no agreement upon diagnosis and there is no known treatment for this injury besides the passage of time. LOC for instance, occurs in only 8% of concussion cases.

Overall, recent research has shown the many shortcomings of current MTBI assessments rating scales, neuropsychological assessments and brain imaging techniques.

Humans are able to compensate for mild neuronal loss because of redundancies in the brain structures that allow reallocation of resources such that undamaged pathways and neurons are used to perform cognitive and motor tasks.

Three to four weeks after conception, one of the two cell layers of the gelatin-like human embryo, now about one-tenth of an inch long, starts to thicken and build up along the middle. As this flat neural plate grows, parallel ridges, similar to the creases in a paper airplane, rise across its surface.

Within a few days, the ridges fold in toward each other and fuse to form the hollow neural tube. The top of the tube thickens into three bulges that form the hindbrain, midbrain and forebrain. The first signs of the eyes and then the hemispheres of the brain appear later.

How does all this happen? Although many of the mechanisms of human brain development remain secrets, neuroscientists are beginning to uncover some of these complex steps through studies of the roundworm, fruit fly, frog, zebrafish, mouse, rat, chicken, cat and monkey.

Knowing how the brain is put together is essential for understanding its ability to reorganize in response to external influences or to injury. These studies also shed light on brain functions, such as learning and memory.

Brain diseases, such as schizophrenia and mental retardation, are thought to result from a failure to construct proper connections during development. Neuroscientists are beginning to discover some general principles to understand the processes of development, many of which overlap in time.



Floyd

Joe N asked:


also, is isjust as easy to find a job in sports medicine?

Carrie

laurenhunsinger22 asked:


I am really wanting to go into sports medicine, or possibly become a pharmacist, so what are some good colleges for studying these?

Bertha

K-Money asked:


I am soon going to college and I am interested in Sports Medicine. I am interested in going to University of Michigan or Michigan State. I want to know how to become these and what i should do first. Is it hard to become this? What is the pay? What is the need for this job? I would like to know suggestions and advice.

Gary

Tony Jacowski asked:


Sports medicine offers a challenging field of work varying from injury prevention to treatment and recovery. In addition to the many medical career choices, there are many developing fields of alternative sports therapy.

When a player suddenly faints and falls while playing, there are a few people that try to revive him or put him on a stretcher and take him off the field. This job is little known by spectators. Among the group could be a doctor, a fitness instructor, or an orthopedist. All are branches of the same stream of medicine, known as sports medicine.

In the world of sports, an athlete’s fitness and physical well being play a major role in his sports career. Not only his diet and fitness but also his medical capabilities to overcome stress are winning factors. Diagnosing the right ailment and taking care of the performance of the athlete is the basic job of the sports medical professional.

Let’s take a look at this career in a broader perspective.

Eligibility

-Preferably an individual with science background with additional knowledge of sports

-High school diploma (with science subject)

-4 years’ bachelor’s degree in science or science subjects in the curriculum

-MDs and surgeons have additional requirements based on their specialty

Specialization In Sports Medicine

There are different specializations in the field of sports medicine; for example, exercise physiology, physical therapy, orthopedics, sports nutrition, biomechanics, etc. These specializations have different requirements. For example, in orthopedics, a master’s degree is required.

Major areas of specialization include:

-Coaching

-Science of Exercise

-Physical, as well as Athletic Training

-Health & Physical Fitness Promotion

The name of the course and its curriculum varies across colleges and universities.

Jobs

Some of the prominent jobs in the field of sports or exercise science are as follows:

-Dietician: The job of a dietician is to plan the diet for an athlete and decide on his intake of essential nutrients. The dietician should have an American Dietetics Association (ADA) approved internship and a certification.

-Fitness instructor: A fitness instructor works either in the gym or on a regular job for a sports team. He works along with the fitness team, which includes the physical therapists, coaches, exercise physiologists, etc.

-Exercise physiologist: They are the personnel who monitor the effect of exercise on the athlete’s body. The exertion, good and bad effects of the same are responsible for the athlete’s health.

-Medical Physician: A medical physician is qualified to diagnose and treat an athlete in case of an emergency. Depending on their qualifications, medical physicians are hired. They mostly work in the medical team or are practicing doctors in hospitals.

Biomechanist, occupational physiologist, cardiopulmonary rehabilitation specialist are some of the other jobs available.

Salary

Salary differs from profession to profession, and the experience one has in the field. Generally professionals make more money when they specialize in specific areas of practice.

Tips On A Career In Sports Medicine

-Include science subjects like biology, physics, and anatomy as part of your school/college curriculum.

-Do background research on the available colleges and their costs.

-Decide on the college according to your area of specialization.

-Develop contacts with sports teams and instructors; it is easier to know about the various streams of sports medicine through them. It is also good for networking purposes, which will be helpful while getting an internship/trainee job with a sports club or team.

-If you enjoyed playing the sport, you will also enjoy attending to the players. Developing a liking for the game will also heighten your interests.

Like any other career, sports medicine requires education, experience and dedication to excellence. The field of sports medicine is growing, and even though it is a part of the discipline of medicine, it is different and can offer a lively environment to work in. If you enjoy sports, you should consider sports medicine.



Patricia