Creatine may aid in dystrophy cases
Creatine, a food supplement popular among athletes, may improve strength among people with neuromuscular diseases such as muscular dystrophy, according to a study published March 10 in Neurology, the scientific journal of the American Academy of Neurology.Patients taking creatine supplements had an average 10 to 15 percent improvement in their ability to perform high-intensity exercises, according to the study's author, Dr. Mark Tarnopolsky of the McMaster University Medical Center in Hamilton, Ontario. He called the supplement inexpensive, nontoxic and lacking in side effects.
Creatine is a compound containing amino acid that is produced in the body and obtained from food such as meat.
But he warned that long-term studies are needed to determine how creatine supplements could help neuromuscular patients improve their daily lives.
Contact lens group offers safety advice
The Contact Lens Council, which promotes safe use of contact lenses and lens care products, offers new safety tips to contact lens wearers:
Visit a reputable eye care professional for a complete eye exam every year -- or more often, if that professional recommends it.
Use only FDA-approved contact lenses prescribed by a licensed eye care practitioner.
Never swap lenses with another person.
Don't wear lenses longer than prescribed, or when sleeping.
If eyes become red or irritated, remove the lenses immediately and consult an eye doctor.
Lenses wear out over time. Replace them as directed by the eye care practitioner. And throw away disposable lenses after the recommended wearing period.
Many foreign objects lodge in ears, noses
Tissue, safety pins, buttons, beans, popcorn kernels and money. That's just a short list of things that children have stuck in their ears, noses and throats. Curious toddlers, school-aged children and even teenagers are capable of lodging foreign objects in their ears, noses or throats, according to Dr. Orval Brown of Children's Medical Center of Dallas.
Each week, at least three children come to the clinic at the medical center to have a foreign object removed. Sometimes, it requires surgery.
Pain, difficulty hearing or a clunking sound in the ear are signs of something stuck in the year. When a child has discharge from only one nostril, a foreign body may be in the nose.
If a parent fears that a child has a foreign object in the ear or nose, Brown suggests taking the child to a physician instead of trying to remove the object themselves.