Athletes are constantly searching for ways to reduce soreness and improve recovery. One recovery method that is growing in popularity with a number of athletes, both professional and amateur, is the use of sports massage therapy to aid in recovery.
Sports massage was developed to treat the soft tissue soreness that can come after strenuous physical activity. This is achieved through the manipulation of muscle tissue by hand.

According to John Julian, The Massage Company, a Dallas massage therapy provider, “Whether done before or after an event, sports massage therapy can provide a number of benefits for an athlete and should be an integral part of any athlete’s training regimen.”

There are several types of sports massage that are used at different times to provide different benefits for athletes. Pre-event massage therapy is used before a game or competition to aid the athlete in warm ups before competition. A pre-event massage focuses on the muscle groups that will be most heavily involved in physical activity, in an effort to increase blood flow to the muscle groups and prepare the body for activity.

Post-event sports massage usually occurs within two hours of physical activity and is used to relieve the tension and stress that can build up in the muscles after strenuous work. As a game goes on, numerous toxins and lactic acid can build in the muscles, leading to soreness and extended recovery time. Post-event massage is designed to reduce these toxins and speed up recovery so an athlete can resume an optimal training level more quickly.

Many athletes train heavily and frequent training sessions can result in muscle fatigue, which greatly increases the risk of injury. Restorative sports massage is used during training periods to aid in recovery between practices. Restorative massage between training sessions is helpful in reducing the risk of injury.

Finally, when an injury does occur, rehabilitative sports massage can be useful in reducing soreness around the affected area and trigger the body’s natural recovery systems.

“With any physical activity,” said John Julian, “there is a risk of injury. Certain types of sports massage therapy are useful in relieving soreness as well as helping the body recover from injury.”

The physical benefits of massage include increased blood flow and circulation, as well as a relief of tension and stress in muscle groups, which can lead to soreness. Mentally, massage is beneficial in providing relaxation as well as an improved overall sense of well being.

There are numerous benefits to be found in sports massage. Sports massage therapy is helpful in aiding recovery after strenuous activity, as well as alleviating soreness due to injury. Any serious athlete should consider adding massage therapy to his or her training regimen.

A staple of any elementary classroom, a behavior chart is simply a chart that lists each child in the class, and has four to five slips of paper in a slot under the child’s name. As the day progresses, any child that misbehaves or acts up will have to remove a slip of paper from his or her slot. Each slip of paper serves as a symbol of a particular consequence. For instance, if a child acts up and removes one slip of paper, the consequence might be a warning. Two slips of paper removes may result in a loss of recess time, three a detention, and so on.

While this is the most common type of behavior chart, some have argued that it is not the most effective use of a behavior chart. It is thought that since a classroom behavior chart emphasizes consequences for acting up, children are taught only to avoid punishment. This results in children who do not misbehave, but also do not make an effort to “go the extra mile” and accomplish chores or help out more.

A standard behavior chart is effective in a classroom setting as teachers are trying to prevent outbursts and disruptions to the class, however what about a parent trying to motivate their children to clean up more, go to bed on time, and accomplish chores. A fear of punishment is not an effective motivation for children to develop good habits for a lifetime. Children must see that good behavior has rewards. However, with a traditional behavior chart, children only see punishments and not rewards.

In order to rectify this situation Roxana Bolanos, of Dallas based Learning From A to Z, has created a type of behavior chart that focuses on teaching children about good behavior, known as a reward chart, that is perfect for household use as parents seek to teach their children about responsibility.

A reward chart is a specific type of behavior chart used to teach children to set goals and motivate them to help around the house and learn self-discipline. Instead of punishing children for acting out, a reward chart is used to reward children for accomplishing goals.

The reward chart offered by Learning From A to Z is a good example of an effective home teaching aid. Parents can choose from a number of household chores for the child to focus on for the week. As the child goes through the week, anytime they finish one of these chores or meet a goal for a particular day, they will receive a gold star. At the end of the week, if the child has accumulated a certain number of gold stars, they will receive a reward, such as ice cream or a toy.

A reward chart is effective as a teaching aid for a number of reasons. It allows a child to keep track of their performance for the week, as well as set goals for themselves. Children are also taught self-discipline in that, if they want a particular reward, such as a toy or ice cream, they must meet certain goals. If the child does not do so well for a particular day or week, they simply do not get the particular reward.

While a behavior chart can be an effective teaching aid at school, reward charts are better for use at home as a means of teaching children to develop good qualities in a meaningful way that gets the child involved.

This is an overview of an electricity experiment provided by Heath Scientific.

The Juiced Kit is an electricity experiment used to teach children how to generate electricity by creating a wet cell battery.

General Overview

Electricity can be generated from a number of sources, including household substances. This can be seen through the use of a wet cell battery. A wet cell battery is simply a battery with two electrodes and a liquid electrolyte. An electrolyte is any substance with ions that acts as a conductive medium. An electric meter is used to measure the voltage of each substance tested. Voltage is the speed at which electricity moves.

Supplies Needed

The electricity experiment is completed using the following items, which are provided by Heath Scientific:

· A beaker

· A zinc electrode

· A copper electrode

· 2 alligator clip wires

· An electric meter

· 2 droppers

In addition, several items are required that are not included in the electricity experiment kit. These items are:

· 2 gallons of distilled water

· Household items to test such as vinegar, salt, sugar, milk, shampoo, and other substances

· Paper towels and old newspapers

The electrodes are used to draw electricity out of the substances being tested. An electrode is simply an electrical conductor that acts as terminals in an electrically conducive medium. The electrodes in the electricity experiment are connected to the electric meter using the 2 alligator clip wires. The electric meter measures voltage in millivolts.

Procedure

The electricity experiment is conducted by first attaching the electrodes to the electric meter using the alligator clips. The copper electrode goes to the positive side of the meter, and the zinc electrode to the negative side. The electrodes are then placed into the beaker, without touching. The beaker is filled with water and lemon juice is used to calibrate the meter. It is important to remember the number of lemon juice drops needed to bring the meter to the far right. After cleaning out the items used, the wet cell battery is reassembled and used to test different household substances by substituting the lemon juice for the substance being tested. The readings should be noted to compare the electricity generated by the wet cell battery.

This electricity experiment allows home schooling parents to easily explain the concepts of electricity and voltage without a large investment.

Science project kits such as the electricity experiment are available from Heath Scientific’s website. These science projects cover a wide range of topics from electricity to volume and density. They offer an affordable method for home schooling parents to improve their child’s education. Parents are able to not only improve their home school curriculum, but to take an active role in their child’s education by participating in the science project with their child.

Founded by Pat and Heath Nichols, Heath Scientific is a provider of educational supplies located in Cedar Hill, Texas. Major suppliers of Heath Scientific include AntWorks, Thames & Kosmos, Uncle Milton, and Can You Imagine. If you are interested in hosting a school fundraiser, or obtaining science related educational tools, contact Heath Nichols at Heath Scientific by email at heath@heathscientific.net or by phone at (972) 291-4223.

A hysterectomy is an extremely daunting prospect to face. A woman considering a hysterectomy procedure is certainly faced with a number of choices and consequences. Some of these consequences, such as the loss of the ability to produce children, are inescapable no matter what type of hysterectomy procedure a woman chooses. However, recent advances in the field of gynecological surgery have provided women with new options., With the development of the Da Vinci Surgical System, women now have a less invasive and less risky option when considering a hysterectomy procedure.

Accounting for 75% of all hysterectomies in the United States, an abdominal hysterectomy is considered to be an invasive hysterectomy procedure. The procedure involves a 6-12 inch incision across the abdomen. The reason for this incision is that it gives the surgical team the maximum amount of room to work as well as providing the most encompassing view of the affected area. Additionally, any previously undiscovered conditions, such as uterine cancer, can be dealt with more efficiently.

Due to the invasiveness of the procedure, an abdominal hysterectomy presents a higher risk of post-surgery complications and infections. This is compounded by the already substantial recovery time, which ranges from six to eight weeks. The hospital stay for an abdominal hysterectomy is usually one or two days, but can be as long as four. After the hysterectomy procedure, recovery involves a severe limitation of activities, which are gradually increased over the course of the recovery period.

In contrast, a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery offers gynecological patients with a considerably less invasiveoption. The Da Vinci Surgical System is a two-part robotic surgery system that utilizes both a patient cart, equipped with tiny robotic arms that actually perform the surgery, and a surgical console, with controls that manipulate the robotic arms. Essentially, the Da Vinci Surgical System only requires a surgeon to manipulate the controls while seated comfortably at the console, and a surgical assistant to change the tools on the robotic arms and monitor the patient. The surgeon is able to see the entire area he or she is working on with the help of a fully 3-dimensional camera attached to one of the robotic arms.

In a Da Vinci hysterectomy procedure, the robotic arms minimize the size of the incisions necessary to reach the affected organs, which results in a far less invasive hysterectomy procedure. Consequently, the reduced invasiveness minimizes the risk of infections as well as post-surgical complications. While there are several more incisions made in a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, the incisions are only 1-2 centimeters long.

The 3D image gives the surgeon a more accurate view of the affected organs than other less invasive procedures such as a laparoscopic hysterectomy, which only provides a 2-dimensional view. This, coupled with the surgeon being able to sit comfortably at the surgical console for the entire hysterectomy procedure, enhances the surgeon’s effectiveness without the need for a large surgical team.

Due to the more effective performance by the smaller surgical team, and the reduced invasiveness of the procedure, the recovery times from a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery are significantly shorter than the recovery from a traditional abdominal hysterectomy. Recovery times are reduced to as little as one to two weeks from a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery, as compared to the six to eight weeks after an abdominal hysterectomy. Additionally, there is a reduced risk of infection and complications after a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery. The rate of complications after an abdominal hysterectomy is significantly greater than those following a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery.

Da Vinci Robotic Surgery is not only easier on patients. Surgeons who have used the Da Vinci Surgical System are also impressed with the method. According to Dr. Dennis Eisenberg, a Dallas-based gynecologist certified on the Da Vinci Surgical System, “The Da Vinci Robotic Surgery has proven to be extremely effective. It makes procedures easier for me, as well as less invasive for the patients, both for their bodies and their aftercare. With all that goes into a hysterectomy procedure, the Da Vinci Surgical System makes it better for everyone involved.”

With the increasing number of robotic surgeries performed by the system, a Da Vinci Robotic Surgery is fast becoming a more desired and respected option for patients who must undergo a hysterectomy procedure. The Da Vinci Surgical System allows for more effective performance from the procedure, a less risky option for the patients, and a more comfortable experience for all involved.