Reporter Anthony Shadid’s Death Highlights Asthma Dangers

Asthma experts responding to the death of New York Times correspondent Anthony Shadid 

say his death is a sad reminder of the potentially serious nature of his condition.

The 43-year-old journalist’s death, apparently the result of a severe asthma attack, occurred while he was on assignment in Syria. Times photographer Tyler Hicks, who was with Shadid at the time and tried to revive his colleague, said Shadid had already had a smaller asthma attack days before his death as the pair accompanied smugglers from Syria to Turkey. On the day of his death, Shadid collapsed, Hicks told the Times, and soon lost consciousness. Hicks said Shadid’s breathing was faint and shallow before he died.

Shadid’s father, Buddy Shadid, told the Associated Press that he believes his son’s allergy to horses triggered an allergic reaction that led to the asthma attack. He told the AP that his son had lived with asthma all his life and had his medications with him at the time.

The Asthma and Allergy Foundation of America issued a statement following the news that said the organization “is deeply saddened to learn of the death of Anthony Shadid due to asthma.

“Our thoughts are with his family, friends, colleagues and readers worldwide who will miss the clear, calm and truthful voice of his reporting,” the statement reads. “This tragedy is a sad reminder that there is still no cure for asthma.”

About 34.1 million Americans have been diagnosed with asthma by a health professional during their lifetimes, according to statistics from the American Academy of Allergy, Asthma and Immunology. And Dr. Harold Nelson, a professor of medicine at National Jewish Health in Denver,  said roughly 3,600 people die each year in the United States from asthma.

“Fortunately, this is down from a peak, some 15 years ago, of about 5,600,” Nelson said in an email, noting that the use of inhaled corticosteroids that reduce the likelihood of a severe, life-threatening attack. Despite this advance, he said, dangers still persist  for many.

“Individuals with asthma often underestimate the severity of their condition and often rely on ‘rescue medicine’ such as an albuterol inhaler to control their symptoms, he said. “These people are at increased risk of a severe and even fatal attack when they encounter ‘triggers’ for their asthma.”

The remoteness of Shadid’s location and the nature of his assignment may have also made management of his condition more difficult, doctors said.

“Being in a conflict zone, far from medical care, it is possible that Mr. Shadid focused on things other than his personal health,” said Dr. Sally Wenzel, director of the University of Pittsburgh Asthma Institute at UPMC, in an email to ABC News. “Often that may mean forgetting to take critical asthma medications that prevent severe asthma attacks, like inhaled corticosteroids.”

Doctors said that though Shadid’s circumstances may have made it difficult for him to ward off an asthma attack, most who live with asthma can take steps to protect themselves.

“Most deaths from asthma are preventable,” said Dr. Miles Weinberger, a professor of pediatrics at the University of Iowa. “A study on asthma deaths from the New England Journal of Medicine several years ago found that most were from what could be called ‘too little care too late’ — that is, there was sufficient time for intervention to have prevented the progression of an asthma exacerbation to a fatal conclusion.”

Though details have yet to emerge to confirm that Shadid’s death was indeed a result of an asthma attack, asthma doctors said that the sad story can serve as an important reminder to those who live with the condition to take necessary steps to stay safe.

Dr. Clifford Bassett, medical director of Allergy and Asthma Care of NY and an assistant clinical professor at the NYU School of Medicine, said those with the condition should have an “asthma action plan” to address any symptoms that could predict a serious attack.

...

“Avoiding known triggers of your asthma when you can is also a good idea,” Wenzel said, “but when you can’t avoid them — as would seem to be the case here — making sure that you are taking your daily corticosteroid medications can still help prevent these types of disastrous attacks.

“Asthma still kills. And it often kills young people with incredible futures.  Awareness — and appropriate treatment — is critically important.”

New Discovery May Help Limit the Side Effects of Certain Asthma Drugs

Discovery May Lead to Safer Treatments for Asthma, Allergies and Arthritis

ScienceDaily (Dec. 19, 2011)

Scientists have discovered a missing link between the body's biological clock and sugar metabolism system, a finding that may help avoid the serious side effects of drugs used for treating asthma, allergies and arthritis.

In a paper published last week inNature, scientists at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies report finding that proteins that control the body's biological rhythms, known as cryptochromes, also interact with metabolic switches that are targeted by certain anti-inflammatory drugs.

The finding suggests that side effects of current drugs might be avoided by considering patients' biological rhythms when administering drugs, or by developing new drugs that target the crypto chromes.

We knew that our sleep and wake cycle are tied to when our bodies process nutrients, but how this happened at the genetic and molecular level was a complete mystery," says Ronald M. Evans, a professor in Salk's Gene Expression Laboratory, who led the research team. "Now we've found the link between these two important systems, which could serve as a model for how other cellular processes are linked and could hold promise for better therapies."

Glucocorticoids are steroid hormones that occur naturally in the body and help control the amount of sugar in a person's blood, so that nutrient levels rise in the morning to fuel daily activities and fall again at night. They function in cells by interacting with glucocorticoid receptors, molecular switches on the outside of the nucleus, which Evans first discovered in 1985.

Glucocorticoids also play a role in regulating inflammation and are used as anti-inflammatory drugs for diseases caused by an overactive immune system, such as allergies, asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. They are also used to treat inflammation in cancer patients.

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St. Valentine is recognised in the Christian world as the patron saint of epilepsy. But who was he and why did he become particularly linked to epilepsy?

St Valentine and others - patron saints of epilepsy

To answer these questions we need to understand something of the historical and cultural perception of illness and disease generally and of epilepsy in particular.

Epilepsy has a much longer history than Christianity. It has been recognised for at least 4,000 years and it was invariably connected to the gods in the ancient cultures that pre-dated Christianity. The ancient Egyptians, the Hindus in ancient India and the Aztecs and Incas in Central America all linked epilepsy to their gods.

In ancient times there were no natural explanations for the cause or symptoms of epilepsy. The condition was therefore seen to be a supernatural event where the gods had both the power to inflict epilepsy on people (as punishment, atonement or a challenge) and to release people from it. Epilepsy itself was often thought of as an evil spirit or demon inhabiting the unfortunate human. So it was presumed that relief from epilepsy was only possible by invoking the help of the gods.

It is perhaps not surprising then that Christianity should maintain this tradition and also link epilepsy to God. In early Christian times when medicine was rudimentary  and in the absence of any other effective treatments, the possibility of divine intervention at least brought comfort and hope if not cure.

If proof were needed of the divine relationship with epilepsy, the Bible contains many  references in the New Testament to the power of God over illness and adversity and of Jesus healing the sick. In particular there are some quite specific references to epilepsy, such as Matthew 4:24. Arguably the most famous epilepsy healing reference in the Bible can be found in Mark 9:17-27; Matthew 17:14-18 and Luke 9:37-43 which all describe Jesus healing the boy with epilepsy by driving out an evil spirit.

Then there is the description in Acts 9:3-9 where St. Paul, or Saul as he was known before his conversion to Christianity, is reported to experience what many believe to be an epileptic seizure on his way to Damascus; falling to the ground, hearing God and losing his sight for three days. That this was an epileptic seizure is given even more credence by the fact that sight impediment – including temporary blindness lasting from several hours to several days – has actually been observed as a symptom or a result of an epileptic seizure.

St Paul himself perhaps provides further evidence of his epilepsy when he talks about his “physical ailment” in his letters; (2 Corinthians 12:7 and in Galatians 4:13-14). This connection between Saint Paul and epilepsy was so strongly perceived that in old Ireland, for example, epilepsy was sometimes known as 'Saint Paul's disease'.

Even with God’s power established as the cure for epilepsy, few Middle Age Christians would dare to approach Him directly. Instead, they would turn to the Saints of the church to intercede on their behalf and ask God for His help. The more serious and dangerous the illness or disease, the greater the number of patron saints that were responsible for it. Over the centuries a certain degree of specialisation developed but by the Christian Middle Ages epilepsy had about forty saintly helpers, a number only exceeded by the plague, which had more than sixty.

Of these forty saints for epilepsy, the best known by far is Saint Valentine. But who are the others? Some, like St. Anthony the Abbot, were known in their lifetimes as healers. Others, like St. Apollinaris and St. Giles, were considered to be miracle workers. Their reputation for “curing” epilepsy made them obvious choices for
people to appeal to.

The fourth century Italian St. Bibiana is a patron saint because a church was built over her grave and in the garden an herb grew that cured headache and epilepsy. In the same way, the burial site of the Irish St. Dymphna became known for its miraculous healings and her relics are reported to cure epilepsy. Other patron saints have tombs with curative powers that are reported to be especially effective in relation to epilepsy. These include the 7th Century Irish St. Catald, the 13th Century French St. Gerard of Lunel and the 10th Century Belgian St. Guy of Anderlecht.

Other Saints, like St. Severin of Noricum, St. Ubald of Gubbio and St. Cyriakus have been identified as being helpful and beneficent to people with epilepsy although not sufficiently so to be considered patrons of the condition.

One patron saint who does come close to the significance of St. Valentine is the 4th Century Italian St. Vitus. It is claimed that he freed the Roman Emperor Diocletian's son from an evil spirit (epilepsy?). When he would not sacrifice to the pagan gods in celebration, his cure was attributed to sorcery, and he was put to death. Probably because of this incident, St. Vitus was often called upon in the Middle Ages to help people with epilepsy. These intercessions were so successful in providing cures that his reputation grew and in some parts of Europe the condition even came to be called "St. Vitus' Dance". In more modern times St. Vitus’ Dance is used as another name for the movement disorder Chorea.

But what of St. Valentine himself, the best known of all the epilepsy patron saints. Who was he and how did he come to be so closely associated with the condition?

 The story is far from simple. To begin with there is more than one St. Valentine. Valentinus was a priest in Rome and a physician in the 3rd century AD. To be a Christian at this time was a crime punishable by death. Despite this, Valentinus would not renounce his faith and he was beheaded by order of Emperor Claudius II on February 14 270 AD. At about the same time there also lived Valentine the Bishop of Interamna (now called Terni) in Umbria, Italy. He was scourged, imprisoned, and then beheaded for being a Christian. He had a reputation for praying for the sick to be made well and just prior to his death is said to have restored the sight of the daughter of his jailer. Tradition has it that these two men are in fact the same person, that Valentinus the Roman priest became the Bishop of Interamna and was brought to Rome for his execution. Whoever he was, a Roman Valentine really did exist. Archaeologists have unearthed a catacomb and an ancient church dedicated to him.

The picture becomes even more complicated by the existence of yet more St. Valentines. The most important of these is St. Valentine of Rätien or Passau. This St. Valentine became the missionary Bishop of Passau in what is now Lower Bavaria, Germany in 435 AD. After several attempts to Christianise that area, he was eventually driven away. He then worked as a bishop without a location as he continued his missionary efforts in the area between the river Danube and the Alps. He died in the city which is now called Merano in about 475 AD.

The legends of both Valentines became merged together from the 9th century and it is not always possible to clearly distinguish between the two after that date. For  example, in the Rhine region in the Middle Ages, there were two important places of pilgrimage that were holy to St. Valentine of Terni that were visited by many pilgrims seeking a cure for their epilepsy: Rufach in Ober-Elsass and Kiedrich im Rheingau.

The question still remains, why was St. Valentine so closely associated with epilepsy? Much is made of the phonetic similarity in the German language between the words ‘fallen’ (fall) and ‘Valentine’. This reinforced St. Valentine’s connection to epilepsy in German speaking areas and led to common names for epilepsy in German such as “Saint Valentine's illness” and “St. Valentine's affliction”. But in non-German speaking areas St. Valentine’s patronage was not so strong. In France, for example, Saint Johannes was an important helper for combating epilepsy (mal de Saint Jean), and in Anglo-Saxon countries, especially in Catholic Ireland, it was Saint Paul.

The reputation of a Saint to be able to help is based upon his or her apparent success. Over the centuries St. Valentine would have been called upon by thousands of Christians with epilepsy. If only by the law of averages he would have been credited with many miraculous cures and healings. Stories about these would have spread far and wide so enhancing his reputation and increasing the number of people who would turn to him for help which in turn would have led to yet more success stories. And so the connection with epilepsy is made and then reinforced down the ages.

Some of this reinforcement is seen in the iconic representations of St. Valentine healing people with epilepsy. These are frequently encountered in southern Germany, eastern Switzerland, Austria and northern Italy. The first such representation appeared in The Nuremberg Chronicle, a great illustrated book printed in 1493. They often show the Saint with a boy or man having a seizure or apparently recovering from a seizure. This seems to echo the biblical story of Jesus curing the boy with epilepsy.

Arguably the greatest debate surrounding St. Valentine is not about who he was or why he is connected to epilepsy. It is about whether or not he is actually beneficial to people with epilepsy. Still today there is much about epilepsy that cannot be naturally explained. In such circumstances people will continue to seek alternative rationales to try and make sense of their condition in whatever way they can. If this brings people comfort and hope and helps them to cope with their condition, just as it did in ancient times, who is to say this is not beneficial?

By Philip Lee, Epilepsy Action
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Bacteria to Blame in Asthma Attacks in Children, Research Suggests

ScienceDaily (Oct. 7, 2010) — Doctors have long known that viral infections can bring about asthma attacks and the shortness of breath, coughing, and wheezing associated with them. But while viral infections cannot be treated, scientists at the Danish Paediatric Asthma Centre (DPAC) at the University of Copenhagen and Gentofte Hospital have discovered that treatable bacterial infections can also cause asthma attacks. The discovery could revolutionize treatment.

"We found a significant relationship between bacterial infections and acute asthma attacks -- above and beyond the expected relationship between viral infections and attacks," says Hans Bisgaard, a professor of pediatrics at the DPAC.
The study examined 361 children between the ages of four weeks and three years to determine the presence of viral and bacterial infections during severe asthma attacks. The results conclude that the number of attacks was just as high in children with bacterial respiratory infections as in those with viral infections.
Using antibiotics to treat asthma attacks?
"This indicates that bacteria can exacerbate asthma symptoms even if they aren't infected with a virus," Professor Bisgaard says. "The findings open up an entirely new method for treating severe asthma attacks. We can't treat viral infections, but scientists will now look into whether treatment with antibiotics can help children when they have an asthma attack if they are also suffering from a bacterial infection."
"Being able to use antibiotics to treat asthma attacks in children would be revolutionary," Professor Bisgaard says.
The effects of antibiotics in treating asthma attacks will now be examined in large-scale, clinical study by the DPAC.
The research has been published in British Medical Journal on 4 October 2010.

Web address:      Link

Breastfeeding may prevent asthma

Breastfeeding may prevent asthma 

July 22nd, 2011 in Health 

Feeding a baby on only breast milk and for up to 6 months after birth can reduce their risk of developing asthma-related symptoms in early childhood, according to new research.

The study, which is published online today (21 July 2011) in the European Respiratory Journal, looked at the impact of the duration of breastfeeding and the introduction of alternative liquids or solids in addition to breast milk.

The researchers, from the Generation R Study, Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands, used questionnaires to gather data from over 5,000 children. They ascertained in the first 12 months after birth whether the children had ever been breastfed, when breastfeeding was stopped, and whether any other milk or solids were introduced.

Further questionnaires were completed when the children were aged 1, 2, 3 and 4 years to check whether they had any asthma-related symptoms.

The results showed that children who had never been breastfed had an increased risk of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm during their first 4 years, compared to children who were breastfed for more than 6 months.

The strongest links were seen with wheezing and persistent phlegm, as children were 1.4 and 1.5 times more likely to develop these symptoms if they had never been breastfed.

Children who were fed other milk or solids during their first 4 months in addition to breast milk had an increased risk of wheezing, shortness of breath, dry cough and persistent phlegm during the first 4 years, compared to children who were exclusively breastfed for their first 4 months.

While previous studies have shown a similar effect between breastfeeding and asthma risk, this research is the first that showed a link between the length of breastfeeding and the number of wheezing episodes. Also, this study found evidence that the first asthma-related symptoms occur earlier in life if children were breastfed for shorter lengths of time or not exclusively.

Dr Agnes Sonnenschein-van der Voort, researcher at Generation R and lead author from the Erasmus Medical Center in The Netherlands, said: "The link of duration and exclusiveness of breastfeeding with asthma-related symptoms during the first 4 years was independent of infectious and atopic diseases. These results support current health policy strategies that promote exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months in industrialised countries. Further studies are needed to explore the protective effect of breastfeeding on the various types of asthma in later life."

Provided by European Lung Foundation

"Breastfeeding may prevent asthma." July 22nd, 2011. http://medicalxpress.com/news/2011-07-breastfeeding-asthma.html

How Obese is Obese Enough to Take a Child from Their Home?

Last week I was asked to be an expert for a HLN story involving an 8-year-old boy in Cuyahoga Falls, Ohio. This boy is morbidly obese, tipping the scales at 218 pounds. The Department of Children and Family Services took the boy into foster care after they felt the mother was unable to follow through with appropriate measures prescribed for the boy in order to lose weight. The mother’s defense was that she was going to school, in addition to working as an elementary teacher.  She felt that she could not monitor the child at all times.   Apparently, family members and friends were sneaking food to the boy.  DCFS reported that they had worked with mom for a year and saw no improvement. The State Health Department estimates that more than 12 percent of third graders statewide (Ohio) are severely obese. That could mean as many as 1,380 kids in Cuyahoga County alone. This story is the first time anyone could recall a child being taken from a parent strictly due to weight-related issues.

To consider the idea that the state can handle this issue by removing an obese child from the home and placing him in foster care is not only absurd, but dangerous to the development of children. Most likely, there will not be enough foster homes and even if there were, will the parents in those homes be able to handle the issues an obese child struggles with? According to recent polls, one out of every three children is morbidly obese. This is not a child crisis; instead, this is a family crisis. In this situation, the child suffered from sleep apnea, which meant he was hooked up to a machine at night that monitors and assists his breathing. Many obese children suffer asthma, diabetes, heart disease, hypertension, anxiety, and depression.

Obesity certainly has genetic components, but to simply throw your hands in the air with complete surrender to the fate is not being a responsible parent.  Taking a child away from the family he knows and loves borders on cruelty. Removal of a child from his/her home should only be done as a last resort to protect that child from imminent harm (the child in this case had no other medical conditions except for sleep apnea). Many times, removing a child from their home is experienced so intensely by the child that they would resort to food even more as the only thing they could control. Depression, anxiety, and a heightened loss of self-esteem may be the result. What are we telling a child if we allow them to be taken from us, because we were not able to change our lives enough to help him? I make it clear to all of the parents I work with that if you have a morbidly obese child, it takes a family to support them with a healthy lifestyle. There can be no enablers and “good guys or bad guys” with offering the child unhealthy foods or a lifestyle conducive to obesity.

If you have a child you are concerned with who struggles with obesity, you have more power within your family than any treatment facility known. The problem is that, many times, you know your child is hurting and that breaks your heart. The guilt you feel from that affects your ability to hold a firm and loving boundary that your child needs. These suggestions will help you get started.

full article here

Houston Physician Serving Pediatrics at Memorial City Named Top Hospitalist of 2011

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif., Nov 23, 2011 (BUSINESS WIRE) -- IPC The Hospitalist Company, Inc. IPCM -0.88% , a leading national hospitalist physician group practice company, announced today that Jasmin M. Baleva, M.D., and David Bowman, M.D. were named by ACP Hospitalist as two of the Top Ten Hospitalists in the nation. Both were recognized in the November 2011 issue of the magazine, a publication of the American College of Physicians.

Dr. Baleva, IPC's Practice Group Leader at Memorial Hermann Memorial City Medical Center in Houston, Texas, launched the first medical-pediatrics practice group in the Houston area. As a medical-pediatrics hospitalist, her patients range from newborns to end-of-life cases in various clinical environments. An IPC physician since 2001, Dr. Baleva was the first hospitalist in Houston to initiate an organized effort to bring a hospitalist practice group into skilled nursing and assisted living facilities. She was also instrumental in starting a long-term acute care (LTAC) hospitalist practice at Methodist Hospital Willowbrook in Houston. In April 2011, Dr. Baleva was recognized as an IPC Hospitalist of the Year.

Dr. Bowman serves as Regional Executive Director for the IPC practice group in Tucson, Arizona. He leads a team of 80 hospitalists, which he grew from a small presence when he joined the company in 2000. In October of this year, Dr. Bowman's achievements as a physician executive were also recognized by the Medical Group Management Association (MGMA) and American College of Medical Practice Executives (ACMPE) which honored him with the "Physician Executive of the Year" award for 2011. It is also noteworthy that in January 2011 Dr. Bowman was the first physician on the scene helping the victims of the Tucson, Arizona shooting, when six people were killed and 13 others injured, including U.S. Representative Gabrielle Giffords (D-Ariz.).

"We are very proud that both Dr. Baleva and Dr. Bowman have been honored by the ACP as two of the country's eminent hospitalists," said Adam Singer, M.D., chairman and CEO of IPC The Hospitalist Company. "Both physicians exemplify IPC's core values of leadership, professionalism and teamwork, representing our commitment to delivery of the highest quality patient care."

http://www.marketwatch.com/story/two-physicians-from-ipc-the-hospitalist-company-named-top-hospitalists-of-2011-2011-11-23

Link to article

Cellphones Exceed U.S. FCC Exposure Limits by as Much as Double for Children, Study Finds

ScienceDaily (Oct. 18, 2011) — A scholarly article on cell phone safety to be published online Oct. 17 in the journal Electromagnetic Biology and Medicine reports the finding that cell phones used in the shirt or pants pocket exceed the U.S. Federal Communications Commission (FCC) exposure guidelines and that children absorb twice as much microwave radiation from phones as do adults.

The paper notes that the industry-designed process for evaluating microwave radiation from phones results in children absorbing twice the cellphone radiation to their heads, up to triple in their brain's hippocampus and hypothalamus, greater absorption in their eyes, and as much as 10 times more in their bone marrow when compared to adults.
The paper's authors include three team members at Environmental Health Trust: Devra Davis, PhD, MPH, Founder and President; L. Lloyd Morgan, Senior Science Fellow; and Ronald B. Herberman, MD, Chairman of the Board.
The existing process is based on a large man whose 40 brain tissues are assumed to be exactly the same. A far better system relies on anatomically based models of people of various ages, including pregnant women, that can determine the absorbed radiation in all tissue types, and can account for the increased absorption in children. It allows for cell phones to be certified with the most vulnerable users in mind -- children -- consistent with the "As Low As Reasonably Achievable" (ALARA) approach taken in setting standards for using radiological devices.
In the United States, the FCC determines maximum allowed exposures. Many countries, especially European Union members, use the "guidelines" of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection (ICNIRP), a non-governmental agency.
Three additional authors contributed to the paper: Om P. Gandhi, ScD, of the Department of Electrical Engineering at the University of Utah; Alvaro Augusto de Salles, PhD, of the Electrical Engineering Department at the Federal University of Rio Grande do Sul in Brazil; and Yueh-Ying Han, PhD, of the Department of Epidemiology and Community Health at New York Medical College. Drs. Gandhi and De Salles serve on EHT's Scientific Advisory Group.



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Houston student strives to overcome concussions - 5 in three years.

Houston student strives to overcome concussions

Cornerstone Academy eighth-grade student Davis Lamberton has suffered five concussions in three years but has overcome disruptions in his life caused by the injuries.

Posted: Sunday, October 9, 2011 9:23 pm

By Jack Marrion | 0 comments

It was a play Davis Lamberton had run countless times.

Lined up as a receiver during an October 2010 game, his responsibility was to block the defensive end.

A defensive end himself, Lamberton was used to collisions. As he routinely initiated contact once more both players’ helmets collided, but the effect on Lamberton was significant.

“On film it doesn’t look like a helmet-jarring hit,” said Joe Malouf, an assistant coach on the Spring Branch Memorial Sports Association team Lamberton played for last year. “We were kind of shocked he had a concussion. On an event like that you usually see a violent collision. But he got up and went back to the huddle. He was talking but it just wasn’t correct so we had our trainer look at him.”

Members of the team and coaching staff of The Cardinal, the SBMSA varsity (ages 11-12) division team for which Lamberton played in 2010, got Lamberton off the field and his parents took him to the emergency room.

“The game was just about over and he was stumbling on the field,” Davis’ mother Meredith Lamberton said. “In the huddle he couldn’t remember if they had won or lost. The coach pulled me over and said something wasn’t right. His head was killing him.”

Lamberton, who has not played football since, was diagnosed with a concussion and his symptoms lingered. Currently an eighth-grade student at Spring Branch ISD’s Cornerstone Academy, he recalls struggling with reading, classroom instruction, migraine-level pain, sensitivity to light and balance issues, among other symptoms, during the course of more than two months.

“School got really hard,” Lamberton said. “Usually I got straight As, but it got really hard. Socially it became kind of hard. I’d have headaches, I’d be dizzy and just confused. One day I just completely couldn’t subtract.”

Lamberton recovered from his October 2010 concussion but has since had two more. One occurred in February during a game of flag tag at school. This past September he said he was kicking a soccer ball with his friends when struck with another concussion.

“We were just playing soccer and the ball was in the air,” Lamberton said. “I thought to head it, and I did. It felt really weird. It seemed so small, but it really put it in perspective that I need to take it easy.”

Fortunately, Lamberton has been supported in recovery by family, friends, educators and physicians. He advanced through a trying seventh-grade year at Cornerstone and has broadened his interests in addition to athletics.

ROAD TO RECOVERY

Lamberton has been unusually susceptible to concussions, also suffering two mild head injuries prior to the one he sustained on the football field. He has had five concussions in three years.

Knowledge and awareness has increased for concussions, particularly in youth sports, reflected by the passing of Natasha’s Law in Texas this year.

According to the official journal of the American Academy of Pediatrics, it is estimated more than three million recreation- and sport-related concussions occur annually in the United States, though several go undiagnosed. In high school sports, football, girls soccer, boys lacrosse, boys soccer and girls basketball are the leading producers of traumatic brain injuries.

Dr. Joshua Rotenberg treats neurological conditions in children, teens and young adults, as well as sleep disorders in adults at Texas Medical and Sleep Specialists in the Memorial City Medical Plaza. Though he said the high school sports season has coincided with an increase in concussion patients, athletics are merely one cause.

“More concussions are from falls and motor vehicle accidents,” said Rotenberg, who has treated Lamberton since his October 2010 concussion. “It’s great that awareness is being raised through sports, but I think one of the important messages to get out is it’s not just sports. Any impulsive force to any part of the body which causes a brain deceleration can cause concussion.

“Davis is in an atypical position. But it illustrates the point that even if you keep a young person out of sports they can still fall down and have a concussion playing in the yard or at recess.”

As Rotenberg noted the most significant aspect of treating a concussion is rest, both physical and cognitive. The AAP recommends shortening days and reducing workloads in school during recovery, while limiting exposure to computers, video games and television at home.

Rest can be accompanied by exercises to build tolerance to symptoms, including trouble with balance and dizziness. Lamberton said one test included spinning in a chair until he was dizzy. Another involved focusing on his extended finger while turning his head back and forth, which Lamberton said he struggled with at first but gradually had less trouble with.

Lamberton rehabilitated at Memorial Hermann’s TIRR outpatient facility at Kirby Glen following his October 2010 concussion.

Rotenberg said the duration of the recovery process can vary and symptoms differ for each individual. Meredith Lamberton observed her son had post-concussion symptoms for two months following his football injury.

“Typically young people are impaired longer than adults,” said Rotenberg, also a member of the Spring Branch ISD Concussion Management Team. “My message to families when they come in is it is likely to take months to improve. When it does it can improve quickly. Seventy-five to 80 percent of concussions are resolved by the three-week mark, but it kind of depends on how closely you look.”

SCHOLASTIC SUPPORT

full article

Special Needs Teacher Accused Of Using Vinegar-Soaked Cotton Balls To Discipline Students - Katy, TX

Special Needs Teacher Accused Of Using Vinegar-Soaked Cotton Balls To Discipline Students

A Katy, Texas, special needs teacher is under fire for allegedly engaging in some highly questionable discipline practices.

According to KPRC, Pam Manning, a teacher at Exley Elementary, and two aides have been accused of soaking cotton balls in vinegar and forcing students to hold them in their mouths, as a form of discipline. The practice came to light after one parent reported witnessing it first-hand.

The accused have since been removed from the classroom. Manning is currently on contract arbitration with the district, KPRC said.

"The things that these folks have been alleged to have been engaged in were not approved by the parents, were not condoned by the school district," school district spokesman Steve Stanford told the local news station. "That is why they have been removed from the classroom and we have taken the steps that we have."

Link to story

Link to KHOU