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6A Daily News – Tuesday, April 30, 2013 Vitality health & fitness Couples working it out Can stem cells help arthritis? By Julie Deardorff Chicago Tribune (MCT) By Danielle Braff Tribune Newspapers (MCT) When the alarm goes off at 6 a.m., getting out of bed and heading to the gym may seem like an impossible task. Good news! Recent studies have found that exercising with a partner boosts motivation — and it's more fun than doing it alone. Ivy Ingram Larson, the West Palm Beach, Fla., trainer and star of the "Full Fitness Fusion" DVD, created this partner workout. Larson suggests moving quickly between exercises in order to keep your heart rate elevated. Repeat the circuit three times. Medicine ball toss Face your partner while standing 6 feet apart. From a standing position, toss a weighted medicine ball (4 pounds is good for beginners) to your partner, who will catch it while moving into a squat, thighs parallel to the floor. Your partner should toss the ball back to you while rising into a standing position. Each partner should throw and catch the ball 20 times. Airplanes holding hands Stand at your partner's side with both hands outstretched to your sides. You should be far enough away from your partner that only your hands are touching. Hold one of your partner's hands while you both face forward, looking in the same direction. Both of you should lean forward at the same time while raising your innermost legs up and back. Stretch the leg up and back until your chest, abdomen and innermost legs are parallel to the floor. Hold this position for 3 seconds before returning to an upright position. Repeat 10 times before turning to face the other way to exercise your other leg. Arm resistance shoulder toning Facing your partner, stand arm's length apart. MCT photo Ivy, left, and Andy Larson from Full Fitness Fusion demonstrate airplanes holding hands: Stand at sides with both hands outstretched. Hold one hand, face same way. Lean forward while raising your inner legs up and behind you. Raise your arms to shoulder level in front of your body at about 45 degrees. Your hands should face the floor. Start by having your partner push your arms down by placing pressure on the back of your hands and wrists. Actively resist your partner's efforts so that it takes about 3 seconds for your arms to be down at your waist level, and then start raising your arms against your partner's continued pressure for 3 more seconds until you are back at shoulder level. Repeat this 10 times before switching positions and letting your partner do 10 repetitions. Tip-toe squats Face each other with your arms fully extended in front of you, holding hands with your partner. Both should be standing on tiptoes and holding that position for 3 seconds. Next, both should drop into a chair position by bending your knees, squatting down and pushing your behind backward until your thighs are parallel to the floor. While doing this, you should still be on your tiptoes holding hands. Hold the chair position for 3 seconds before lifting back up to the starting position on your toes. Repeat 10 times. Single-leg bridge with foot press Lie on the floor on your back in a straight line so that your feet touch your partner's. The sole of your right foot should touch the sole of your partner's left foot. Lift your right foot and your partner's left foot about 2 feet off the floor. Keep your left leg bent to allow you to push your body off the floor into a bridge position. Your thigh, abs and chest should form a straight line with your lower back, and your glutes should be off the floor. Your partner should be doing the same thing using his opposite leg. Keep your right leg engaged by actively pressing into your partner's left foot as your raise and lower your body from bridge position to floor position 10 times, holding the bridge position for 3 seconds with each repetition. Then switch feet and work the other side 10 times. Couple's hamstring and bicep curls Lie on the floor face down. Your partner should kneel on the floor on a mat, rug or towel, just behind your feet and grasp the back of your ankles as you raise your feet toward your back while keeping your knees on the ground. Stop the motion once your lower legs are perpendicular to the floor. Your partner should actively resist this movement. It should take about 3 seconds for your feet to travel from the floor to the upright position. Once at the top, your partner will start to actively pull your ankles and feet back down to the floor as you resist the effort for 3 more seconds. Your partner should remain kneeling on the floor so biceps and arms are working. Repeat 10 times, then switch. Single-leg squats Face your partner and extend your arms toward each other so you are holding hands. Lift your right foot while your partner lifts his left foot until both of your thighs are parallel to the floor and your toes are touching each other's. Squat with the other leg, trying to get as low as possible. Stay in the low squat for 3 seconds before lifting back to upright position. Keep your toes touching each other's and continue holding hands the entire time. Do 10 repetitions per leg. Stems cells taken from just a few grams of body fat are a promising weapon against the crippling effects of osteoarthritis. For the past two decades, knee, hip or other joint replacements have been the standard treatment for the deterioration of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. But artificial joints only last about 15 years and are difficult to repair once they fail. Stem cell injections may offer a new type of therapy by either stopping the degenerative process or by regenerating the damaged cartilage, said pioneering researcher Dr. Farshid Guilak, a professor of orthopedic surgery and director of orthopedic research at Duke University. Guilak, one of the first researchers to grow cartilage from fat, explains why stem cells are a bright light in osteoarthritis research and why widespread clinical use is still years away. Below is an edited transcript of the interview. Q: How are stem cell injections purported to help? A: Several studies in animals show that stem cell injections may help by reducing the inflammation in the joint. Stem cells appear to have a natural capacity to produce antiinflammatory molecules, and once injected in the joint, can slow down the degenerative process in osteoarthritis. (Since this interview, research published in Stem Cells Translational Medicine has found that stem cells may also be an effective way to deliver therapeutic proteins for pain relief related to rheumatoid arthritis.) Q: Does the bulk of research look at how stem cells heal traumatic injuries, or does it look at degenerative conditions such as arthritis? A: Nearly all previous studies on stem cell therapies in joints have focused on trying to repair small "focal" damage to the cartilage. Only a few recent studies have begun to examine the possibility for treating the whole joint, either to grow enough cartilage to resurface the entire joint or to use stem cells to prevent further degeneration. Simple steps may prevent Alzheimer's sufferers from wandering DEAR DOCTOR K: apparent reason. The My husband has inability to control wandering is what Alzheimer's disoften drives famiease. Last week lies to decide to he left the house, place a loved one and it took us in a nursing home. hours to find him. However, some How can I prevent simple measures him from wandercan help to prevent ing again? wandering, at least DEAR READER: One of the Dr. K for a time. The Alzheimer's Assomost dangerous by Anthony L. recomand distressing Komaroff, M.D. ciation mends these steps: symptoms of — Install slide bolts at Alzheimer's is wandering. It may seem unfathomable the top or bottom of doors. — Place warning bells that a person might suddenly get up at night to go on doors. — Cover doorknobs to the post office, or leave home at any hour for no with childproof knobs. — Camouflage doors by painting them the same shade as surrounding walls. — Create a two-foot black threshold in front of doors with paint or tape. (A rug might do the job, too.) This creates the illusion of a gap or hole that a person with limited visual spatial abilities may be reluctant to cross. Also, take these additional precautions so you're prepared if your husband does wander: — Have a recent, closeup photograph of your husband available, both print and digital. — Keep a written list of places that he might go, such as church or a favorite restaurant, job site or previous home. — Post emergency numbers in a handy spot. — Buy identification jewelry engraved with "memory impaired" and your husband's name, address and phone number. A high-tech option uses GPS and cellphone towers to provide an approximate location for a person who might wander. You can request an alert if your husband, who must be wearing the locator device, leaves a specified zone. Or you might tap into the system only in case of emergency. Why do people with Alzheimer's disease wander? Where do they think they're going, and why? Health professionals who work with people who have this disease think that wandering may be prompted by deep-seated memories of work, chores or hobbies, or a longing to return to a former home. Sometimes that's what people with Alzheimer's seem to say when they are found wandering. They usually say they are on some kind of mission. But it's hard to know. When the brain has been confused by Alzheimer's disease, does the brain understand what it has decided to do? Could it be that people who are asked why they wander feel they need to give some kind of answer, so they create one? Someday, medical science is going to figure out how to stop this devastating disease — and then the question of why people wander will be moot. That will be a truly great day. www.redbluff.mercy.org SCHOOL PHYSICALS ARE YOUR CHILD'S IMMUNIZATIONS UP-TO-DATE? 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