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4A Daily News – Tuesday, November 26, 2013 Vitality health & fitness Want to conceive? Apps to help How did we ever have babies without our smartphones? I'm joking, of course. But with the array of fertility and pregnancy tracking apps available, there's now a plethora of customized information at your fingertips showing you everything from the best days to try to conceive a baby to what your unborn child probably looks like in utero. Trying to conceive a baby? Forget about counting out days on a paper calendar. These apps will track your most fertile days for you. The most basic conception apps track a woman's menstrual cycle. If you're willing to pay a little something extra, there are apps that provide you with more specific information about the best time to try for that baby. The Period Tracker | Android, iOS; free Enter the start and end dates of your last period and this app will estimate your next period, ovulation, and most fertile days for the next three months on a calendar. You can mark "intimate" days and note symptoms. Upgrade to the "Deluxe" version ($1.99) and you can join social groups from your app focusing on specific issues. Ovulation Calendar and Fertility Calendar | Android, iOS; free This somewhat simpler app cuts to the chase: Enter the dates for your last period and it will tell you your most fertile days. It will also tell you your baby's due date should you conceive on one of those days. Maybe Baby 2013 | iOS; $4.99 A quick glance will tell you if you're fertile today, when to expect your next period and when you'll ovulate next. Click over to the calendar and they'll predict whether you'll have a boy or girl based on the date you conceive, though I wouldn't put money on those predictions. Get Baby | Android; free Like Maybe Baby, Get Baby shows you at a glance if you're fertile today and what dates your period and ovulation are most likely to fall. It also predicts the gender of your baby based on conception date. Pink Pad Period Tracker | Android, iOS; free Don't be put off by the name — not all of the graphics in this app are pink. This calendar app tracks your period and most fertile days as well as letting you take note of symptoms. You can set up discreet reminders alerting you to your fertile days. And you can join communities to discuss specific issues. So you're already pregnant? What else do you want to know? When I was pregnant with my son I was consumed with curiosity about his development. What body parts was he growing now? What did he look like? A sonogram will only tell you so much. Now there are apps that can provide you with much more information, at least based on where you are in your pregnancy. Something to keep in mind: These apps are not going to be 100 percent accurate for you and are meant to be mostly for fun. They are not a substitute for doctor's visits or real medical tests. BabyBump Pregnancy | Android, iPhone; free This app tracks each week of your pregnancy, showing you illustrations and diagrams, and suggesting symptoms you may be feeling. There's a countdown to your due date, and you can join discussion forums from the app. WebMD Pregnancy | iOS; free This app gives you information about your baby's development and your own body through your pregnancy. You can snap photos of your growing belly and place them in a slideshow. The app also provides you with a list of suggested questions for your next doctor's visit. Pregnancy++ | Android, iOS; $2.99 Get daily and weekly updates and graphics for your baby's development and your body's changes. BabyCenter My Pregnancy Today | Android, iOS; free Get daily information and advice for your pregnancy and see your baby's development with medical illustrations and 3D animations. You also get pregnancy checklists, a nutrition calendar and access to forums. Ovia Pregnancy Tracker | iOS; free Ovia claims to be "smarter" than the average pregnancy tracking app because it can give you more personalized information about your pregnancy. You provide more information about your health and age, and Ovia will give you health and risk alerts based on that data. The app also dispenses advice on nutrition, vitamin supplements, tracks your sleep, and it lets you record everything from your moods to your baby's kicks. You can even collect photos. CineMama | iOS; free Looking for something a little light and fun? This app lets you snap photos of your growing belly throughout your pregnancy. After you give birth, the app will compile all your photos into a little movie with the soundtrack of your choice. And there you go — everything you need to track your pregnancy. Just remember, these apps are just to satisfy your curiosity and help you plan for your baby. They are no substitute for a real doctor's advice. However, they can help you engage more actively in your pregnancy in a multitude of different ways. Thinking about entering a Tough Mudder race? Obstacle races like the insanely popular Tough Mudder race — dubbed "America's fastest growing sport" by Outside magazine — are intense, dirty, and taking off like wildfire around the globe. But with names like Electroshock Therapy, Warrior Day, Tough Guy, and Trench Warfare, are they safer than they sound? Races from companies like Tough Mudder, a 10-12 mile (16-19 km) obstacle challenge, have been aggressively marketing themselves across Europe and the US the past few years and are now reaping the rewards with the eager masses signing up to run through icy pits, scale walls, crawl through mud-filled tubes, and sprint through fire. But as more and more people are turning up at emergency rooms with serious injuries, scientists have started to investigate what's going on. After a series of injuries from Tough Mudders in the U.S., including the death of one 28-year-old, a new study aims to alert runners to what kinds of risks they are really signing up for. Findings were published last week in the journal Annals of Emergency Medicine. "The volume and severity of injuries in the Tough Mudder race we studied was unusually high, possibly leading to some permanent disabilities," said lead study author Dr. Marna Rayl Greenberg, of Lehigh Valley Hospital and Health Network in Allentown, Pa., in a statement. "The 1.5 million people who are predicted to enter obstacle races like this in the next year should be well aware of the risks they are taking." The study describes five patients injured at a two-day event who were treated at a local emergency department in Pennsylvania. Thirty-three other race participants were also injured and treated in the same hospital, but were not included in the study. One of the patients had burn marks and heart inflammation after receiving 13 electrical shocks, while another had sustained multiple electrical shocks to the head while running through water, which resulted in fainting. A third patient, after completing 20 out of 22 obstacles, developed seizure-like activity and was unable to move his entire right side. Six months after the injury, he still had lower right leg disability. Unlike marathons, where months of training strongly enhance your ability to perform well with less risk of injury, obstacle races are nearly impossible to train for, the study authors write. "No training on earth can adequately prepare participants for elements such as jumping from a nine-foot height or running through a field of electrical wires while wet and hot," Greenberg said. "In the past few years, obstacle racing has experienced a rate of growth that may be unprecedented in the history of participatory sports," she added. "Organizers, participants and local emergency services need to be prepared for a large number of diverse injuries at Tough Mudder and other similar obstacle races." Concussions may be even worse than you thought Four months after a mild concussion, brain scans show abnormalities even though symptoms have mostly disappeared, raising concerns that patients are at a greater risk of reinjury than previously thought. Scientists observed oddities in the brain's gray matter, in the area associated with complex tasks, reward, FOUNTAIN OF HEALTH 1415 SOLANO ST. CORNING CA. 530-689-0222 Circuit Training, Kettle Bells, Zumba, Pilates, Iyengar Yoga, Step & Line Dance Classes. HEALTH FITNESS STRENGTH FLEXIBILITY www.corningfoh.com FREE ENROLLMENT HELP memory, planning and motivation, according to a study published in the journal Neurology. The finding may mean the brain is still healing and vulnerable even after symptoms fade, raising the risk that a second concussion during this period may result in a more serious injury, the authors wrote. "Just because you feel ready, it doesn't mean your body's fully recovered," Andrew Mayer, a study author and an associate professor at the Mind Research Network in Albuquerque, N.M., said in a telephone interview. Concussion risks in sports have come under increasing scrutiny as research shows that some deaths among young football players could have been prevented if those with head injuries had been kept off the field, according to a 2011 study in the journal Pediatrics. Professional sports leagues, including the National Football League and Major League Baseball, have changed their medical protocols for treating players with head injuries in response to concussion data, and a study published in January in JAMA Neurology found abnormalities in the brains of former NFL players compared with their peers. The research released Wednesday showing the brain continues to suffer the Covered California Affordable Care 530-840-6611 805 Walnut Street Red Bluff Corner of Walnut & Jackson Lic# 0573654 effects of a concussion even after observable symptoms seem to have disappeared matches the experience of other physical injuries, Mayer said. During recoveries from burns or sprains, for example, patients stop feeling pain from their wounds before the body is fully healed. The study compared 50 people who had a mild concussion with 50 healthy people who were about the same age and had about the same level of education. All the subjects were tested two weeks after the concussion patients suffered their injuries. Four months later, 26 of the concussion patients and 26 of people without the injury repeated tests and brain scans. At two weeks, concussion patients reported more issues with memory and thinking skills as well as more headaches, dizziness, and depression compared with the group that hadn't been injured. While the symptoms were reduced in the concussion group four months after the injury, special brain scans showed an increase of about 10 percent in abnormalities in their gray matter, compared with the noninjured people. Mayer and his associates measured the changes using a technique called diffusion tensor imaging scans, which create 3-D images of nerves. More conventional methods such as magnetic resonance imaging or CT scans might not pick up these changes, he said. "Unfortunately, this can lead to the common misperception that any persistent symptoms are psychological," he said in a statement. It's not clear what causes the brain abnormalities, the researchers said. Possible explanations include changes in the location of fluids positioned in and around brain cells, or changes in the cells' shape in response to damage, according to the study, which was supported by the U.S. National Institutes of Health. The Institute of Medicine said in January it had begun an investigation into concussions related to sports. It will review risk factors, screening and diagnosis, as well as long-term consequences and treatment. The Washingtonbased nonprofit organization provides advice to policy makers and the public. www.redbluff.mercy.org redbluff.mercy.org Remembering loved ones who have passed on... December 17 Light Up A Life With the St. Elizabeth Hospice Columba Room, 7 pm • Call 528.4207 Volunteer with the St. Elizabeth Auxiliary, 4 hours a week can make a difference in the lives of others and give back to your community. Call Eileen at 529.8037 www.redbluff.mercy.org A Retirement Community for the Active Senior Citizens Need a Physician? 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