Health Cautions

[caglewis]

With football practices underway and just 2 weeks til the start of the season, 2 stories out of the Cincinnati area caught my eye.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/38701368/ns ... innati_oh/
A story about head injuries - they're never innocous.

http://www.wlwt.com/r/24610979/detail.html
A story about asthma/respiratory distress.
Jovante Woods, 16-yr-old son of Ickey, subsequently died last evening. What a tragedy!

It's hot and the air quality is not the best [though better here than in big cities]. Adequate hydration and electrolyte balance are also huge factors. It's on players to say if they're hurt or feeling bad [difficult to do in a culture that values "toughing it out" and vilifies "being a wimp"]. And it's on coaches to be aware of potentially threatening conditions and avoid pushing kids past the point of safety. There are times when "being macho tough" can be life threatening!

I like football, but it wasn't meant to be played in 90 degree weather!

[JoeRoberts]

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/09/30/sport ... entia.html

http://www.nytimes.com/2009/01/28/sport ... brain.html