Author: Meredith Luttrell

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Reducing Cancer Risk by Increasing Exercise

Author: Callie Zobeck

As all know, there are many different forms of cancer out in this world, yet research is beginning to show how those at risk for cancer can have reduced risks simply by adding exercise to their daily regime. Cancer can develop at any point and any time in the body. Instead of having cells that grow and divide, cells keep dividing making them damaged in the process. This then causes the growth of tumors. Tumors can then either become malignant (invading other bodily tissues while spreading the cancer to other areas of the body), or they can be classified as benign (do not invade other bodily tissues and do not grow back as most malignant tumors do) (What Is Cancer?, 2015). The World Cancer Research Fund states how 12.3% of people have breast cancer (Global cancer statistics for the most common cancers, 2018). For breast cancer in 2018, the World Cancer Research Fund showed that there were over two million cases of breast cancer diagnoses. Research has begun to show how increasing exercise can now decrease these risks of cancerous tumors (Global cancer statistics for the most common cancers, 2018).

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The Benefits of Dry Needling for Athletes with Muscle Pain

Author: Mandi Roemmich

Introduction

            Dry needling has recently become a popular therapeutic technique used for pain management, particularly in athletes. The use of dry needling, primarily by physical therapists, began in the early 21st century, and has since become a popular treatment method for myofascial pain, with over twenty states approving the technique of dry needling by 2011 (Dommerholt, 2011). Dry needling is a therapeutic procedure using the insertion of thin needles through the skin into myofascial trigger points, muscular or connective tissue with the aim to reduce pain intensity (Kaljić, et al., 2018). Myofascial trigger points can be described as hyperirritable spots in skeletal muscle. Various techniques of dry needling, including number of needles used, depth of insertion, and length of treatment are used varying by individual preferences and circumstances. This treatment type is specifically recommended for treatment of musculoskeletal pain conditions caused by myofascial trigger points (Kaljić, et al., 2018).

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The Effects of Intermittent Fasting on Muscular Strength and Endurance

Author: Travis Kerr

Intermittent fasting, a common dietary strategy, has gained popularity in the past few years. Many people have implemented this type of diet to assist in trimming fat, without understanding the effects that it can have on strength and endurance performance. There are many ways to implement this type of diet (e.g. 16 hours fasted/8 hours fed, 20 hours fasted/4 hours fed, alternate day 24 hour fasting, etc.), which can lead to differences in results. This is because depending on the type and length of intermittent fast that is chosen, the total daily caloric intake is likely to change.

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Does whey protein actually help you gain muscle faster in strength training?

Author: Kolton Vinzant

There is so much hype about how to, according to normal everyday language, “get swole” faster. Of course, it is widely accepted that the type of training someone does affects how you accumulate muscle mass. For instance, endurance training such as running is going to yield different results than heavy weight lifting in terms of muscle mass gains. Now, there is a wide range of studies that have been done to investigate how whey protein assists in muscle growth with strength training exercises. To expand how this emphasis on supplementation has been such a fast growing topic, the first gym I ever gained a membership in my later teenage years very much surprised me in what the fitness trainers emphasized in terms of my goal to build more lean muscle mass. Initially, the fitness trainers at this gym asked me about what kind of exercises I believed would enhance my muscle mass the most. This was talked about for maybe 30 seconds. The conversation shifted immediately from what types of exercises are important for accumulating muscle mass to what supplements I was taking pre and post-workout, specifically whey protein. We discussed this for approximately 20-30 minutes. It came to my surprise that the emphasis of this conversation was placed on the whey protein supplementation I was going to do versus the type of exercises I was going to do. In my mind, the emphasis of the conversation would have been flipped. Ever since, I have always had the lingering question in my head… does whey protein supplementation make a significant difference in the rate at which you gain muscle mass in strength training?

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Reducing Breast Cancer by Exercise and Diet

Author: Abigail Buie

Introduction

            Given the impact that the diagnosis and treatment of cancer has on women, there has been a lot of research out there on what causes it and how to prevent it. Exercise is a huge topic in prevention and living a healthy life style. Diet is also another important factor that can help prevent breast cancer, although there is not as much research out there as there is for exercise and maintaining a healthy weight. For post- menopausal women, it is just as important to stay active and to maintain a healthy weight as it is for pre-menopausal women. Weight gain and being obese have been shown to be  risk factors in developing some forms of post-menopausal breast cancer (Harvie 2015).  Exercise and a healthy diet post-menopause are important factors in the prevention of breast cancer.

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Effects of a High Protein Diet and Resistance Training on Health

Author: Miranda Strelecki

Individuals that are over-weight tend to want a diet that will show fast results. When doing quick research online, they may find that high-protein low-fat diets will give them the results they want to see. In order for a high protein diet to have its full effect, exercise needs to be coupled with it. Verreijen and team found that a high protein diet did not significantly decrease the amount of free fat mass in  sedentary individuals. They did find that a high protein diet paired with resistance training did not significantly lower the amount of free fat mass in individuals that were previously obese.

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The Effects of Yoga Therapy for Children Diagnosed on the Autism Spectrum

Author: Kayla Tweedt

Contents of article:

  1. Summary
  2. Autism Spectrum Disorder
  3. The practice of yoga and yoga therapy
  4. Benefits of yoga on ASD
  5. Future research
  6. Conclusion
  7. References

Summary:

Autism, also known as autism spectrum disorder (ASD), refers to a broad range of symptoms or conditions that are represented by challenges in the areas of social skills, repetitive behaviors, speech and nonverbal communication (Autism Speaks, 2018). Each person on the autism spectrum is different from one another, this is because there are many subtypes to the autism spectrum (Autism Speaks, 2018). What this means, is that every individual with autism has unique challenges and strengths, thus the type of treatment must be specific to the individual.

There are many different treatments out there for individuals on the autism spectrum. There are pharmacological interventions such as psycho-stimulants, atypical anti-psychotic drugs, and antidepressants. There are also non-pharmacological therapies such as complementary and integrative medicine, music therapy, cognitive-behavioral therapy, and social behavior therapies (Sharma et al, 2018). In this article I want to show another approach to a non-pharmacological intervention; the use of yoga as an intervention for children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. Before going too far into the topic, I want to cover some helpful terminology and abbreviations that will be mentioned.

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The Effects of Caffeine on Strength & Power Performance in Athletes

Author: Melissa Shlotzhauer

Introduction

There’s no better way to begin your day than by drinking a hot cup of coffee before enjoying a nice workout. Aside from being a delightful beverage that’s part of your morning routine, have you ever stopped and thought about all the benefits that the caffeine you’re consuming provides? Caffeine is found in many foods and beverages and over 90% of the US population consumes it on a regular basis (Mawer, 2016).

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Burning Fat (and creating a healthier you!) with HIIT

Author: Claire Garreans

What is HIIT?

Has increasing your step count to 10,000 steps not helped you achieve the weight loss you want to achieve? Are you fed up with personal fitness trainer and gym costs without seeing any real results? The real results to help lose fat may come from a type of exercise called HIIT, or high-intensity interval training.

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