text:
ORLANDO, Fla. - Orange County school leaders chose a teacher and coach with seven years of experience as the district's teacher of the year.
Kristen Iannuzzi, a teacher at West Orange High School, earned the top honor Wednesday night at the Rosen Centre Hotel.
Besides the trophy, Iannuzzi will get $5,500, tickets to Legoland and Wild Florida, a two-night stay at the Rosen Centre Hotel, a three-day cruise and a new Buick Encore with a one-year lease.
Iannuzzi's colleagues say she is an innovative teacher who is exceptional at motivating her students. She also serves as the only female head wrestling coach in Florida, leading West Orange High to a district championship.
"As an educator, I have the opportunity to change lives," Iannuzzi said. "This opportunity easily evolves into the challenge to be the best educator I can be for the betterment of the well-being of my students."
"Ms. Iannuzzi is well organized, responsible, and has without a doubt, showcased her leadership abilities and learning in a positive educational environment," said West Orange principal Doug Szcinski.
Iannuzzi is now eligible to become Florida's teacher of the year. The statewide honor will be announced in July.
Copyright 2014 by ClickOrlando.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Whitehaven 28 Keighley Cougars 18
COUGARS performance director Paul Royston is expecting a significant improvement in Sunday's home clash with Batley after his side lost on Tuesday.
Shaun Ainscough's late try handed Whitehaven victory and dealt a setback to Cougars' quest to safeguard their Championship status. The former Bulls winger scored three minutes from time from Brett Seymour's delightful pass but Paul March's side at least claimed a bonus point.
Paul White, one of 11 players brought back into the side following last Thursday's Challenge Cup quarter-final exit at Widnes, finished clinically with 14 minutes remaining.
That was converted by Danny Jones to edge Cougars 18-16 in front but late scores from Carl Foster and Ainscough handed the Cumbrians victory.
Royston said: "We got a losing bonus point but we were good enough to win it on the night and went away from the game-plan in the second half.
"We're very disappointed because it was close to our full-strength team. We stayed in the arm-wrestle well into the second half but then just didn't stick to our structures and that cost us.
"Yet bonus points are crucial in this division and that's why it was important to at least come away with something.
"It's been a relatively tough sequence of games but we've got to get back into the winning habit again now - starting at home to Batley on Sunday."The players have accepted the fact they didn't perform as well as they should have done on Tuesday night and we've got a chance to put it right at the weekend."
March recalled key men such as White, Jones, Richie Barnett, James Haley, Paul Handforth, Andrew Shickell, James Feather, Sean Hesketh, Brendon Rawlins and Ashley Lindsay.
Club captain James Feather opened the scoring in the fifth minute with a well-taken effort which Jones converted. But the lead lasted only nine minutes as Whitehaven hit back when Chris Taylor crossed the line despite suspicions of crossing in the build-up.
Whitehaven, bolstered by the inclusion of former Bulls pair Cain Southernwood and Ainscough as well as ex-Hull FC playmaker Seymour, scored again when Jessie Joe Parker went over in the 29th minute.
But four minutes later Cougars struck again when Danny Lawton scampered clear and Jones' second conversion gave the visitors a 12-10 interval lead.
Although Scott McAvoy restored Whitehaven's lead in the 55th minute, Cougars edged back in front through White's tidy finish but the hosts soon regained control.
Foster went over from a scrum and then Ainscough finished well from Seymour's superb pass.
Feather picked up a knee injury and will be assessed ahead of Sunday's match.
Whitehaven: Carr, Calvert, Taylor, Parker, Ainscough, Seymour, Southernwood, Tahraoui, Newton, Foster, McAvoy, Mitchell, Doran Substitutes: Thorman, Quinn, Robinson, Crellin.
Cougars: Jesse Sheriffe, Barnett, Lawton, Haley, White, Jones, Handforth, Shickell, Feather, Hesketh, Lynam, Rawlins, Lindsay. Subs: Jode Sheriffe, Sagar, Cherryholme, Haigh.
Referee: Jamie Bloem

subset: commoncrawl


text:
Glass Mind Theatre Presents W------An Adaptation 12/10-19
Glass Mind Theatre will present an original adaptation of Georg Büchner's unfinished 1837 tale of self-destruction, Woyzeck, with "W------An Adaptation," by Towson student Bob Harris. The play focuses on a soldier who partakes in government-run experimental injections and their psychological effects.
German playwright Georg Büchner's 1837 Woyzeck tells the tale of a poor soldier who takes part in medical experiments in which he must only eat peas, and whose psychosis and jealousy move him to murder the people he loves.
In Harris's fresh take on this classic tale, "W------" begins to crack under the pressures of his world, in which he must perform televised summary executions, and must search inwards to define where his fantasies end and his reality begins. Between moments with his increasingly distant wife, his best friend Georg, a General and a Doctor he can't seem to keep track of, he also realizes he's forgetting one important bit of information - his name. Andrew Peters, Artistic Director of Glass Mind Theatre, will direct.
"It's exciting to be working with a young playwright and really helping him devise his vision, and there's something very visual about this piece that we've tapped into," says Peters. "People are not what they seem, and this piece is about the struggle to break through and figure out exactly where the truth lies."
"W------" will be performed at Load of Fun Theatre (LOF/T), at 120 W. North Avenue, Baltimore, MD December 10-19, Friday and Saturday showings will be at 8pm and Sunday performances are at 7pm. Tickets are $10. On December 11, in coalition with Project PLASE (www.projectplase.org) , tickets will be reduced to $5 for those who bring 3 or more canned goods.
Glass Mind Theatre Company was formed by a group of young Baltimore-based theatre artists who seek to foster the interaction of both Baltimore commercial and non-traditional artists in order to create new forms of expression, while also acting as a focal point for bold, young local artists to train, grow, and prosper. For more information, please visit www.glassmindtheatre.com.
Project PLASE's mission includes the following:
Project PLASE, Inc. addresses homelessness in Baltimore by providing transitional housing, permanent housing and supportive services to homeless adults. We serve the most vulnerable and underserved, including persons with mental illness, HIV/AIDS, addiction, developmental disabilities, and ex-offenders, etc... We empower each individual to function at the highest level possible.


text:
The Thales-led Watchkeeper program is on schedule for entry into service with British forces in 2010, having flown for the first time this year in Israel, where Elbit Systems designed and produced the Hermes 450 WK platform. Designated Hermes 450B, it will have a dual payload comprising gimbaled electro-optical/infrared cameras plus a laser target designator, together with a radar in a second gimbaled pod.
In this form the Hermes 450B will be produced in the UK and made available for export to approved countries. Nick Miller, Thales' business director UAV systems, reports that Watchkeeper has been offered to several countries. Meanwhile, the Hermes 450 and ground control stations (GCS) installed in ISO containers have been operating in two theaters in support of UK armed forces.
Responding to a UK urgent operational requirement, Thales has supplied several company-owned examples of the Hermes to units in Iraq and Afghanistan, where more than 10,000 hours have been flown. Rapid entry into service was achieved last year, with Thales providing an intelligence, surveillance, target acquisition and reconnaissance by-the-hour solution (ISTAR).
Supplied with a 24/7 operational capability, the system has provided 90 percent availability and is continually in demand because it has proved to save lives when responding to UAV over-flight cover. The Hermes UAVs deployed to Iraq and Afghanistan typically fly missions of more than 14 hours operating within a 150-km operating radius. The operation will provide invaluable experience ahead of the introduction of Watchkeeper in two year's time.
However, it must be noted that the UAV platform represents only 30 percent of the total system, the remaining percentage comprising the many roles of an integrated solution involving data links with an HQ, artillery units, airborne attack aircraft, naval fire support vessels and a great deal more.


text:
Note: This item is more than nine years old. Please take the publication date into consideration for any date references.
Print – Plain Text – Permalink
News Release
Media Contact: TPWD News, email@example.com, 512-389-8030
April 7, 2008
Great Texas Birding Classic Returns April 27-May 4
Birding for conservation attracts the hard-core
AUSTIN, Texas — Spring is in the air, and so are birds migrating along the Texas coast. For 12 years, the Great Texas Birding Classic has capitalized on this natural phenomenon and turned it into a healthy competition to raise funds for avian habitat conservation projects.
For an entire week, people travel to Texas from across the U.S. to test their birding skills. Winning teams get to choose how prize money is spent, directing dollars to protect or restore coastal habitat that sustains birds and ecotourism. The Gulf Coast Bird Observatory partners with the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and local communities to host the event.
"There is always something new and this year we added an 'Energy Saver' category," said Carol Jones with the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory, tournament coordinator for the past four years. The new category rewards teams who can count the most bird species per mile, requiring they travel at least 50 miles.
The annual event involves adult and youth teams traveling through 41 Texas counties along the coast, spotting and recording as many bird species as they can. The winning teams in several tournament categories decide which pre-approved conservation projects will receive grant money. Last year, $73,000 was divided among seven projects for land acquisition, land restoration, or enhancements for birdwatchers.
"We attract hard-core birders, who travel extensively to see a single species, as well as casual birders who just want to have a good time with their friends while conserving nature," said Shelly Plante, TPWD nature tourism coordinator.
No expertise is required to compete in the various tournaments, and there are special events for children and teenagers, the "conservationists of the future." There is even an event called the "Big Sit," a kind of tailgating party for birders, where teams see who can count the most birds in one location.
Jones expects nearly 350 participants this year, coming from all across the United States and Canada. This makes sense as Texas has "four of the top birding sites in the nation, three of them along the coast," according to Plante.
To register for the 2008 Birding Classic, contact Jones at the Gulf Coast Bird Observatory or visit the event Web site. Birding visitors can also visit the Great Texas Wildlife Trails map section for more information on the types of birds in Texas and where to see them.
On the Net:
Publication — Permission is granted to publish, in whole or in part, any news releases on this page.
Print — A print-friendly version of the news release shows only the release with font sizes set to the browser default.
Plain Text — Plain text versions of TPWD news releases are provided for copying and pasting into editing software.
To copy text into an editing software:
- Click a Plain Text link to display the plain text page in your browser.
- Select all.
- Copy.
- Paste in a document in your editing program.
Permalink — This is a direct link to the news release, omitting the navigation context from the URI.
English/Spanish — News releases posted in both English and Spanish have one of these links.
If you have any suggestions for improving these pages, send an e-mail to email@example.com and mention Plain Text Pages.
(5.4.16 i)


text:
On second thought the possibility of U.N. ambassador Sandra Rice replacing Hillary Clinton just got a little dimmer in Washington Post columnist Dana Milbank's view. It seems that she made some enemies in Washington D.C. through the years and since she's a woman, she's expected to conform to a particular decorum, in the eyes of people like Dana Milbank:
Back when she was an assistant secretary of state during the Clinton administration, she appalled colleagues by flipping her middle finger at Richard Holbrooke during a meeting with senior staff at the State Department, according to witnesses. Colleagues talk of shouting matches and insults.
Among those she has insulted is the woman she would replace at State. Rice was one of the first former Clinton administration officials to defect to Obama's primary campaign against Hillary Clinton. Rice condemned Clinton's Iraq and Iran positions, asking for an "explanation of how and why she got those critical judgments wrong."
Clinton got a measure of revenge in 2010 after she worked out a deal with the Russian foreign minister on a package of Iran sanctions to be adopted by the U.N. Security Council. The White House wanted Rice to make the announcement (part of a campaign to increase her profile that included high-visibility foreign trips and TV appearances), but a Clinton aide got Kerry to ask Clinton about the matter during an unrelated Senate hearing.
It was Rice's own shoot-first tendency that caused her to be benched as a spokesman for the Obama campaign for a time in 2008. She unnerved European allies when she denounced as "counterproductive" and "self-defeating" the U.N. policy that Iran suspend its nuclear program before talks can begin. She criticized President George W. Bush and McCain because they "insisted" on it. But, as The Post's Glenn Kessler pointed out at the time, European diplomats were rattled by such remarks because the precondition was their idea.
Rice's put-down of Clinton was tame compared with her portrayal of McCain during 2008, which no doubt contributes to McCain's hostility toward her today. She mocked McCain's trip to Iraq ("strolling around the market in a flak jacket"), called his policies "reckless" and said "his tendency is to shoot first and ask questions later. It's dangerous."
I didn't realize she was a one-woman wrecking outfit, but it seems that she is being scapegoated by the Republicans for simply repeating the talking points she was given. Be that as it may, she may not be of the same ilk as Hillary Clinton, Condoleezza Rice or Colin Powell, and could very well not be the person President Obama ends up picking. Had John McCain and Lindsey Graham raised plausible reasons why they don't want her as the Secretary of State instead of having a vendetta against her for going off the CIA version of the events that transpired in Benghazi, then maybe people would listen. For the record, I am sure she isn't the first to flip a finger at another colleague.
Just to put this all in perspective, here's the New York Times' take on Susan Rice:
In her sure-footed ascent of the foreign-policy ladder, Ms. Rice has rarely shrunk from a fight. But now that she appears poised to claim the top rung — White House aides say she is President Obama's favored candidate for secretary of state — this sharp-tongued, self-confident diplomat finds herself in the middle of a bitter feud in which she is largely a bystander.
"Susan had a reputation, fairly or not, as someone who could run a little hot and shoot from the hip," said John Norris, a foreign-policy expert at the Center for American Progress. "If someone had told me that the biggest knock on her was going to be that she too slavishly followed the talking points on Benghazi, I would have been shocked."
At the United Nations, and in posts in the Clinton White House, Ms. Rice, who turned 48 on Saturday, has earned a reputation as a blunt advocate, relentless on issues like pressuring the regime in Sudan or intervening in Libya to prevent a slaughter by Col. Muammar el-Qaddafi.
Um, she doesn't sound like the crass bully Dana Milbank is trying to portray her as. Without trying to excuse Susan Rice's so-called off-color behavior, how many of her colleagues have displayed similar behavior? Unless it was really outrageous and criminal, it didn't disqualify them from their jobs. On that basis, I scarcely believe that's enough to disqualify her from the top job at the State Department.


text: This news item expired on 12/5/2012, so the information below could be outdated or incorrect. Support the Senior Wish Tree Again this year, the Adult Services Division of Buncombe County Health and Human Services will sponsor the "Senior Wish Tree". The purpose of this project is to provide Christmas for elderly and/or adults with disabilities in our community that have no family support. Simply choose a name from one of our two Holiday Bulletin Boards – one at our agency on 40 Coxe Avenue and another at 35 Woodfin. The "wish lists" will have some identifying characteristics… name, sex, age, and some specific wishes or gift ideas. Fill as many wishes as your circumstances allow, and return the wrapped gift(s) to a location to be determined. Gifts need to be returned by December 12. By returning your gifts promptly, it allows staff from Adult Services and participating agencies to deliver the gifts the week before Christmas. If you have any questions you may call Roxann Sizemore at 250-5721, or email her at email@example.com. The Holiday boards with names of seniors and adults with disabilities will be available by November 16.


text:
A Study of Sativex® for Relieving Persistent Pain in Patients With Advanced Cancer
This study has been completed.
GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: December 16, 2010
Last updated: July 4, 2016
Last verified: July 2016
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
This 9-week study will aim to determine the efficacy, safety and tolerability of Sativex® (Nabiximols) as an adjunctive treatment, compared with placebo in relieving uncontrolled persistent chronic pain in patients with advanced cancer.
Eligible patients will not be required to stop any of their current treatments or medications.
|Pain Advanced Cancer
|Drug: Sativex® Drug: Placebo (GA-0034)
|Phase 3
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Allocation: Randomized
Intervention Model: Parallel Assignment
Masking: Triple (Participant, Care Provider, Investigator)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|A Double Blind, Randomized, Placebo-controlled, Parallel Group Study of Sativex® Oromucosal Spray (Sativex®; Nabiximols) as Adjunctive Therapy in Relieving Uncontrolled Persistent Chronic Pain in Patients With Advanced Cancer, Who Experience Inadequate Analgesia During Optimized Chronic Opioid Therapy.
Further study details as provided by GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- The primary endpoint is the percent improvement from baseline to the end of treatment in NRS average pain score. [ Time Frame: 5 weeks ]
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Change from baseline in mean NRS average pain [ Time Frame: 5 weeks ]
- Change from baseline in mean NRS worst pain [ Time Frame: 5 weeks ]
- Change from baseline in mean Sleep Disruption NRS [ Time Frame: 5 weeks ]
|Study Start Date:
|November 2010
|Study Completion Date:
|July 2015
|Primary Completion Date:
|June 2015 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Sativex®
Sativex oromucosal spray. 100 μl administered twice daily up to a maximum of 10 sprays per day.
Drug: Sativex®
Other Name: Nabiximols
Placebo Comparator: Placebo (GA-0034)
Placebo oromucosal spray. 100 μl administered twice daily up to a maximum of 10 sprays per day.
|Drug: Placebo (GA-0034)
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|18 Years and older (Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria (abbreviated):
- The patient has advanced cancer for which there is no known curative therapy
- The patient has a clinical diagnosis of cancer related pain, which is not alleviated with their current optimized opioid treatment
- The patient is receiving an optimized maintenance dose of Step III opioid therapy, preferably with a sustained release preparation, but also allowing a regular maintenance dose of around the clock use of immediate release preparations
- The patient is receiving a daily maintenance dose Step III opioid therapy of less than or equal to a total daily opioid dose of 500 mg/day of morphine equivalence (including maintenance and break-through opioids)
- The patient is using no more than one type of break-through opioid analgesia
Exclusion Criteria (abbreviated):
- Have any planned clinical interventions that would affect their pain (e.g., chemotherapy or radiation therapy where, in the clinical judgment of the investigator, these would be expected to affect pain)
- The patient is currently using or has used cannabis or cannabinoid based medications within 30 days of study entry and is unwilling to abstain for the duration of the study
- Has experienced myocardial infarction or clinically significant cardiac dysfunction within the last 12 months or has a cardiac disorder that, in the opinion of the investigator would put the patient at risk of a clinically significant arrhythmia or myocardial infarction
- Has significantly impaired renal function
- Has significantly impaired hepatic function
- Female patients of child-bearing potential and male patients whose partner is of child-bearing potential, unless willing to ensure that they or their partner use effective contraception, for example, oral contraception, double barrier, intra-uterine device, during the study and for 3 months thereafter (however, a male condom should not be used in conjunction with a female condom as this may not prove effective)
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01262651
Show 75 Study Locations
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01262651
Show 75 Study Locations
Sponsors and Collaborators
GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
Otsuka Pharmaceutical Development & Commercialization, Inc.
More Information
Keywords provided by GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01262651 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
2009-016064-36 ( EudraCT Number )
|Study First Received:
|December 16, 2010
|Last Updated:
|July 4, 2016
Keywords provided by GW Pharmaceuticals Ltd.:
Cancer pain
Opioid therapy
Inadequate analgesia
Optimized chronic opioid therapy
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Analgesics, Opioid
Central Nervous System Depressants
Physiological Effects of Drugs
Sensory System Agents
Peripheral Nervous System Agents
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 21, 2017


text:
Category: classy names for girls
Names and class is a touchy issue, particularly for Americans. In the U.S., we like to pretend that class doesn't exist, much less get signaled by factors like names.
In Britain, the class standing of names may be more widely acknowledged, yet everywhere the question of which names are classy and which are trashy changes over time.
Take Harry, the name of one of the young princes of England. A royal connection definitely gives a name class. Yet for years in the U.S., Harry has been one of the ultimate working man names, its image more pauper than prince.
Post Categories:


text:
THE DUKES OF SEPTEMBER RHYTHM REVUE Plays at the Fox Theatre, 6/30, Tickets on Sale 3/30
Fox Concerts presents The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue on June 20 at the Fabulous Fox Theatre. Tickets are $65, $60, $45 & $40 and go on sale Friday, March 30 at 10am. A limited number of Gold Circle seats are also available.
The Dukes of September Rhythm Revue is a group formed in 2010 featuring Donald Fagen, Michael McDonald and Boz Scaggs. The project is a resurrection of the previous New York Rock and Soul Revue which featured the same three musicians and played a combination of hits from the member's respective careers as well as a wide variety of covers.
The "Rhythm Revue" will feature selections from the catalogues of Steely Dan (of which Fagen and McDonald were members) and The Doobie Brothers (which McDonald joined in 1975), as well as tracks from the musicians' solo careers and jazz/soul/blues standards.
"We'll be playing the kind of R&B tunes that made us want to be musicians way back when, as well as select numbers from our personal repertoires," Fagen said. "We've enlisted a swell group of players and singers -- in fact, I'm so excited that I just can't hide it."
Purchase tickets at the Fox Box Office or by calling 314/534-1111. Order tickets online at www.metrotix.com.


text:
On 9 May 2014, LCCT officially closes as KLIA2 takes over.
The new Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2) is built to replace LCCT, with bigger and better facilities.
As a result, the information posted here is no longer relevant to the KLIA2.
For the latest information on the new Kuala Lumpur International Airport 2 (KLIA2), please visit the www.klia2.info.
Have a nice trip!
The latest information related to rail services is posted on KLIA2 Rail Services.


text:
SCOTTS VALLEY -- The rate increase that went into effect last month for Scotts Valley water customers was modest enough not to raise controversy. But it's part of a long-running battle whose root cause is meeting the supply and demand for a relatively cheap yet unappreciated natural resource: water.
The district already has conservation rules in place, fining residents who repeatedly waste water through careless activities. For example, ratepayers are prohibited from producing excessive surface runoff while watering grass, lawn or shrubbery, or using water without a reasonable purpose.
But households can take extra steps that save both water and money, and teaching those basics is the idea behind the "Water Wednesdays" series, free, 90-minute talks led by local experts through January.
The district's water is pulled from the Santa Margarita aquifer, and residents pay about one cent per gallon, LeAnne Ravinale, the district's water conservation coordinator, told a roomful of residents Wednesday. That's "a really good deal," she said, but water is still limited and homeowners' conservation efforts, however small, can help.
Wednesday's topic, "Stormwater Management," was led by Angie Gruys, a communications specialist with the Resource Conservation District of Santa Cruz County. In the fall, funding will be available through that agency and Ecology Action so homeowners can purchase and install rain barrels, used to capture and store rainfall, and downspouts, used to more evenly distribute water captured in gutters, rather than letting it gush toward one area.
Other water-saving features include swales, designed to channel runoff to particular areas, and rain gardens, shallow depressions often filled with small rocks and native, drought-resistant plants.
These and other yard features have numerous benefits beyond conserving water, including creating wildlife habitat, reducing erosion and protecting the foundations of homes, Gruys said. But land features vary, and while the ideas are great in concept, she said, "it's important to know your site."
Before they get too ambitious, homeowners should first survey their land to find out where the stormwater flows, where improvements can be made and figure out whether they are up for the costs of the projects and maintaining them once complete. Free consultations can be scheduled by calling 831-464-2950, ext. 22 or emailing firstname.lastname@example.com.
The next talk in the series, "Rainwater & Graywater," will be held Jan. 16, followed by "Indoor Water Efficiency & Basic Plumbing" on Jan. 23 and "Waterwise Landscaping" on Jan. 30.
Follow Sentinel reporter Kimberly White on Twitter at Twitter.com/kwhite95066


text:
So I've read everything I can find about OAT, put in hours of field work mostly with mids and putters, and still having issues with it. Curious if anyone can shed light on my situation, because I'm nearly out of ideas.
A few weeks ago I was getting frustrated with constant OAT after a three year break from disc golf. I thought I was getting my wrist down, but then I was like eh, let's see what happens if I really exaggerate the wrist down. Bam, OAT was gone except for a tiny bit driving a Magnet. Tried a few different grip modifications to my power grip, all worked fine. Went and picked up a Lat64 Pure just in case the deep rim on the Magnet was an issue. Went out and threw some practice drives two days later, perfect smooth release with no OAT with the Pure.
So far so good. But the following day, the last joint on my pinky finger was hurting. I had usually been placing the pad of the pinky finger against the rim with my power grip, and it hurt too much to do that anymore. I figured eh, grip probably doesn't matter THAT much, and switched back to my previous grip which was tip of the pinky finger against the rim. OAT was back.
After another couple days of practice, still having issues with OAT. Then I thought, hey what if I really puff out my chest to get good posture with my shoulders back, a friend told me that sometimes helped him. Bam, OAT was mostly gone, though distance was lacking a bit. Seemed like it was easier to get weight forward that way.
Went and played in a tournament a few days later. First half of the tournament, OAT was gone. Second half of the tournament, OAT came right back. Tried everything that used to help, no luck. That was a couple days ago, and I'm still having issues with OAT.
I keep trying different tweaks to my form. Focusing on shoulders back, weight forward, pulling disc close to chest, various grip tweaks. Occassionally, OAT will be gone for a few throws but then it comes right back.
At this point, I'm thinking of taking a break until my pinky finger feels 100% and trying the "pinky pad against rim" grip again to see if that makes a difference. If anyone has had a similar experience and finally overcome OAT, please let me know any tips that helped you.


text:
A Fitness Stock With Healthy Upside
Financial fitness comes from buying great companies when their valuations are low. Life Time Fitness (LTM) operates 105 high-end sports, athletic, yoga, rock-climbing, spa and related facilities spread over 26 major markets.
The company's business plan has been quite successful. Earnings per share rose from $0.87 in 2004 to $2.26 in 2011. A preannouncement that last year's earnings would be negatively affected by about $0.07 a share because of Hurricane Sandy torpedoed the shares this week. Life Time had recently been trading above $52 but dropped to $40.71 at 4 p.m. on Tuesday....272 more words left in this article. To read them, just click below and try Real Money FREE for 14 days.
There's no substitute for a trading floor to get great ideas, so Jim Cramer created a better one at Real Money and blogs there exclusively. We then added legendary hedge fund manager, Doug Kass, with his exclusive Daily Diary and best investing ideas. Staffed with more than 4 dozen investing pros, money managers, journalists and analysts, Real Money Pro gives you a flood of opinions, analysis and actionable trading advice found nowhere else, and allows you to interact directly with each expert.
Already a Subscriber? Please login.


text:
by T.W. Budig
ECM Capitol reporter
Supporters of legalizing same-sex marriage hope to speedily pass legislation in the first weeks of the upcoming legislative session.
That is, they hope to send a bill to Democratic Gov. Mark Dayton's desk prior to the release of February budget forecast.
"This kind of closes the loop of the election," said Rep. Alice Hausman, DFL-St. Paul, who looks to carry same-sex marriage legislation in the House.
Hausman, like Sen. John Marty, DFL-Roseville, who plans to carry a same-sex marriage bill in the Senate, points to the failure of the Republican-sponsored marriage amendment last election as evidence of the state reaching a consensus on same-sex marriage.
A conversation has taken place, they argue.
"To me, I think the time has come," said Marty, who has sponsored same-sex marriage bills in the past.
Hausman and Marty argue passage of same-sex marriage legislation needn't be time consuming nor distract from the mission of setting the state budget.
Marty speaks of a two-hour debate in the Senate Judiciary Committee and an up or down vote.
Hausman is a bit more cautious, saying the number of committees a same-sex marriage bill might need to clear in the House depends on its legal implications and the desire of House leadership.
But she also looks to passing a bill before the final state budget numbers come out in the forecast.
Democrats control the legislature.
Dayton has long indicated his support for same-sex marriage, ceremonially vetoing the proposed marriage amendment when passed by the Republican-controlled legislature last session.
If lawmakers take their cue from voters in their districts, passage of the same-sex marriage legislation will be bipartisan, Hausman argues.
That's because the amendment failed in about 20 districts that elected Republican House members, she said.
"It's bipartisan," she said of the perceived support.
Marty and Hausman stress passage of same-sex marriage legislation — Marty speaks of gender-neutral marriage law — would not require churches to marry same-sex couples.
"No church will be forced to marry (same-sex couples) if they don't want to," Marty said.
But because the Catholic Church, for instance, might debate same-sex marriage for decades, that shouldn't prevent the state from taking action now, Marty said.
But Marty's and Hausman's views do not perfectly fit those expressed by DFL legislative leaders.
Senate Majority Leader-designate Tom Bakk, DFL-Cook, anticipates that same-sex marriage legislation will be introduced.
"But I think the more pressing thing probably this session is the budget," Bakk said.
"I still think we need to have a pretty significant conversation around the state on that (same-sex marriage) subject," he said.
House Minority Leader Kurt Daudt, R-Crown, said his caucus hadn't yet discussed anticipated same-sex marriage bills.
By bringing the issue up, Democrats are contradicting themselves, Daudt argued.
"What the DFL's message (in the election) was, is that we shouldn't be focused on divisive social issues," he said.
Rather, lawmakers should focus on budgetary matters.
"It's interesting how roles have switched," Daudt said.
House Republicans thought long and hard about proposing the marriage amendment, Daudt explained.
And they will debate the issue seriously again, he said.
"These are complex issues that affect people's lives," Daudt said.
"I don't think anybody takes them lightly on either side of the aisle," he said.
Although not specifically speaking on same-sex marriage, Senate Minority Leader David Hann, R-Eden Prairie, recently indicated that he did not support extending state employee benefits to same-sex partners.
About 1.4 million Minnesotans voted "Yes" on the marriage amendment defining marriage as between man and woman, with about 1.5 million voting "No."
About 40,000 voters left the amendment ballot question blank, an omission or decision that automatically translated into a "No" vote.
The marriage amendment was approved by voters in Anoka, Carver, Chisago, Houston, Isanti, Mille Lacs, Morrison, Sherburne, and Wright counties.
It failed in Dakota, Hennepin, Scott, Ramsey and Washington counties.


text:
ACParadise Network: American Cosplay Paradise American Cosplay Experience American Cosplay Snapshots
Cosplayer Sweet~Pea > Costume of Lucrezia Noin (Mobile Suit Gundam Wing)
- Most Recent Photo
- 03-31-2012
- Series
- Mobile Suit Gundam Wing
- Character
- Lucrezia Noin
- Year Completed:
- 2008
- Construction Difficulty:
- Normal
- Costume worn at:
- ConnectiCon 2009
- Katsucon 2009
- Katsucon 2008
About this Costume
- Construction Details:
Coat is Green Poplin with a light white knit for lining. The buttons are plastic which was spray painted silver so that Treize and Zech could match too. It was wonderfully affordable and look really great truthfully.
- Personal Thoughts:
- I never got around to fixing the buttons or make a cape for this in the last couple years. I feel bad about that... though most people have no idea who I am anyways. If they even guess "Gundam Wing" I'm usually impressed at this point lol
I'm going to put this away and hopefully redo it one day, I'm going to start moving towards getting her preventor and Sank Kingdom outfits done in the future ^_^
Add a Comment


text:
Perhaps we should consider trading in those New Year's resolutions about carbs, fiber and sit-ups for something more fun, like learning to make our own artisanal loaves and pizza dough. Artisanal baker Ken Forkish explains it all in his new "Flour Water Salt Yeast" (Ten Speed, $35, 272 pages), in chapters devoted to rustic country breads, levain, focaccia and pizza dough, with toppings that will have you salivating all over the pages of the book.
Forkish wasn't always a baker. He spent 20 years in the corporate cubicles of Silicon Valley before deciding that his dream lay in more fragrant terrain. An avid home baker and traveler — sightseeing in Parisian bread bakeries, of course — Forkish quit his job and began studying his hobby in earnest at the San Francisco Baking Institute, the Culinary Institute of America, Italy's Toscana Saporita and France's l'Institute Paul Bocuse before opening an artisanal bakery and pizzeria in Portland, Ore., in 2001 and 2006, respectively.
Now he's sharing his tips and tricks, and the eight details that make good bread great. Read this, and you'll regard bread-rising time in an entirely new light — as time for flavor and acidity to develop, rather than that annoying waiting period before you can finally get the show on the road.
Recipes run for pages, but don't let that intimidate you. The level of detail is designed to help even beginners excel. And the pizza recipes — classic fare plus a golden beet and duck breast version and one with sweet potato and pear — can be made using either a pizza stone or cast-iron skillet.


text:
YES! Magazine
YES! Products
U.S. Shipping Costs for YES! Products
- $0 - $4.99: $5
- $5 - $24.99: $7
- $25 and up: $12
YES! Magazine Online Store
Powerful Ideas, Practical Actions
Welcome to YES! Magazine's online store! As a nonprofit media organization, we rely on your support, through subscriptions, donations, product purchases, and word of mouth referral. Spend some time browsing our back issues, books and other resources. We think you'll find a wealth of material to inform and inspire you.
Whether you're a subscriber or first-time visitor, our goal is to help you find resources quickly and easily, and to provide friendly assistance if you need help. Please contact us if you experience difficulties, and thanks for shopping with us!


text:
Hello all,
I'm trying to implement some paragraph headings in a page I'm working on. I put them into
 elements. You'll see that at line 44, I have used a containing div temporarily named .bumpmeplease. Because overflow is hidden on this and other divs, the h6 headings disappear and the words do not wrap to a new line when the browser window is small. How can this be fixed?
I couldn't see any class of bumpmeplease in that page?
Have you changed it since you posted this?
If text is being hidden with overflow:hidden then it is likely that you have given it dimensions and your content exceeds those dimensions.
Note that you shouldn't just insert h6 elements willy nilly as heading tags are the most important tags in your page and create a document outline. You should start with a h1 as the main heading and then follow with h2 for sub headings in the page. In each sub heading you would then start with and h3 followed by h4 etc. You would never start with an h6 unless you had used h5 before it (and you wouldn't use an h5 unless there was an h4 before it also and so on...).
Don't confuse the default look of a heading tag with a page's hierarchy. You can change how any tag looks so choose your tags semantically and not for visual effect.:)
Hi Paul,
Yes, it has changed several times today. Now, the containing divs on that page are given a class of listwrapper. On this page, the headers - the elements that overflow and don't wrap in narrow viewports- say "bold reputation" and "largest video database".
I guess I'll need to change these to
 elements with a unique class for them.
You have a min-width here:
#outer {
display: table;
table-layout: fixed;
border-spacing: 0 0;
max-width: 960px;
min-width: 470px;
margin: 0 auto;
I don't really see what you are talking about, though. The question isn't clear.
Hi, etidd. If I'm following you correctly, then you need to add {margin-right:2em} as shown in the following snippit:
.listwrapper h6 {
font-size: 1em;
font-style: italic;
left: 2em;
margin: 0.3em 2em 0.3em 0;
position: relative;
Thank you very much, Ronpat! Adding margin-right:2em; to the specified element has solved the issue.
edit: changed everything to
 elements with a class of .italicheader and all issues are solved here.
Very cool. Thanks for the feedback!
That's not very semantic Remember what I said about confusing look with structure.
If the item is a header then it must be a header tag of appropriate level.
Header tags create a document outline and are one of the most important aspects of a web page. Screen readers and Search engines use them extensively to build the outline of the page and most accessibility aids (screen readers etc) use them as jumps to important sections as you can tab through the headings only.
Don't be concerned with what regular elements look like by default as they can easily be changed with css.


text:
HOUSTON - Deputies are searching for a man accused of breaking into his ex-girlfriend's home, taking her car and leading officers on a chase that ended with a crash into a garage in northwest Harris County.
Harris County deputies said they were called to the home on Elm Tree Estates Drive and Prairie Village around 9:30 p.m. Thursday after a woman's boyfriend refused to leave her house following a fight.
"She said he came in through the window and she saw him. And he was listening to her conversation through the window. He confronted her about what he heard," said Chelsy Williams, the woman's daughter.
When the victim called 911, the suspect took off in his ex's Jaguar, officials said, and led deputies on a chase.
"(A deputy) observed the suspect's vehicle leaving the scene, at which time he turned the vehicle around and pursued it," said Mark Harvey with the Harris County Sheriff's Office.
The chase lasted only a few minutes and ended when the suspect's car crashed into a garage of a nearby home.
"The suspect attempted to bail out of a car. He finally rolled out of the car, left the car rolling and it hit the garage of the house," said Harvey. "The suspect rolled out into the roadway and kept rolling and rolled under the front bumper of the deputy vehicle. He got out and ran away."
Tizok Alarcon was watching television with his mother and sister when they heard the crash and felt the house shake.
"He could have killed anybody. There are kids around here," Alarcon said. "We heard a big old crash. Didn't know if it was a gunshot or a car crash. I told everybody to get on the floor."
The crash damaged Alarcon's car and crushed some Christmas presents being stored in the garage.
Copyright 2012 by Click2Houston.com. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.


text:
Nerd Alert!
This limited-edition Smashbox makeup palette is a win-win gift: By purchasing, you can help a child fight a life-threatening illness through the Children's Miracle Network. The set, worth more than $240, includes 12 eyeshadows, four cream eyeliners, a mini-lid primer, mascara, and a step-by-step look book. $45 at Smashbox.
Next to naked never looked so good. Pact's 95-percent cotton undies come in a variety of cool colors and designs (not to mention some very tush-flattering cuts). They're ethically made, come in biodegradable packaging, and as if it couldn't get any better, 10 percent of your purchase goes to one of PACT's environmental nonprofits. $60 to $66 for women's or men's 3-packs at WearPact.com.
Dream On: Super Luxe Gift Ideas


text:
Find a trip
Other trips you might like
Have you considered?
Customer Feedback
Discover our latest brochures available online now, with hundreds of adventures to choose from.
Be the first to hear about great new tours, competitions, special offers and unique departures.
Gift Vouchers
The perfect gift idea for any occasion. Send gift vouchers and create fantastic memories with vast trips and experiences to choose from.
Imperial Cities and Desert MR
Visiting: Morocco
Trip Duration 15 Days
Morocco Adventure Holiday
Enter the world of ancient Morocco on this journey through the imperial cities of Rabat, Meknes, Fes and Marrakech. We explore colourful souks, walk through gorges in the towering Atlas Mountains and discover desert oases, with the option of spending a night in the desert. We enjoy time with the locals as we travel through the land of Berbers and to the beautiful Atlantic coast where we relax in the tranquil port town of Essaouira.
Tour Highlights
- Marrakech - Discover Morocco's vibrant Red City
- Meknes and Rabat - Explore two fascinating imperial cities
- Fes - The atmospheric medina also known as Mecca of the West
- Merzouga Sand Sea - Take an optional camel ride through the impressive sand dunes of the Sahara or an overnight under the stars
- Todra Gorge - Walk in Morocco's Grand Canyon through spectacular rock formations
- The Atlas Mountains - Beautiful mountain scenery in the highest mountain range in North Africa
- Essaouira - Relax in the atmospheric port town on the Atlantic coast
Itineraries on some departure dates may differ, please select.
1Join tour Casablanca
2Visit to Hassan II Mosque and Sightseeing in Rabat; continue to Meknes
3Sightseeing in Meknes; drive to Fes via Volubilis
4Exploring Fes
5Drive over the Middle Atlas to Erfoud
6Drive to Merzouga via Rissani; Afternoon optional camel ride and desert camp
7Drive to Todra Gorge area
8Optional walks in Todra Gorge
9Drive to Ait Benhaddou via El Kelaa des M'Gouna and the Valley of 1000 Kasbahs
10Drive to Ouirgane
11Drive to Essaouira via Marrakesh
12Free day in Essaouira
13Drive to Marrakech; Afternoon sightseeing tour
14Free in Marrakech
15Tour ends Marrakech
Trip notes
Each departure date has its own dedicated trip note, detailing all you need to know about that trip. Whether you've already booked, or weighing up your options, please choose carefully the relevant itinerary for you.
We have the following different versions of the Imperial Cities and Desert trip available at present.
Please select a date:


text:
Trial record 1 of 74 for: "Phenylketonuria"
Previous Study | Return to List | Next Study
Liver Cell Transplant for Phenylketonuria
This study has suspended participant recruitment.
(seeking additional funding)
University of Pittsburgh
Information provided by (Responsible Party):
Ira Fox, University of Pittsburgh
ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
First received: October 20, 2011
Last updated: June 6, 2017
Last verified: June 2017
- Full Text View
- Tabular View
- No Study Results Posted
- Disclaimer
- How to Read a Study Record
Detailed Description:
The purpose of this research study is to determine whether partial irradiation of the liver and liver cell transplantation can reduce the need for dietary and medical management or could possibly eliminate the need for a special diet and medications to treat this disease for patients with phenylketonuria (PKU) by normalizing phenylalanine levels in the body. Phenylalanine (Phe) is a substance needed in the body that can only be obtained from the foods people eat. People with PKU cannot get rid of Phe in their body. Large amounts of Phe can cause problems, such as deterioration of mental function. At the present time, liver cell transplants are experimental and have been done in only a limited number of human subjects.
|Radiation: Preparative Radiation Therapy Procedure: Hepatocyte Transplant Drug: Immunosuppression Other: Liver Evaluation Behavioral: Psychological Assessment
|Phase 1 Phase 2
|Study Type:
|Study Design:
|Intervention Model: Single Group Assignment
Masking: None (Open Label)
Primary Purpose: Treatment
|Official Title:
|Hepatocyte Transplantation for Phenylketonuria
Resource links provided by NLM:
Genetics Home Reference related topics: phenylketonuria tetrahydrobiopterin deficiency
MedlinePlus related topics: Phenylketonuria
Genetic and Rare Diseases Information Center resources: Phenylketonuria Inborn Amino Acid Metabolism DisorderU.S. FDA Resources
Further study details as provided by Ira Fox, University of Pittsburgh:
Primary Outcome Measures:
- Improvement/reversal of characteristics of PKU [ Time Frame: 6 months post hepatocyte transplant ]Measured as a 50% decrease in Phe from baseline study level.
Secondary Outcome Measures:
- Engraftment of Hepatocytes [ Time Frame: 6 months ]Liver biopsy samples may be obtained if a response is ascertained after 6 months. (The approach used, surgical vs percutaneous needle biopsy, will be determined by the clinical setting.)
- Engraftment of Hepatocytes [ Time Frame: up to one year ]Laboratory tests of hepatic function
|Estimated Enrollment:
|Study Start Date:
|December 2011
|Estimated Study Completion Date:
|January 2019
|Estimated Primary Completion Date:
|October 2018 (Final data collection date for primary outcome measure)
|Assigned Interventions
Experimental: Hepatocyte Transplantation
See Below.
Radiation: Preparative Radiation Therapy
Subjects will undergo CT-based simulation and treatment planning for radiation therapy. Once a suitable hepatocyte donor is found and the cell count and viability is acceptable for transplantation, patients will receive Intensity-Modulated Radiation Therapy (IMRT) in one fraction(10 Gy)to the right lobe of the liver (but not exceeding 50% of the liver mass).Procedure: Hepatocyte Transplant
Within a maximum of two days after hepatic irradiation,the right or main portal vein will be occluded transiently (60-90 min)to provide a compensatory mitotic signal to donor hepatocytes. Directly following this transient occlusion of the portal vein, donor hepatocytes will be transplanted into the irradiated portion of the recipient's liver. If at 6 months we see an improvement in PHE tolerance but not normalization (i.e. PHE levels from 6 mg/dl to 10 mg/dl) on an unrestricted PHE diet, we will recommend re-transplantation with a goal of complete correction of PKU. Subjects will be re-evaluated every 6 months for re-transplantation.Drug: Immunosuppression
Following transplantation, patients will be treated with conventional immune suppression, as is used following whole organ liver transplantation. Patients will be followed as routinely performed following organ transplantation and also followed as would normally be performed for their PKU.Other: Liver Evaluation
Prior to the hepatocyte transplant subjects will undergo a liver evaluation which is standard for all patients who have whole organ transplants at Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC. The evaluation includes immunosuppression medication education, psychological assessment, bloodwork to assess blood count, blood and tissue type, blood chemistries, immune system function and certain infectious diseases and abdominal ultrasound to assess blood flow to the blood vessels in the liver.Behavioral: Psychological Assessment
Subjects may undergo a psychological assessment at least 6 months post-transplant which will include a semi-structure open ended interview as well as the Adaptive Behavior Assessment System-II assessment and Beck Depression Inventory. If subjects undergo these assessments, they will be compared to those obtained pre-transplant to determine whether an improvement is associated with the transplant procedure. In addition, if subjects are experiencing depression, they will be referred for further care.
Detailed Description:
Human phenylketonuria (PKU) results from phenylalanine hydroxylase (PAH) deficiency, and represents one of the most common and extensively studied single-gene Mendelian disorders in humans. Unfortunately, optimum clinical outcome demands lifelong dietary restriction through adherence to an unpalatable and expensive artificial diet. Challenges in maintaining traditional therapy lead to increasing phenylalanine (Phe) levels in patients as they approach adulthood with an incumbent severe burden of psychosocial and intellectual difficulties. The recent introduction of the new medication Sapropterin for treatment of PKU has improved Phe control and dietary tolerance in some patients, but at enormous cost to patients and insurers for the FDA designated orphan product. Thus, there is an unmet need for novel therapies to correct PKU. PAH is almost exclusively expressed in the liver in humans. The main objective of the current proposal is to determine the feasibility of hepatocyte transplantation to correct the biochemical (and ultimately, clinical) features of PKU.
|Ages Eligible for Study:
|14 Years and older (Child, Adult, Senior)
|Sexes Eligible for Study:
|Accepts Healthy Volunteers:
Inclusion Criteria:
Children (14-17 years of age)
- Previous diagnosis of classical PKU as determined by Phe >20 mg/dl at diagnosis or a PAH mutation known to cause classical PKU
- Patients have poor control on standard therapy (i.e. Kuvan or diet alone) as defined by two consecutive phe levels of > 12 mg/dl in past 6 months. This is nearly 4 times the recommended level.
- Baseline I.Q. >70 as assessed by Wechsler Abbreviated Scale of Intelligence (2-subtest IQ)
Cognitive or psychological impairment as defined by a score of one standard deviation below the mean in two of the four following assessments:
- Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-Fourth Addition-Coding Subtest (for individuals up to 16 years, 11 months years of age) OR Wechsler Adult Intelligence Test-Fourth Edition-Coding Subtest (for individuals 17 years of age)
- Behavior Rating Inventory of Executive Function (parent version)
- Delis-Kaplan Executive Function System (D-KEFS) Verbal Fluency
- BASC-II (Behavior Assessment System for Children-Second Addition)
- Psychological assessment in the past year
- Must have a complete evaluation including dietary records in PKU clinic. Thereafter, monthly Phe levels will be drawn (per clinical care management for PKU patients) and 3-Day food records will be completed monthly until hepatocyte cells are available.
Adults (18 years of age and older)
- Previous diagnosis of classical PKU as determined by Phe >20 mg/dl at diagnosis or a PAH mutation known to cause classical PKU
- Patients have poor control on standard therapy (i.e. Kuvan or diet alone) as defined by two consecutive phe levels of > 12 mg/dl in past 6 months. This is double the recommended level.
- Psychological assessment in the past year
- I.Q. >70 as assessed by any standardized and validated IQ measure.
- Must have dietary documentation and a routine clinical evaluation in PKU clinic one month prior to enrollment. Monthly Phe levels will be drawn (per clinical care management for PKU patients) and 3-Day food records will be completed monthly until hepatocyte cells are available.
Exclusion Criteria:
- No biopterin synthestase defects
- Subject has active malignancy.
- Subject has allergy to immune suppression medications that are required post transplant procedure for the prevention of rejection.
- Subject has sepsis, pneumonia, other active infection or secondary life-threatening organ dysfunction.
- Liver biopsies, not necessarily a consideration for organ transplantation, but a contraindication at this time to cell transplantation if significant fibrosis was identified, may be performed if there is clinical indication of liver disease. Significant liver fibrosis will be defined by the Ishak Staging, Stage 5: bridges with occasional nodules.
- Subject is pregnant or breastfeeding.
- Subject has positive HIV serostatus.
- Inability to comply with research procedures.
Contacts and Locations
Choosing to participate in a study is an important personal decision. Talk with your doctor and family members or friends about deciding to join a study. To learn more about this study, you or your doctor may contact the study research staff using the Contacts provided below. For general information, see Learn About Clinical Studies.
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01465100
Please refer to this study by its ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT01465100
|United States, Pennsylvania
|Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of University of Pittsburgh Medical Center
|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15201
|Children's Hospital of Pittsburgh of UPMC
|Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, 15201
Sponsors and Collaborators
University of Pittsburgh
|Principal Investigator:
|Ira J Fox, MD
|University of Pittsburgh
More Information
Keywords provided by Ira Fox, University of Pittsburgh:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017
|Responsible Party:
|Ira Fox, Professor of Surgery, University of Pittsburgh
|ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:
|NCT01465100 History of Changes
|Other Study ID Numbers:
|Study First Received:
|October 20, 2011
|Last Updated:
|June 6, 2017
|Individual Participant Data (IPD) Sharing Statement:
|Plan to Share IPD:
Keywords provided by Ira Fox, University of Pittsburgh:
Additional relevant MeSH terms:
Brain Diseases, Metabolic, Inborn
Brain Diseases, Metabolic
Brain Diseases
Central Nervous System Diseases
Nervous System Diseases
Amino Acid Metabolism, Inborn Errors
Metabolism, Inborn Errors
Genetic Diseases, Inborn
Metabolic Diseases
ClinicalTrials.gov processed this record on September 25, 2017


text:
_Tell us about the day we were born, _I often imagine my children saying to me one day. Before my babies were born, I romanticized about the delivery and I saw myself sharing my glory story with family and friends, even writing blog posts about my birth story and speedy recovery. The truth is, it was all very different than the story I had daydreamed.
I still want to share the story of how my babies came into this world, but when I finally sat down to write my story, I realized how few details I actually remember through the fog of narcotics and sleep deprivation. I'm thankful for the pictures we have, proof that I was actually there and witnessed these things, and for my husband, whose retelling will be much more accurate and coherent when our children want to know about their grand entrance.
So here are some of the things I do remember about the experience.
First, I remember the feeing of anticipation the day before my c-section. Everything we did have a sense of finality about it — this is the last time I will eat a cheeseburger without kids. This is the last episode of Dexter I'll watch without kids. I was ready in the sense that I had reached my goal of 37 weeks, and I was ready to not be pregnant any more, but I was really apprehensive about the surgery and about meeting the people I would spend the rest of my life loving. I remember saying good-bye to my sisters and parents as my husband and I left for the hospital after only a few hours of sleep and thinking, this is the last time my mom will just be a mom and not a Grandma, my sisters will be aunts in just a few hours.
What I remember most about the surgery are those feelings; I had had only one surgery prior, to remove my wisdom teeth in 2007. I'd had a panic attack in the waiting room and cried until they put me to sleep. I even woke up crying. The idea of major abdominal surgery was finally sinking in and I tried my best to suppress the nerves. My husband even told me later that he was impressed with my behavior leading up to the surgery. The actual surgery deserves its own blog post — today I just want to talk about the babies!
The twins were born via c-section on September 25, 2012 at 37 weeks and 1 day. Baby Girl came out at 8:27 am, weighing 6 pounds, 5 ounces, and Baby Boy at 8:29 am, weighing 4 pounds, 14 ounces. They each measured 18.5 inches long. When Baby Girl came out, I expected to hear screeching or wailing, but what we heard was a single, loud squawk. I started to giggle and cry at the same time as the doctor held our now screaming baby over the screen so we could see her for the first time. Then she was handed over to some nurses that I couldn't see and it was time for brother to come out. "He's really cute, you guys!" the doctor said as she pulled him out. I remember still laughing and asking if he was really big — the babies had been monitored via ultrasound throughout the pregnancy and were consistently measuring right on track. At my final doctor appointment at 35 weeks, each baby was estimated at six pounds, so I assumed that by 37 weeks they would have been around 7 pounds. Baby Boy's weight took us all by surprise. "No, he's pretty small," my husband said, as he watched them take our son to be cleaned and weighed. By this point, everything starts to blur together and all I really remember is worrying about my son. Thankfully, although he was quite small, everything was working the way it was supposed to, and the nurses brought both of the bundled babies over to us to kiss and to take a picture — a photo I'll treasure forever, but of a moment I sadly don't remember much.
My husband accompanied both babies to the nursery as my doctor continued to stitch me up and engaged me in small talk. I was transferred to the recovery room, where my mother found me. I remember various nurses and technicians talking to me, asking me questions and telling me what was going to happen as if I were a coherent person just chilling in a hospital bed. I felt like I couldn't even keep my eyes open or form words properly. My mother had seen the babies in the nursery window as they were given their bath, and she excitedly told me how they looked just alike, and how my husband held them up to the window for my family to see. Finally, my husband and babies came to the recovery room. I held my babies on my chest and tried to nurse one, I don't remember who, but my arms felt so heavy from the anesthesia that I couldn't quite get the hang of it.
I don't remember being wheeled to the post-partum suite, or the visitors that were waiting in the room when I arrived. I was so thirsty but so sick from the anesthesia that I couldn't hold down fluids and yet I couldn't stop myself from gulping water, Sprite or the broth they brought me for lunch. The pictures from this time show me pale and puffy-faced, struggling to keep my eyes open and with a heavy smile.
The babies were all bundled up and wearing matching beanies. In the time since then, it's become so clear that the babies look very different, but those first few days we were all convinced they looked the same, and it was even hard to tell them apart. It wasn't long before we got to know them, their personalities, and their cries well enough to distinguish them from across the room. (Although, I admit, it is harder to do at 3 a.m. and bleary-eyed!) I remember wanting to inspect their naked bodies, since I had only seen them once they were swaddled in the hospital's flannel blankets. I didn't even change a diaper for several days. (How great is my husband!?)
I attribute much of my mental fog to the surgery. My mom, who'd had a traumatic c-section experience, had warned me about it, but I'd heard from so many people that the surgery and recovery were no big deal. Since I knew c-section was my only option (certain doctors may restrict your birthing options depending on your/babies' health and babies' positions), I accepted it and minimized the possible problems in my head. I regret not being able to remember more of the first few days but there are wonderful things I do remember: how tenderly my husband handled our babies, the delicate smell of the tops of their velvety heads, and my parents cradling their grandbabies. After having spent the last year planning, wishing, daydreaming and worrying, it's hard to believe I'm actually somebody's — make that two somebodies' — mother.
Did you childbirth experience differ from what you expected?


text:
Burr Answers Your Questions.
What do you do in a Bar Method workout?
The Bar Method® is a one-hour, non-impact total body workout. It starts with a warm-up, free-weight exercises and push-ups and then moves on to intense, isometric leg work at the bar, followed by abdominal work at the bar and on mats. Every exercise includes active stretching to elongate the targeted muscles.
Will The Bar Method help me lose weight?
Yes. The Bar Method's exercise formula is especially designed to maximize the weight loss you get from exercise. Most regular students become slimmer and lighter, sometimes within months. Here's how the Bar Method works to slim you down:
The Bar Method adds density to your muscle fiber, making your body more efficient at burning calories all day.
Last but not least, the Bar Method's quick and noticeable results – leaner, more lifted muscles – keep you motivated to eat right.
Here are the Bar Method top ten tips for getting to your ideal weight:
- Always eat breakfast.
- Practice portion control.
- Pass on seconds.
- Pass on sweets.
- Limit snacks and sugary drinks.
- Don't excessively deprive yourself.
- Don't get caught up in fad diets.
- Get enough sleep.
- Beware of the claim "naturally sweetened" by fruit juice, which is a form of sugar all the same.
- Exercise!
For more on getting to your ideal weight, see Burr's blog:
How many calories can I burn in a Bar Method class?
Most Bar Method students burn 250-600 calories a class and then burn additional calories for several hours after the workout due to the intense deep muscle work.
Just how many calories you will burn depends on a number of variables such as your weight, your fitness level, your age, your previous weight loss patterns, how hard you work during class, and many other factors.
For more on calories burned during a Bar Method class, see Burr's blog:
Is The Bar Method aerobic?
Yes. Even though the exercises look different from those of conventional aerobics, The Bar Method workout's fast pace challenges both your cardio vascular system and your muscle strength throughout the class, delivering a high level of overall fitness.
For more on the aerobics of Bar Method, see Burr's blogs:
How often should I do The Bar Method?
Research shows that you get the best results from exercise by working out three to five times per week. The Bar Method is non-impact and quite gentle (in spite of the terrific muscle burn you get), so unlike some other workouts you can do it up to six days a week and still allow enough time for your muscles to recover.
Within that frequency, individuals vary with regard to what works best for them. The best way to tell how many times a week is right for you is to listen to your body. If you feel yourself getting stronger and feeling better, your frequency is okay. If you start feeling fatigued, you're probably going too often. The right frequency for you also depends on what else you're doing in your life. If you're working 10 hours a day and not getting a lot of sleep, you might need to limit your attendance to three days a week.
Can I do The Bar Method in conjunction with other exercises?
Yes. The Bar Method is a comprehensive, full-body workout, so it will give you a high level of fitness without your needing to supplement it with additional strengthening, stretching or aerobic exercise, as long as you come to class three-to-five times a week. The Bar Method also works well in conjunction with many types of exercise. Taking the Bar Method is a fantastic way to train for sport, and it will boost your performance in many other kinds of exercise such as biking, skiing, martial arts, hiking, basketball and dance.
I have a tendency to bulk up. Will The Bar Method trim me down?
Yes. The Bar Method will trim down your body, especially around your upper legs. During the first three-to-five months that you take class however, your muscles feel more "there" than before and so seem to be fuller. This is because newly toned muscles hold additional water, and also because intra-muscular fat that has been pushed outwards.
So if you're going through the initial strengthening stage, have faith! A few more months of classes will tighten your muscles, burn away excess intramuscular fat, and give you a new, trimmed down shape.
For more on the Bar Method's process of slimming you down, see Burr's blog:
I'm working hard but am gaining weight. What's happening?
Two forces are at play that are probably causing your weight gain if you're relatively new to the Bar Method:
First, you're in the first of two stages of body change that the Bar Method produces: In this first stage your muscles gain firmness. In stage two the fat around and between your muscles burns away. Stick to working out three-to-five times a week and you'll reach stage two, during which you will burn off intra-muscular fat and your body slim will down, in about three-to-six months.
Second, you've probably encountered the heightened exercise hunger that descends on your appetite when you first embark on a new strengthening routine. The reason for this sudden increase in hunger is that your muscles are in the process of gaining firmness, and they're crying out to be fed. Don't worry! Studies have found that regular exercise does a "180" on your appetite once you reach a cruising speed of body change: It depresses your appetite! That's why you'll notice that the students are very lean at Bar Method studios that have been operating more than a few years. So make strengthening exercise part of your lifestyle, practice portion control (and stay away from sweets!) and you'll be rewarded with a leaner, lighter body.
For more on exercise hunger, see Burr's blog:
Am I too old to take The Bar Method?
Bar Method studios welcome and support students both young and old. There's no specific age limit, and in fact our classes include a wide diversity of age groups, from students in their 20s to their 70s. One reason the Bar Method is doable for older students is that teachers call out options for all exercises. Very strong students can choose to do one option, while others who are just building their strength choose another one. That way, all students get the best workout for their level of fitness.
For more on taking the Bar Method when you're older, see Burr's blog:
What is "The Bar Method tuck"?
The "Bar Method tuck" is a stance that maintains spine neutrality during weight-work and muscle isolations. In this stance, students recruit their bodies' three core muscle groups, those in their upper backs (shoulder stabilizers), their torsos (abs), and under their spines (glutes). The "Bar Method tuck" thereby keeps these stabilizer muscles working to protect students' spines and also to enhance the effectiveness of the exercise at hand.
For more on the Bar Method tuck, see Burr's blog:
I have very tight hamstrings. Can I still do The Bar Method?
Yes! You should do the Bar Method, or some exercise form that includes gentle hamstring stretches in order to increase the range of motion in your hips. The Bar Method works especially well because its alternating strength-stretch format exhausts your muscles before they're stretched, allowing them to let go more easily.
Every Bar Method studio includes at least two "stall bars", structures that offer bars at many heights. During this stretch, position yourself in front of a stall bar and choose a bar height that enables you to keep both legs straight and your hips facing forward without strain.
Avoid the temptation of forcing your leg onto a bar that's too high for you! Strained (overstretched) hamstrings heal slowly, and if not treated can bother you for decades. So don't risk it! Patience always pays off when it comes to stretching.
Use the bar, as shown, to keep this stretch working for you. Concentrate your mind on where you feel the stretch, and focus on the pattern of your breath to help your muscles relax. Above all, don't look around the room to compare your flexibility with other students'!
This exercise immediately follows the seat and hamstring isolations and is especially designed for students whose hamstrings are tight. The Bar Method is unique in its ability to exhaust muscles so that they lend themselves more easily to stretching. So if other students are doing different moves during this section, ignore them, seize the moment for yourself, and focus on stretching your thoroughly warmed-up hamstrings!
Use the strap, as shown, to keep this stretch working for you. Concentrate your mind on where you feel the stretch, and focus on the pattern of your breath to help your muscles relax. Above all, don't look around the room to compare your flexibility with other students'!
Your DVD workouts do not include the "round-back" and "flat-back" exercises you give in your studio classes. Does their absence change the results I get when I use the DVDs?
The Bar Method's "round-back" and "flat-back" exercises do have unique benefits. They spike the heart rate, taper the leg muscles, tighten the muscles around the waist, and strengthen the core. To perform them however, you need a bar that is securely attached to a wall, which most DVD users do not have a home. Our DVDs – especially the "Super Sculpting" series and "Dancer's Body" – make up for the absence of these two exercises with a quickened pace and extra bar-work to shape your legs and carve your abs. The intensity generated by these added elements enables you to get a Bar Method-sculpted body by either at a studio or with the DVDs at home.
How is The Bar Method different from other bar workouts?
The Bar Method focuses on effectiveness, safety, and body awareness. It is the only bar workout that was designed under the guidance of physical therapists to ensure joint safety. Its teachers receive extensive training in healthy patterns of movement, body connection, mental focus, and posture. The Bar Method workout places a greater emphasis on muscle sculpting than do other bar fitness techniques.
For more information on what sets The Bar Method apart, see Burr's Blog:
Will I ever "plateau" with The Bar Method or will I keep progressing?
Bar Method students overwhelmingly testify that the workout stays challenging and grows on them with time. They call it becoming "addicted to the Bar Method." Reasons for students' increasing interest in the workout are:
- The Bar Method positions are so precise that students can continually work on perfecting them.
- The results are so specific that the cause and effect between taking a class and seeing and feeling the results becomes increasingly clear-cut.
Students thereby develop a craving for what they get out of the workout and ultimately for the workout itself.
Can I take The Bar Method if I have an injury or medical condition?
Yes! The Bar Method instructors are well versed in human anatomy and can help you modify exercises to make you comfortable while maintaining the effectiveness of the workout. Be sure to tell your instructor about your condition so that they can best assist you. Please read applicable sections below to discover how The Bar Method can work for you.
Disclaimer: Always consult your physician before beginning any exercise program. This general information is not intended to diagnose any medical condition or to replace your healthcare professional.
Neck discomfort
When your abs are weak, your body tends to compensate with other muscles. A "curl" motion might translate into an effort on the part of your neck rather than your abs. Your neck might also experience discomfort because of a natural tightness in your back muscles – not in itself a problem, but something you need to be aware of during ab work.
The Bar Method curl section offers solutions to both these conditions. Teachers provide their students with mats and cushion they can place under their ribs if needed, then show them how to position these supports to best advantage. In the curl section of class, students are free to work at their own pace and can sit up and reset when needed.
With practice, most Bar Method students learn to do rhythmic curls with their abs and without neck discomfort.
Shoulder condition
Our shoulder joints are especially vulnerable to injury. Why they are this way goes back to when we evolved from four-legged to two-legged animals. When we began to use our arms, our shoulder joints became more flexible so that we could use them to throw and reach. This gain in flexibility caused the joint to lose stability. Bar Method arm-work is for this reason designed by physical therapists to help stabilize your shoulders by helping you strengthen the "stabilizer" muscles around them.
If you have a shoulder injury, the Bar Method strongly recommends that you see a doctor before signing up to exercise. Physical therapy works well on shoulders, so you'll optimize your recovery by putting yourself in the hands of a physical therapist before coming to a Bar Method class. Then, when you're feeling better and get the okay from your doctor to exercise, your Bar Method teacher will give you modifications to use in class that will help your shoulder continue to heal.
For more on how to take class if you have a shoulder injury, see Burr's blog:
Wrist sensitivity
Tens of thousands of Americans, most of them women, suffer from carpel tunnel syndrome – compression of the median nerve at the wrist resulting in numbness and pain. An even greater number of people are genetically predisposed to this syndrome by having a smaller than average opening in their carpel tunnel, the passageway through which nerves travel through the wrist to the hand. Today, heavy computer use has increased the likelihood that these people will come down with the condition.
Falling on a hand or wrist, a common injury, is another way people end up with wrist pain. Remember to use pain as a guide, and stop when you feel any "bad"-type pain where you're injured! See your doctor before you attempt to exercise. She or he can give you effective treatments and therapies for your condition.
The Bar Method has developed modifications for every exercise that exerts pressure on the wrists, so be sure to alert your instructor and take their adjustments. By exercising mindfully, you'll end up not only pain free but also with stronger joints that are less vulnerable to injury.
Back condition
If your lower back hurts, you're one of roughly 31 million Americans sharing this condition at any point in time. The good news is that you have a 90 percent chance of getting better within a month with no treatment at all.
To maximize your chances of becoming pain-free and staying that way, doctors prescribe the following steps:
- Get your condition diagnosed if you're experiencing any digestive abnormalities, weakness, numbness or tingling in your legs or if the onset of the pain was triggered by an accident or event.
- Once you've ruled out such complications by seeing a doctor, begin your road to recovery by staying out of bed during the day! Studies have found that bed rest only prolongs the pain. Instead, continue with your normal daily activities. Puttering through your day helps to lessen spasms and keep your joints lubricated.
- Wait until the pain starts to recede before you exercise.
- When you're starting to feel better, resume low-or-non-impact exercise. If you feel increased pain while exercising, either stop completely, or modify the exercise so that you can perform it pain-free.
- Include stretching in your exercise routine. Lack of exercise will make you less flexible over time, limiting your ability to move, rotate, and bend, thereby making it more likely that you'll strain something.
- Practice good posture while standing and sitting.
- Strengthen your abdominals, and stretch your back, hips and hamstrings. Stronger abs give you increased control over what you do with your busy arms and legs.
The Bar Method is based in part on rehabilitative back therapy and has helped countless people to free themselves of back pain. The Bar Method's exercises work because they "rewire" the connection between the core muscles and the limbs. The standing seat exercise, for example, teaches you to keep your spine stable while using your glutes, thereby teaching your body to move from the hips, not the lower back. The Bar Method also frees up your lower back muscles by gently stretching them throughout the class.
For more on how to take class if you have a back condition, see Burr's blog:
Hip injury
Hip sensitivity can arise from many causes, among them years of running or dancing, inherent hip tightness, or simply being out of shape. The Bar Method workout features protections against overuse of your hip-flexors combined with non-impact core strengthening to stabilize and protect your hip joints. Inform your teacher if you have sensitive hip-flexors and they will provide you with modifications that will allow you to workout comfortably. Additionally, the work you're doing to strengthen your quads and abdominals will contribute to the health of your hips in the long run.
For more on how to take class if you have a hip injury, see Burr's blog:
IT band syndrome
IT Band (ilio-tibial band) Syndrome is a painful condition that occurs when a hip muscle called the "TFL" tightens up from running or overuse in general. The Bar Method strengthens and stretches this muscle, thereby allowing it to release and calm down. If you have IT band syndrome, ask your instructor how best to modify in class to facilitate the healing process.
Hamstring strain
Having a hamstring strain is painful and easy to do! Cheer leaders, dancers, athletes of all kinds, and people who just plain exercise can strain a hamstring. And the diagnosis is not great after that, since hamstring strains don't heal quickly and can become chronic if left untreated. For this reason, your first step on your road to recovery is to see your doctor.
Once your doctor okays you to exercise, come back to class and tell your teacher you have a hamstring condition so that she can give you the options you need to work safely. Then start slowly; be patient, and back off an exercise when you feel significant "bad pain," that is, pain that is clearly caused by your injury and not a muscle burn.
Remember, while you're recovering from a hamstring strain, don't get ahead of yourself and push too hard! Listen to your body, and use modifications as long as is needed for the best resolution.
Knee problems
Knee problems come in many varieties, including:
- Injury to a tendon
- Injury to a ligament
- Arthritis or worn knee cartilage
- Chondromalaciapatellae, erosion of the cartilage in the knee cap
- IT band syndrome: rubbing of the IT band against the knee
If you have any of these injuries, it's important to see your doctor for diagnosis and treatment before you exercise.
After you get your doctor's okay, the Bar Method workout can help you stabilize your knees by strengthening and aligning the muscles around them. Its non-impact, highly controlled leg work is similar to what you'd get in physical therapy, and its gentle intensity is highly effective rehabilitation when you're at the recovery stage.
The Bar Method's thigh-work exercises, like classic "squats" seen in gyms, are especially beneficial to the knees and can help alleviate most common knee conditions. Research supports the "squat" as the safest and best exercise for rehabbing and strengthening your knees. Four studies of the squat as a rehab and strengthening technique, which were carried out in the US and the UK from 1989 to 2000 exhaustively tested the knee ligaments of groups performing the squat and other groups performing leg extensions. The groups that used the squat for training and rehab ended up with stronger knees and greater knee stability than those that used seated leg extensions. These studies also determined that the squat did not strain participants' knee ligaments, and in some cases tightened them.
The Bar Method's version of the squat uses the bar to help you keep your torso vertical rather than having it lean diagonally forward. This difference acts to make your quads more elastic, increase the range of motion in your hips, and give your legs a streamlined look. If you experience knee discomfort in any of The Bar Method exercises, be sure to notify your instructor. There are a variety of ways to modify the exercises and ensure the effectiveness of the workout for you.
For more on how to take class if you have a knee condition, see Burr's blogs:
A foot, ankle or calf condition
Foot, ankle and calf injuries including bunions and plantar fasciitis are extremely common due to our love of dangerously high heeled shoes, the hard pavements we dash around on, and how easy it is in the general course of life for our feet and ankles to be sprained and broken.
The Bar Method is an ideal workout choice if you have one of these conditions. It's non-impact, performed on a soft carpet, and provides special options for students with sensitive feet. As always, ask your Bar Method teacher for modifications as needed – he or she will be more than happy to help!
For more on how to take class if you have a foot injury, see Burr's blog:
Sciatica is pain in the buttocks and the back of the legs due to irritation of the sciatic nerve or nerve roots. It's really a symptom of several different conditions, including:
- a herniated disk,
- spinal stenosis,
- piriformis syndrome,
- sacroiliac joint dysfunction, and
- degenerative disk disease.
90% of people with sciatica get better over months without surgery. If you experience sciatic pain, however, it's important to see your doctor, who will prescribe diagnostic tests and treatment.
For most types of sciatica, Medical professionals recommend physical activity, not bed rest, as the best treatment. Inactivity, they say, can even make the pain worse. Recommended exercise includes strengthening and stretching exercises for the back, hamstrings and glutes. Patients who do these exercises regularly experience faster recovery and fewer future episodes of pain.
If you have or have had sciatic pain, the Bar Method workout might be just what the doctor ordered. This method originated as a therapeutic back strengthening program for a dancer who hurt her back. Consequently every exercise during the class focuses on strengthening, stretching or alignment the back.
How to take the Bar Method when you have sciatica:
- Work within pain limits! As long as you don't feel sciatic pain you know you're working safely. So if you feel any sciatic pain at all, stop doing the exercise, or modify the way you're doing it until you're pain-free!
- Lighten up on the free weights. The Bar Method free-weight section (unlike gym-style weight routines) uses the weight of the arms themselves and so will tone your arms even if performed with no weights at all. So to minimize weight on your spine, you can use small weights, or go without them altogether, and still get good results.
- If you have sciatica caused by a tight Piriformis muscle, keep your legs in a parallel position during the leg work. Instead of the turned-out leg variations for example, stick with the parallel ones.
- Always see your doctor if you have sciatic pain! Even though it's probably not a sign of a serious disorder, you need to make sure. In any case, a good diagnosis is the first step toward recovery.
Osteoporosis and osteopenia
Almost half of all women past menopause will develop a dowager's hump, and you don't want to be one of them. The Bar Method is ideal for keeping your bones strong and dense in the following ways:
- Its exercises are weight-bearing but non-impact, a perfect formula for putting the right amount of stress on your bones to build density without jarring your joints.
- The many stretches performed during the class cause your muscles to tug at their underlying bones, stimulating your bones to grow stronger. Stretching also helps prevent impact injuries by making your muscles more elastic.
- The Bar Method's emphasis strengthening around the hips and back helps prevent osteoporosis just where your body is most vulnerable to losing bone mass.
- The posture exercises performed during the class reduce stress on the spine and shoulders.
- Its balance work at the bar helps you steer clear of injuries from a fall.
If you already have osteoporosis, ask your doctor's advice on the types of exercise you should and should not be doing. With your doctor's approval to take class, ask your Bar Method teacher for modifications that will help you exercise comfortably.
Scoliosis or fused vertebrae
Scoliosis is a common condition where there is an abnormal curvature of the spine to one side (a lateral curvature of the spinal column). Scoliosis may occur from weakness of the muscles around the spine or from the spine not fully developing with growth. It may create an imbalance in your posture muscles, abdominal muscles and hip muscles. Scoliosis will not prevent you from doing the Bar Method in good form, though your back may look different in some Bar Method exercises than other students – especially in the "one-weight lift," "fold-over" and "arabesque." Ask your teacher if you need guidance on the correct alignment for you.
Studies of patients with fibro-myalgia have found that low impact aerobic exercise and gentle stretching can decrease pain. Medical experts do not recommend intense weight-lifting because it can result in excessive muscle soreness.
So while the Bar Method is safe to do if you have fibro-myalgia, you'll need to take occasional breaks during the class, especially at first, to ease the muscle-burn associated with the strength work. Tell your teacher about your condition, so she or he understands your need to rest.
If you get over the hump of initial soreness from your first Bar Method classes, your added strength, flexibility and improved posture will lessen the stress and strain on your muscles and joints. Other benefits of strengthening and stretching workouts are reduced depression, improved sleep and more energy.
See your doctor for pain management if you have a severe case of fibro-myalgia.
The National Institutes of Health calls exercise "so important" for those with lupus because "too much rest can be harmful to muscles, bones and joints." The NIH's patient handout also says that exercise "can help you feel better, both mentally and physically."
Over the years Bar Method students with lupus have reported that their affected joints feel better after their Bar Method classes. Most of all these students have talked about overall increased well-being. All this said, check with your doctor before starting the Bar Method or any other exercise program.
Varicose veins
Doctors say that exercise is the best therapy for varicose veins. Getting the heart pumping helps send blood through the veins and discourages the pooling that's the cause of the condition. The Bar Method has helped fade veins in some students. Its "round-back" exercise, which works the legs upside down, is especially good therapy for varicose veins since it allows gravity to draw the blood from your legs and back to your heart. Before you begin an exercise program, get your doctor's okay to exercise. Then stick with the routine for at least six weeks if you can. Becoming more fit might help to alleviate your discomfort.
Exercise headaches
Exercise headaches are a common medical phenomenon. They're usually caused by vassal dilation in the temporal arteries during intense exertion. Here are two links to reputable sites that describe why they happen and when they might be a sign of a serious condition (rare but something to consider). We recommend that you discuss your headaches with your doctor and ask her about medications and other courses of treatment that could help you.
For more information, please visit:
How do I begin taking The Bar Method when I'm pregnant?
First, bring a note from your doctor to give the front desk manager at your studio, stating that you can safely participate in strengthening and stretching exercise classes while you are pregnant.
If you've never exercised at the Bar Method, we recommend that you to take several Bar Online Pre-Natal classes or try out the Bar Method Pregnancy DVD so that your body gently becomes accustomed to into the deep-muscle routine (while it's already undergoing lots of other changes due to your growing belly). After you're familiar with the class, it will be easier to start taking regular beginner or mixed class.
How do I modify the class when I'm pregnant?
- Skip the stretch on the stall bar (shown above), which students usually perform before and after class, so as not to over-stretch your internal organs.
- Do a "cat stretch on your hands and knees (shown below) instead.
- During this stretch series, do not take the option to do a split (because the pelvic ligaments loosen a bit while you're pregnant, and a split might farther loosen your pelvic bones). Stick with the "hamstring stretch" position (shown below).
- Do add a "sciatic stretch" after the hamstring stretch by pressing your extended leg diagonally behind the center of your body as shown, which stretches your waist and lower back.
How do I modify the class when I'm 20 weeks or more into my pregnancy?
Continue to use the modifications above, and add the following ones:
- Work with your back at less of a forward angle or hold onto the bar for balance.
- You can do pushups against the bar with your heels up or down.
Stretch at the bar:
- You can do this stretch series in a kneeling position.
- Replace the "fold-over" and "arabesque" exercises with "standing seat" or "diagonal seat."
- Place three or four "riser" mats under your large exercise mat (your teacher will give them to you). Lean on the risers so that your spine is at no more than 45 degrees back. The risers allow you to gently stretch your lower back and work your lower abs at the same time. This position will keep the weight of your uterus from tiling back onto major blood vessels. Hold onto a strap over the arch of your extended foot.
- Keep one or both of your feet on the floor if you feel uncomfortable lifting both at the same time.
- Lean on three or four "riser" mats as you did during "round-back." Substitute "high curl" for any "low curl" positions. Start and stop as needed during the curl section.
- Do the sitting "mermaid stretch" in place of the prone back stretch. Sit up with both knees bent to one side. Lift your opposite arm and gently lean your torso sideways towards your feet.
- Modify "back-dancing" by kneeling in front of the bar and holding onto it rather than lying down.
Final stretch:
- Replace butterfly stretch with a half lotus stretch. During the "strap stretch," sit up and place one foot in the strap. Place your other leg with a bent knee on the floor for stability.
Options and special rates for pregnant students
During your pregnancy, Bar Method studios offer you several special options and rates:
- Option 1: You can take the pre-natal class exclusively (if your studio offers it).
- Option 2: You can take the regular class and make modifications in the exercises as needed. (If you're new to the Bar Method must have taken at least five pre-natal classes before joining the regular class.)
- Option 3: In selected studios, you can take the first half of any class for half price. (The first 1/2 hour focuses on the arms and legs.) Ask your local studio if it participates in this program.
- Option 4: You can alternate among the three options.
Check with your local Bar Method studio to confirm classes, pricing, and special rates.
Have a happy, healthy pregnancy!


text:
In the "Magga Vibhanga Sutta" belonging to the "Magga Samyuktha" of "Samyuktha Nikaya", our Gautama Buddha says,
"Dear Monks, what is the Noble Eightfold Path?…….
I would say that the Noble Eightfold Path is the practice of attaining the Nirvana, the end of all suffering. It has eight elements. They are: the correct vision, the correct thought, the correct speech, the correct behavior, the correct livelihood, the correct effort, the correct consciousness and the correct concentration."
Read more