National Posture Institute News: Vitamin D proven to boost energy -- from within the cells. Vitamin D is vital for making our muscles work efficiently and boosting energy levels, new research from Newcastle University has shown.  A study led by Dr. Sinha has shown that muscle function improves with Vitamin D supplements which are thought to enhance the activity of the mitochondria, the batteries of the cell.
Certificate in Sports Nutrition & Performance-Approved by the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (120 CPEUs/ACSM 80 CECs) http://www.npionline.org/programs/professional/sportsnutrition.htm                           

National Posture Institute News:Could playing 'boys' games help girls in science and math?

Review finds that men still have better spatial ability than women -- this may be explained by individual differences in gender-role identification

The observation that males appear to be superior to females in some fields of academic study has prompted a wealth of research hoping to shed light on whether this is attributable to nature or nurture. Although there is no difference in general intelligence between the sexes, studies over the past 35 years have consistently found that overall men do much better in tests of spatial ability than women. This difference may have something to do with why there are still fewer women in tertiary education studying science, technology, engineering and math – all subjects where it helps to have good spatial ability.

More in-depth assessment, however, reveals that this might be an over-simplification of the facts. A new review, published in Springer's journal Sex Roles, sheds light on one of the factors contributing to these gender differences in spatial ability, that of gender-roles. Although children are born either male or female, individuals differ in their degree of masculine and feminine identification and endorsement of masculine and feminine gender roles. The review was carried out by David Reilly and David Neumann from Griffith University in Queensland, Australia.

Reilly and Neumann note that studies in their review reported finding larger within-gender variations in spatial ability than between-gender. This then led them to look more specifically at the data on variables within males and females which might be able to explain this.

The researchers analyzed twelve studies which had looked specifically at one aspect of spatial ability, namely mental rotation, in high school pupils, college attendees and young adults. Collectively these studies showed a significant association between masculinity and mental rotation performance for both men and women. In other words, men and women with either a strong masculine or androgynous gender-identity fared better in mental rotation tasks.

The authors suggest that it is the considerable variation in the levels of typically masculine and feminine traits and behaviors, that children of the same sex develop, which account for the inter-gender variability. Masculine identification leads to cultivation of mathematical and scientific skills whereas feminine identification facilitates verbal and language abilities. These gender-roles are not mutually exclusive, with some children of both genders developing a healthy integration of both roles.

Development of spatial ability is refined through play and recreational activities, with traditionally masculine activities helping to promote development of spatial ability. Therefore improving girls' performance in subjects which require good spatial ability may involve the deliberate inclusion of what are commonly seen as stereotypically male activities into their daily lives, rather than encouraging sex-segregation of activities.

The authors conclude: "We have seen many changes in society's beliefs about gender equality in the intervening decades since Sharon Nash proposed her gender-role mediation hypothesis of intellectual development in 1979. However, for spatial ability at least, this association seems as relevant today as when the claim was first made."  

NPI News Story: UT study: Students who are more physically fit perform better academically. Middle school students who are more physically fit make better grades and outperform their classmates on standardized tests, according to a newly published study at the University of Tennessee by Dawn Coe, researcher. Learn more-NPI's Certificate in School Nutrition and Wellness:  http://www.npionline.org/programs/professional/schoolnutrition.htm

National Posture Institute News: Chronic pain common complication of clot-caused strokes

American Heart Association Rapid Access Journal Report

Chronic or persistent pain is a common — and likely under-recognized — complication of ischemic strokes (caused by a blocked blood vessel) according to new research in the American Heart Association journal Stroke.

In a large trial of treatments to prevent a second stroke, researchers found that 10.6 percent of more than 15,000 stroke survivors developed chronic pain.

"Chronic pain syndromes are common, even following strokes of mild to moderate severity," said Martin J. O'Donnell, M.D., lead author and professor of translational medicine at the National University of Ireland in Galway and associate clinical professor at McMaster University in Hamilton, Ontario, Canada. "It is associated with greater decline in physical and cognitive function, making it an important medical complication after stroke."

Researchers examined data on 15,754 people who had survived mild to moderate strokes and were followed for an average 30 months in PRoFESS (Prevention Regimen for Effectively Avoiding Second Strokes), the largest study to determine the prevalence of chronic pain after ischemic stroke.

Of the 1,665 stroke survivors reporting chronic pain beginning after their stroke:

• 431 (2.7 percent) were classified as having central stroke pain, which is due to injury to the brain caused by stroke that can present as touch, temperature or other sensations being perceived as pain. Previous research has shown that central post-stroke pain may not manifest for many months after stroke has occurred, O'Donnell said.
• 238 (1.5 percent) had peripheral neuropathic pain, a tingling, burning or shooting pain due to damage to nerves outside the brain and spinal cord
• 208 (1.3 percent) reported pain from continuously tight or stiff muscles also called spasticity
• 136 (0.9 percent) experienced shoulder pain caused by stroke-related weakness or spasticity
• 86 (0.6 percent) said they had more than one type of pain
• 739 (4.7 percent) reported other causes of pain, or had unclassified pain syndromes.

Significant risk factors for post-stroke pain included increased severity of stroke; female gender; greater alcohol intake; recent symptoms of depression; diabetes and vascular disease of blood vessels supplying the lower limbs.

Patients who developed post-stroke chronic pain were more than twice as likely to become more dependent during the follow-up period, than those whose recovery wasn't complicated by pain. Patients with non-central causes of pain were more likely to experience cognitive decline.

"We suspect that some of the association between chronic pain and decline in cognitive test performance may be related to the use of medications to treat pain, but this was not evaluated in our study" said O'Donnell. "Our study emphasizes the importance of evaluating interventions to prevent post-stroke pain in high-risk individuals."  

2 Fun Posture Analysis and Resistance Training CEC College Workshop Locations in June-2013: San Diego State University Jun 7/8 http://www.npionline.org/workshops/sdsu & Santa Barbara College Jun 12/13 http://www.npionline.org/workshops/sbcc Book your trip to California this summer for some posture education and training! 

National Posture Institute - Posture Points Newsletter (May 2013)! Feature Article “Performing Posture Assessments to Become a Community Resource” by Ken Baldwin, NPI-CPS, Executive Director of NPI; New CECs/CEUs Approval; Mother's Day Sale; Online CEC Courses for Only $39, and More!! http://conta.cc/10Lf3dE