PITTSBURGH (AP) -- Armed with a promise from his beloved defensive coordinator that he wouldn't retire without first informing his players, Ryan Clark threatened to avoid Dick LeBeau.
"I didn't want to hear it, so I've told him, `If you try to leave, well, you didn't see me and tell me, so you can't,"' said Clark, the Steelers' free safety. "`That would make you not to be a man of your word, and I know you as such."'
Clark needn't worry. The 75-year-old LeBeau has every intention of returning in 2013 for what would be a 55th consecutive season in the NFL.
LeBeau opened his first meeting of the week with his defense by telling players he'll come back for a 10th season as Pittsburgh's defensive coordinator.
LeBeau, a Hall of Famer, publicly will only say his status is in the hands of head coach Mike Tomlin. But with the defense ranked No. 1 in the NFL for the second consecutive season and fifth time in nine years, there's little reason to think Tomlin would make a change.
"Let's just say I really like Pittsburgh and I really like working for the Steelers," LeBeau said after practice Thursday. "Coach Tomlin will tell you if he wants me back or not. It will be up to Mike."
Asked as a follow-up if he would come back if asked, LeBeau smiled and said, "I love Pittsburgh."
The city has come to love LeBeau, too, after he orchestrated a defense that has ranked in the top five of the league in 10 of his 11 seasons as defensive coordinator. LeBeau also held the job in 1995-96 under former head coach Bill Cowher.
Not even the famed Steel Curtain defenses of the 1970's - statistically, at least - can match what LeBeau's units have accomplished. Only two Steelers teams during their run of four Super Bowl titles in six years under Chuck Noll were No. 1 in total defense.
Since LeBeau returned for his second stint with the franchise in 2004, the Steelers have been to three Super Bowls - winning two - and have had the No. 1 defense five times.
"We know he's the best in the game," veteran linebacker Larry Foote said. "I think everybody else around the league knows it. A lot of times in the games it turns into a chess match, and he wins his share."
Known as the architect of the so-called "zone blitz," LeBeau's teams have been known for the confusion they cause and for their pressure on opposing quarterbacks. His record against rookie starting quarterbacks over the past nine years is 14-2.
His resume after more than a half-century in the league earns the respect of players - but it's his calm and fatherly demeanor that endears those who play for LeBeau to him.
They openly campaigned for LeBeau to get into the Hall of Fame for his 14-year career with the Detroit Lions that included 62 interceptions. LeBeau wept when, on New Year's Day 2006, his players en masse showed up for a game against Detroit wearing his throwback No. 44 Lions jersey.
"One of the joys of coming to work as a Pittsburgh Steeler free safety is getting to see Coach Lebeau every year," Clark said.
LeBeau, who was head coach of the Cincinnati Bengals from 2000-02, doesn't look like a man who will be 76 when next season opens.
"He's like a grandfather - but I don't want to say grandfather because he doesn't really act like a typical grandfather," Foote said. "He's a man of a lot of jokes and wisdom and he encourages everybody.
"He can get around, especially when all his buddies come in. He's always screaming, always running around, doing push-ups."
Keenly aware of where his defense ranks, LeBeau could have gone out with a team that has a chance of finishing the season No. 1 in the NFL in total defense, passing defense and rushing defense. Heading into the season finale Sunday against Cleveland (5-10), the Steelers are No. 2 in rushing defense and No. 1 in the other two categories.
But those stout numbers haven't translated into enough victories this season, with Pittsburgh (7-8) set to miss the playoffs for only the third time in LeBeau's 14 seasons on the staff. He was Cowher's defensive backfield coach from 1992-94.
Despite the gaudy overall rankings this season, LeBeau's Steelers weren't the "closers" they were in the past. Four times, Pittsburgh blew a fourth-quarter lead. The Steelers also uncharacteristically finished in the bottom half of the NFL in sacks and turnovers forced.
"The truth of the matter is we didn't get off to a really good start on defense this year," LeBeau said. "I don't think it was ever quite as bad as it was perceived to be, but we weren't playing the way we wanted to play. For, I'd say over a month and a half now, our third down numbers have been good. We got a little behind early in all phases, but these guys stayed together and played pretty doggone good defense and got us back to where we like to be, up near the top of the bunch."
As usual, LeBeau credits the players for the defense's success. That's just one reason why they share such adulation for him.
"He sets the tone," Foote said. "He's the reason. He always brings us guys together. He puts us in the right situation to make plays."
Read More: http://sportsillustrated.cnn.com/nfl/news/20121227/dick-lebeau-pittsburgh-steelers.ap/#ixzz2GLfWa2u2
Source-
The Orthopeadic Surgery Department, Wakayama Medical University, 811-1 Kimiidera, Wakayama, 641-0012, Japan.
NPI Wishes everyone a Happy Holiday today!!!
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National Posture Institute News Story-Healthy lifestyle during menopause may decrease breast cancer risk later on.
Combination of diet and exercise may be as beneficial as drugs
Obese, postmenopausal women are at greater risk for developing breast cancer and their cancers tend to be more aggressive than those in lean counterparts. A University of Colorado Cancer Center study published in the December issue of the journal Cancer Research shows how this risk might be prevented.
"By using nutrient tracers for fat and sugar, we tracked where the body stored excess calories. In lean models, excess fat and glucose were taken up by the liver, mammary and skeletal tissues. In obese models, excess fat and glucose were taken up by tumors, fueling their growth," says Erin Giles, PhD, postdoctoral researcher at the CU Cancer Center and the paper's lead author.
In short, if you are lean, excess calories go to healthy tissue. If you are obese, excess calories feed the tumor.
"This implies that the menopausal window may be an opportunity for women to control their breast cancer risk through weight management," Giles says.
In this study, Giles worked with a team of scientists including postdoctoral fellows Elizabeth Wellberg and Sonali Jindal, as well as faculty members Steve Anderson, Pepper Schedin, Ann Thor and Paul Maclean. Their study also showed that tumors from obese animals had increased levels of the progesterone receptor, and this receptor appears to give tumors a metabolic advantage for growth. To extend their findings to humans, they recruited gene analysis experts David Astling and Aik-Choon Tan who analyzed 585 human breast cancers and found that human tumors expressing the progesterone receptor had the same metabolic advantage.
"Basically, we saw an abnormal metabolic response to fat and sugar in the obese that, in many ways, mirrors the response to fat and sugar in Type II diabetes," Giles says. Noticing this similarity, the group tested the use of the common Type II diabetes drug, Metformin, in their model of postmenopausal breast cancer.
"With treatment, tumor size was dramatically decreased in the obese, and tumors showed reduced expression of the progesterone receptor," Giles says.
Using a pre-clinical model, the investigators found that weight gain during menopause is particularly bad for those who are obese when entering menopause. Together, the results of this study suggest that the combination of obesity and weight gain during menopause can impact breast cancer in two ways. First, tumors that arise in obese women appear to have a metabolic advantage, and second, the inability to store excess calories in healthy tissues may further fuel tumor growth.
"While drugs may be useful in controlling breast cancer risk in obese, postmenopausal women, our results imply that a combination of diet and exercise may be equally if not more beneficial," Giles says.
The group's ongoing studies are testing whether interventions such as diet and exercise, during the period of menopausal weight gain, can improve tumor outcomes.
Happy Holidays!!! The National Posture Institute's End-of-Year Sale Event is Here! Don't miss the last sale event of the year. From now until December 24, 2012 you can purchase NPI Products and all Professional Certificate Programs; including NPI's Certified Posture Specialist (CPS) Certificate Program! Click here to view NPI's Sales Page:
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National Posture Institute Research-Occupational heavy lifting excessively raises risk of ischemic heart disease says new study
Occupational heavy lifting and risk of ischemic heart disease and all-cause mortality
Christina B Petersen, Louise Eriksen, Janne S Tolstrup, Karen Søgaard, Morten Grønbæk and Andreas Holtermann
BMC Public Health 2012, 12:1070 doi:10.1186/1471-2458-12-1070
Published: 11 December 2012
Background
Occupational heavy lifting is known to impose a high cardiovascular strain, but the risk of ischemic heart disease (IHD) from occupational heavy lifting is unknown. The objective was to investigate the association between occupational heavy lifting and risk of IHD and all-cause mortality, and the influence of occupational and leisure time physical activity on this association.
Methods
Data were analyzed from 1987, 1994, and 2000 from the Danish National Health Interview Surveys providing a sample of 6,692 working men and 5,921 working women aged 16–85 years without cardiovascular disease at baseline. Conventional risk factors for the outcomes IHD and all-cause mortality were controlled for in Cox analyses.
Among men, heavy lifting was associated with increased risk for IHD (hazard ratio (HR): 1.52, 95 % Confidence interval (95 % CI): 1.15, 2.02), while a decreased risk was associated with occupational (HR: 0.50, 95 % CI: 0.37, 0.68) and leisure time (HR: 0.73, 95 % CI: 0.56, 0.95) physical activity. Referencing men with high occupational physical activity and no heavy lifting, men with high occupational physical activity and heavy lifting did not have an increased risk (HR: 1.11, 95 % CI:0.68, 1.82), while men with low occupational physical activity and heavy lifting had a substantial increased risk (HR: 2.56, 95 % CI:1.52, 4.32). No significant associations were found for all-cause mortality or for females.
Conclusion
These findings indicate an excessive risk for IHD from occupational heavy lifting among men, particularly among those with low occupational and leisure time physical activity.
National Posture Institute Posture Analysis and Correction Workshop
January 18 - 19, 2013 (Fri.-Sat.)
Early Bird Discounts End on Dec. 18, 2012! Register now to save $100
Location:
State College of Florida - Lakewood Ranch Campus
7131 Professional Pkwy. E., Sarasota, FL 34240
Description:
This two- day onsite workshop developed by the National Posture Institute (NPI) teaches personal trainers/group instructors (Aerobic/Strength/TRX/Pilates/Yoga etc…) and allied health/medical professionals to assess and educate their clients/patients in all areas of posture and body alignment.
Attendees that register for the workshop can also register for NPI’s Certified Posture Specialist Program™ or NPI’s Certified Resistance Training Professional Program™ to complete their education via our online course site (3-months access) and take either examination following the workshop.
Website information and registration LINK: http://www.npionline.org/workshops/SarasotaFL.html
National Posture Institute News Story: Medical workers’ spike in computer-related injuries is predicted. Newswise — ITHACA, N.Y. – As U.S. health care goes high tech, spurred by $20 billion in federal stimulus incentives, the widespread ad...
The repetitive strain injuries, he said, will stem from poor office layouts and improper use of computer devices.
“Many hospitals are investing heavily in new technology with almost no consideration for principles of ergonomics design for computer workplaces,” said Alan Hedge, professor of human factors and ergonomics in Cornell’s College of Human Ecology’s Department of Design and Environmental Analysis. “We saw a similar pattern starting in the 1980s when commercial workplaces computerized, and there was an explosion of musculoskeletal injuries for more than a decade afterward.”
For a paper published in the Proceedings of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society 56th Annual Meeting, held Oct. 22-26 in Boston, Hedge and James asked 179 physicians about the frequency and severity of their musculoskeletal discomfort, computer use in their clinic, knowledge of ergonomics and typing skills. The most commonly reported repetitive strain injuries were neck, shoulder and upper and lower back pain — with a majority of female doctors and more than 40 percent of male doctors reporting such ailments on at least a weekly basis. About 40 percent of women and 30 percent of men reported right wrist injuries at a similar frequency. Study: https://cornell.box.com/Hedge
“These rates are alarming. When more than 40 percent of employees are complaining about regular problems, that’s a sign something needs to be done to address it,” said Hedge. “In a lot of hospitals and medical offices, workplace safety focuses on preventing slips, trips and falls and on patient handling, but the effects of computer use on the human body are neglected.”
The gender differences, the authors write, appear to be in part because women reported spending about an hour longer on the computer per day than men.
In a second study of 180 physicians and 63 nurse practitioners and physician assistants in the same health system, published in a new volume, “Advances in Human Aspects of Healthcare” (CRC Press), more than 90 percent of respondents reported using a desktop computer at work. On average, they spent more than five hours per day using computers.
Fifty-six percent of doctors and 71 percent of nurse practitioners and physician assistants said their computer use at work had increased in the past year; 22 percent of doctors and 19 percent of nurse practitioners and physician assistants reported less time in face-to-face interactions with patients. Only about 5 percent of participants reported an “expert knowledge” of ergonomics, and more than two-thirds said they had no input in the planning or design of their computer or clinical workstation.
“We can’t assume that just because people are doctors or work in health care that they know about ergonomics,” Hedge said. “With so many potential negative effects for doctors and patients, it is critical that the implementation of new technology is considered from a design and ergonomics perspective.”
Link to study: https://cornell.box.com/Hedge
National Posture Institute Research Review-Heat- and cold-induced athletic injury prevention
Extreme heat or cold can cause dangerous and potentially fatal side effects in athletes. A literature review appearing in the December 2012 issue of the Journal of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (JAAOS) provides an overview of the risk factors, signs and symptoms, and management of various conditions related to excessive heat and cold exposure.
“Both extreme heat and cold can be challenging for athletes during training and competition,” said lead study author Benjamin Noonan, MD, MS. “One role of the team physician is to educate coaches and athletes on the risks of exposure to these conditions and how to best prevent and manage their adverse side effects.”
Cold Exposure
Injuries related to excessive cold also are caused by an imbalance between heat production and heat loss, and can cause the body’s core temperature to significantly drop, and/or an extreme drop in the tissue temperature and loss of blood flow in the extremities. Appropriate and adequate clothing can prevent cold-related injuries. Heat dissipation is greatly enhanced once clothing becomes saturated from sweat, rain or snow. The primary cold-related injuries include:
- Hypothermia
- Frostbite
Heat Illness
Heat-related illness are common, with heat stroke—the most severe side effect of extreme heat exposure—being the third leading cause of death in athletes after cardiac disorders and neck traumas, according to the review. “This is tragic because the consequences of severe heat illness can be mitigated by early detection and recognition by the team physician,” said Dr. Noonan.
Heat stroke is commonly reported during the first four days of sports practice each year. “A slow introduction into activity to allow for acclimation in the summer months, instead of jumping into two football practices a day,” can help prevent heat illness, said Dr. Noonan. Also, athletes should take plenty of water breaks. If an athlete presents with the symptoms of heat illness or stroke, “we should not hesitate to check rectal temperature to gauge heat illness severity; as we think that early recognition and intervention lead to improved outcomes.”
Increases in core body temperature during exercise are the result of changes in the balance of how much heat the body is producing and releasing. Heat is generated during exercise, most often in working muscles, and must be transferred to the skin and released into the environment to avoid overheating. Heat that is not released contributes to elevated core body temperature, and can result in mild to severe, and even life-threatening, illness and injury. Heat-related conditions—from least to most severe—are:
- Heat Edema (Swelling)
- Heat Syncope (Fainting)
- Heat-associated Cramping
- Heat Exhaustion
- Heat Stroke
