The Kokomo Tribune from Kokomo, Indiana • Page 11

Tuesday, July 12,1994 Health fitness Craft show Nov. 5 The Indiana University Kokomo Staff Council will host its annual arts and craft show Nov. 5. Reservations for show vendors will be accepted until July 27. Proceeds from the event benefit IUK scholarships and university projects.

Only true handcrafted items will be considered for the juried show. Those interested in participating should send photographs of their crafts, the registration fee, and a self-addressed stamped. envelope for confirmation to IUK Staff Council, Linda Bielewicz, Indiana University Kokomo, Post Office Box 9003, Kokomo, Indiana, 46904-9003. For more information, call 455-9227. Lyme disease advance noted By Scripps Howard News Service Researchers have discovered a blood particle that may enable physicians to quickly, diagnose Lyme disease, a painful illness caused by tick bites.

Led by Dr. Steven Schutzer, an immunologist at the University of Medicine Dentistry of New Jersey in Newark, scientists have found a protein, called Ospa, in blood samples of 21 of 22 people with early symptoms of Lyme disease. That means the disease which currently is very difficult to confirm may be easy to diagnose. It then can be cured with drugs. Discovered in 1975 near Old Lyme, the illness causes a substantial number of symptoms: heart problems, swelling in the joints, muscle pains, fevers, headaches, tiredness and influenza-like nose, throat and lung congestion.

Some of these problems can continue for several years. disease sometimes produces a large, bull's-eye-shaped wound at the site of the rick bite. "This discovery is likely to; have diagnostic potential' could lead more rapidly to effective treatment," Schutzer "The: lack of an early and specific test has been a major obstacle in diagnosing Lyme disease." Schutzer said the discovery needs to be confirmed by other researchers before a test can be approved by the Food and Drug Administration. The research was partly funded by the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda, and the Centers for Disease and Prevention in Atlanta. Deficiencies can be hazardous By Scripps Howard News Service Women who have vitamin A deficiences i during pregnancy are three to four times more likely to pass a deadly illness to their unborn babies than women who have normal amounts of the vitamin, say researchers at Johns Hopkins University in Baltirh'ore.

This discovery is based on a fbur- year study conducted in Malawi, Africa by physicians directed by Hop- kins'Dr. Richard Semba. In the study, 32 percent of the women who lacked the vitamin gave birth to HIV-infected babies. In contrast, only seven percent of women who had normal amounts of vitamin A infected their offspring. Semba noted vitamin A is a key ingredient in building the body disease-fighting immune system.

Vitamin A occurs in fruits, vegetables, egg yolks, liver and dairy products. Arthritis epidemic is possible By Scripps Howard News Service With the number of elderly Americans growing swiftly, there's a strong possibility that the United States will have an arthritis epidemic in the 21st century, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the Arthritis Foundation warn. The CDC estimates 40 million Americans are now afflicted with the 100 pain-causing illnesses that are loosely known as the year 2020, that number will grow to 59.4 million, or more than 18 percent of the country's population. "Aging baby boomers will make arthritis an even more per? vasive disease extracting a devastating toll in the future unless we take action now to limit its impact," said Arthritis Foundation president Don Riggin. Style Department Bicycle safety 6 wheel' crucial Parents should endorse basic tips Parents safe biking a part of the ride this summer, by following these basic tips offered by the National PJA: Don't allow children to ride on the road until they have had bicycle safety instructions, can ride without wobbling and can stop quickly without falling, Insist your children always wear helmets when they are on their bikes, and set a good wear your helmet.

Teach your children to obey all road signs and traffic signals. Children should completely dismount dieir bikes and walk them across intersections in heavy traffic. Show your children the proper hand signals on a bicycle left arm up in an for turning right, straight out for turning left and down for stopping. Children should always ride single file on the side of the road with the flow of traffic and use a bike path whenever one is available. Help your children be seen.

A fluorescent flag on a pole on the back of the bike helps them to be seen during the day. Night bicycle riding should be avoided, but if they are on the street at night, they should have a front bike light and reflector, and a rear tail light and red reflector. Light colored clothes or clothes with reflective tape need to be worn so children will be seen by motorists. Place a bike basket or rack on your children's give them a backpack so their.hands are free to maintain control of the bike. Choose a proper fitting bicy- Vfpr Children should be able to rest their feet on when they are seated, and have a one-inch clearance between their body and the center bar of the bike when they standing.

are Wearing a helmet is important to bicyclist Renae Aeschliman (Tribune photos by Dave Hess) Kokotno (Ind.) Tribune B1 Matt Clayson, left, Ryan Aeschliman and Renae Aeschliman demonstrate how to ride safely Watch pets' health Summer can be deadly time for critters By STEPHEN KNIGHT Thomson News Service THUNDER BAY, Ontario Summer may mean fun in the sun for humans, but for pets it can be deadly. Dogs and cats in particular face various risks, says Dr. Jeff Kubinec, a veterinarian at the Fort William Animal Clinic. In hot weather, dogs face higher incidences of canine parvovirus, which causes vomiting and diarrhea in dogs and can be deadly. The virus often starts when a dog has been off food for a period of time, which occurs more frequently in warm weather.

And with pets allowed out more because of the weather, there are more encounters with other animals. Cats who get bitten by other cats are prone to feline leukemia. "Any abnormal sign can mean feline leukemia is the problem," said Kubinec, who has been a veterinarian for 11 there are vaccinations both (canine parvovirus and feline leukemia)," Heartworm is another problem that escalates during the summer, especially in mosquito seasoa Heartworm is a parasite spread by mosquitoes and worms actually infest the pefs heart. There is preventive mecucatioa He also recommends keeping the dog's coat clean and groomed Include trip to veterinarian in your summer plans because maggots can infest a soiled or matted coat in a very short time. Vi AYiWi V4.CV.A ICll ilperin of the Jerusalem Cen- 1 for Impotence and Infertile You can still score after sex By IRA DREYFUSS Associated Press WASHINGTON (AP) Does sex before a game reduce athletic performance? Some experts downplay a new study indicating that it does.

There's never been good evidence that sex makes a difference, and the new research doesn't change this, the experts say. At issue is a study by Israeli sex researchers, who looked at 36 Israeli soccer players. The athletes answered questions about their sex lives and their, game performances. Forwards played better if they abstained for six to eight days, and defenders and the goalkeeper played better if they abstained four to five days, said researcher Mordechai Hal ter for Impotence ry. The study made it into the news recently when Germany; the defending World Cup champion, decided to take the findings to heart and banned wives and girlfriends from the team's hotel in Chicago.

However, the findings are preliminary, because relatively few players were involved; and because the study did not actually measure performance on the field, Halperin said. Without an objective measure of play, it's possible that the players made false assumptions about how they played. And U.S. experts doubt the results would hold up under objective measurement. People have raised this question for many, mariy years," said Dr.

Gary Wadler, a clinical associate professor of medicine at Cornell University Medical College in Manhassett, N.Y. have seen nothing support anyone changing their sexuaj habits." Some coaches have encour-: aged abstinence for athletics' sake, Wadler said. But it may be partly a result of magical thinking the idea that, for instance, a male player may become more macho on the field by holding back manliness elsewhere, he said. "Until I see hard evidence to the contrary, this may be an old housewives' tale," Wadler said. "On a physiological basis, I see no justification for it." In terms of energy expenditure, there's nothing in sex to wear anyone out, said Dr.

Barry Franklin, director of the Cardiac Rehabilitation and Exercise Laboratories at William Beaumont Hospital in Royal Oak, Mich. Sex can raise a middle-aged man's energy expenditure by about three or four times what it would be if he, were resting quietly, Franklin said. But that's only the equivalent of moderate walking, he said. And sex doesn't continue long enough to use a lot of energy at that rate, Franklin said: "We are talking about an activity that doesn't last hours." Franklin discussed sex for neart patients recently in the ournal, The Physician and portsmedicine, at which he serves on the editorial board. (Tribune photo by Pave Hess).