Weighing the best way to get fit?
Akron General Health System is offering a free Healthy Lifestyle lecture series at its Health & Wellness centers in Bath Township and Stow.
Each session will be led by a registered dietitian and a fitness expert, who will share nutrition and fitness information.
Topics to be covered include eating and training for heart health, setting goals, deciphering workouts, savvy grocery store shopping, healthy picnic food and outdoor fitness.
Classes at Akron General Health & Wellness Center-West (4125 Medina Road, Bath Township) are scheduled for Feb. 14, March 13, April 10 and May 8. Call 330-665-8100 to register.
Sessions also will take place today, Feb. 21, March 20, April 17 and May 15 at Akron General Health & Wellness Center-North (4300 Allen Road, Stow). Call 330-945-3100.
The one-hour sessions begin at 6 p.m.
Retraining the brain
Restraining an arm appears to retrain the brain, according to a study published today in Neurology, the medical journal of the American Academy of Neurology.
Swiss researchers examined 10 right-handed people who had an arm injury that required using a sling for at least 14 days.
The study found that the size of the brain areas that were compensating for the injured side increased while the side that was not being used decreased in size.
Researchers did not determine whether the change in size would be permanent.
“These results are especially interesting for rehabilitation therapy for people who’ve had strokes or other issues,” author Nicolas Langer of the University of Zurich in Switzerland said in a news release.
“One type of therapy restrains the unaffected, or ‘good,’ arm to strengthen the affected arm and help the brain learn new pathways. This study shows that there are both positive and negative effects of this type of treatment.”
Small number, big cost
Data released last week by the U.S. Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality confirm what those in the health-care industry already know: A small percentage of patients is responsible for the vast majority of medical costs.
The federal agency found 10 percent of U.S. residents accounted for nearly two-thirds of all health costs in 2008.
Among those high-cost patients, nearly 60 percent were women, according to a news release. More than 40 percent were 65 or older.
The vast majority of the patients with the highest costs (80 percent) were white, according to the agency. The smallest segment of the population represented in the high-cost group was Asian.
Cheryl Powell can be reached at 330-996-3902 or chpowell@thebeaconjournal.com. Follow Powell on Twitter at twitter.com/abjcherylpowell.
