ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Tuesday, February 25, 1997 TAG: 9702250049
SECTION: EXTRA PAGE: 1 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: SANDRA BROWN KELLY
Television commercials tout products for women with bladder problems as though they only happen to older women. That's not true.
Inability to hold urine, necessitating frequent bathroom trips and possible embarrassment because of a sneeze, can happen to any age female. The problem is with pelvic muscles that help control the sphincter muscles at the spout of the bladder.
In the book, "Total Health for Women," the sphincter is likened to a faucet. If it's closed, the bladder is shut. If the muscle doesn't close all the way because muscles around it are stretched, then the bladder can leak.
Women who have gone through childbirth know all about this because they are encouraged to do special exercises afterward to strengthen the sphincter.
The authors of "Total Health for Women" point out that physicians who specialize in women's incontinence problems believe treatment or therapy can cure up to 80 percent of the problems.
The exercises routinely given after child birth, Kegel exercises, are one of the treatments. Others include diet, (avoid tomato-based foods, spicy foods, chocolate, citrus fruits and artificial sweeteners) and behavior changes. (For example: Don't urinate in the shower because it's not only untidy, but every time you hear running water, you'll want to go. It's great to drink six to nine cups of water a day, but don't stretch the bladder by drinking too much at once.)
Smoking also should be avoided. A study of 606 women at Virginia Commonwealth University's Medical College of Virginia found that smokers were more than twice as likely to suffer stress incontinence than nonsmokers. Nicotine irritates the bladder.
However, if you do nothing else than the Kegel exercises, you might get help for incontinence.
Kegels, named for physician Arnold Kegel, can be done anywhere. They also have a bonus effect beyond helping bladder control. Kegels, the tightening of the vagina and rectal muscles, if done during sex enhance the experience for both partners.
To do a Kegel: First, determine if you're contracting the right muscles. You do this by contracting and relaxing muscles while you're urinating, thereby stopping and starting the urine stream. Don't do the exercises this way regularly, however.
While sitting at your desk or standing at the sink peeling potatoes, squeeze your internal pelvic muscle and hold for a slow count of three; then release. Another version of Kegel, from the book, "savoring the day," goes this way: Contract the pubic muscles quickly 10 times, three to five times a day. Or, inhale deeply while contracting your stomach and pubic muscles and hold your breath for about 10 seconds; then release.
The authors of "savoring the day" also recommend Kegels for men, suggesting men contract the muscles of the scrotum and rectum simultaneously.
For further information on incontinence, contact Help for Incontinent People at 800-252-3337 between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. on weekdays.
High school wrestling
School wrestling season is almost over, but it's still worth noting that some young competitors are putting themselves at risk with the way they maintain their weight. And some of the tactics used by wrestlers also are used by other young sports participants or people who want quick weight changes.
Rapid weight reduction, called "weight cutting," has been recognized as a problem among young wrestlers since the American College of Sports Medicine called for a stop to it in 1976. It's still a routine practice, claims the sports medicine group, and it's one that needs to be stopped even if it requires enacting rules that limit weight loss.
In a paper published last June, the group said evidence indicates that 20 percent of the high school and college wrestlers achieve rapid weight loss of an average 4.5 pounds per week. Even in off-season, male high school wrestlers have 8 percent to 11 percent body fat while their peers average 15 percent. During wrestling season, the body fat for competitors goes as low as 3 percent and averages 6 percent to 7 percent, the report said.
It also points out that one-third of the young wrestlers have admitted using weight cutting more than 10 times in a season.
So what's wrong with rapid weight loss? For one thing, some of the ways it's achieved - sweating and laxatives - cause the loss of electrolytes, which can damage the body's ability to function properly. For example, too little potassium can lead to heart palpitations or arrhythmias.
This is what the ACSM, which is headquartered in Indianapolis, would like to see happen:
Educate coaches and wrestlers on the adverse consequences of prolonged fasting and dehydration.
Discourage use of rubber suits, steam rooms, hot boxes, saunas, laxatives and diuretics for "making weight."
Adopt legislation that requires weigh-ins immediately prior to competition.
Assess body composition of each wrestler prior to the season and require that males 16 and younger with body fat below 7 percent or those over 16 with body fat below 5 percent get medical clearance before they are allowed to compete. Female wrestlers would need a minimal body fat of 12 percent to 14 percent.
LENGTH: Medium: 98 linesby CNB