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Can the New Wave of Watery Workouts Help Your Arthritis?
Last one in the water is a ... Remember this challenge from your childhood? For today's fitness-conscious adults, it has new meaning. Don't be the last person to discover the new wave of water workouts -- for strength and cardio training, flexibility, relaxation, rehabilitation, and weight management.
"We're seeing growth in both ends of the spectrum [of aquatic workouts], from high-intensity exercises like kickboxing and circuit training to mind/body workouts like ai chi, which combines tai chi and shiatsu massage," says Julie See, president of the Aquatic Exercise Association (AEA) in Nokomis, Fla. "We're working against a perception that aquatic exercise is just for old people, not the young and fit. With younger people coming into the water, we're starting to see a lot of sport-specific training and one-on-one personal training."
"If it's been a decade or more since you had a water fitness class, you'll see many changes," says Jane Katz, EdD, associate professor of health and physical education, City College of New York, and author of Aquafit: Water Workouts for Total Fitness. "Back then it would have been traditional skills of breathing, floating and swimming, which are still taught today, but with the addition of stretching and vertical exercises" done in a standing position.
Another difference, she says, is the abundance of exercise equipment. A lot of landlubber gear has made its way to the pool: handheld weights, rubber tubing, even bicycles and treadmills. Plus, the old aquatic stand-bys like fins and kickboards are no longer "one-size-fits all." They're engineered in a host of styles to suit specific applications.
Who Can Benefit From Water Exercise?
Water exercise can benefit virtually everyone, says Katz. A former Olympian, she teaches fitness and swimming to New York City firefighters and police officers and also has a special fondness for a class for women in their 60s, 70s, and 80s. Athletes use water to rehabilitate after injury or to cross-train. People with arthritis or other disabilities that can’t perform land exercise use water to improve fitness and range of motion and to relieve pain and stiffness.
Age and physical condition aren't issues in the water. Kids love to play in water without realizing it's good for them. Seniors who rely on a walker or wheelchair on land can stand in water with the help of flotation belts and water's buoyancy. Water exercises provide less stress on the bodies of pregnant women.
Also not at issue is the ability to swim: Most water workouts consist of exercise done in a vertical position (with the bonus of keeping your hair dry).
Water's buoyancy accommodates both the fit and unfit. Water cushions stiff and painful joints or fragile bones that might be injured by the impact of land exercises. When immersed to the waist, your body bears just 50% of its weight; immersed to the chest, it's 25%-35%; and to the neck, 10%. In addition, says See, the lower gravity promotes the return of blood to the heart from the extremities.
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ORENCIA® (abatacept) Important Safety Information
Indication and Usage
ORENCIA® (abatacept) is a prescription medicine that reduces signs and symptoms in adults with moderate to severe rheumatoid arthritis (RA), including those who have not been helped enough by other medicines for RA. ORENCIA may prevent further damage to your bones and joints and may help your ability to perform daily activities.
Important Safety Information About ORENCIA® (abatacept)
Before you receive treatment with ORENCIA, a lyophilized powder for intravenous infusion, you should tell your doctor about all your medical conditions, including if you:
- have any kind of infection even if it is small (such as an open cut or sore) or an infection that is in your whole body (such as the flu).
- have an infection that will not go away or a history of infections that keep coming back.
- have had tuberculosis (TB), a positive skin test for TB, or if you recently have been in close contact with someone who has had TB. If you get any of the symptoms of TB (a dry cough that doesn’t go away, weight loss, fever, night sweats), call your doctor right away. Before you start ORENCIA, your doctor may examine you for TB or perform a skin test.
- have or have had viral hepatitis. Before you use ORENCIA, your doctor may examine you for hepatitis.
- have a history of chronic obstructive pulmonary (lung) disease (COPD).
- are scheduled to have surgery.
- are allergic to any of the following ingredients in ORENCIA: abatacept, maltose, monobasic sodium phosphate, or sodium chloride for administration.
- recently received a vaccination or are scheduled for any vaccination.
- have diabetes and use a blood glucose monitor to check your sugar levels. The infusion of ORENCIA contains maltose, a sugar that can give falsely high blood glucose readings with some monitors on the day you receive your infusion. Your doctor may tell you to use a different way to monitor your blood sugar levels.
- are pregnant, planning to become pregnant, or are thinking about becoming pregnant. It is not known if ORENCIA can harm your unborn baby.
- are breast-feeding. You will need to decide to either breast-feed or receive treatment with ORENCIA, but not both.
- take any other kinds of medicine, including prescription and nonprescription medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements.
- are taking other biologic medicines to treat RA such as: Enbrel® (etanercept), Humira® (adalimumab), Remicade® (infliximab), Kineret® (anakinra) or Rituxan® (rituximab). You may have a higher chance of getting a serious infection if you take ORENCIA with other biologic medicines.
Possible Side Effects of ORENCIA® (abatacept)
ORENCIA can cause serious side effects including:
- Serious infections. Patients receiving ORENCIA have a higher chance of getting infections including pneumonia, and other infections caused by viruses, bacteria, or fungi. Call your doctor immediately if you feel sick or get any of the following signs of infection: fever, feel very tired, cough, feel flu-like, or warm, red or painful skin.
- Allergic reactions. Allergic reactions can happen on the day of treatment or the day after receiving ORENCIA. Tell your doctor or get emergency medical help right away if you have hives, swollen face, eyelids, lips, tongue, throat, or trouble breathing.
- Cancer (malignancies). Certain kinds of cancer have been reported in patients receiving ORENCIA. It is not known if ORENCIA increases your chance of getting certain kinds of cancer.
- Vaccinations. You should not receive ORENCIA with certain types of vaccines. ORENCIA may cause some vaccinations to be less effective.
- Respiratory problems in patients with COPD. You may get certain respiratory problems more often if you receive ORENCIA and have COPD, including: worsened COPD, pneumonia, cough, or trouble breathing.
The more common side effects with ORENCIA are headache, upper respiratory tract infection, sore throat, and nausea.
Please read the Patient Information in the Full Prescribing Information below.
ORENCIA is a registered trademark of Bristol-Myers Squibb Company.
All other trademarks are property of their respective companies.
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