Cervical Disc; Wide World, of Sorts

Cervical Disc
New England Patriots tight end Kevin Everett suffered a life-threatening spinal-cord injury in week one of the 2007 NFL season attempting a tackle by driving his head into the runner's shoulder. That devastating injury only reinforces the need for "Heads Up — Reducing the Risk of Head and Neck Injuries in Football," a 14-minute DVD explaining how to play safely and avoid concussions, neck sprains and catastrophic injuries. The DVD — produced by the National Athletic Trainers' Association and funded by the Andrews Institute for Orthopaedics & Sports Medicine — was recently distributed free to 18,500 high schools. It emphasizes correct techniques for initiating contact with an opponent (head up, shoulders down), and addresses updated rules prohibiting spearing at the college and high school levels. The video can be viewed and downloaded for free at nata.org/consumer/headsup.htm. It also is available for purchase.
www.nata.org/consumer/headsup.htm

Wide World, of Sorts
Philip and Jackie Mills use the term "globesity" to describe the relationship between personal fitness, national health systems and global sustainability. In Fighting Globesity: A Practical Guide to Personal Health and Global Sustainability (Random House New Zealand, $24.95, softcover), the husband-and-wife team that oversees group fitness programming giant Les Mills International argues that world health is a major ecological issue. The authors provide a blueprint to achieve "fit body first, fit planet next" by encouraging readers to exercise more, eat better and become eco-friendly in all aspects of their lives. "We believe it's an important relationship," they write, "and that if you understand it, you'll be empowered to take some simple actions that will make a powerful contribution to the health of our planet."

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