Health matters

Fitness lessons encourage healthy living for those with Down syndrome

Hosea Sanders, ABC7 Eyewitness News, 31st May 2015

... Becky Kubica, 26, went from powerless to power lifting. She can dead lift her body weight - 135 pounds. That's 50 pounds less than it was a year and a half ago. She says her secret is diet and exercise."Eat good food and I love Zumba so much!" Kubica said. Kubica recently suffered a life-threatening illness. For more than eight months, she was inactive and taking medicines that promoted weight gain. It's been a tough road back ...

Uncle uses 3D printer to create prosthetic hand for Pekin niece
Phil Luciano, Journal Star, 30th May 2015

After a lifetime of challenges, Kaelie Morgan needed a hand — so her uncle made her one.The 26-year-old has several congenital problems, including Down Syndrome. She has handled each well, except one: She was born with only a thumb on her right hand. That meant a struggle with certain functions, especially two favorite pastimes: riding a bike and playing basketball.Recently, her uncle Philip Hopping got creative at work with a new piece of equipment. Excel Foundry and Machine, a high-tech manufacturer of mining components, got a 3D printer, which makes models and objects out of plastic...

Comment on study of medications used to treat gastroesophageal reflux
Adult Down Syndrome Clinic, 27th May 2015

Gastroesophageal reflux (GERD/heartburn) is more common in people with Down syndrome. There are many non-medicinal ways to reduce, prevent, or eliminate GERD including: reaching and maintaining ideal body weight, not overeating, not eating in the hour or so before bed or before lying down, limiting spicy foods, limiting caffeine, limiting carbonated beverages, elevating the head of the bed with lifts under the front legs of the bed, treating sleep apnea, and medication.  

While the non-medicinal treatment is preferable, some people do require ongoing medication. The study (linked below) describes findings that indicate chronic use of proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as omeprazole, pantoprazole, and others poses no major safety concerns.

• Long-Term Safety of PPIs, New England Journal of Medicine, Journal Watch, 30th April 2015