Every year, roughly 66 percent of all sports related brain trauma injuries occur in young people ages 5 to 18.  Of that number, nearly 85 require in-patient care.  These types of injuries are usually defined as internal organ injuries, or concussions.

Among other sports, bicycling and basketball account for the largest number of injuries that require an individual to go to the emergency room.  Last year approximately 604,000 visited the emergency room due to basketball injuries, and nearly 525,000 had to go for bicycling related accidents.

However the number of individuals suffering from brain injuries was far higher for those involved in horseback riding accidents at nearly 12%.

Many brain related injuries are considered only “mild”, even a mild brain injury can change a persons ability to function in work and at school.

Sports are important in the development of an individual, but you must be aware of the risks involved.  It is extremely important that an individual participating in such activities always protect their head whether it be from colliding with other people, getting bumped, or being hit by balls.

The PTSD treatment facility reports that the Department of Veterans Affairs has in fact violated the rights of those vertans who are returning by denying or delaying their efforts to seek combat related treatment for disabilities.  Many of these veterans suffer from post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

An attorney with the Disability Rights Advocates in Berkeley says that this is more than a lawsuit, it’s a call to action.  A complete overhaul needs to be done on our broken system.

The lawsuit names not individual plaintiffs because the veterans’ fear their will be retribution by the VA.    The focus of the suit is on the VA’s mishandling of PTSD disability claims.  Attorneys estimate that the suit could possibly include between 350,000 and 850,000 veterans.

A recent report released by the Pentagon shows that close to 50% of some branches of the military returning back from Iraq are experiencing some type of psychological trauma as a result from the war.  These percentages equal huge numbers of soldiers who have served in the wars.  Between 2002 and 2006 nearly 100,000 veterans were diagnosed with a psychological disorder which can include depression, PTSD or even drug abuse.

Given what occurred after the Vietnam war, it is extremely important that the government pays close attention to the issues of post traumatic stress disorder.  Many times the disorder can result in suicide if the individual does not the help they deserve.

Lohan was recently released from a drug rehab facility only two weeks prior to this mornings arrest, when Lindsay’s assistant’s mother reported being chased by Lindsay Lohan. When police arrived on the scene Lohan refused to give a sobriety test but was then later tested at the station. The results showed her blood alcohol level to be between .12 and .13 which is well over the California legal limit.

The star of Mean Girls was booked on two misdemeanor charges of driving on a suspended license and driving under the influence of alcohol.  She was also booked on two felony charges of possession of cocaine and transportation of a narcotic. While in jail, authorities found cocaine in Lohan’s pocket.

After posting $25,000 bond Lohan was released at 6:20 am.  She is scheduled to ppaer in court on August 24th.

Just last week Lohan turned herself in to Beverly Hills police for driving under the influence back on Memorial Day weekend in which Lindsay was involved in a hit and run crash.

Rumors are now circulating that Lohan will be checking into Betty Ford treatment center.

Research shows that more women are now seeking help for several reasons which include pressure from our society to be thin, an increasing public awareness, and baby boomers coming to age.

Health experts say that many of the women who are in this age group have had the problem for years.  It is known that bulimia and anorexia peak as a young adult, but many of the individuals continue experiencing symptoms all the way through to the middle of their life.

Many women in the age group are also experiencing many other problems that women in their teens don’t, such as debt, divorce, work, etc… Many women wake up one day and step in front of a mirror only to think that their body is not what it once used to be.  This causes them to go on a diet.

An eating disorder residential center can help solve the problems and individuals might be having.

Lohan, who turned 21 on July 2nd, left the treatment facility on Friday according to People magazine.   The ankle bracelet will be part of a thorough outpatient program that can detect levels of ethanol which the body will give off when drinking alcohol.  The bracelet then automatically sends the information to a computer that collects the data.

Lohan had checked herself into the treatment center this past memorial day weekend after crashed her Mercedes Benz.  She was then charged with a DUI and officers found cocaine in her car.

Lindsay now must go to Alcoholics Anonymous meetings, and receive therapy as part of her outpatient program.  This is the second time Lohan has been in rehab this year for substance abuse.

The explosion of online networking has created many positive opportunities, but it has also exposed many individuals to significant risk.  More adolescents are online that ever before using services such as MySpace and Facebook.  It is estimated that nearly 55% of all teens are members of some type of social networking site.  Approximately 44% of those teens said they have been approached by strangers online.  Of that number, about 22% say they have actually followed up and replied to the stranger.

Even more alarming statistics show that nearly 15% of all teenage girls on the internet have at one point arranged face-to-face encounters with strangers on the internet.  Experts believe this number to actually be much higher, because most teenagers will not admit to doing so because they don’t want to get in trouble.  For the most part they know what they are doing is wrong, but they don’t always see how dangerous it can be.

Due to the incredibly large amount of trafficking in child pornography, many temptations are created on the internet that wouldn’t be there normally.  It’s also much more difficult to fight the problem than in off the internet situations because authorities don’t have profiles of the deviants so there is much left unknown.

The problem also extends much further than just arranging real life meetings.  Many teenagers are being exploited through sexual chat and online pornography.  This can involve the child setting up webcams or sending photographs of themselves.  Just because it doesn’t result in the child meeting anyone face to face it can still cause severe trauma.

Many of the offenders do not even view what they are doing as sexual abuse because there is no face to face aspect of it.  Many of them think that it isn’t even wrong.  They believe that the internet turns into this type of fantasy world where they don’t have to live up to their responsibilities as they would in real life.

It is important to talk to you child and find out what they are doing online.  Try to limit their use of MySpace and if you can find out who they are friends with.  Until there is a way to solve the problem completely it is extremely important to communicate with your child and educate them.

Researchers revealed that individuals who took part in exercise programs that were designed to make you feel better about yourself instead of weight loss, tended to have a healthier approach towards eating and life.  Depending on what exercises the individual does, weight can even be gained back in the form of muscle.

During exercise, health officials suggest the need to emphasize that fitness can be used to make the body feel rejuvenated rather than just burn calories.   The study showed that individuals who took part in healthy exercise with anorexia gained more than one-third more weight than those who didn’t have anorexia.

Exercising also plays a very valuable mental role in that it can alleviate an individual’s anxieties about eating.  Individuals may also learn the importance of how exercising can increase your self esteem, and improve your quality of life.

Many prostitutes admit that they were turned to prostitution specifically because of drug abuse and addiction.  A successful rehab facility  could give them hope, and ultimately their lives back.

It’s not uncommon for prostitutes to sell their body in order to support their growing habit for drugs.  Unfortunately in the process they are also putting themselves at risk for disease, jail, and even death.

Being able to cure both the physical and mental components of drug addiction is where the difficulty lies.  A good drug treatment center will be able to help both mentally and physically. This can hopefully lead to the prostitutes giving up drugs, increasing their health, and living a better life.

If you have developed an eating disorder such as anorexia, you will continue struggling to be happy with your body and the way you look. Although the disease will affect you physically, it is actually caused by  psychological problems in your head.  Even if you do go through therapy and receive treatment there is still a change that you can relapse.  Just stopping the physical behaviors will not be enough to get rid of the disease.

Here are some things that you can do to decrease your chance of having a relapse.

Try to start out by thinking about why you became anorexic in the first place.  What were you trying to accomplish and why did you not feel good about yourself?  Try to compare this with the positive things you have in your life.  You will most likely see that risking your health over a matter of a few pounds is insignificant.  You need to understand that just because you lose more weight it doesn’t mean that all of your problems will be fixed.

Plan a diet that is healthy.  The most important thing you need to make sure of is that you are getting the proper amount of nutrients.  Do not limit that mount of food that you eat because then you will not receive the vitamins and minerals you need to stay healthy.  Try to eat foods that are better for you.

Incorporation a healthy amount of exercise into your daily life.  Be careful not overdo it, but taking part in a small workout once a day can keep you in great shape.

Anorexia can be deadly, so if you find yourself relapsing please see a doctor immediately.

Halliwell looked extremely tired and bloated recently as she was spotted leaving a treatment center in London.  She was also reportedly attending an Over Eaters Anonymous group nearby.

Bulimia involves a period of intense over eating know as binging, followed by excessive purging where the individual forces themselves to lose the food by either taking laxatives or throwing up.

As the cultivation of poppy booms, so does the use of and addiction to heroin.  The Afghanistan Ministry of Counter Narcotics says that there are only 36 rehabilitation and treatment centers for drug addicts in the entire country.  This is mostly because the funding comes from non-governmental private parties.

In Kandahar, the local treatment center has a list of over 600 people waiting to get in one of the 10 residential spaces to receive help for their opiate addiction.

The United Nations office on Drugs estimates that over one million people are addicted to some kind of drug, and that their are over 5,000 addicted to heroin in Kandahar city alone.   Within Kandahar it is estimated that over 30,000 heroin packets are sold each day.  Many believe that the rise in heroin addicts is increasing do to the current government.  Studies show that during Taliban rule the amount of heroin addicts was down significantly.

During the Taliban’s rule over the country the cultivation of poppy was almost completely gone.  However, after 9/11 and the collapse of the Taliban, thousands of farmers have returned to growing poppies in order to generate a steady income.  It is estimated that more than $3 billion is made each year from the sale of opium by Afghan farmers.

Many experts believe that treatment alone is not going to solve the addiction problems that the country is facing.  There is almost zero prevention, and until there is some prevention opiate addiction will run rampant.

Research shows that if a family member has had anorexia, that the individual is almost 12 times more likely to develop the disease.   Just because it is your genetics however, your environment also plays a big role, says top eating disorder specialists.  Anorexia nervosa can occur when a certain number of factors are set in place.  These factors include your genetics, and the type of culture that you live in.

Most individuals who have anorexia nervosa develop a  strong disliking towards food which then leads to a very distorted body image.  Research shows that females between the ages of 11 - 15 are most likely to develop the the illness.  Scientists believe this to be the case because this is the period in their life when they gain a majority of their adult weight, nearly 40 pounds.

Many young women tend to be provoked into episodes of excessive exercise and dieting just by someone they know making a comment about ther weight gain.  This is why it’s such a critical time in their life to be happy with who they are.

Another alarming statistic showed that girls between the ages of 14 and 24 have doubled the amount of cocaine they have been using.  Many believe that the increase in cocaine usage is due to the prices decreasing all over the country.  Experts say that the prices have been dropping for some time now.

Many Italians do not consider many of the softer drugs to be dangerous anymore, such as marijuana.  While the prices of the drugs fall, the prices of the treatment centers rise.  The report says that treatment centers for such drugs as cocaine take up 10.5 billion euros out of the health care system’s and welfare budget.

For more information please visit the history of cocaine.

Medical experts say that her battle with anorexia mixed with alcohol and cocaine abuse are probably putting her baby’s life in danger.  If Nicole was to enter an anorexia treatment center she would probably get the help she needed and her pregnancy would not be as at risk.

The 12 weeks pregnant Nicole still struggles to stay sober everyday.  Experts also believe that she still has a long way to go to become completely sober.  Doctors says that if Nicole had drugs in her system when she got pregnant or shortly there after, she has a greater risk of birth defects, or even a miscarriage.

Nicole’s anorexia also presents her pregnancy with another huge risk.  Many are surprised that she was even able to get pregnant at all.  During the course of her pregnancy she will need to gain 40 pounds or more just to be able to feed and nourish the baby properly.

Many anorexia rumors were flying around during her time on the show.  Calista played a ditzy lawyer and her incredibly thin figure was the root of much gossip.  She always insisted however that she never had an eating disorder and actually had never even dieted.

“I have honestly never dieted in my life.  my parents and friends tell me that I have always looked the same since high school.  But during Ally Mcbeal, when we were filming and working so hard, I became stressed and did not eat as much as I should.” said Calista.

She also says that she hated all of the negative attention that was put on her body.  She really is puzzled to this day as to what actually happened to her body during that period of her life and why she got so thin.

Calista wasn’t the only one who became rail thin on the show.  Other co-stars such as Portia De Rossi and Courtney Thorne-Smith also seemed to be losing weight at a tremendous rate during their time on Ally McBeal.