Collaborative Vs. Competitive: The perfect Mix

We are all both Collaborative and Competitive persons according to situations and periods of life.
But there are individuals that can not survive with this mix.
You would die in few days if you are a fireman and you are not 100% collaborative.
You would day in few days if you are the boxe world champion and you are not 100% competitive.
But for most of us the extreme possibilities are not the best approach to survive and to have an happy and fullfilled life.
We are social living being so it is natural to develope and mantain a good social network (both online and in the real world).

Foto from Maurizio Goetz Facebook Page

And it is normal somebody will commit to excellence trying to do the best (this means also better that others).
So what I suggest is to know yourself and balance your Collaboration and Competitive souls in order to obtain your Perfect Mix.
I am a father of a child of 9 and it is difficult to explain my point of view.
Modern western culture is unbalanced toward competitivity. Collaboration is too ofter underestimated or considered weakness.
I try to be a good model for him and probably this is the only way to be a father.

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English Guidelines for Autism (NICE)

Last month the National (England) Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence (NICE) published guidelines on autism.
Two more sets are expected in 2012 (autism in adults) and 2013 (management of autism) .

These guidelines focus on improving recognition, referral and diagnosis of children and young people with autism.

We can download a brief or a full report.

New evidences seems to link low-birthweight and autism.

The study appears online in the November issue of Pediatrics.

Low-birthweight babies are five times more likely to develop autism than normal-weight babies. 862 premature, low-birthweight infants have been followed until they were 21 years old.
Their birthweights ranged from 500 grams (1.1 pound) to 2,000 grams (4.4 pounds).
Five percent of the children in the study developed autism, compared with 1 percent of those in the general population.

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No time to waste against Alzheimer

There is no time to waste according to the Alzheimer's Foundation of America (AFA) to fight AD.
So "NO TIME TO WASTE is the title of a specific, hard-hitting report full og recommendations on both care and cure to tackle Alzheimer's disease.


The report urges swift implementation of a national strategy plan on this growing public health crisis that threatens an increasing number of American families.

We needed a "bold but practical" approach and calls for formulating solutions within—as well as outside of—current government programs to ultimately "defeat" Alzheimer's disease.
Alzheimer's disease, which results in loss of memory and other intellectual functions, currently affects more than 5.1 million Americans and is the sixth leading cause of death.

With advanced age the greatest risk factor for the disease, the incidence doubles every five years after age 65.

The Alzheimer's Foundation of America, based in New York, is a national nonprofit organization that unites more than 1,600 member organizations nationwide with the goal of providing optimal care and services to individuals confronting dementia, and to their caregivers and families.Tweet

World Osteoporosis Day - Italy

World Osteoporosis Day is observed annually on 20 October, and launches a year-long campaign dedicated to raising global awareness of the prevention, diagnosis and treatment of osteoporosis and metabolic bone disease

Italy is one of the 90 countries where activities and events are organized to rise awareness among people at risk. Many major hospitals and university medical dept. open their ambulatories for free or reduced-price consultations, tests and other forms of medical advice.

For example we can list: Ospedale Molinette di Torino

Risk factors for bone fractures linked to osteoporosis include:

• Early or surgical menopouse



• Low density bone pick due to anorexia in young age



• Cigarette smoke



• Use of Cortison drugs for at least 6 months

It is true that women are more exposed to risks of bone fractures but it is also true that severe osteoporosis is observed in men as well.

Eating well, ensuring sufficient vitamin D and staying physically active are two essential components of a healthy lifestyle. These are also the pillars of osteoporosis prevention at all stages of life

A new report issued by the International Osteoporosis Foundation (IOF) for World Osteoporosis Day puts the spotlight on the severe impact of spinal fractures and calls on health professionals to recognize the signs of these fractures in their patients.

Vit D Fact Sheet

Calcium Fact Sheet

Ages For Diagnosis And Treatment Of ADHD In Children Expanded By AAP

Updated guidelines from the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) offer new information on diagnosing and treating Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) in younger children and in adolescents.

Since now HCPs could diagnose the problem only when children reached 6 years.
Now they can start at 4 up and treat young patients up to 18 years (former limit was 12).

The new guidelines describe the special considerations involved in diagnosing and treating preschool children and adolescents. They also include interventions to help children with hyperactive/impulsive behaviors that do not meet the full diagnostic criteria for ADHD.

I am not a psichiatrist nor a pedagogist.
I am worried that such an early diagnose could prompt treatments without a full evaluation of psycological and behaioural alternatives, although new guideline recommend in preschool children (ages 4 and 5) with ADHD, behavioral interventions (such as group or individual parent training in behavior management techniques) before starting drugs.

Behind every behavioural disorder It may be present complex problems and most probably the pharmaceutical solution is not enough olistic.

The promonters of such change state that "Treating children at a young age is important, because when we can identify them earlier and provide appropriate treatment, we can increase their chances of succeeding in school,"

ADHD is the most common neurobehavioral disorder in children, occurring in about 8 percent of children and youth.

Reference: Clinical Practice Guidelines for the Diagnosis, Evaluation and Treatment of Children and Adolescents with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder - Pediatrics

Resoulces: Book ADHD: What Every Parent Needs to Know."
Parent information will also be available here Healthychildren.org website Tweet

Calcium in pregnancy may halve the risk of pre-eclampsia

We all know that Calcium is not only important to prevent osteoporosis.
Most doctors recommend calcium during pregnancy to protect against birth complications and loss of bone density caused by the developing babies.

A new research about the importance of calcium during pregnancy is now published
in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews.
Researchers gathered data from 21 randomized controlled trials involving 17,000 pregnant women. The studies compared whether taking supplements was any better than a placebo or no treatment at all in having a healthy pregnancy and delivery.

It seems that calcium supplements did not lower the risk of preterm birth or low birth weight but they can help prevent pre-eclampsia, (increased blood pressure) in pregnant women.
The study showed that the frequency of pre-eclampsia in women that used Ca supplements was about -50%.

Stocking up on calcium when young is essential for building strong bones. A diet which has sufficient calcium, vitamin D and phosphorus is important, as are genetic factors and exercise. The recommended calcium intake varies depending on where one is in one's life cycle.
An average recommended daily intake of 800mg is stipulated in the European nutrition-labelling directive.
However certain groups of the population have higher requirements up to 1200 - 1500mg (young people aged 11-24, pregnant and lactating women, postmenopausal women who are not having hormone replacement therapy).

Calcium content of some food 300 mg Ca are found in:
25-30 g hard cheese (emmental, parmiggiano, cheddar, etc)
50 g soft cheese (camembert, brie, etc)
200 g skimmed milk or yoghurt
150 g almonds nuts, dried figs
200 g dried beans
500 g green vegetables (cabbage, leeks, spinach, broccoli), wholemeal bread
0.7 l of certain calcium-rich mineral waters (check with the label)

Estrogens and Obesity: Lack of will or hormonal disbalance?

We can not consider obesity as a "drugs deficiency", only "lack of will" or a simple behavioural disorder.
Neurophysiological signals are strongly influencing our current wheight.
Estrogens, for example, play an important role in regulating our food intake and satiety.

Before menopause, women are protected from obesity and associated disorders by estrogens, and the sudden fall in estrogens blood level around age 52 is often associated to wheight gain.

In the hypothalamus there are two estrogen receptors, estrogen receptor alpha (ERα) and estrogen receptor beta (ERβ). Activation of ERα by estrogens reduces food intake and increases body weight.
This new research published in the current number of "Cell Metabolism" focus on estrogens activity on two different cell populations' receptors in the hypothalamus. This activity can cause wheight gain and eventually promote obesity.

Rerearchers focused their work on neurons in the hypothalamus of brain that carry an estrogen receptor alpha – a molecule that takes estrogen signals into the neurons. The hypothalamus links the nervous system to the endocrine system to regulate multiple physiological processes, including those controlling body weight.
Don't forget that estrogen receptors have been found in many peripheral tissues including adipose tissue. Their biological activity has not been completely explained.

Here you can read more on "estrogen receptors and obesity" and about the "Metabolic impact of sex horones in Obesity"

I am sure that this kind of research will help us to better undestand complexity
linked to obesity and chronic diseases and to find remedies for epidemic of obesity that is speading form the rich to the developing countries.