斯坦福大学关节炎门诊部主任詹姆斯·F·弗赖斯博士解释说：“预防关节炎需要有强健的骨头，有支撑作用的韧带以及健康的软骨，锻炼就是达到这些目的的方法。”对主动锻炼，他推荐散步、远足、游泳和骑自行车。如身体情况允许，可慢跑或打网球。但他忠告患者避免做举重、膝部深度弯曲以及像足球一类的猛烈冲撞的运动。
被动锻炼是“哄骗”肌肉的收缩拮抗系统以保持关节活动的一种方法，尽管关节炎是疼痛的。例如，你可弯腰，让手臂像钟摆一样地摇荡，使因滑囊炎(关节炎的一种)而僵硬了的肩关节被动地活动起来。
要努力做到至少每周五天，每天十五分种的适当锻炼，这会改进累及关节的血液循环和淋巴循环，减轻关节收缩，肌肉缩短，减少肌肉痉挛的次数，从而有助于恢复关节的自由活动；这也增加关节的能动性和活动范围。
肌肉静力锻炼——如拉紧、放松臀部肌肉或反复揿压双手——对关节炎患者特别有好处。这提供了一种方法，使肌肉收缩和放松而不需发炎关节的任何真正的运动。在水中锻炼(水疗法)也是可取的，因为水的浮力支撑着百分之九十的体重，给予更大的活动自由，并可减少受伤的危险。
专家提出下列建议：
1.锻炼每一发炎关节，至少每天一次，持续几分钟。
2.锻炼时要确保动作缓慢柔和，决不超过疼痛限度。
3.不要随便使用关节。要用最大的关节来完成任务——背一个肩背袋来代替手提包。重物应滑运而不宜采用扛、抬举等方法。
4.每天锻炼应与休息适当结合以减轻炎症。
Kids Need More Sleep
Now that school has started， many parents find themselves struggling to shift their kids back to a working routine. As they shave off time for TV and the Internet to make way for schoolwork， parents may want to add extra for that other big contributor① to success at school—sleep. A research on kids has connected the importance of sleep not only to cognition， but to behavior and mood as well.
Some researchers theorize that rapid eye movement and phase of sleep is when the brain produces and consolidates② neural networks for memory and cognition. It’s a kind of “formatting of the brain.” Before the age of 6， a typical child will require between 12 and 13 hours of sleep per night， at age 6， 10 to 11 hours are needed. While the amount of sleep necessary drops once kids reach adolescence， they still need at least 9 hours under ideal circumstances.
What if they come up short？ A sleep-deprived child’s reaction is often different from the low energy and sleepiness experienced by adults. Reducing the amount of hours a child sleeps manifests itself in the child becoming wired and hyperexcitable—exhibiting behavior similar to children with attention deficit disorder. Kids’ emotions may become erratic， and they may be less apt to listen or pay attention. A study of young children showed that those who slept significantly fewer hours than the recommended 10 were more hyperactive and impulsive③ than those who got plenty of shuteye and scored lower on two cognitive skills tests.
The results indicate that a modest but chronic reduction of just one hour of sleep nightly in early childhood can affect the child’s cognitive④ performance at school entry. There’s a critical period in early childhood when the lack of sleep is particularly detrimental⑤ to development， even if sleep habits improve later on.
But moving “lights out” earlier can be a big challenge. Experts offer some recommendations：
Create positive associations with going to bed. Often， parents will say to a child that you can stay up as long as you’re good or if you don’t do what I say， you’re going to bed. It’s not healthy to associate going to bed with punishment. Parents and children will begin to see bedtime as a power struggle. And， of course， both want to win.
Establish a wind-down period before bed. A routine (like reading stories) can let a child know that he’s headed toward bedtime and can help him slow down.
Construct a bedroom environment that promotes sleep. A bedroom should not be a terribly stimulating place. So move the televisions， bright lights， and toys.
When the kids sleep better， parents may notice a difference in their own quality of life， too. Parents are definitely better rested themselves—their mood is better， they feel more alert—and are able to function better at home and at work. It really sends a positive ripple⑥ through the entire family.
① contributorn. 促成因素； 贡献者；投稿人；捐赠者
② consolidatevt. 巩固，加强； 使坚固；合并，联合，统一
③ impulsiveadj. 冲动的；易冲动的；由冲动造成的； 推进的，有推动力的
④ cognitiveadj. 认知的；认识的
⑤ detrimentaladj. 有害的；不利于的 n. 有害的人(或物)
⑥ ripplen. 涟漪，细浪；波纹
孩子需要更多的睡眠
新学期开始了，很多家长正努力地把孩子拉回正轨。在让看电视和上网让位于家庭作业的同时，家长们可能还想为孩子的学习进步再添一大“砝码”——睡眠。一项有关儿童的研究发现，睡眠不仅和儿童的认知表现有重要关系，而且会影响他们的行为和情绪。
一些研究人员提出，大脑在快速动眼和睡眠期会产生并巩固形成记忆和认知的神经元。这有点像大脑的一种“格式化”。一个正常的孩子在6岁之前每天需要12至13个小时的睡眠。6岁的孩子每天需要10至11个小时的睡眠。尽管孩子到了青春期后所需的睡眠时间开始减少，但在理想状况下，他们仍需要至少9个小时的睡眠。
孩子睡眠不足会怎样呢？孩子在睡眠不足时的反应往往不同于成年人（在缺觉情况下）感到的精力不足与困乏。孩子在缺乏睡眠的情况下会变得很亢奋——他们此时的行为表现与多动症儿童类似。在睡眠不足的情况下，孩子的情绪会变得反复无常，他们往往不听话、注意力也不如平时集中。一项有关幼童的研究表明，睡眠时间严重低于专家建议的10个小时的儿童比睡眠充足的儿童更加亢奋与冲动，他们在两项认知能力测试中的得分也较低。
研究结果表明，在幼童时期，每晚的睡眠时间哪怕只减少一个小时，长时间持续这种状况都会影响孩子上学时的认知表现。幼童时期中存在一个关键阶段，在这一阶段缺乏睡眠对孩子的成长尤为不利，即使他们今后的睡眠习惯有所改善也无法补救。
但让孩子早睡觉可谓一大难题。因此专家提出了以下建议：
建立上床睡觉“积极联系”。家长常对孩子说只要你表现好，就可以晚睡会。或者是如果你不听话，就给我滚到床上去。将睡觉与惩罚联系在一起是不健康的。家长与孩子都会将上床睡觉视为一种权威的争夺。当然，双方都想赢。
建立睡前“缓冲期”。（睡前讲故事等）例行活动能让孩子意识到自己该睡觉了，可以让他安静下来。
为孩子营造一个能促进睡眠的卧室环境。卧室环境不可有强烈的刺激效果。所以，电视机、明亮的灯以及玩具等都应该移出卧室。
孩子睡得好，家长会发现自己的生活质量也有所改观。这样一来，父母们就能更好地休息了——情绪变好了，反应也更加敏捷——在家庭和工作中的表现就能更加出色了。这对于整个家庭来说的确是件好事。
