ity," Immunology & Cell Biology 75, no. 5: 536–44 Greg Wells P

NEW YORK -- A flock of newcomers quickly swoops into Yankee Stadium and suddenly a team that wobbled all season turns into a playoff contender.So exactly whos gotten the New York Yankees flying so high? A rookie slugger, a fresh set of pitchers?Sure, theyve helped. But maybe its something more.Pigeon power , outfielder Aaron Judge said. Theyre fueling us.OK, go ahead and laugh. Then look at the Yankees record lately -- against the Blue Jays and Orioles, no less -- ever since dozens and dozens of pigeons began descending for picnics at the park.Besides, if the Royals can have a Rally Mantis, the Angels a Rally Monkey and the Cardinals a Rally Squirrel, why not a good-luck pack of pigeons?Sometimes, these birds arrive early, searching for new seeds that keep the grass so green and fresh. More than 85 of them recently roamed the yard before batting practice.Often, they stick around for the game, hardly ruffled by the balls that go whizzing past them.In the sixth inning last weekend against Tampa Bay, six gray pigeons lounged in medium left-center field, a half-dozen hung out in shallow center and seven others strolled in right-center. No surprise, moments later the Yankees hit back-to-back home runs to break open a scoreless game.Theyre fearless, longtime head groundskeeper Dan Cunningham said.Speedy, too.I dont worry about them too much because theyre pretty fast, star center fielder Jacoby Ellsbury said. They can take care of themselves.No birds have been hit yet. Certainly nothing like that spring training episode many years ago when a fastball by Randy Johnson struck a dove in mid-flight. And they arent pesky, like the seagulls that hover around AT&T Park late during San Francisco Giants games.Scorned and shooed away all around town, these pigeons relax at The House That Ruth Built. Oh, and they seem to prefer day games.When line drives get too close, they simply flap away and settle somewhere else, perhaps on the warning track in deep center or near the foul lines. Or they take off toward the scoreboard and stay there for a while, with a birds-eye view.Weve been watching them fly overhead, more and more of them, reliever Tommy Layne said. You just hope they dont unload on you.Cunningham said the birds come for the seeds that maintain the combination blue and rye grass. The stadium hosts the Yankees and the New York City FC team in Major League Soccer, making for a lot of reseeding late this summer.Plus, players who spit sunflower seeds provide tasty snacks.Overall, thats brought more and more feathered fans in the last month. Not that Cunningham minds.Im not a pigeon hater, he said. Its New York, theyre part of the scene here.A month ago, Judge homered in his first major league at-bat. He fits into the Yankees wave of the future, along with Gary Sanchez, Tyler Austin and the fittingly named Greg Bird.Judge has grown accustomed to sharing his surroundings with the other birds in right field.Actually started noticing them maybe about a week ago. Kind of started showing up in little bunches, he said. Started out with five or 10, now its 20, 30, 40. Just a big bunch of them out there now.I go for a ball in the gap, they start flying everywhere. Could cause a little bit of havoc, he said.Then again, pigeons have always had a place in this city.I dont mind them, Judge said. A little company in the outfield. Matt Holliday Jersey . James, who turned 29 on Monday, injured his groin Friday during the Heats overtime loss at Sacramento. He sat out the following game, a 108-107 win Saturday in Portland, before coming back to help send the Nuggets to their seventh consecutive loss. Yogi Berra Jersey . - Levi Browns tenure at left tackle for the Pittsburgh Steelers is over before it even began. http://www.authenticbaseshopyankees.com/authentic-paul-o-neill-yankees-jersey/ . Now, correct me if Im wrong but I saw one official distinctly pointing at the net indicating a good goal but after an inconclusive review they overturned the goal. Shouldnt the ruling on the ice (good goal) stand after an inconclusive review? Why was this overturned? James Veaudry Pembroke, ON -- Hey Kerry, Youll get a lot of these, but why was the Montreal goal against Nashville Saturday night overturned? Eller puts the puck on net and the on ice ruling from the ref behind the net is a Montreal goal. Jon Niese Jersey . Cuban testified Thursday that he was upset when the companys CEO told him news that would reduce the value of his shares, for which hed paid $7.5 million. But he said he did nothing improper when he sold those shares over the next two days. Brett Gardner Jersey . In the lead up - which seemed to begin the moment Mike Geiger blew the whistle in Houston last Thursday night - the Impact rumour mill went into overdrive. The speculation went into meltdown mode, of the golden nugget variety.You may have noticed that as a runner, you take fewer sick days than your co-workers. You might also be the only one of your group of friends who doesnt catch the cold that is going around. This isnt just your imagination. Numerous studies have demonstrated that regular exercise improves how well your immune system works. By understanding and applying the science of the immune system, and the role that exercise plays in keeping you healthy, you can optimize your health for years to come. What the Research Tells Us The primary research finding that runners need to understand has to do with what is called the "J-shaped hypothesis." In studies that compare the incidence of upper respiratory tract infections (UTRI) to the intensity of training, athletes who engage in a moderate level of exercise are found to be less likely to develop a runny nose or scratchy throat associated with a URTI than their sedentary counterparts. In terms of moderate exercise, a recent study followed a group of physically active adults over the fall and winter months. The researchers found those adults who exercised more than five days a week at a low to moderate intensity experienced cold symptoms for half the number of days than their less active counterparts. Furthermore, the severity of symptoms was lower in the people who were the fittest. This research provides yet another example of the benefits of exercise for the general population. Increase your activity levels to a moderate amount, about five or six hours each week, and you can expect to experience fewer illnesses over the course of the year. This is partly due to the fact that exercise improves the flow of fluids in your lymphatic system, which means that viruses, bacteria and toxins are filtered from your blood and lymph more effectively. The research also indicates that as the intensity of an athletes training increases, the risk that an athlete will contract an illness also rises. So training camps and stressful races can compromise your immune system for a short period of time. By looking at the stresses of high-intensity training, which causes an extended period of high stress for the body, researchers have been able to determine that it suppresses some of the critical components of the immune system. For example, it appears that intense exercise decreases the production of natural killer cell activity (an immune system cell that defends the body against invaders) which exposes us to great risk of infection. Research has also discovered that intense physical exertion may decrease the bodys production of immunoglobulin, also known as antibodies, in our digestive and respiratory tracts. Antibodies are proteins produced by our white blood cells that identify specific pathogens that enter the body. If their production is depleted, our susceptibility to illness increases. The findings indicate that the paradox of the immune system and exercise is that exercise can actually limit your bodys ability to cope with illness in the short term. When you exercise, your body releases epinephrine and cortisol, two stress-related hormones which give your body the additional energy it needs to meet the challenges of the exertion. The difficulty is that these hormones reduce the activity of T-cells and macrophages, cells which engulf and digest bacteria and other pathogens. Research has also shown that following exercise, the level of B cell antibodies in your body, which are responsible for recognizing bacteria and viruses, drops and the reactive oxygen from neutrophils that normally kills microbial pathogens is less active.dddddddddddd This "open window" effect means that for up to a few hours following a particularly intense workout or race, you are especially susceptible to infections. Improve Your Performance To optimize the long-term benefits of exercise and reduce the short-term risk of illness: • Establish a consistent and regular habit of exercise that lasts throughout your life with an emphasis on consistency• Get adequate sleep so that your body has time to recover• When you are planning an intense workout or race, make sure you plan for appropriate rest in the following 24 hours• Pay special attention to washing your hands after your runs or training sessions. That is when youre most at risk for infection by viruses, bacteria, microbes, and other pathogens• Stay away from caffeine when youre sick – caffeine may suppress the immune system Nutrition and Psychology In terms of nutrition, there are a few specific tips that can help you boost your immune function. To help protect yourself against free radical-induced impairment of the immune system after intense exercise, I suggest you take an antioxidant supplement containing vitamin C, vitamin E and beta-carotene. Also consider increasing your general consumption of fruits and vegetables, nuts and whole grains – all of which are high in antioxidants. You also need to make sure that you consume adequate levels of the complex carbohydrates found in whole grains, brown rice and other foods that are high in fibre because white blood cells (the bodys immune system cells) use carbohydrates as fuel. You should also consider a zinc supplement because zinc may improve immune function. Remember that for supplements, more is not necessarily better. Taking zinc or any other vitamin or mineral above a certain threshold may actually be damaging. Mentally, a critical thing to consider about the relationship between exercise and illness are social connections. Research from Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh reported that people with good social bonds (close relationships with friends and family) are less susceptible than others to the common cold. If you want to avoid illness, spend more time with your friends and family. Preferably while out for a run! References Nieman, David C. (2007). "Marathon Training and Immune Function," Sports Medicine 37: 412-415. 2 Gleeson M. and D.B. Payne, (2000). "Special Feature for the Olympics: Effects of Exercise on the Immune System: Exercise Effects on Mucosal Immunity," Immunology & Cell Biology 75, no. 5: 536–44 Greg Wells Ph.D. (www.drgregwells.com, @drgregwells) is an Assistant Professor at the University of Toronto in the Faculties of Medicine and Kinesiology. He was the sport science analyst for the Olympic Broadcast Consortium during the 2010 & 2012 Games, and is the author of Superbodies: Peak Performance Secrets from the Worlds Best Athletes. Jessica Caterini is a member of the Human Physiology Research Unit in the Faculty of Kinesiology at the University of Toronto. http://www.drgregwells.comhttp://www.twi....superbodies.tv Cheap NFL Jerseys Wholesale Jerseys Wholesale NFL Jerseys Jerseys From China Wholesale NFL Jerseys Cheap NFL Jerseys Cheap Jerseys ' ' '