Paul Pierce Move of the Day in the Playoffs

Cuties Bid 'n Buy Skates autographed by Olympian and world-class skaters like Johnny Weir, Rachael Flatt, Dorothy Hamill, Melissa Gregory, Keauna McLa

Cuties is auctioning off 2 individual Cuties embroidered figure skates from the “Ice Dreams” skating spectacular on April 1, 2010 in Bensenville, IL. The skates are autographed by Olympian and world-class skaters like Johnny Weir, Rachael Flatt, Dorothy Hamill, Melissa Gregory, Keauna McLaughlin, Rockne Brubaker, Alexe Gilles and Jordan Moeller. Click on the auction items below to see which specific skaters have signed each skate. All auction proceeds will go to ‘nPLAY. We’re auctioning each skate separately so 2 folks can treasure the sweet keepsake!

‘nPLAY is a coalition of elite athletes from eight different sports, led by Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, whose goal is to raise funds to fight children’s obesity. A government tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, ‘nPLAY’s primary focus is to financially support physical education and physical activity programs in low income areas which statistically suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

Bid 'n Buy An Autographed Cuties' Skate for 'nPLAY

Cuties is auctioning off 2 individual Cuties embroidered figure skates from the “Ice Dreams” skating spectacular on April 1, 2010 in Bensenville, IL. The skates are autographed by Olympian and world-class skaters like Johnny Weir, Rachael Flatt, Dorothy Hamill, Melissa Gregory, Keauna McLaughlin, Rockne Brubaker, Alexe Gilles and Jordan Moeller. Click on the auction items below to see which specific skaters have signed each skate. All auction proceeds will go to ‘nPLAY. We’re auctioning each skate separately so 2 folks can treasure the sweet keepsake!

‘nPLAY is a coalition of elite athletes from eight different sports, led by Boston Celtics forward Paul Pierce, whose goal is to raise funds to fight children’s obesity. A government tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, ‘nPLAY’s primary focus is to financially support physical education and physical activity programs in low income areas which statistically suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

Paul Pierce Captains Team of Superstar Athletes to Fight Childhood Obesity ‘nPLAY teams athletes from different sports to combat national crisis

New York, N.Y. – Boston Celtics forward, Paul Pierce will lead, a coalition of elite athletes from eight different sports to raise funds to fight children’s obesity in an effort called ‘nPLAY. A government tax exempt 501(c)3 organization, ‘nPLAY’s primary focus is to financially support physical education and physical activity programs in low income areas which statistically suffer the highest rates of childhood obesity in the United States.

’nPLAY will further partner with local governments and community organizations throughout the United States to help implement its programs in and outside of school.

Pierce’s leadership is bolstered by input from other sports standouts that include: Jennie Finch (USA Softball); Grant Hill (NBA’s Phoenix Suns); Evander Holyfield (retired boxer); and Summer Sanders (USA Swimming).

“It’s no secret that I was chubby as a child, so I understand the challenges our children face,” Pierce said. “Athletics and proper nutrition helped me turn my life around and achieve my dreams. At ‘nPLAY we are committed to providing opportunities for children that they may otherwise not have, to be active and eat healthy. We want to help educate both children and parents on the importance of living a healthy lifestyle so we can bring about change.”

One out of three children in America is obese, and childhood obesity was recently cited as parents’ No. 1 concern. It has a direct affect on cancer, Type 2 diabetes, heart disease, kidney disease and up to 10 other medical conditions. It is the primary reason that the current generation of children will be the first ever to expect a life shorter than their parents.

”As a mother, nothing is more important to me than the health of my son,” said Finch, an Olympic softball gold medalist. “As parents, we are responsible for our children’s future. It’s important for us to not only set an example but to educate and motivate our children to live healthy lifestyles that will afford them the same opportunities of past generations.”

Finch will be one of the athletes involved in a partnership with the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) MyPyramid program, ’nPLAY’s main nutrition initiative. MyPyramid was created by the USDA’s Center for Nutrition Policy and Promotion (CNPP) to deliver messages that promote healthy food and lifestyle choices. ‘nPLAY will create educational visuals that integrate athletes with nutritional messages that can be used in schools and community group gatherings.

‘nPLAY was established by career marketers who set out to collaborate with standout athletes to provide solutions and raise money for programs that help combat childhood obesity. Organization founders include: Michael Maccia, Eric Cohen, Scott Hunter Smith and Steve Conner.

Pierce, nicknamed “The Truth” and is the founder of the “The Truth Fund”, is also working with Olympic gold medal gymnast Shannon Miller, US Olympic figure skater Johnny Weir, current and former NBA players Jerry Stackhouse, Kenny Anderson and Bo Kimble; ASP World Tour Surfers Taylor Knox and Gabe Kling; former NFL players Jay Fiedler and Sam Madison; retired No. 1 middleweight boxer Michael Olajide Jr. and Former USA Olympic softball player and current assistant coach, Barbara Jordan.

Twitter: www.twitter.com/nPLAYFOUNDATION :
Youtube: http://www.youtube.com/user/nplayfoundation
Facebook Group: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=87892814752
Facebook Fan: http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=87892814752#!/pages/nPLAYFoundation/324738916373?ref=ts

Gabe Kling - Jacksonville Jaguar Honorary Captain

Gabe Kling was named official honorary captain of the National Football Leagues, Jacksonville Jaguars for their last home game of the season against the Oakland Raiders on Sunday, December 23rd 2008. The game was played at the Jacksonville Municipal Stadium in Jacksonville, Florida in front of 76,000 screaming Jaguar fans! Kling, who is a life-long Jags fan took the field along with the official team captains from both teams and flip the coin, which determines the game’s opening kickoff.

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http://www.softballwest.com/ USA softball's Jennie Finch raises funds for nPlay Foundation

The nPLAY Foundation, a nationwide organization dedicated to helping reverse the rate of childhood obesity in the United States has announced that USA Softball superstar Jennie Finch has committed to help raise funds for the organization by teaming up with MyCelebritees—a one-of-a-kind company that partners with celebrities to support charities through the sales of unique apparel.
Finch has an ongoing partnership with nPLAY, and sees MyCelebritees as the ideal way to supplement the donations she already makes to the group. Finch designed a T-shirt based on her personal motto—“Dream and Believe”—that is now available to the public via www.mycelebritees.com. Twenty-five percent of all sales of the shirt will be donated to nPLAY to help support the organization’s mission.
“We are thrilled to know that Jennie has chosen our organization as the beneficiary for her partnership with MyCelebritees,” said Michael Maccia, Founder of nPLAY. “Jennie has been wonderful about her support of our group for some time, and this is yet another effort on her behalf to help make a difference in the lives of America’s youth. It is truly amazing to know that she is committed to helping inspire, motivate and give back to our organization.”
“This cause is a very important one, and I am honored to help the nPLAY foundation achieve its goals,” said Finch. “I strongly encourage everyone to support this wonderful group by visiting mycelebritees.com and picking up a ‘Dream and Believe’ shirt for themselves or a loved one.”

Does a Link Exist Between Obesity and Asthma?

By Clement A. Maccia, M.D.

Each of these disorders has a significant public health impact and most recently there has been significant literature suggesting the association between the two. Childhood obesity has become a significant problem in the United States along with the increase in asthma. In addition to the asthma epidemic there is an obesity epidemic in the United States. Statistics reveal that one third of all 16-year-old children in the United States are overweight, and 15% are obese. Studies indicate an increased prevalence of asthma in the obese. Possible explanations are that there is a decrease in exercise in these individuals however longitudinal studies have shown that obesity predates the development of asthma. Epidemiological data reveals the impact of obesity on asthma is much stronger in females than males. The incident of asthma after age 11 years is 5 to 7 times higher in females who are obese versus lean females. No such relationship exists for males.

The relationship between obesity and asthma is reasonably clear, however the relationship between obesity and airway responsiveness is not clear. It is possible that in- utero events are contributing to the relationship between obesity and asthma in children. Low birthweight is known to be associated with an increased incidence of asthma and high birthweight is associated with a higher subsequent incidence of obesity. There is very little information in regards to maternal caloric intake during pregnancy and hyperinsulinemia during pregnancy on the development of obesity.

The systemic inflammatory state in obesity can lead to metabolic and cardiovascular complications. It is not known positively whether this inflammatory environment alters asthma risk or phenotype. Most of literature has concentrated on the effect of leptin, a hormone produced by adipocytes which increases basal metabolic rate and signals the brain that the individual has reached satiety. Animal studies have indicated that airway inflammatory response to both allergenic and nonallergenic exposures is enhanced by both endogenous and exogenous leptin. Studies have shown in humans a modest overall incidence of asthma and prevalence in the obese, although body mass index does not appear to be a significant modifier of asthma severity.

Asthma and obesity are common conditions and both are major public health problems. Obesity appears to increase the risk of asthma and both conditions may share common genetic and environmental causes. There are mechanical, developmental, hormonal, signal transduction, and immunological reasons for their effects. Ongoing research including genetic understanding of these complex traits and elucidation of genes to specific asthma phenotypes should enhance our understanding of the common genetic basis of these disorders.

Yes, there is an association between the two, however a many studies and questions must be answered before we can directly relate obesity and asthma.

Clement A. Maccia MD

Dr. Maccia is Board certified in Pediatrics and Allergy and Immunology. Presently he is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. Dr. Maccia is the Director of the Allergy Clinic. He is the author of numerous articles and has been selected for the past eight years into the Best Doctors in the New York-New Jersey Metropolitan Area by Castle Connolly. In 2007, he was included in the edition Top Doctors in the New York Metro Area.

He was elected by the residents in Medicine and Pediatrics at UMDNJ-Robert Wood Johnson Medical School for a teaching award in 2001and in 2005 for his excellence as a clinician, teacher and role model. Dr. Maccia was Chief of Pediatrics at Muhlenberg Regional Medical Center, an affiliate of UMDNJ- Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, from 1991-1999.

He presently serves on the Medical Advisory Board of ‘nPLAY A Childhood Obesity Foundation (www.nplayfoundation.org). In addition, he serves on the Board of Governors for Conventus Medical Malpractice Insurance Company. In the past he served on the Board of Governors for Muhlenberg Hospital and the Solaris Health System.

For more information or questions please feel free to write to clement.maccia@gmail.com.