Ian Dille of National Geographic Adventure writes about the new frontier of alternative sports therapies: “Recent clinical studies have endorsed an array of alternatives—everything from innovative massage techniques to injection treatments to laser therapies. Even ancient remedies, like acupuncture, are being fused with new technology for sports medicine purposes.”

Stephen Regenold of Gear Junkie explains how to identify and treat altitude sickness: HAPE (high-altitude pulmonary edema) and HACE (high-altitude cerebral edema).

“What to look for? A slight headache from altitude can be normal. But watch for a headache that won’t go away. Shortness of breath and coughing fits are warning signs. Trouble breathing? It’s time to ask for help. If possible, have your blood-oxygen level checked with a medical device commonly called a pulse-ox meter. Many climbing teams carry these devices to assess expedition members.”

Backcountry Beacon offers sage advice if you should ever dislocate your shoulder miles from the nearest ER: “Another important fact to note is that the sooner you’re able to re-locate your arm, the less soft-tissue trauma, lasting pain, and recovery time you’ll incur. More often than not, an arm is at least usable immediately after relocation—this is huge when you’re relying on yourself and only yourself to get you out of the backcountry.”

Sailor Emma Pontin of London, England, who has competed several round-the-world races and transatlantic crossings, has used sailing as a way fight breast cancer. Her book Beating the Blowfish details her fight with the disease.

“I want people to understand that if you go through breast cancer, you can do anything. Some people who’ve had breast cancer or going through it just sit at home all day, on their sofas and don’t know how to handle it. And I want to tell this people: ‘Do something amazing, cross an ocean, bring it on!’” Anouk Lorie of CNN reporting.

Leora Broydo Vestel of Green Inc. (The New York Times) interviews U.S. Transportation Secretary, Ray LaHood, who recently made a stir by announcing that “bicycling and walking should be given the same consideration as motorized transport in state and local transit projects.”

LaHood responds to charges that he’s “delusional” and articulates the current American “sea change” towards “livable and sustainable communities”.

“[W]hat Americans want is to get out of their cars, and get out of congestion, and have opportunities for more transit, more light rail, more buses, and some communities are going to street cars. But many communities want the opportunity on the weekends and during the week to have the chance to bike to work, to bike to the store, to spend time with their family on a bike.

As professional snowboarders continue to push the height, speed, and complexity of their aerial maneuvers, head injuries–and concussions in particular–are on the rise, and many of the sports rising stars are trying to educate themselves around the health concerns and consequences.

“‘The athletes are definitely more skilled than ever before,’ said Dr. Robert Cantu, a professor of neurosurgery and part of a team at Boston University Medical School that has found that athletes who sustain multiple concussions during their career are at increased risk for chronic traumatic encephalopathy. C.T.E. is a degenerative brain disease with symptoms similar to Alzheimer’s,” reports Matt Higgins of The New York Times.

23-year-old Australian snowboarder Torah Bright–winner of the women’s Winter Olympics halfpipe–has sustained three concussions in the past year, and all while wearing a helmet: “‘Hitting your head is quite scary,’ she said. ‘You need a functioning brain. Even though you can still walk and talk, it’s still quite serious.’”

Outside Magazine has recently offered its award wining fitness programs,with simple “interactive software that let’s you track your workouts and reach any fitness goal,” through an online Outside Fitness Center.

Training tools will include personalized training plans; ability to track workouts, meals, and weight; training calendars and scheduling; and email workout reminders.

The recent skiing death of actress Natasha Richardson, who fell and hit her head (without a protective helmet) during a 2009 skiing lesson, appears to have “triggered a dramatic rise in the number of ski helmets sold in the UK” reports Flora Watkins of the BBC News.

“It isn’t just safety concerns – and a high-profile death – that have made wearing a helmet more appealing. Many resorts have made it compulsory for children to wear helmets during their lessons and it’s now rare to see anyone under the age of 14 without one. Vail Resorts in Canada, has made helmets compulsory for all its employees this season.”

San Francisco state senator Leland Yee is proposing legislation that would require children “younger than 18″ to wear helmets while skiing or snowboarding within the state of California.

“The growing accumulation of evidence about the effect of head injuries on both individuals and health care insurance costs should add some zip to the session,” reports Felicity Barringer of The New York Times.

“[The Yee legislation] surfaced at the end of a year in which the issue of brain injuries from contact sports was highlighted by everything from Congressional testimony to the highly publicized injuries to Jahvid Best, a star back for the University of California, Berkeley football team, and Matt Blea, 16, a football player at San Jose High Academy who was in a coma for weeks after sustaining a concussion during a game.”

A recent study of 2,500 workers in central Europe is suggesting that men who work outdoors, “enabling their bodies to create vitamins through exposure to sunlight,” have a reduced risk of kidney cancer.

“In the largest study of its kind, scientists found that vitamin D – produced by the skin when exposed to ultraviolet light – was associated with a reduced rate of renal cancer of up to 73% among men,” reports James Sturcke of the guardian.co.uk.

“However, the study, published by the American Cancer Society, found that the reduced risk only applied to men – there was no drop in renal cancer among the women studied who worked outdoors.”