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Health notes

GETTING FOCUSED ON ADHD ... A new 10-week group for parents of children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) will begin Sept. 9 on Tuesdays from 5:30-6:50 p.m. at Lucile Packard Children's Hospital, Child Psychiatry Clinic, 401 Quarry Road, Stanford. The program will be led by child psychologist Betsy Corrin. The program will help parents of ADHD children learn strategies to improve behavior, impulsivity, frustration tolerance and more. Call 650-723-5511 for am appointment with Dr. Corrin and to register.

ADAPTIVE TAI CHI ... A class for persons recovering from stroke in adaptive tai chi will be offered by the Peninsula Stroke Association on Sept. 17 from 5-7 p.m. at the Palo Alto Veterans Hospital, Building 101, Auditorium, 3801 Miranda Ave., Palo Alto. The forum speaker is Jason Chan of the Palo Alto Family YMCA. Call 650-565-8585.

AUTISM CONFERENCE ... Kaiser Permanente and Santa Clara University will sponsor a conference on autism on Sept. 26 and 27 at the Morgan Autism Center, 2280 Kenwood Ave., San Jose. Friday's sessions will be geared toward health professionals, but all are welcome; Saturday's sessions will be geared toward parents and educators. To register and learn more about the event, contact 408-241-8161 or visit www.morgancenter.org.

SWIMMER'S FOOT? ... OK, you've heard of swimmer's ear, but swimmer's foot? Apparently so, according to the California Podiatric Medical Association. Feet are important because they help propel the body through the water. Swimmers such as Olympic champion Michael Phelps must have good flexibility in their ankles for a wider range of motion and propulsion, according to Daniel Altschuler, association president. Flexion and extension of the foot and rotation of the ankle is crucial to kicking in swimming. The flutter kick used in backstroke and freestyle uses foot flexing and extension; the butterfly uses the same principle, but in unison and is called the dolphin kick; the breaststroke uses ankle rotation and flex-extension of the foot, he added. Strong, healthy feet are needed to get a fast start off the blocks and for pushing off the walls during turns. Races are often won or lost on the speed or power of the start or turn, he said. Cramping is one of the most common foot problems swimmers face. Then, there's athlete's foot and toenail fungus. To learn more about keeping feet healthy and swimmers' foot conditions, visit www.podiatrists.org/enewsroom/news/2008news/.

JOIN THE TEAM ... It's not too late to join Team Ronald MacDonald House in the Big Sur Half-Marathon on Monterey Bay. The Fourth annual race benefits children and families of Ronald McDonald House at Stanford. Runners and walkers must be 12 years

Health Notes is a monthly feature announcing health and fitness events and news. Send news to Health & Fitness Editor Sue Dremann at sdremann@paweekly.com.