A blog about Health & Wellness, News, and Kern County.
Real Name: Emily Hagedorn Member Since: April 08, 2006 Last Signed In: July 02, 2008 Profile Views: 9374 Blog Views: 43666 Is there anything good about mosquitoes? West Nile problems all over the country First California resident diagnosed with West Nile in 2008 'Access to vital health care is at stake for all Californians' A yard of shoes Do you have 'spring fever'? (Wink, wink, nudge, nudge) Skin cancer: To screen or not to screen Gay marriage, or lack thereof, affects mental health Coffee drinkers rejoice! You may live longer due to the brew Bako's first West Nile-infected mosquitoes found August 06 September 06 October 06 November 06 December 06 January 07 February 07 March 07 April 07 May 07 June 07 July 07 August 07 September 07 October 07 November 07 December 07 January 08 February 08 March 08 April 08 May 08 June 08 July 08 Here's some sites I find useful and interesting: Some fun blogs I like, some health and some random: Got a blog or link to add to this list? Please let me know at ehagedorn@bakersfield.com. 
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Remember bird flu? It was all the rage about a year and a half ago but has since seemed to have faded back into the brush of the Third World counties whence it came.
I even remember a very alarming made-for-TV movie "Fatal Contact: Bird Flu in America" about it. Because, you know, a global threat isn't real until D-list actors get their hands on it.
Well, bird flu isn't gone, even if the media has cooled on the issue, according to the World Health Organization. A...
When I came to Bakersfield almost a year and a half ago, I didn't have any prescriptions or things that were seriously wrong with me (though that's probably up for debate).
Now I have asthma, persistent allergies and, as of the last couple of weeks, rashes on my arms, legs, neck, feet, hands and trunk.
Aaaaaahh!!! I'm allergic to Bakersfield! Throw in some valley fever or West Nile virus, and my Bakersfield medical experience will be complete!
I just spent my second afternoon in...
Too sick for the homeless shelters.
Not sick enough for the hospitals.
Too poor or too young for other rehab and skilled nursing programs.
What should Bakersfield do about homeless residents who need more care but shouldn't be in the hospitals?
This town has a gap in care when it comes to the homeless, many say. Read "No place to heal" in Sunday's Californian.
Here's a list of solutions local experts suggested to combat this problem. Do you have any to add? Any...
I've heard a lot of West Nile virus misconceptions over the past couple of weeks. Hopefully this will help ease some worries and satiate inquiring minds.
Myth: West Nile virus only affects the young and elderly.
Answer: Busted.
The Kern County Department of Public Health held a press conference today, revealing that most cases are in people ages of 30 to 60. (Read "Health officials: Age doesn't matter; everyone's at risk" in Friday's Californian.)
Here's how the cases...
If you get the chance, please read the Woman to Woman columns on page B7 of today's Californian. Very powerful stuff.
Diane Glass, the left-leaning columnist, lost her battle with bile duct cancer on July 30. This is her last, farewell column. She had everything going for her: a relationship, a great job, an adopted baby on the way. And then she was diagnosed with cancer.
Her sister Janet also chimes in on her battle. The most memorable part for me is the last paragraph: "Some...
I love this photo that Californian photographer Casey Christie took one afternoon last week.
The sky was definitely eerie last weekend, to say the least. A friend joked that it was signally the Apocalypse. And I know it wasn't healthy to be breathing in all that ash.
Locusts anyone?
I'm glad today wasn't as bad. Has anyone else taken some cool shots of the smoke that they would like to share?
When I left for work this morning, I noticed some ash on my windshield.
Did you see this too?
It could be affecting your health, warns the local air district.
The San Joaquin Valley Air Pollution Control District issued a health warning this morning for Fresno, Madera, Merced, Kings, Tulare and the valley portion of Kern counties, with the potential to affect Stanislaus and San Joaquin counties, due to the fires in Santa Barbara and Fresno counties, according to a release from the...
Location:
2615 Chester Ave.,
Bakersfield, CA
Did you notice the plane depositing insecticide over Bakersfield last night?
The plane was scheduled to leave its runway in Shafter at about 8:10 p.m. and be overhead Bakersfield by 8:30 p.m. until about 1 a.m.
(Read "City gets sprayed for West Nile virus" in today's Californian.)
The public health department, along with other experts, said the pyrethrin pesticide wouldn't harm most people, pets or the environment. At most, it could irritate asthma and allergies.
I'm an...
I've been lucky this year so far.
My cat killed a particularly big and gross looking American cockroach last weekend, but that's really the only bug I've found in my apartment. (But I probably just jinxed myself by saying that, so we'll see.)
But through reporting "Tell insects to bug off" on the front-page of Wednesday's Eye Street section in The Californian, I know people have battled much bigger insect foes.
What's your worst buggy story? Any tips on getting rid of the...
The local mosquito abatement office says pools abandoned in the recent housing decline are playing a big part in our high West Nile virus cases.
Some local Realtors disagree.
What do you think? (Read "Are local pools a real concern?" in today's Californian.)
Have you seen many of these untended, algae-covered pools in neighboring yards?
In the story, Ray Karpe, president of the Bakersfield Association of Realtors, said he's worried about potential lawsuits from helping...
How much do you know about the food you eat?
I bet not as much as you think you do. Take the quiz on today's front page of The Californian to test your food IQ.
When I was putting the quiz together yesterday I was surprised several times by food that looks healthy but isn't and visa versa.
On a whim, I looked up the nutrition information for food at Sonic, my favorite fast-food restaurant. Yikes! Little did I know that the dinner portion of Jumbo Popcorn Chicken — chicken is...
Sen. Dean Florez has a new "blogspot," as he calls it, on West Nile virus at www.fightthebite.blogspot.com.
His older one, www.westnile.blogspot.com, hadn't been updated since 2005. (The Shafter Democrat likes to blog, if you didn't already know that. Read "Florez quite fond of blogging," which ran in the Californian a couple weeks ago.)
So far, this new blog is just a collection of news stories about West Nile virus. I hope he shares his own thoughts on the virus at...
West Nile virus was in the spotlight yesterday, but valley fever also got a nod.
(Read "Rising danger" in today's Californian.)
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger's state-of-emergency proclamation over our rising West Nile virus cases says:
"Whereas there are also numerous and significant incidents of valley fever, especially in Kern County" when describing the need for additional resources, and
"It is further ordered that the Department of Public Health...
Happy belated birthday to my blog!
(Its real birthday was yesterday, but oh well.)
It's been fun blogging, and I've had the chance to get to know some of the frequent posters on B.com. You all have helped me see different points of view and given me tips for stories on a number of occasions.
As I go forward blogging, though, I'm wondering what you want to see more of on this site. What would you like to me write about? Any topics I should spend more time on?
And thanks for...
The first birth-control pill that can halt women's menstrual periods indefinitely will be hitting pharmacy shelves this week.
Called Lybrel, it is designed to be taken without the placebo or pill-free time interval, according to the FDA news release. Women who use Lybrel would not have a scheduled menstrual period, but will most likely have unplanned, breakthrough, unscheduled bleeding or spotting.
(Read "Send Aunt Flow packing," another blog post about the new pill.)
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