|
|
|
Blowing dust prompts health warning; Air district cautions that air pollution levels climbing
Gusty winds in the San Joaquin Valley have prompted local air-pollution officials to issue a health cautionary statement from Thursday afternoon through Friday evening.
Winds in the San...
|
Comments [0] - Views [384]
|
|
|
|
Several state agencies are lamenting their cuts in funding.
Nona Tolentino, director of long-term care services at Greater Bakersfield Legal Assistance and program director of Kern's Long-Term Care Ombudsman Program, wrote via e-mail about the unfunded mandates she is left with in wake of the...
|
Comments [0] - Views [64]
|
|
|
|
Mosquitoes, while small, have caused big problems in Kern. Recently it was West Nile virus, and 70 years ago, it was malaria.
Local history buff George Gilbert Lynch sent me this history on malaria in the county. Interesting reading.
The last epidemic of mosquito-born malaria in Bakersfield...
|
Comments [1] - Views [55]
|
|
|
|
Are they kindred spirits bridging the coasts with their undying commitment to their health beats?
The Wall Street Journal health blog is apparently a fan of our very own health reporter Emily Hagedorn. They "follow" each other on Twitter and now he's given her a shoutout on his blog.
...
|
Comments [1] - Views [43]
|
|
|
|
The complaint filed against Dr. Jeff Freesemann and the others charged in the investigation of drugs at local nightclubs was sparse but offered a few clues.
From Aug. 24 through Aug. 26, Tessa Galvan, Stephen Galvan, Phil Nunez, Dr. Freesemann and Shelly Freesemann conspired together to...
|
Comments [12] - Views [389]
|
|
|
|
In a tearful press conference last week, a few people affected by hospital infections thanked the governor for signing bills that will, hopefully, limit the infections' spread.
(Read "Widow thanks governor for bill to curb health care infections" on Bakersfield.com)
Senate Bill 158,...
|
Comments [1] - Views [45]
|
|
|
|
The district attorney's office expects files to be charged Friday against Dr. Jeff Freesemann and his wife Shelly.
The couple, along with five other people, were arrested Sept. 17 after a nearly yearlong investigation by the police into the sale of Ecstasy, meth and cocaine at local nightclubs....
|
Comments [57] - Views [894]
|
|
|
|
Health insurance woes abound in this country, but people with eating disorders often face an even steeper uphill battle with insurers, many of whom provide very limited coverage for what doctors call a very complex disease to treat.
---
DOUG KRIZNER: The cost healthcare is an...
|
Comments [1] - Views [14]
|
|
|
|
Binge eating and purging can occur in boys and girls at a variety of ages, but the risk factors for these behaviors largely vary by age group and gender, according to an article released on June 02, 2008 in the Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine, one of the JAMA/Archives...
|
Comments [0] - Views [8]
|
|
|
|
A recent study published by the International Journal of Eating Disorders reveals that university undergraduate women who actively participate in sports and exercise-related activities tend to have higher rates of attitudes and behaviors related to eating disorders compared to...
|
Comments [4] - Views [21]
|
|
|
|
Wednesday, Sep 24 (Psych Central) -- After over a decade of struggling and aborted attempts, Congress passed a bill yesterday that provides for equal treatment of mental health, alcohol and substance abuse disorders, ending a decades’ long practice of discrimination against these...
|
Comments [2] - Views [16]
|
|
|
|
Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger signed the tardiest state budget ever today.
The $144.5 billion spending plan did see some line-item vetoes from the governor, including cuts to a program that lowered prescription drug prices for low-income residents.
(Read "Schwarzenegger signs Calif. budget 85...
|
Comments [5] - Views [69]
|
|
|
|
No Improvement This Year
There are many ways to compare air quality from year to year. One way is to look at "good" days vs. "very unhealthy" days which are the extremes in our air quality forecasts.
Last summer (June 22 to September 22, 2007) we had zero...
|
Comments [10] - Views [34]
|
|
|
|
The Western Psychiatric Institute and Clinic of UPMC is participating in a new study comparing the effectiveness of online cognitive behavioral therapy, delivered through a Web site and augmented with therapist-moderated, weekly online chat sessions, to that of face-to-face group therapy...
|
Comments [1] - Views [25]
|
|
|
|
Prominent physician Dr. Jeff Freesemann and his wife were among several people arrested after a nearly year-long drug investigation by Bakersfield Police.
He was arrested on suspicion of conspiracy, possession of drugs for sale and transportation of drugs.
(Read "Prominent doctor, six...
|
Comments [25] - Views [692]
|
|
|
|
To curb heavy drinking, the Department of Health in England has identified nine types of heavy drinkers.
The hope is that by helping people understand their urges, they can learn to control them, according to the BBC.
"Heavy drinking" is defined as consuming 35 units a week for women,...
|
Comments [0] - Views [63]
|
|
|
|
Could the longest budget stalemate in California history almost be over?
Here are the key health components of the latest budget compromise.
The 10 percent cuts to Medi-Cal provider rates would remain until March 2009.
Healthy Families premiums would increase.
Supplemental...
|
Comments [0] - Views [38]
|
|
|
|
Hoping to encourage residents to take part in the Bakersfield AIDS Project's AIDS Walk in October, the nonprofit released some of its costs to demonstrate the help that is needed.
If 30 to 60 people pledge $500 to $1,000, the services will be paid for, said director Audrey Chavez, via e-mail.
...
|
Comments [0] - Views [27]
|
|
|
|
I spent an hour yesterday watching two groups debate Proposition 4, a measure on November’s ballot requiring parental notification for pregnant minors seeking abortions.
On one side: Camilla Chavez, executive director of the Dolores Huerta Foundation; Patsy Montgomery, public affairs...
|
Comments [27] - Views [181]
|
|
|
|
Vinyl black stilettos
and fake eyelashes
Blue eye shadow
everything perfectly matches
Touch my plastic face
and see what happens
I'm hiding from the world
behind Chanel sunglasses
"Do I look fat?"
Limo tinted...
|
Comments [1] - Views [53]
|
|
|
|
Harvest Time is Choke Time
When the mega dairies start harvesting the corn fields for silage the resulting truck traffic on country roads is really scary. The dust billows and the old trucks are belching diesel pollution. Add the coinciding almond harvest and the dusty haze...
|
Comments [5] - Views [73]
|
|
|
|
Breasts can be very polarizing — even when it has to do with breastfeeding, a natural practice.
Remember the dust-up over the 2006 Babytalk magazine cover that showed a baby nursing?
"In this country, breasts are highly sexualized, and people sort of forget they’re there to...
|
Comments [141] - Views [376]
|
|
|
|
DIETS DO NOT WORK. Period.
The diet industry makes BILLIONS of dollars off of the fact that people are so impatient and insecure- do not be another ignorant sheep, listening to their false claims! Don't buy into that crap, seriously! And don't waste your money! (Read the fine...
|
Comments [4] - Views [71]
|
|
|
|
First, a trailer was stolen from Houchin Blood Bank in May.
And now, the local chapter of the Red Cross is suffering after thieves took $1,300 worth of diapers, toiletry kits, flashlights, water, chairs and cots from two trailers Friday night. (Read "Low blow: Supplies stolen from Red...
|
Comments [16] - Views [129]
|
|
|
|
I can't type much right now, but I figure I need to. My finger has
been killing me (feels like arthritis), but screw it.
I guess what I was meant to come here to write was that yes, I am struggling. I am struggling with the very fact that I am going to have to say "enough is...
|
Comments [4] - Views [74]
|
|
|
|
It is important not to deny that you have a problem. For years, while struggling, I (as well as so many other girls/women) would brush off the known consequences of an eating disorder. Little did I know, that these life-changing issues can, and WILL, occur if left unchecked....
|
Comments [2] - Views [48]
|
|
|
|
Who am I? What is my story? After much therapy, and digging into my mental history, I've come to see the timeline of my disordered eating/eating disorder pretty clearly. I will warn you- this isn't a happy or uplifting story. However, it is my own personal journey with an ED, and...
|
Comments [7] - Views [126]
|
|
|
|
A new Web site aims to collect tales of health care troubles due to the Medi-Cal cuts and the budget impasse.
MyCAStory.org features videos, photos and stories from California residents.
According to the site, "Our purpose is to share the stories behind the numbers of everyday Californians...
|
Comments [1] - Views [42]
|
|
|
|
For the first time, Bakersfield Christian football coach Doug Barnett is speaking about the practice Patrick Allen participated in two days before he died.
The school and Patrick's parents believe he died from a heat-related illness. The coroner's report is pending toxicology tests.
The...
|
Comments [3] - Views [126]
|
|
|
|
A heat-related illness seems to be the most likely cause of Patrick Allen's death.
Allen, who played on Bakersfield Christian High School's football team, died Aug. 16, two days after suffering leg cramps, vomiting and loss of consciousness following practice in 104-degree heat.
(Read...
|
Comments [8] - Views [208]
|
|
|
|
Article Not Quite Accurate
Today's tragic Californian story on the football player's death is well written and researched except for one fact.
quote from article: Based on air quality that day — in a range unhealthy for sensitive groups — the San Joaquin Valley...
|
Comments [0] - Views [59]
|
|
|
|
Dr. Darshan Shah, one of the most well known plastic surgeons in Bakersfield, was quoted in a recent New York Times story on smoking and plastic surgery.
The story, "Want a Face-Lift? First, Better Stop Smoking," ran Thursday in the newspaper.
“Nicotine causes the tiny blood...
|
Comments [0] - Views [46]
|
|
|
|
The failed vote in the Assembly last night to pass a budget has some health leaders worried that the cuts to Medi-Cal won't be restored.
Here's an excerpt from an L.A. Times story about the vote:
Assembly Republicans on Sunday blocked a proposed spending plan that would have closed the state's...
|
Comments [10] - Views [91]
|
|
|
|
What are we doing to our youth?
Making 14 to 18 year old boys and girls practice football and cross country is ok when the temperature is over 100. It is not ok when the air quality is unhealthy as it was this past week.
The ozone levels we experienced were well above the federal...
|
Comments [1] - Views [36]
|
|
|
|
A lot has changed since manager Gary Romriell started working at the Community Action Partnership of Kern Food Bank over 10 years ago.
I toured the facility with Romriell this morning at the Public Health Services Department event to promote healthy food.
(Read "Food bank offers healthy...
|
Comments [4] - Views [61]
|
|
|
|
Always the giddy follower of the latest and greatest of the Web, The Pulse now has a Twitter page!
To read it go to http://twitter.com/The_Puls...
For those unfamiliar with Twitter, it is like a mini-blog. Users post short bursts of info that are 140 characters or less. These are called...
|
Comments [0] - Views [55]
|
|
|
|
Have you ever drug tested your kids?
This press release made me think about those home drug test kits often seen in Walgreen's and CVS.
A new home-based hair follicle drug test kit called HairConfirm™ Prescription can detect drug and prescription use as well as usage frequency for up to...
|
Comments [4] - Views [59]
|
|
|
|
Commercials decrying the effects of the 10 percent state cuts to Medi-Cal hit the airwaves recently.
I saw one for the first time last night.
And among the health providers featured in the TV spots is Bakersfield nurse practitioner Carmen Morales-Board, who works at Kern Medical Center.
Here's...
|
Comments [0] - Views [73]
|
|
|
|
Local health care providers scratched their heads this morning over what would make residents take the cuts to Medi-Cal more seriously.
The impacts won't only be felt by the poor, they said.
Like many government programs, Medi-Cal took a 10 percent cut July 1 to help make up for the budget...
|
Comments [28] - Views [177]
|
|
|
|
Just when you think the dust has settled, someone comes in with a broom — or in this case, a lawsuit — and brings everything back up.
Dr. Leonard Perez, the former chairman of Kern Medical Center's OB/GYN department, is suing the county for breaching his contract by firing him in...
|
Comments [0] - Views [86]
|
|
|
|
I just came across a neat tool.
HealthMap.org plots global disease alerts on a worldwide map. It gets feeds from the World Health Organization, Google News and ProMED, among others, and specifically tracks dozens of diseases, like avian influenza, West Nile virus and HIV/AIDS.
The United...
|
Comments [2] - Views [26]
|
|
|
|
Reading Lily Berger's story of battling an eating disorder, I was surprised to see that the disorder began so early in her life.
The Bakersfield native detailed her struggle on the Northwest Voice's Web site. It's a shocking read that delves deep into why she felt compelled to purge.
Here's an...
|
Comments [1] - Views [76]
|
|
|
|
I had heard talk about a medical school coming to UC Merced.
But if one local politician has his way, that medical school would reside in Bakersfield, possibly next to Kern Medical Center.
I just spoke to Supervisor Michael Rubio, who said his staff will give UC officials a proposal in early...
|
Comments [12] - Views [126]
|
|
|
|
Air District Not Doing Job
We had promises of steady and continued improvement two years ago. We also had promises of attainment of the federal health standard by 2024 which was too long in many peoples' minds. They didn't tell us our air would actually get worse before it...
|
Comments [2] - Views [62]
|
|
|
|
Mosquito abatement employees go onto private property without permission from time to time.
This has been done locally to treat abandon pools teeming with mosquitoes (see the photo).
A Pennsylvania businessman, though, considers this trespassing.
From the York Daily Record:
James Yelton,...
|
Comments [3] - Views [105]
|
|
|
|
Would you be in favor of tax increases if it meant more money for schools and health care?
A Democrat-controlled Assembly committee approved a new state budget last night based on a $9.7 billion tax increase, the first state budget proposal based on a major tax increase since 1991.
According to...
|
Comments [20] - Views [97]
|
|
|
|
It seems like every summer people freak out about the heat like they've never felt it before, like it's not an eventuality.
Guess what, people. Bakersfield is hot. It's kind of our thing.
This seasonal amnesia happens back East during the first snow of winter. Motorists forget that snow is...
|
Comments [6] - Views [80]
|
|
|
|
Scientists reported Tuesday that when they surveyed volunteers 14 months after they took 'magic mushrooms,' most said they were still feeling and behaving better because of the experience.
One volunteer felt like her heart was ripping open, but she still described the 'trip' as a joyful...
|
Comments [23] - Views [159]
|
|
|
|
Do mosquitoes serve any purpose besides endlessly annoying us and infecting us with malaria, Dengue fever and West Nile virus?
A reader posted that question in my last blog post, and because it's such a good one, I looked into it some more.
As reader CatherineBaker wrote, "They say...
|
Comments [7] - Views [93]
|
|
|
|
The weather of this past week may cause West Nile virus problems from the Mississippi River to the Pacific Ocean.
First, let's start locally.
The hotter it gets the faster mosquitoes breed and the faster the virus replicates.
It reached 110 degrees Saturday, according to Weather.com. And while...
|
Comments [9] - Views [61]
|
|
|
