|
|
|
Just last week Cub Scout patches were recalled due to high levels of lead. This follows several recent recalls of children's toys and jewelry.
How apropos then that this week is National Lead Poisoning Prevention Week.
Lead is much more harmful to children than adults because it can...
|
Comments [4] - Views [39]
|
|
|
|
Do you have an inspirational story to tell about your personal weight-loss journey? If so, the Californian wants to hear about it.
We're gearing up to do a large package of stories on obesity — childhood obesity in particular. And we want to get our readers involved in the final...
|
Comments [4] - Views [93]
|
|
|
|
How do you feel about your HMO and physicians group?
BFMC, GEMCare, Kaiser, Blue Cross, Health Net — all have been evaluated and rated for patient satisfaction and how well they met national standards of care.
The state Office of the Patient Advocate released the scores yesterday in...
|
Comments [4] - Views [153]
|
|
|
|
Drug companies voluntarily withdrew over-the-counter cough-and-cold medicines for infants and toddlers younger than 2 last week.
While the medicines aren't dangerous in the right doses, the companies are afraid parents will accidentally OD their kids, an industry spokesperson said.
(Read...
|
Comments [32] - Views [742]
|
|
|
|
All types of alcohol — wine, beer or liquor — add equally to the risk of developing breast cancer, American researchers said today, according to the Associated Press.
Furthermore, women who had more than three drinks a day raised their risk by 30 percent.
That definitely makes...
|
Comments [6] - Views [63]
|
|
|
|
It seems October is being hailed as a different disease's awareness month every time I turn around.
In fact it comes in a close second to May (19 causes) for most number of month-long national health observances with 17, according to the U.S Dept. of Health and Human Services.
October is:...
|
Comments [0] - Views [47]
|
|
|
|
Call me cynical, but the amount of products boasting "Buy me! I support (insert breast cancer organization here)" is getting a little out of hand.
Don't get me wrong. I'm all for raising money to research breast cancer. My grandmother was just diagnosed with it a couple weeks ago, so...
|
Comments [0] - Views [58]
|
|
|
|
Just because we can, does it me we should?
That question is at the heart of a debate over the consequences of genetic testing of fetuses. Some feel the increasing use of genetic screenings is leading to more abortions and promoting a form of eugenics. Others see it as a way to be fully aware...
|
Comments [14] - Views [135]
|
|
|
|
Public markets have been around since 1800s. It's a great way to shop for vegetables and other nutritious foods. We could definitely use more of these public markets here in Bakersfield. I heard that someone is going to open one downtown. I can't wait! I'm even thinking of leasing a space...
|
Comments [0] - Views [67]
|
|
|
|
I spend 15 minutes in the garage every Saturday with my daughter crushing cans... we have a designated space on the kitchen counter where plastic bottles accumulate until they are carried out to our bin... and I carpool as much as humanly possible in my line of work. So I ask you, what can...
|
Comments [7] - Views [57]
|
|
|
|
With all the talk surrounding West Nile virus, it's easy to forget that our annoying needle-limbed bloodsucking friends can carry other diseases as well.
George Gilbert Lynch, a frequent citizen journalist for the Californian, sent me a link to a story he wrote last year about his bout of...
|
Comments [0] - Views [62]
|
|
|
|
Last year, Bakersfield city officials decided to create a new image for Bakersfield. An image of a better quality of life, a better place to live. And so they created a new motto that goes something like this: "Bakersfield: Life as it Should Be." Here's...
|
Comments [1] - Views [115]
|
|
|
|
I've had the same wonderful dentist Terrence Lukens for 30 years. During the time I was in his care, I never had a toothache. He took excellent care and was the kindest, most caring compassionate dentist I've ever met. Suddenly I found myself with no insurance. I...
|
Comments [2] - Views [457]
|
|
|
|
If you ever have ridden in or been near a helicopter as it lands, you know the wind these big machines can create.
Add some valley fever spores into the dust that is kicked up, and you can have a problem.
Below is an excerpt from a blog by Chopper Chick, otherwise known as Desiree, a...
|
Comments [0] - Views [50]
|
|
|
|
Do you think cheerleading is a sport? I believe it is, even though I never did it myself. Here is my argument as to why. First, it is athletic and competitive. Second, cheerleaders perform many stunts and do lots of gymnastics and dancing. Third, there's a risk of...
|
Comments [6] - Views [175]
|
|
|
|
Why does it seem like whenever Kern County is No. 1, it's for something bad?
Kern County has led the country this year in West Nile virus cases. And to help residents understand the threat and what the county is doing to combat the mosquito-borne virus, Supervisor Michael Rubio and Interim...
|
Comments [1] - Views [49]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [2] - Views [58]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [28] - Views [427]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [3] - Views [143]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [5] - Views [142]
|
|
|
|
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,...
|
Comments [11] - Views [116]
|
|
|
|
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?
...
|
Comments [1] - Views [44]
|
|
|
|
Hello everybody...at long last the Road Show Shop is open.
www.cafepress.com/roadshowshop
I am particularly pleased to announce that all proceeds will be donated directly to the San Juan Regional Trauma Center and family hostel.
At the moment we have only a small inventory of Road Show items...
|
Comments [0] - Views [12]
|
|
|
|
On Monday, I had to go to my doctor’s office to have a prescription refilled. Upon arriving at my doctor’s office I was surprised to find four scruffily dressed individuals holding up a large banner stating “Shame on Centennial Medical Group for using non-union...
|
Comments [14] - Views [101]
|
|
|
|
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,...
|
Comments [7] - Views [146]
|
|
|
|
Don't we all have days when we wish we could take a sledgehammer and demolish the place we work?
Well for nurses at San Joaquin Community Hospital, that day was today. They got to help in the demolition of the hospital's old family birth center.
(Read "San Joaquin demolishes old...
|
Comments [3] - Views [57]
|
|
|
|
`Hello everybody, new friends and old. I have really missed being a part of this community, but every since the motorcycle accident on May 14 I have felt that I have had little to share. There have also been a number of setbacks in the healing process that have thrown me into a long...
|
Comments [11] - Views [76]
|
|
|
|
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.)...
|
Comments [8] - Views [140]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [34] - Views [272]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [10] - Views [117]
|
|
|
|
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....
|
Comments [3] - Views [77]
|
|
|
|
By Publisher Ginger Moorhouse -- Aug. 5, 2007 -- It’s August. It’s hot. And the search for shade is on. Like many people, I try to run a few errands at noon or after work. But most of my time is spent trying to find a leaf of shade in local parking lots. I don’t mind walking a...
|
Comments [3] - Views [73]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [1] - Views [52]
|
|
|
|
Two local brothers have created an exercise machine they claim can give you a full-body workout without the use of weights, instead using your own body as resistance. What do you think? Have you ever heard of an exercise machine without weights? If you don't believe them, check...
|
Comments [7] - Views [154]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [3] - Views [149]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [5] - Views [51]
|
|
|
|
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...
|
Comments [13] - Views [140]
|
|
|
|
I just saw Michael Moore's Sicko (finally!) with some other reporters at a health journalism conference in Los Angeles.
Due to the wonders of Bakersfield movie distribution, I missed the small window of time when Sicko was in town.
Have you seen this yet? What did you think?
Considering...
|
Comments [13] - Views [131]
|
|
|
|
As Americans search for more healthy options and take less time for meals, fruit smoothie shops have gained in popularity both locally and nationwide.
Fruit smoothie sales in the United States have shot up more than 80 percent in the last five years, topping $2 billion last year, according to...
|
Comments [11] - Views [162]
|
|
|
|
Kern County has become the epicenter for West Nile virus in the state.
Twenty two cases have been diagnosed so far, and that probably only represents a fraction of total cases considering most are asymptomatic.
One woman has died from the disease. (Read more ...)
But do residents feel a...
|
Comments [3] - Views [35]
|
|
|
|
It has been a sobering morning.
I just took several longevity tests for a story I'm looking into. If I believe them, I have 54-64 years left. That puts me kicking the bucket sometime between 2061 and 2071.
Ironically, the test sponsored by the life insurance company gave me the most time....
|
Comments [6] - Views [82]
|
|
|
|
Eleven food companies have pledged to self impose limits on advertising to children, fearing government regulation.
According to the New York Times, McDonald's, Campbell Soup and PepsiCo, among others, have agreed to stop advertising to children under 12 products that do not meet certain...
|
Comments [3] - Views [52]
|
|
|
|
The Office of Statewide Health Planning and Development released hospital and surgeon death rates last week for a common surgical procedure for treating coronary heart disease.
This report is part of a statewide push for more transparency in health care, state officials said. (Read...
|
Comments [0] - Views [39]
|
|
|
|
Everyone knows iPods are evil, just like Starbucks and SUVs are evil.
But now it looks like that sentiment is being sent down from up on high as well.
The New England Journal of Medicine has a letter this week from a doctor who treated a man hit by lightning while listening to his iPod.
...
|
Comments [14] - Views [104]
|
|
|
|
I remember the moment I became, if not a liberal, at least a moderate. Considering myself fortunate to get through the screening process I, felt honored to have and opportunity to speak to directly to such a venerable member of "my" party. Never in my life...
|
Comments [8] - Views [62]
|
|
|
|
The state medical board has come down on several local doctors in the last year: Nadjmabadi, Jellinek, Cosgrove, Fritch, Mosser, Loos.
Now a physician assistant is being added to the list.
The state medical board is seeking to revoke or suspend John Harvey Cates' medical license after he...
|
Comments [3] - Views [134]
|
|
|
|
During my lunch break Thursday, I popped over to a new farmer's market downtown.
It's sponsored by Clinica Sierra Vista and is at the northeast corner of Truxtun Avenue and Chester Avenue in the courtyard between the Bank of America and Fresno Pacific buildings.
The blackberries I got were...
|
Comments [24] - Views [329]
|
|
|
|
I wish I could have put this up earlier, but a new mom blogged her home birth yesterday.
The blog is called "Momcast: Subvert the Dominant Motherhood." I don't think she is local, but it's an interesting and detailed read. (Warning: This is not for the easily squeamish.)
10:41am:...
|
Comments [5] - Views [78]
|
|
|
|
I'm putting together a DIY (do-it-yourself) guide to health for The Californian's Eye Street section.
Along with writing about home testing and first aid basics, I was hoping to include some old wives' tales that are true.
For example, here are some of mine that I'm going to ask doctors...
|
Comments [7] - Views [167]
|
|
|
|
Monday morning, I awoke at 5:30, excited about the day. Having broken my fast over the weekend, I created a healthy meal and exercise plan and did all my grocery shopping. After a little searching in my closet, I found my weight lifting gloves and gym pass. I was ready to start!
The gym was a...
|
Comments [1] - Views [82]
|
|
|
