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Reporters get inundated with press packets and releases every day.
For example, I just got a release blaming high heel shoes for an increase in urinary tract infections. Don't know the validity of that argument, but I've been surprised before.
David Burger, the entertainment reporter, just...
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The county Department of Public Health is working to confirm what exactly sickened 12 local children. (Read "Outbreak said to be contained" in Wednesday's Californian.)
Here's a primer on some of the foodborne diseases being talked about.
E. coli enteritis
Cause: eating foods...
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If you haven't yet, please read "Unknown illness strikes four" in today's Californian.
I'm still following this story, so look for updates over the next few days.
Here's the gist:
At least one child has been put on dialysis and as many as three others have been hospitalized...
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In response to Tolerance's request for a link to research of marijuana leading to or worsening schizophrenia in individuals here is one.
http://www.drugs.com/news/m...
Their many more listed if you search under marijuana/schizophrenia alone, not to...
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The family of Vicki Moore, a Bakersfield mother of two who is battling cancer, is asking local residents to help them celebrate Moore’s birthday.
They want to shower Moore in funny cards for her 37th birthday, which is Thursday, said Beth Cheatwood, Moore’s mother. The cards will...
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Almost any night of the week you can have your pick of medical TV shows. You got your "Scrubs," "Grey's Anatomy" and "House." If reality TV is your thing, take your pick from "Untold Stories of the ER" on TLC and "Dr. 90210" on E!. Even the crime...
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One good thing might come out of suffering a lifetime of painful migraines.
A new study from Johns Hopkins Hospital and the Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health, found that middle-aged migraine sufferers showed less cognitive decline and memory loss over a period of 12 years than a...
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This project will stick in your mind long after you finish reading it and make you truly appreciate family and life.
Sacramento Bee photographer Renée C. Byers and writer Cynthia Hubert followed mother Cyndie French for a year as her son Derek Madsen battled neuroblastoma, a rare...
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Kristi Shelton still has the purple card with the fallen leaf and tear drop printed on it that workers at Mercy Southwest Hospital put on her hospital room door after she lost twins Faith Anna and Christian Todd.
Both were born at 20 weeks, just halfway through a typical gestation.
That...
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Mexico's new secretary of health visited California Monday to talk about the health needs facing Mexicans in California.
According to a story from the San Francisco Chronicle, Jose Angel Cordova Villalobos plans to meet every six months with U.S. health officials and Mexican immigrant...
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Rules intended to protect the environment are forcing asthma patients to turn to a different emergency inhaler -- a change that isn't coming cheap.
The Food and Drug Administration is phasing out the albuterol inhalers that use chlorofluorocarbons, or CFCs, to propel the medicine into the...
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Q: Why doesn't Bakersfield have a long-term care facility for patients with respiratory problems considering Kern County had an increase in the number of patients with respiratory problems?
-- Arman Domingo
A: Bakersfield does not have a long-term care facility that solely treats respiratory...
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The National Cancer Institute has a neat tool that lets you calculate your breast cancer risk.
It's called the Breast Cancer Risk Assessment Tool and asks you seven questions regarding age, family history and medical history.
Keep in mind, though, that this is only to help you learn more...
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Think you know your way around a fast-food menu board?
Test your knowledge.
1. Which of the following breakfast items that are served at Denny's do you think has the fewest calories?
A. ham and cheddar omelet
B. country fried steak and eggs
C. three slices of French toast...
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As the warmer temperatures beckon us outside, look out for ticks, the state's health department said Tuesday.
Ticks are small arachnids that are found in naturally vegetated areas throughout California, according to a news release from the state Department of Health Services. They prefer cool,...
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It may be too soon to tell if the recent gusty winds in Bakersfield are going to cause an increase of valley fever cases, but medical professionals are telling people to watch out.
(Read "Recent winds expected to stir up valley fever" in Tuesday's Californian.)
Valley fever is a...
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About one in eight pregnant women will go into preterm birth, according to a landmark national study released last year.
Preemies, babies born before 37 weeks gestation, not only have higher rates of respiratory, gastrointestinal, hearing, vision, cognitive, behavioral and growth problems,...
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A study came out yesterday that found health benefits to be the most highly coveted of employee perks.
One caveat of the National Business Group on Health report that I found particularly interesting was the fact that two in three, or 65 percent, favor charging smokers more for health...
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The Food and Drug Administration is in a tizzy over a new energy drink/dietary supplement called Cocaine.
The 8.4 ounce drinks are being marketed as "the legal alternative."
Produced by the Las Vegas-based Redux Beverages, Cocaine contains no actual cocaine, just sugars, amino...
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Opponents of California's physician-assisted suicide bill say more than 500 residents a year would commit legal suicide if the bill passes.
And if it is passed, other states would likely follow suit, according to a story today in USA Today.
"Absolutely, other states would...
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Earlier this year, I wrote on this blog about a family who started a Web site to keep loved ones informed about a Bakersfield woman's battle with cancer.
What do you think about this method of keeping everyone in the loop? (Read "Web site spreads news of woman's condition" in...
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By the time you were nine, had you started an organization to fund surgeries for children on the other side of the world?
I doubt it. I think by that age, I had collected money for UNICEF during Halloween and helped in some food and clothes drives, but that was about it.
Bakersfield...
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The Californian is undertaking a large project on childhood obesity in Kern County — a serious issue that's impacting our schools, our health system and, most importantly, our children's lives.
And we're looking for some help.
Wanting to go beyond the basic...
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What role should medical professionals have in executions? Some states require a doctor to be present, but many physicians say this is unethical.
Stateline.org, a journalist-staffed Web site focused on policy issues, came out with an interesting story today on the dilemma.
As the story...
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(More notes from the Association of Health Care Journalists national conference near Los Angeles.)
If it can be done in California, it can be done anywhere.
When it comes to guaranteeing health coverage for all residents, that’s the stance being taken by the federal government on...
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I had heard about City of Hope from some of the cancer patients I've talked to. The revolutionary research and treatment center had always sounded like a refuge, a place some patients are thankful they've gone to or hopeful that they'll one day get the chance.
Now I had an opportunity to see...
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A mom took her toddler to a local pediatrician for an ear infection. She says they were turned away because she had visible tattoos.
Was this discrimination? No, says the state medical board. (Read "Furor leaves mark on doctor" in Wednesday's Californian.)
But first, here's a...
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Fever? Headache? Stiff neck?
Get to the hospital. Don't wait.
The county Public Health department wants parents to be on the lookout for these symptoms of meningitis, a potentially fatal infection especially prevalent in children. (Read...
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The number of vendors selling cigarettes to teens is on its way down.
The county Department of Public Health sent 24 underage high school students to 114 tobacco vendors across the county and found that 26 percent of the vendors sold them cigarettes. (Read "More teens smoking" in...
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Two Bakersfield gay women are accusing San Joaquin Community Hospital of discrimination. (Read "Couple: Hospital's refusal of visit was discrimination" in Thursday's Californian.)
Sharolyn Takata and Donna Jones, who are registered domestic partners, took their daughter to San...
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Patients have one more way to check up on local hospitals before the hospitals are doing a check-up on them.
CalHospitalCompare.org launches today. The Web report card, which was developed by a group of health industry members, evaluated more than 200 hospitals in the state on overall patient...
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The OB/GYN physicians in Kern Women's Health Group have had their share of troubles with county supervisors.
Accused of being paid too much, bilking the county out of money, taking advantage of a convoluted contract — the physicians have had to go to bat against the board more than...
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Almost every day, I get several press releases on new studies, surveys and medical advancements. Most of the time, they don't warrant a story, due to a lack of clear scientific findings or scrutiny, an inherent financial interest or irrelevance.
The Chicago Tribune's public editor published...
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The Medical Board of California is seeking to strip local ophthalmologist and philanthropist Dr. Charles David Fritch of his license to practice medicine, citing gross negligence.
The state Attorney General's office, in an accusation filed Nov. 17, says Fritch was either negligent or grossly...
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Having just read about the riots breaking out, families and prison employees smuggling and turf wars over control of black markets on the inside, I almost thought I was reading about the meth or heroin trade in Californias prisons, but I wasn't. I was reading about the tobacco trade on the...
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Comments [3] - Views [393]
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More and more employers are instituting wellness programs and policies to help keep down the cost of health insurance.
There's an interesting piece in the New York Times today on employers offering free drugs for chronic diseases to help keep their employee's health in check.
The story...
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Comments [18] - Views [294]
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The good news: Kern Medical Center has improved on some of their financial issues.
The bad news: There is still much more work to be done, and in fact, the hospital's progress has slipped a little when compared to the years before.
The Macias Consulting Group presented its latest round of...
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San Joaquin Community Hospital is expanding. Set to open in about a month, the hospital's newest tower — the North Tower — has new equipment, new services and larger rooms, to just name a few. (See "Hospital hopes to rise with tower" in today's Californian.)Here's some...
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Kern Medical Center is again without a permanent chief financial officer.
Kent Johnson, who started as KMC's CFO Aug. 7, is no longer working for the county hospital.
During Johnson's eight-month probationary period, KMC's Interim Chief Executive Officer David Culberson and County...
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Want a little help taking off a few extra pounds? The Food and Drug Administration approved an over-the-counter diet pill for the first time Wednesday.
Orlistat, formerly available by prescription, can now be sold as a reduced-strength OTC.
This new weight-loss aid will go by the name...
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Just the thought of mixing sex and 12-year-old girls is making some people queasy about mandatory human papillomavirus vaccinations.
Through a Republican governor’s order, Texas girls must now receive the HPV vaccine before entering sixth grade unless their parents opt out. In...
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For many women, getting The Pill is a right of passage. Could this soon be a tradition for men too?
I recently finished a story on female birth control (see "Taking Control" in last Sunday's Californian) and thought, "What about the other sex?" Contraception for men can't...
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Comments [24] - Views [367]
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Well, it's happening again. Another step toward American irresponsibility, super profits of medical care and a step toward the time when taxpayers will foot the bill for parent's abuse and neglect of their children. I am not speaking of beatings or sexual abuse, I am talking about childhood...
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Talk about an unlikely representative. He eats earwax!
Shrek — the lovable, smelly, bright green ogre from the swamp — and his crew are now speaking out against childhood obesity. Unveiled today, the campaign comes from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, the Ad...
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I'm writing about the rise in popularity of "mommy makeovers."
Much more than the massage and hair cut of days gone by, these usually include a breast augmentation, tummy tuck and maybe even lipo.
Women are getting this combination to erase the effects of child bearing, say area...
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Our drug will not only fix your acid reflux, but it will also make you a more loving father, get you laid, get you the promotion and allow you to take that vacation of your dreams.
Well, that's what a new study is claiming pharmaceutical commercials say.
A study in the Annals of Family...
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A local woman's family has set up a Web site to keep all her loved ones in the loop on her cancer treatment.
I just came across www.updateonvicki.com. Vicki Moore — a courageous, 30-something mother and Bakersfield resident — was diagnosed with cancer in November. Since then she's...
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Big Mac — got it.
Fruits and veggies — not so much.
The city tops the list for having the most fast-food and convenience stores compared to supermarkets and produce vendors -- an issue that may be adversely affecting residents' health. (Read "City lacks options" in...
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A woman who competed in a Sacramento radio station's contest to see how much water she could drink without urinating died of water intoxication Friday.
Jennifer Strange, 28, was found dead in her Rancho Cordova home hours after taking part in the "Hold Your Wee for a Wii"...
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When Gov. Schwarzenegger says everyone must have health coverage, he means everyone — illegal immigrants included.
And if you can't afford it, you will be enrolled in one of the existing government-funded programs (Medi-Cal or Healthy Families) or will get coverage through the pool of...
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