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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,...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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....
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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,...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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Kern isn't No. 1, and in this case, that's a good thing.
The state Department of Public Health just announced the first human case of West Nile virus in the state this year — in Tulare County.
“The first human West Nile virus infection of 2008 underscores the importance of taking...
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Here's another letter to the editor forwarded to me on the budget cuts to Medi-Cal.
This one is signed by the CEOs of Bakersfield Memorial Hospital, Kern Medical Center, San Joaquin Community Hospital and Mercy Hospitals of Bakersfield.
What do you think? Does this spur you to action?
This...
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Coming up on Ricky's Retreat, the Bakersfield AIDS Project's headquarters, I was a bit taken aback to see the lawn blanketed in shoes.
Seven hundred eighty-four pairs to be exact.
There were high heels, cowboy boots, slippers, flip flops — you name it.
The "visual representation of...
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I just got this press release. Do you have "spring fever"?
Hi Emily,
Ah, spring, when a young man’s fancy turns to love… or just more sex.
The notion of “Spring Fever” is readily associated with cold weather hermits pouring outside to once...
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Mercy Hospitals is hosting an upcoming free skin cancer screening.
This event made me think of a recent post, "Health screenings aren't always recommended." It's not that I think screenings aren't helpful, but people need to be aware of the pros and cons of screening.
Yes, there are...
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Gay marriage is on a lot of people's minds today.
And, at least for the wedding party, it will improve their minds' health, according to some psychiatrists.
For Gay Marriage Day '08, I dug this story out of Psychiatric Times:
Numerous studies exploring the relationship between mental health...
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It seems like if you wait long enough a study will come out finding something healthy in your junk-food-of-choice.
Case in point: Drinking up to six cups a day of caffeinated or decaffeinated coffee won't shorten your life span, a new study shows. In fact, coffee might even help the heart,...
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A year ago today, news was breaking of Kern's first human case of West Nile virus of the year -- the first human case in the state.
Today, I'm working on a story about our first infected mosquito pool.
Positive mosquitoes often precede positive humans. Fingers crossed, maybe this year won't be...
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I've spent several hours this week weeding through inspections and complaints against local hospitals and nursing homes.
(Read "State investigating Kern Valley nursing home again," which ran Wednesday in The Californian.)
That is why this recent story from the Riverside...
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Right now I'm lying on my couch, looking like a chipmunk, watching "Who Framed Roger Rabbit."
I had no idea getting my wisdom teeth removed would be so boring.
(And for the record, "Who Framed Roger Rabbit" is the only thing on besides "The Princess Diaries 2."...
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This was a blog entry I wrote a year ago on another site, and I think it'd be great to hear what others have to say about it..
The Healthcare System
I think it's safe to say that the nation's current Healthcare system is beyond screwed. Insurance companies have a chokehold on the...
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Houchin Blood Bank certainly wouldn't find a spot on VH1's "Best Week Ever."
Let's start with the dire blood shortage. The blood bank is in need of all blood types.
Houchin strives to have 600 units of blood available daily, said Tracy Hunter, Houchin’s community relations...
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Will Kern County be ground zero for West Nile virus again this year? Are we doing anything to prepare?
Find out for yourself.
County directors from Public Health Services, Environmental Health Services and the Kern Mosquito and Vector Control District, among others, will talk about their West...
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Several health care bills are working their ways through the Assembly and Senate — many incorporating ideas originally introduced in the governor's health care proposal and other older bills.
According to California Healthline and the L.A. Times, some aim to curb the insurance industry...
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Russell Judd, president of Mercy Hospitals, submitted a letter to the editor about the state's cuts to Medi-Cal.
I would love to hear your thoughts.
For more info about the cuts, read "Calif. sued over Medi-Cal rate cuts" and "Is health reform dead?"
Budget Cuts Put...
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