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Super Tuesday is only a handful of days away. Do you know who you are going to vote for?
Unfortunately, I missed the past couple debates. So to help anyone like me get up to speed, below are excerpts about health care from the Democratic debate last night.
(Excerpts from the last Republican...
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If the governor's health care proposal is one of the patients it is trying to help, that patient is gasping for air, bleeding out on the table.
In other words: The Senate Health Committee voted down the proposal yesterday.
From the L.A. Times:
Lawmakers called the plan, which passed the...
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The Californian gave Brooke Stanley, one of the teens featured in the Weighed Down series, an audio recorder to use between interviews.
We used one of the audio entries in her photo slideshow.
Attached are some more of her thoughts, including her opinions on surgery, gym class and going to the...
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After a year of work, "Weighed Down," The Californian's project examining obesity and the young people it affects, is complete.
Look for the stories today through Monday in the newspaper, or read all the stories online right now.
We would love to hear your thoughts on the...
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Want to know more about obesity, nutrition, fitness and bariatric surgery?
Here are some places to turn to for more help.
What is obesity?
National Institutes of Health
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Information on women and obesity from the U.S. Department of Health and Human...
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The previous post on Fast Food Nation and obesity provoked such a discussion that I decided to expand that into this post as well.A lot of the conversation so far has focused on fast food's role in the rise in obesity rates.Well, here are the points made by groups on either side of the debate....
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One cool thing about a presidential election is all the neat interactive Web toys developed throughout the race.
To help you decide where you stand on health reform compared to the candidates, take the HealthCare08 PoliGraph.
Click the "Plot Your Stance On The Graph" button...
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In a county obese with burgeoning waistlines, choosing Fast Food Nation: The Dark Side of the All-American Meal as the next “One Book One Bakersfield...One Kern” installment seems all too fitting.
This latest "One Book" effort kicks off Thursday.
Here are some facts...
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Some of you might have seen the protester on Truxtun Extension Monday afternoon. And I'm not talking about the "Shame On" demonstrators.
For a few hours, Jean Hughes stood across from Truxtun Lake in the chilly temperatures with a sign saying “Dr. Michael Thorpe Poor...
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Welcome to Weighed Down, the blog that will accompany the Californian's upcoming series of stories exploring obesity.
Overweight and obesity has exploded over the last 30 years, becoming an epidemic facing over 60 percent of Kern County residents alone.
To see how obesity affects people's...
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Growing up the daughter of an OB/GYN's medical assistant, I have grown accustomed to the mountains of swag drug reps drop off at doctors offices.
Yeast infection medication calculators. Birth control lunch bags. Mountains and mountains of pens for every infertility, pregnancy, multivitamin,...
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As Baby Boomers age, taking care of elderly relatives will become a greater task.
To help people with relatives suffering from Alzheimer's, the Alzheimer's Disease Association of Kern County is hosting a workshop on caregiving.
Starting tomorrow, "Alzheimer's, The Basics in...
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Not sure how Clinton feels about universal health coverage? Wanna find out what Huckabee's stance on private health care is all about?
Well, the Association of Health Care Journalists, of which I am a member, has compiled a break down on all the candidates' health plans and opinions. Along...
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Most Californians are in favor of the new health care bill recently approved by the Assembly.
A Field Poll found:
By a nearly three-to-one margin (64 percent to 23 percent), California voters are inclined to favor a major health care reform plan backed by Republican Gov. Arnold...
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You can get gift cards to almost any store or Web site, for almost any good or service, so I suppose it was only a matter of time before someone created a gift card for something that leads to half of all bankruptcies — health care.
A Pittsburgh health insurer is selling Healthcare Visa...
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MRSA has been given a pretty scary nickname: superbug.
But MRSA — otherwise known as methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, which also doesn't sound too fun — shouldn't keep parents up late at night worrying, state and local officials said today.
Several of these...
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California just got one step closer to health care reform.
Legislation that would provide coverage to a lot of uninsured Californians was approved today by the state Assembly.
The $14.4 billion health care reform plan has the support of Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger, but will not...
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It looks like the Kern High School District board isn't the only one debating freedom of choice in public schools.
The San Diego Unified attorneys are taking a second look at a policy that requires school staff to tell parents and guardians if they learn a teen is pregnant.
Some schools...
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It looks like Kern Medical Center's beleaguered OB/GYN department will grace the pages of The Californian yet again.
A former KMC OB/GYN resident has filed a claim against the county, the hospital and several other medical residents for damages she says she suffered after the residents...
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If you were dying and Dr. Gregory House was a real person — and not the main character in Fox's "House" — would you want him treating you?
Would you excuse his reckless, sometimes illegal actions and terrible bedside manner for his lifesaving diagnosis?
That question...
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If 80 percent of people with West Nile virus have no symptoms, that means at least 690 Kern County residents were infected by the mosquito-borne virus year.
This figure assumes that every person who felt sick went to the doctor, who then reported the case to the state, so this number is...
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Chew on this (as you prepare for the most gluttonous, overindulgent holiday of the year): Condors fans will soon be able to take advantage of an All-You-Can-Eat Pavilion in Rabobank Arena.
As if Kern County needed another excuse to overeat.
Here's the news release:
BAKERSFIELD, Calif....
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Another World AIDS Day comes around, but is the community any wiser?
I spoke yesterday with Audrey Chavez, director of the Bakersfield AIDS Project, about World AIDS Day and where Kern stands in fighting the infectious disease. (Read "Observe World AIDS Day at many local events" in...
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Seeing a pregnant woman sidle up to the bar with a pint of Fat Tire or a pregnant woman taking a couple drags on her Virginia Slims while walking down Chester Avenue will probably make more than a few people cringe.
But what about expecting moms taking sips of wine?
That is what a new...
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A few blogs ago I posted tips for discarding unused meds. Here's some info on how to manage the meds you keep.
The Golden Empire Society of Health-System Pharmacists is urging patients to keep track of what they're taking to help avoid drug interactions. (Read "Patients urged to list...
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Blogs aren't just for the Web anymore.
"The Pulse" is now a Californian feature, along with being a fun and informative way to while away your time at work.
Every Monday, one of my blog posts is going to run in the Eye Street section of the paper.
"Spicy meatballs...
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Even if you're not someone with an overflowing amount of prescriptions, the penicillin from the infection a year ago, pain meds from when your back went out and leftover allergy pills can add up over time.
Here are some tips on how to safely discard the medicine, courtesy of the Substance...
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The thought of your grandparents getting it on is enough to make any mature, well-adjusted adult say, "Ewwwwww! Icky!"
But it turns out that them "making whoopie" — as it was called back in the day — may help in the long run. Sex and sleep may be the keys to...
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Nowadays, everything must be named, categorized and analyzed to give a concept a proper place in the monster that is American Culture.
Pretty much, you need a book. A how-to book is even better. A humorous how-to book puts it over the edge.
Enter: Knock Yourself Up: A Tell-All Guide to...
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Unless you're going for that crusty, pink-eye look on Nov. 1, don't top off your Halloween costume with novelty contact lenses.
According to the Food and Drug Administration, decorative contact lenses carry the same risks as corrective contact lenses, including:
conjunctivitis (pink...
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MRSA — or methicillin-resistant staphylococcus aureus, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria — has been widely talked about over the last weeks after several people were infected in Indiana and the "superbug" killed a Virginia teenager.
Shortly after starting here last year, I...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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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:...
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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...
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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...
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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...
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The U.S. government is undertaking some very ambitious and very controversial medical experiments.
The $50 million, five-year project, which will involve more than 20,000 patients in 11 sites in the United States and Canada, is designed to improve treatment after car accidents, shootings,...
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My day started with the bloody diarrhea of the local E. coli outbreak and now I've moved on to menstrual flow.
Talk about an ... ummm ... interesting day.
The first birth-control pill that can halt women's menstrual periods indefinitely won Food and Drug Administration approval today.
...
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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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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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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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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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I just finished this article. I never had a problem in this area, so it's difficult to relate. What do you think? Is it unethical? Does a woman's uterus fall under a different set of transplant rules than other organs? Would you do it?
...
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Household cold medicine is now being treated like cigarettes, in some regards.
Stores must keep the cold medicine behind the counter (usually in the pharmacy) or locked in a case. To buy the medicine, consumers must show federal or state-issued photo identification and sign a written or...
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A 16-year-old cancer patient got his wish today to forgo chemotherapy.
According to an Associated Press story, the family’s attorneys and social services officials reached a consent decree, which said that Starchild Abraham Cherrix, who is battling Hodgkin’s disease, will be...
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Congrats! You just found the Californian's health and medicine blog.
On this blog, you'll find interesting stories that are all the buzz in medicine, fun facts, sources for debate, some health stories from the newspaper and, from time to time, other random bits of goodness.
I must admit I'm...
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