Health
Do I cancel my scheduled mammogram or do I keep it?
I have a phobia about X-rays. Just ask my dentist - she practically has to tie me in restraints to get a full-mouth X-ray every couple of years. Her assurance that I'm getting no more radiation than from the sun doesn't appease me. I've had too many bad burns to take that lightly.
So now, according to the U.S. Preventive Services Task Force, I can skip this upcoming year's dose of radiation from a mammogram. I only need a screening once every two years instead an annual mammogram.
I haven't had anything detected that would make it crucial to get a mammogram every year. Maybe I could let the test slide this year, and it would be OK?
According to the task force, this would reduce unnecessary stress. I admit, each year I hold my breath (and not just for the seconds while the machine is whirring) but for days until I get the results. But I always experience a sense of calm and relief the remainder of the year. I feel I've at least done what I could to catch something quickly, and I wouldn't be kicking myself in the butt, should anything be there the next time.
Now, I'm wondering, skip a year and avoid radiation? Or skip a year and spend the 12 months wondering, if in that time, something is wrong and I haven't caught it?
I imagine a lot of women out there are wondering the same.
The Manchester Center flu-shot clinic tomorrow (Nov. 4) is expected to be the biggest swine-flu shot clinic so far in Fresno County.
Health officials estimate thousands - that's by the phone calls they've been taking from people wanting to know where and when they can get the H1N1 vaccine - will show up for shots.
It's the first chance many in Fresno will have to line up for a shot. Vaccine supplies aren't exactly bulging. The Fresno County Department of Public Health got 11,500 doses last week for a county of almost 1 million.
Another clinic will be from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. Thursday (Nov. 5) at the retired teachers building on East Saginaw Way. To learn more about the H1N1 vaccine, check out the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's Web site.
To find a flu-shot clinic in Fresno County, go to the health department's Web site.
It will be interesting to see the numbers after the 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. clinic closes at the Manchester Center. I keep hearing from people who say they aren't going to get an H1N1 shot. Many of them aren't in high-risk categories - pregnant women, children and young adults, caregivers of infants younger than 6 months or people with chronic health conditions. But some in those targeted groups say they won't get vaccinated.
But I hear that office workers in doctors' offices are getting screamed at daily by people who want to know why they can't get an H1N1 flu shot. Doctors are waiting like health departments for the vaccine to arrive.
So I'm curious: Who's going to get a flu shot (or wants to get one when more vaccine is available)? Who isn't getting a shot? Why?
I was on vacation last week, but while I was gone, colleague Eddie Jimenez wrote a story about soda consumption in the San Joaquin Valley that captured my attention.
I had no idea we were the "soda consumption capital of California," as Harold Goldstein, executive director of the California Center for Public Health Advocacy, described us.
The statistics from researchers at the advocacy center and the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research made me gulp: 41% of children ages 2 to 11 statewide drink one or more sugary sodas each day. By contrast, 57% of children in Kings County and 53% in Fresno County drink sodas. The state's leader was Imperial County, where 61% of kids drink sodas.
How many teaspoons of sugar a day, a month or a year are kids drinking in soda? You do the math -- a 20-ounce bottle contains 17 teaspoons of sugar.
The story gave several possible reasons why we guzzle so much soda? I thought it was because of the hot summers here---but it's obviously it's a year-round beverage binge that we're on.
So, how do we wean ourselves off sodas and sweetened drinks?
Would an excise tax on sodas, as has been proposed, affect consumption? I don't know. But cigarette taxes seem to have had an effect on smokers.
Would a public education "put the cap on soda" campaign similar to the "buckle up" seat belt campaign make a difference?
What do you think?
Seasonal flu shots are available now at chain drug stores, from doctors. And county health departments will be starting their flu-shot clinics soon.
The shot won't protect against the swine flu--that vaccine isn't available yet. But seasonal flu kills about 36,000 people a year.
Those worried about mercury in vaccine for children can ask for mercury-free vaccine.
If you watch President Barack Obama's health-reform message tonight, let me know what you think.
Did you agree or disagree with his position on health reform and how to achieve it? What particularly did you like or dislike?
And what should Congress do now that the president's has outlined his goals for health reform?
President Barack Obama will address Congress on Sept. 9 about health reform. Maybe he can diffuse some of the hotheads on both sides of the issue that are turning some heath-reform rallies into combat zones.
This week in Fresno, people rallying for reform and those opposed to it came nose to nose at the Amtrak station. No blows were thrown, but by the shouted words and contorted faces that television crews captured, the anger level was pretty high.
Now, newspapers and The Associated Press have reported that a rally in Thousand Oaks ended with a finger bitten off.
Can we hope Congress behaves better when members begin debating health reform in earnest this month?
After my story on health-care reform in the August 24 Bee, I received several comments from readers who felt that people who are obese should pay more for health care. Their argument: Obesity puts people more at risk for illnesses, and the public shouldn't have to pay for lifestyle excesses that increase health-care costs.
What do you think?
Should the obese pay more for health coverage than people of normal weight?
Would this put us on a slippery slope?
Who else gets charged more for health insurance?
Smokers? Should smokers pay a higher insurance premium since smoking is known to increase risks for several diseases? How about someone who drinks or smokes marijuana? Should a higher rate extend to people who aren't fat, but eat a lot of saturated fat that increases the risk for high cholesterol? How about a higher insurance premium for other risky behaviors - unprotected sex with multiple partners?
And who decides the risky behaviors that warrant higher insurance premiums -- insurance companies, the government, employers who provide health insurance to employees?
Does this create a two-tiered health-care system that makes insurance affordable only to those with no health vices?
Let me know your thoughts on this.
The nation is in the midst of a high-stakes debate about health-care reform.
And the reaction to proposals to overhaul the health-care system have been intense, to say the least, at town hall meetings held this summer.
Policy makers want and need to hear from the public. I'm confident they would rather have a calm discussion than opinions yelled in their faces, as has too often been the case so far.
So here's your chance. Let's start a reasoned dialogue on the issues.
People in the San Joaquin Valley should demand no less. The outcome of health-care reform could affect thousands here, where one out of four people is without health insurance.
How to expand health insurance coverage to the uninsured -- and pay for it -- is at the crux of the health-reform debate. Should the government create a "public option" governmental insurance program or a nonprofit cooperative system to compete with private insurance companies? That's just one of the points of contention.
Now is the time to discuss health-care reform. The chance may never happen again. Share your thoughts. What's the best health-reform idea you've heard so far? What worries you most about the proposals being kicked around? The Henry J. Kaiser Family Foundation, a non-partisan health-care research organization, is one place to look for information about those issues and others and to keep track of the debate.
The debate is not only for the 25% of us who don't have coverage, but for the rest of us who are fortunate to have health insurance and want to know what health-reform could do to it.
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In these tough economic times, with college tuitions rising, it's encouraging that organizations are responding with scholarships for students.
Tuesday, 15 nursing students at Community Medical Centers were awarded $3,000 scholarships each from the Alice A. Peters Nursing Scholarship Fund.
Community said the scholarships lessen the financial burden and help nursing students - who are Community Medical Center employees -- complete their studies on schedule.
The result for the San Joaquin Valley since the first scholarships in 2002: 75 registered nurse graduates.
Applications for the next year's scholarships will be available in March. The filing deadline will be June 18.
The scholarships started with a $300,000 gift in 2002 from Alice A. Peters. It was matched by the Leon S. Peters Foundation to encourage employee support of the program. Employees have contributed more than $140,000, Community said.
This year, Community said Wells Fargo Foundation also gave $25,000 for nursing education -- $12,500 for the Alice A. Peters Nursing Scholarship and $12,500 for the Marilyn Hawkins Nursing Leadership Scholarship.
The 2009 Alice A. Peters Nursing scholarship recipients are:
1. Brandy Bump
2. Jeremy Dobbins
3. Myra Ferguson
4. Phoebe Green
5. Jenna Gretsch
6. Vincent Hernandez
7. Sophear In
8. Antoinette Iskenian
9. Kam Khamnhoth
10. Angela Moro
11. Phil Olmos
12. Hayley Ripley
13. Jacob Scholar
14. John Tenedor
15. Emily Tuck
A cancer study just released today deserves a careful look here in the San Joaquin Valley.
The study, published in the Cancer Epidemiology, Biomarkers & Prevention, a journal of the American Association for Cancer Research found overall cancer risk increases 40% or more for Hispanics who live in the United States versus those living in their home countries.
A closer look, however, shows it's dangerous to lump "Hispanics" into one large group.
Those Hispanics from Mexico, it turns out, have the lowest cancer risk and those from Puerto Rico have the highest. Dig even deeper, and the results for the people from Mexico are based largely on new immigrants and young ones living in Florida. The results could look different for Hispanics of Mexican descent living in the United States for years and for those from different generations.
Lead researcher Dr. Paulo S. Pinheiro, with the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, says the paper raises questions that need more study. "This paper should be a push for more research in this unique population," he said.
There's consensus among health experts that breast milk is best for baby: It prevents childhood obesity and a host of infant illnesses, they say.
But somehow that knowledge hasn't translated into high breast-feeding rates in the San Joaquin Valley.
When the University of California at Davis Human Lactation Center and the California WIC Association conduct a yearly survey of breast-feeding rates in hospitals, Valley hospitals routinely rank at the bottom.
An analysis by the groups made public Wednesday shows 82% of mothers start breast-feeding during their hospital stay, yet only 34%, on average, are exclusively breast-feeding when they left the hospital. To see the yearly report on breast-feeding and county facts, go to the California WIC Association Web site.
That's why hospital officials throughout the San Joaquin Valley on Wednesday sent people to a full-day summit sponsored by WIC and the Central California Regional Obesity Prevention Program. The goal: To help increase the number of Valley hospitals with policies that encourage new moms to exclusively breast-feed babies while in the hospital.
Researchers say hospitals that adopt baby-friendly breast-feeding policies see their rates of exclusive breast-feeding soar.
Baby-friendly breast-feeding hospitals adopt policies and practices that support women to breast feed, such as training staff to help women, giving breast-feeding women no formula while in the hospital unless there's a medical need and not sending free formula samples home with breast-feeding moms.
It will be interesting to see how many hospitals adopt policies --- and their exclusive breast-feeding rates next year.
Fireworks can be a fun activity for families staying close to home on this recession-weary Fourth of July.
But I'd be remiss as a health reporter if I didn't remind people of the "safe and sane" message.
Firework injuries happen every year.
Nurses who treat burn victims say children 10 to 14 are the most likely to be hurt.
Last year, when I checked with nurses at the Leon S. Peters Burn Center at Community Regional Medical Center, they said they like to see people go to public fireworks events instead of setting off their own fireworks at home. No wonder, in 2007, they treated four patients for fireworks injuries.
Even the innocent-looking sparkler can burn flesh. A sparkler can reach up to 1,000 degrees Fahrenheit, according to the National Council on Fireworks Safety, which advises sparklers only for children 12 and older.
And the biggest concern is always the illegal or altered fireworks.
The city of Clovis reminds people that a person using illegal or altered fireworks --- as well as the property owner where they are set off -- each face a $1,000 violation.
Here are some fireworsk safety tips
Always have an adult present to supervise children.
Follow the directions on the fireworks package.
Never discharge fireworks near buildings or dry grass.
Have a bucket of water or a hose nearby to extinguish out-of-control fireworks.
Use a special stick, usually included with fireworks, to light fireworks instead of using matches.
If a firework fails to light on the first try, don't try to light it again.
Never throw fireworks at another person.
 Readers of "Baldo," a comic strip that runs in The Bee, should stay tuned this week and next. The strip concerns diabetes, a serious health issue that touches nearly 1 out of 10 people in the San Joaquin Valley.
Co-creators Carlos Castellanos and Hector Cantu say diabetes isn't "funny," but talking about it in the funny pages can draw attention to the seriousness of the subject.
"We've never approached serious matters too glumly," says Castellanos, 48, who talked to The Bee by telephone while on vacation in North Carolina last week. For example, the comic-strip creators have used "Baldo" in the past to encourage voting.
Diabetes as a topic for the strip appealed to illustrator Castellanos, His family has been affected by the disease. His mother has Type 2 diabetes, and his grandfather and great-grandfather on the maternal side of his family both died of complications from diabetes.
"When my grandfather died, I was in my 20s," he says.
Continue reading "Not just for laughs" »
It's 101 degrees in Fresno (if not right now, just give it a day or two) -- and that means it's swimming season.
So how many plan to cool off by taking a dip in a pool or lake? My guess is thousands in the San Joaquin Valley.
But how many are certified in CPR -- and remember what to do -- should someone need help?
Every year children drown.
Children's Hospital Central California in Madera County saw 53 children with water-related injuries in 2008 -- about 70% from pool accidents, according to a story in The Bee this February. Of those, 40 recovered completely, three suffered some degree of brain damage and 10 died.
Knowing CPR can save a child's life. But how recently a rescuer took CPR (cardiopulmonary resuscitation) was one of the variables that made a difference in the outcome, according to Mary Jo Quintero, a nurse in the hospital's emergency department. The size of the child, water temperature and length under water were also factors.
The Fresno-Madera Red Cross hopes to increase the numbers of parents who can respond to a water emergency. The agency, with help from First Five Fresno County and the Fresno Parks and Recreation Department, is offering a free infant and child CPR class on July 18 at the Mosqueda Center, 4670 E. Butler Ave.
Classes are available in English and Spanish.
It might be the best summer-school class anyone could take. To reserve a spot in the class: (559) 455-1000.
I get a lot of e-mails from companies pitching health products. I don't do product endorsements so they end up in my electronic wastebasket. But I got one from a company (nameless because I'm not endorsing any particular product) that questioned the advisability of sending fresh flowers to people in the hospital -- and of course having an alternative flower solution.
It made me question: Is it bad to send flowers to a hospital patient? I've certainly sent patients flowers.
A call to two of our hospitals in Fresno provided some answers.
From Community Medical Centers: "We deliver natural flowers to our patients but not to our ICU Patients. Our ICU patients can receive artificial flowers but not natural flowers. I'm not aware of any allergen free, fragrance free, etc. stuff that is delivered to our patients from the outside. I do know that our gift shop doesn't purchase referenced items."
And from Kaiser Permanente Medical Center: "Fresh flowers and plants are not allowed in the ICU or in rooms of patients who have allergies or who are neutropenic (low white blood cell count)."
But before you cancel the fresh flower delivery, here's the flip side from Erin Kennedy, a Community Medical Centers spokeswoman: "I sit on a customer service work group ... there definitely is a benefit to our patients in having their spirits lifted by such gifts as they heal."
I'm stepping out of strictly the "health" realm here to write a blog about robberies, but stories about two with very different endings warrant discussion -- I think.
The first is the case of the Oklahoma pharmacist, Jerome Jay Ersland, who shot a 16-year-old unarmed robber.
As reported in a story that ran in The Bee on May 30, Ersland confronted by two holdup men, pulled a gun, shot one of them in the head and chased the other away. Then, in a scene recorded by the drugstore's security camera, he went behind the counter, got another gun, and pumped five more bullets into the wounded teenager as he lay on the floor.
The 16-year-old Ersland shot was unarmed and unconscious when the fatal shots were fired, according to prosecutors. Ersland now is charged with first degree murder.
Now to the second robbery that caught my attention.
A Long Island convenience store owner confronted by a bat-wielding would-be robber said he decided to show mercy on the man after he collapsed in tears claiming he was only committing the crime to support his starving family, according to a story on www.fresnobee.com that appeared Wednesday.
Mohammad Sohail, owner of the Shirley Express convenience store about 65 miles east of New York City, told The Associated Press in a telephone interview that he gave the stickup man $40 and a loaf of bread -- and tried to give him a carton of milk before the tearful robber ran off.
I'm not judging Ersland for his decision to shoot or making Sohail a hero for putting his gun down. Each made a decision while they had a gun in their hands.
I only wonder if the idea of guns behind the counters of pharmacies and convenience stores bothers anyone? Where else are there guns -- behind the receptionist desk at the doctor's office, the cashier counter at the hair dresser's?
Does this make anyone feel safe or safer?
Things are buzzing in Clovis.
Mosquitoes have arrived in numbers big enough to make the Consolidated Mosquito Abatement District warn the public to protect themselves -- and for the district to spray neighborhoods to kill the adult pests. It's also hired pilots to fly over homes photographing backyards with green swimming pools.
So far, mosquitoes carrying West Nile virus have been detected in an area roughly bordered by Dakota, McKinley, Highway 168 and Willow Avenue. But they're likely spread out to other areas where they've yet to fall into mosquito traps set out to catch them for testing.
Aerosol fogging is occurring at night in areas where mosquitoes have been found with West Nile virus or areas with high numbers of adult mosquitoes, said Steve Mulligan, the district manager.
The district doesn't notify neighborhoods before fogging, he said. "It's critical that we get in there and do it as soon as we can," he said. "We don't have a mechanism that we can notify a neighborhood before we fog."
The spray is safe, Mulligan said. But people who are concerned about exposure to mosquito insecticides can contact the district to be notified of any spraying in their neighborhood, Mulligan said. The telephone number is (559) 896-1085.
The Fresno Mosquito Vector and Vector Control District has not done aerosol spraying, said Manager Tim Phillips.
The mosquito activity is about a month early, Mulligan said. "Now with Memorial Day coming up and with the hot weather people are going to be spending more time outside in the evenings," he said. "It's very critical that they use insect repellents when outside during these periods of time."
People also should report any unmaintained, green swimming pools. They're the major source of mosquito breeding in cities.
Mulligan said the district plans to start flights next week over the city to photograph backyards so they can identify green swimming pools that can be treated with mosquito fish.
A couple of weeks ago, I posted an entry about two bills in the state legislature that women who have recently lost their jobs in the recession may want to follow.
Senate Bill 54 by Mark Leno (D-San Francisco) and Assembly bill 119 by Dave Jones (D-Sacramento) would ban gender differences in health-insurance premiums charged by insurers to individuals.
Since that entry, I wanted to give an update: The bills will be heard on the Senate and Assembly floors on Monday (May 11).
In a telephone call Friday, Leno said he thinks there's enough votes for his bill.
Another development: There's a national move afoot on the part of insurers, as part of health-care reform negotiations, to do away with different premiums for women than men.
Leno said he'll keep pushing for a change in California law, regardless.
"There's absolutely no reason why a woman should be discriminated against in obtaining an individual insurance policy, he said.
I'll keep you posted on the California bills and what transpires on the national scene.
Continue reading "Equality and insurance" »
California's insurance commissioner has some advice for people traveling or preparing to travel outside the United States during the H1N1 (swine flu) outbreak: Look at your health insurance polices and know what it covers before you pack your bags.
It's good advice whether you're planning a trip or not. Too often people don't look at insurance policies until they get bills for prescriptions, medical visits or hospital stays they assumed were going to be paid by their insurance plans.
Here's some tips from Commissioner Steve Poizner I thought I'd pass along:
-- Have your health insurance ID card handy.
-- Review your health insurance policy provisions. Know which doctors and hospitals are in your network.
-- Make note of your co-payments. Know how much a doctor's office visit will cost. Check to see if your co-payments go up if you go out-of-network.
-- Keep handy a list of pharmacies and medications covered by your health insurance policy.
-- If you have plans to travel, make sure you check to see if there are any doctors or medical facilities in-network where you will be visiting.
-- Make sure you have contact details for your health insurance company available in case you have questions.
-- Ask your employer for any and all applicable health insurance information that might be prepared for you in one simple-to-reference form. Post this information where it can easily be accessed, whether at home or the office.
The federal government has created a Web site with information.
Blame the economy for drooping eyelids and sagging jowls.
Fewer people are having plastic surgery. According to the American Society for Aesthetic Plastic Surgery, there was more than a 12% decrease in total cosmetic procedures nationwide between 2007 and 2008.
Plastic surgeons say it's a reflection of the recession. A complete face lift can cost as much as $10,000. People are either postponing or canceling big makeovers until the economy perks up.
Instead, they're opting for cheaper alternatives. The top five nonsurgical cosmetic procedures nationwide in 2008 were Botox injection, laser hair removal, hyaluronic acid procedures, chemical peels and laser skin resurfacing.
Some patients say they can't afford to NOT look good in this ugly economy. Older job seekers are among the cosmetic patients in the central San Joaquin Valley.
That makes sense. Looking younger when you're competing in today's job market can be a necessity -- not a luxury.
But I haven't been able to find a patient to talk about cosmetic procedures and the economic pros and cons to having work done.
I'd love to talk to someone who's downscaled cosmetic procedure plans because of the economy or who's had a cosmetic procedure to help with a job search? Anyone interesting in chatting about this?
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