Ticks Pose Health Threat To Pets And Humans

April 22, 2014 - You can't spell "ticks" without "ick." Disgusting critters, ticks not only suck blood from your dog (and you, given the chance), they also spread dangerous diseases to both animals and humans, including Lyme disease. With warmer weather spreading across the nation, tick season is coming into full season. Removing ticks from your pet can be difficult, but Jennifer Kvamme, DVM has some helpful tips.

Identify ticks at tickinfo.com

"It’s no fun having to remove ticks from your dog during the spring and summer months," writes Dr. Kvamme at Philly.com. "Not only are these blood-suckers nasty to look at, all filled up with your pet’s hard won blood as they are, they are also notoriously difficult to dislodge, making it so you have to get up close and personal in order to assure success. Because left too long or not removed entirely, these buggers can cause some serious diseases. So, what can you do to keep your dog tick-free this season?" Dr. Kvamme looks at spot-on treatments, oral medications, shampoos, tick dips and tick collars. Read the full article at Philly.com.

Cats Too: Ticks love your feline friends, as well. Ticks can jump from one animal to another. As noted by The Humane Society, "Don't limit tick checks to your canine family members. Dogs can't directly transmit tick-borne illnesses to people, but ticks can move from host to host. A tick may enter your home on your dog's back and move on to another pet or human, or a tick could hitch a ride on you and then move on to one of your pets. A good tick prevention strategy includes checking all family members for these parasites, especially after outdoor activities in wooded, leafy, or grassy areas."

Also See:

• How to Properly Remove Ticks: Common Myths and Foolproof Methods VetStreet
• Ticks that carry Lyme disease infecting more dogs, report says Today.com
• Preventing Ticks On Your Pets CDC, and Tick-Borne Diseases Of The U.S. CDC
• Man finds dog covered with 100 ticks after Easter walk through underbrush The Republic
• Scientists discover unnamed disease carried by deer ticks Republican Herald
• Beware of Wood Ticks Valley Journal
• Basic Tick Identification TickInfo.com
• How Ticks Spread Lyme Bay Area Lyme
• Lyme Disease In Pets PetMD

The Deadly Ignorance of Hepatitis

August 3, 2013 - The World Hepatitis Alliance is calling for "urgent attention" to help fight viral hepatitis worldwide, which it says kills as many as does HIV/AIDS. Despite this alarming claim, "the great majority of countries have no programmes in place to tackle it." Tragically, ignorance of hepatitis greatly contributes to the number of deaths caused by the disease itself.

More people, both the public and the healthcare community, need to become aware of hepititis. According to Hepatitis Foundation International, "An estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis; most do not know they are infected. Most do not know HOW they were infected. About 80,000 new infections occur each year."

Video from World Heptatitis Alliance

Ignorance Kills: Far too many policymakers, health workers and members of the public are ignorant of hepatitis, how to prevent its spread, and how to treat it.

"Viral hepatitis is the leading cause of liver cancer and the most common reason for liver transplantation," says the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). "An estimated 4.4 million Americans are living with chronic hepatitis; most do not know they are infected." NewsMedical reports that "The Global Burden of Disease study released last year in the Lancet shows that viral hepatitis was responsible for almost 1.45 million deaths in 2010, the same as HIV/AIDS and significantly more than TB or Malaria. Despite this enormous annual death toll, leaders in global health consistently leave it off their agendas." It is astounding that such a serious disease remains so ignored. 

The World Hepatitits Alliance has some easy ways for you to get involved and help raise awareness. WHA points out these alarming facts:

• Viral hepatitis was responsible for almost 1.45 million deaths in 2010, the same as HIV/AIDS and significantly more than TB or Malaria
• 500 million people are living with chronic viral hepatitis. Hepatitis B and C are ‘silent’ viruses, because people may experience no symptoms
• If left untreated, hepatitis B or C can lead to advanced liver scarring, liver cancer or liver failure

Being infected with certain types of the hepatitis virus can cause hepatitis and increase the risk of liver cancer. (Source: National Cancer Institute)

Hepatitis is most commonly caused by the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis is a disease that causes inflammation (swelling) of the liver. Damage to the liver from hepatitis that lasts a long time can increase the risk of liver cancer.

There are six types of the hepatitis virus. Hepatitis A (HAV), hepatitis B (HBV), and hepatitis C (HCV) are the three most common types. These three viruses cause similar symptoms, but the ways they spread and affect the liver are different. The Hepatitis A vaccine and the hepatitis B vaccine prevent infection with hepatitis A and hepatitis B. There is no vaccine to prevent infection with hepatitis C. If a person has had one type of hepatitis in the past, it is still possible to get the other types. Read more about the six types of hepatitis...

Also See:
Global policy report on the prevention and control of viral hepatitis World Hepatitis Alliance
World Hepatitis Alliance calls for urgent action to address viral hepatitis News-Medical.net
Hepatitis C on the rise among [baby] boomers ... Sun-Sentinel
Early detection and treatment key to fighting hepatitis... The National UAE
Stigma And Ignorance Hinder The Fight Against Hepatitis MedicalTV.eu
Hepatitis C: Why Baby Boomers Should Get Tested (pdf) CDC.gov

Update 2: WLS's Don Wade Gets Chemo, Radiation After Brain Surgery

UPDATE, Dec. 14, 2012 - Sorry to see that Don Wade and Roma have decided to not return to morning drive duties at WLS-AM 890. It's understandable, though, as the stress would be difficult for Don, who is still on the mend after surgery for a brain tumor. It's the end of an era for Chicago radio.

Don and Roma (photo: allaccess.com)

Oct. 13, 2012 - WLS-AM (890) morning talk man Don Wade, 71, "will undergo chemotherapy and radiation treatments following his recent surgery to remove a growth from his brain, according to a statement released Wednesday," reports Robert Federer at TimeOut Chicago. He will get a six-week course of chemo and radiation, to begin the week of October. 14.

Previous Post, Oct. 2, 2012: 
Don Wade had "succesful" brain surgery on Thursday, Sept. 27.  The surgery reportedly went well for Don, 71 - the male half of the Don Wade and Roma show - and he is now recovering at home. He was released from the hospital on Saturday, Sept. 29. Don had a seizure on Sept. 13, and the surgery was performed to remove "a growth," possibly a brain tumor. (See previous report.)

"Don came out of it really well," said the Wade's agent Eliot Ephraim, reports Robert Feder at Time Out Chicago. The Don Wade and Roma show is broadcast live from 5-9:00 a.m., Monday-Friday. Send  get-well wishes to Don by email to getwelldon@gmail.com or by slowmail:
WLS-AM190, North State Street, 9th Floor, Chicago, Illinois 60601

WLS Morning Man Don Wade To Have Brain Surgery

Don Wade and Roma (wlsam.com)

UPDATE, OCT. 2: Don Wade is recovering at home after successful brain surgery. More...

Sept. 25, 2012 - We are praying for the speedy recovery of WLS's Don Wade, the male half of the extremely popular Don Wade & Roma Show in Chicago, to pull through his health nightmare. After suffering a seizure on Sept. 13, Don will have surgery to remove a tumor from his brain. The surgery is scheduled for this Thursday. Don Wade is 71 years old.

TrueNewsUSA noted yesterday that "Don Wade, the popular conservative Republican leaning host of the morning show on WLS AM 890, will be off the air for at least a month, to receive treatment for a growth on his brain, the station announced on its website."  Don and wife Roma have been hosting the show for more than 20 years on WLS 890 AM.

Here is an excerpt from a statement released yesterday by WLS Radio:

"Don Wade had a seizure while traveling last week. After a series of tests, doctors discovered a growth on his brain. He is having surgery this week to remove the growth. Recovery from the surgery will keep Don off the air for at least four weeks. Don and Roma remain positive and optimistic..."

Send well-wishes to Don and Roma by email to getwelldon@gmail.com or by U.S. Post to:

WLS-AM190
Get Well Don!
North State Street, 9th Floor
Chicago, Illinois 60601

While Don Wade is out on medical leave, the show will be hosted by self be-clowned Bruce Wolf and his anal retentive, pompous sidekick, "Cicero" Dan Proft. Why WLS allows its airwaves to be tainted by the likes of an oily weasel like Proft, who "allegedly" bullies women, is a mystery. Apparently, the management at WLS has no problem with those issues, or with the possible ethics problems of one of their talk show hosts "raising campaign funds for a second statewide political bid for governor while he is promoting himself on Chicago radio."

FDA Warning to Dieters - Stop Using Hydroxycut Immediately

WARNING FROM FOOD & DRUG ADMINISTRATION (FDA) The entire warning, from the FDA website: The U.S. Food and Drug Administration is warning consumers to immediately stop using Hydroxycut products by Iovate Health Sciences Inc., of Oakville, Ontario and distributed by Iovate Health Sciences USA Inc. of Blasdell, N.Y. Some Hydroxycut products are associated with a number of serious liver injuries. Iovate has agreed to recall Hydroxycut products from the market. The FDA has received 23 reports of serious health problems ranging from jaundice and elevated liver enzymes, an indicator of potential liver injury, to liver damage requiring liver transplant. One death due to liver failure has been reported to the FDA. Other health problems reported include seizures; cardiovascular disorders; and rhabdomyolysis, a type of muscle damage that can lead to other serious health problems such as kidney failure. Liver injury, although rare, was reported by patients at the doses of Hydroxycut recommended on the bottle. Symptoms of liver injury include jaundice (yellowing of the skin or whites of the eyes) and brown urine. Other symptoms include nausea, vomiting, light-colored stools, excessive fatigue, weakness, stomach or abdominal pain, itching, and loss of appetite. “The FDA urges consumers to discontinue use of Hydroxycut products in order to avoid any undue risk. Adverse events are rare, but exist. Consumers should consult a physician or other health care professional if they are experiencing symptoms possibly associated with these products,” said Linda Katz, M.D., interim chief medical officer of the FDA’s Center for Food Safety and Applied Nutrition. Hydroxycut products are dietary supplements that are marketed for weight-loss, as fat burners, as energy-enhancers, as low carb diet aids, and for water loss under the Iovate and MuscleTech brand names. The list of products being recalled by Iovate currently includes: Hydroxycut Regular Rapid Release Caplets Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Rapid Release Caplets Hydroxycut Hardcore Liquid Caplets Hydroxycut Max Liquid Caplets Hydroxycut Regular Drink Packets Hydroxycut Caffeine-Free Drink Packets Hydroxycut Hardcore Drink Packets (Ignition Stix) Hydroxycut Max Drink Packets Hydroxycut Liquid Shots Hydroxycut Hardcore RTDs (Ready-to-Drink) Hydroxycut Max Aqua Shed Hydroxycut 24 Hydroxycut Carb Control Hydroxycut Natural Although the FDA has not received reports of serious liver-related adverse reactions for all Hydroxycut products, Iovate has agreed to recall all the products listed above. Hydroxycut Cleanse and Hoodia products are not affected by the recall. Consumers who have any of the products involved in the recall are advised to stop using them and to return them to the place of purchase. The agency has not yet determined which ingredients, dosages, or other health-related factors may be associated with risks related to these Hydroxycut products. The products contain a variety of ingredients and herbal extracts. Health care professionals and consumers are encouraged to report serious adverse events (side effects) or product quality problems with the use of these products to the FDA's MedWatch Adverse Event Reporting program online, by regular mail, fax or phone. –Online: www.fda.gov/MedWatch/report.htm –Regular Mail: Use FDA postage paid form 3500 found at www.fda.gov/MedWatch/getforms.htm and mail to: MedWatch 5600 Fishers Lane Rockville, MD 20852-9787 –Fax: 800-FDA-0178 ---- –Phone: 800-FDA-1088 The FDA continues to investigate the potential relationship between Hydroxycut dietary supplements and liver injury or other potentially serious side effects. For more information: Hydroxycut Products Dietary Supplements -- Overview FDA 101: Dietary Supplements NIH Office of Dietary Supplements ### CommieBama Hats and More Chicago News Bench RSS Feed Follow ChiNewsBench on Twitter

Cervical Cancer Vaccine Warning

FLASH - This important story from the New York Post: GARDASIL - a new cervical-cancer vaccine heavily marketed to young girls in ubiquitous ads on TV and in movie theaters - is under investigation for possible links to paralysis, seizures, and 18 deaths. Federal health officials have logged 8,000 "adverse events" in girls and women injected with the Merck & Co. vaccine introduced two years ago, more than 500 of them from New York. FULL STORY...

Hey Fatties: Do Something

Good news for fat women! A little physical movement now and then can greatly enhance that diet. (Note: Lifting paper out of a printer does not count as excercise!) Results of a new study find that even moderate amounts of daily exercise can greatly improve your quality of life if you are an overweight or obese woman. So get out an take a walk, ladies. It'll put you in a better mood. You'll be less likely to talk shit about your boss and employees behind their backs, less likely to leave insane notes for your employees, less likely to sadistically demean your employees, less likely to... well, you get the idea. Get off your plump derrieres and do something physical. The women who exercised a lot felt better emotionally and physically, and they also reported that activities such as climbing stairs were a lot easier. FULL STORY... RELATED: A new study found obese women were more likely to suffer brain cell loss linked to dementia.Swedish researchers found the association between obesity and brain atrophy - the abnormal loss of neurons after following 290 women over 24 years. MORE ON THE PLATE at FoodConsumer.org...

The Health Nazis

“It was even pointed out that Hitler, Mussolini and Franco were all non-smokers, while the ‘evil enemies’ - Churchill, Roosevelt and Stalin - all enjoyed a tobacco fix.” - Anorak News 'Nazi' claim as Germans rebel over smoking ban Germany’s Smoking Ban Evokes The Health Nazis Germany's Smoking Ban Spreads Through States Subverting the Smoking Ban in Germany Germans puff on as smoking ban fizzles

Illegal Food Vending, Distribution Uncovered in Rogers Park

Must-read report at Broken Heart reveals that local businessman and restaurant owner Michael James is allegedly a partner of some of the unregulated street food cart operators in Chicago. (Photos by T.H.Mannis. Click to enlarge.) Alleged food safety violations, under-the-table payments and more, with great photos. This could develop into quite a scandal. Michael James is also a partner in the Heartland Cafe and the No Exit. Craig Gernhardt's report is stunning. In part, he writes: From the looks of things, Michael James is allegedly running a unsanitary food storage distribution network from the back of his home at 1509 West Lunt. That's right, a food cart storage facility right there in Mr. James old, five car garage. And some storage facility he offers his vendors. The garage door is so old and rotted, the wood door has big gaping holes for easy rodent access. From the evidence I've been able to uncover, there are a two dozen or more, half full - gallon jugs of liquid syrup and sticky unwashed dispensing cups all over the place. The Michael James Food Storage Company LLC uses all their cramped space, even storing sticky syrup on the oily old concrete garage floor. FULL REPORT... RELATED: Filthy Heartland Cafe Closed for Health Code Violations (13 March 2009)

Nazis, Heathens to Gather at Hyatt Regency July 5-7

Kay Mixson Jenkins wrote a bizarre, and may I say, divisive, comment in response to today's posting "Parkinson's Cured Without Dead Babies!" Summary: Kay calls herself a Nazi, a heathen, and admits that she would sell children's souls to the devil! Wow! I love comments like this! Kay said... Well thank you for clearing that up for the 400,000 embryos that will become "garbage pail babies" because of people like you. RPB: Golly, Kay. That many? And you're blaming me for the deaths of those babies? You're admitting that those fetuses are "babies"? I would like to extend a personal invitation to you to visit me in Chicago July 5 - 7 at the Hyatt Regency O'Hare for the Young Onset Parkinson's Conference. There you can meet hundreds of us that are Nazis,heathens and would sell our children's souls to the devil for a cure. RPB: Wow! Kay, your financial dealings with the devil could be dangerous. Now, the ACLU would cherish your right to be a Nazi, and since it's Happy Week here at RPB, I don't want to be too divisive by arguing with you about your political affiliations. Or your "heathen" tendencies. But why, Kay, why would you sell your children's souls when a "Common Blood Pressure Drug Could One Day Slow Or Halt Parkinson's"? Here are a few facts i am sure that mean nothing to you. But to the 1.5 million Americans "living" with this chronic progressive disease that was discovered over two hundred years ago which in this time they have been unable to stop the progression, slow down the deterioration of our bodies or find a cure and for the sixty thousand who will be diagnose this year, which one in seven will be under the age of fifty we thank you for your opinion on our cure. RPB: Interesting facts, Kay, and they do mean something to me. I'm not inhuman. But the fact that Parkinson's was "discovered over two hundred years ago" does not change the fact that right now there is a drug called isradipine that shows great promise as a cure for Parkinson's. What is your point, Kay? As the next nine minutes tick away, someone else will be told they have Parkinson's. How many minutes is that cure? RPB: I don't know how minutes until isradipine becomes approved as a cure. But since 1973 there have been approximately one and one-half million abortions per year. That's roughly 4,100 per day, 171 per hour, or three abortions per minute. Can you tell us how many minutes it will be before embyonic stem cells have been shown to help even one affliction, Kay? Kay Mixson Jenkins June 12, 2007 1:16:00 PM CDT

Of Security and Lunacy, a Must-Read

Jim Pinkerton, columnist for Newsday, wrote an must-read op-ed. Weak on security By James P. Pinkerton Here are two reasons the American people don’t trust the federal government to keep them secure — and why the immigration deal is likely to fail, cracking up on the rocks of public mistrust. Consider the case of Andrew Speaker, the tort lawyer turned TB carrier. Diagnosed in January with a dangerous, drug-resistant form of tuberculosis, the Atlantan was warned against flying but flew around the world anyway, potentially jeopardizing millions.... So here’s a question: Why does DHS Secretary Michael Chertoff still have his job? His one talent seems to be as a Washington operator, keeping the lid on embarrassing inspector general reports. FULL ARTICLE...

Tuberculosis, Hypocrisy and Unregulated Borders

There is one man - a single, lone person - who is being called "the epicenter of America's tuberculosis scare." How ignorant. How utterly, stupidly ignorant. Andrew Speaker recently entered the United States. He has a wicked strain of drug-resistant tuberculosis (TB). He drove into the United States from Canada on May 24, where a U.S. border guard said that Speaker "looked fine," and allowed him to enter. Since then, the Center for Disease Control (CDC), the media and politicians at every level have been in a frenzy. How could this happen? This is proposterous! What kind of horrendous security breach was this? We dodged a bullet! Dodged a bullet? One guy enters the country with an illness and we "dodged a bullet?" Every week, hundreds of thousands of people fly into the country. Thousands walk across the US-Mexican border and US-Canadian border. We know little or nothing about them. Of the thousands of persons walking over the borders, whose names we do not even know, how many do you think are NOT carrying communicable diseases like TB? One man getting caught may be dodging a single bullet, but that counts for little when your caught in a furious crossfire of automatic fire. One bullet may have been dodged, but every hour, day and week there are thousands more bullets flying - and walking - at us.

Street Food Vendors and Disease Transmission

In a paper titled, "Street food vending in Latin America," the authors detail disease transmission and food sold by street vendors in Latin America. Below is an excerpt from an abstract of the paper. Arambulo P 3rd, Almeida CR, Cuellar J, Belotto AJ. [authors] PAHO, Veterinary Public Health Program, Washington, D.C. 20037. Despite occasional attempts to repress it, street food vending in Latin America appears to be on the rise....Besides placing a hidden burden on public services, the generally unregulated and quasi-clandestine street food industry tends to observe poor hygienic practices and to pose significant public health problems. Within this context, Latin America's cholera epidemics have drawn increasing attention to street food's potential for disease transmission and have created growing support for attempts to resolve these troubles... FULL ARTICLE at PubMed PMID: 7858648 [PubMed - indexed for MEDLINE]

Danger on the Streets

An informative article about street vendors and food safety from the World Health Organization (WHO). The article, "Street food boom in Ghana spurs calls for better hygiene," could be about food vendors and fool safety anywhere in the world. But one cannot help but notice that the rules in Ghana make more sense than they do in Chicago.

Street food vendors provide cheap meals for thousands of Accra’s citizens but concerns over foodborne diseases have led to efforts by the Ghanaian authorities to improve food safety and encourage vendors to adopt more hygienic practices.

Street vendors like Tawiah in Accra say they were unaware of the dangers until they attended the workshops and could unintentionally have been poisoning some of their customers. “Vendors were horrified when we told them that their food was potentially hazardous,” said Keith Tomlins, a food safety and quality scientist at the Natural Resources Institute at the University of Greenwich in the United Kingdom. At the moment, the city authorities grant permits and health certificates to vendors after medical screening of vendors and testing of their knowledge about food hygiene. FULL ARTICLE...

Creepy: Devon Avenue, Chicago

Yesterday I met friends at Viceroy of India Restaurant for lunch (2518 W Devon Ave, Chicago, IL). They do a buffet. The food, briefly, was average, nothing to write home about. Half of the steam table buffet items were room temperature but should have been hot. The other half was hot but not hot enough to be steaming, making one wish for a city health inspector to drop in just then. (By the way, what is the infatuation that Indian restaurants seem to have with aluminum foil?) (Click photos to see larger images.)

I hadn't been on Devon Avenue in some time. I remember why now. The pigeon crap. Crap everywhere! Dripping (literally) from the signs, piling up on the sidewalks. Dead pigeons hanging from the signs. You have to watch where you walk or you will be crapped on by a pigeon. Pigeons seem to be roosting on or inside of every sign. Pause to window shop and you may be crapped on. You may be crapped on as you are stepping inside of a business. Surely this is violation of health code? Can't Alderman Stone do something about this? Or does he like pigeon crap all over the place?

When Is An Activist Lying?

Sometimes, it's when their lips don't move. An article from today from ConsumerFreedom reports this: Sometimes the best way to find out activists' true intentions is to notice what they don't say. Earlier this month, California's Department of Health Services (DHS) announced that the spinach responsible for last September's E.coli outbreak was grown on an organic farm. This confirms a widely-held suspicion that the activist-inspired storyline blaming conventional (read: "corporate") farming techniques for the villainous veggies is bogus. The rest of this story...