Tag Archives: foxnews

Woman claims berries bought at Costco gave her Hepatitis A, sues manufacturer

A woman is suing after she says she got Hepatitis A from eating Townsend Farms frozen berries she bought at Costco, according to My Fox Phoenix.  The lawsuit was filed against berry maker Townsend Farms on Thursday. The woman, who lives in Anthem, Ariz., can't remember which Costco she bought the berries at. She's worked at the same place for 10 years and says she's never called in sick. Now she's at risk of losing her job and her degree as her medical bills are mounting. “I mean if I don't have a job, I don't have a degree, what do I have? Hepatitis A,” said Karen Echard. Echard says she got Hepatitis A from eating Townsend Farms Organic Antioxidant Blend Frozen Berry and Pomegranate Mix she bought at Costco in April. According to the Centers for Disease Control, 79 people in eight states have Hepatitis A infections potentially associated with the frozen berry mix; 30 were hospitalized. Hepatitis A is a contagious liver disease that can last a few weeks to several months. “They said it's anywhere from six weeks to six months for recovery with as bad a case as I have,” said Echard. The CDC says Costco removed the item from its shelves.Townsend Farms voluntarily recalled the item. Click for more from My Fox Phoenix. source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/10/woman-claims-frozen-costco-berries-gave-her-hepatitis-sues-manufacturer/

Relieve stress naturally with acupuncture

Your body is hardwired to react to stress. But if you are constantly on alert, your health can pay the price. We recently got this email from a viewer looking for some relief. Dear Dr. Manny, I heard acupuncture can help relieve stress, but how many treatments do you need? Thanks, MaryAnn Long-term stress on the body can put you at risk for numerous conditions: -Heart disease -Sleep problems -Digestive problems -Depression -Obesity -Memory impairment And new research shows you can actually wear the effects of stress on your face. Acupuncture can be a great way to relieve stress naturally. Each person responds to treatment in a different way, so the number of sessions required can vary. Experts recommend a minimum of one session per week for five to eight weeks, and patients often start to feel an immediate reduction in stress after just one session. You should always talk to your doctor before making any lifestyle changes, and make sure you find a licensed practitioner for treatment. Do you have a health question for Dr. Manny? Email it to him at DrManny@foxnews.com.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/09/relieve-stress-naturally-with-acupuncture/

The most dangerous fitness advice

Bernard Yang Kim never wanted to be a bodybuilder. The 31-year-old currency trader simply wanted to look chiseled—like an underwear model, he jokes—which is why he found it odd to be staring up at a 315-pound barbell.  He had never benched so much weight in his life; few men ever do. But his usual trainer was out, and his gym had set him up with a substitute—one who, as it turns out, was not only overzealous but also a terrible spotter.  “The bar crashed onto my chest, tearing my pectoral muscle,” said Kim, who ended up in the ER. “It was excruciating.” While extreme, Kim's experience is not uncommon. There are roughly 230,000 personal trainers in the United States, a number that has jumped 44 percent in the last decade. Indeed, personal training is one of the few professions to not only blossom during a recession but also grow afterward as people turn to it for a second job and even a second career. And it's easier than ever to get certified: You can go online, take a course, and start training clients within a month. “It's a buyer-beware market,” Mike Boyle, certified athletic trainer and owner of Mike Boyle Strength and Conditioning in Massachusetts, said. “Getting hurt might be rare, but you can easily waste your time with someone who is ineffective at best and dangerous at worst.” In short, knowing how to recognize bad advice is more critical than ever. Read on for six of the worst fitness tips we've ever heard (like these 4 Moves Smart Trainers Hate), and six ways to get back on track. (For an easy-to-follow workout you can do at home, check out our Speed Shred DVD series, which will help you incinerate fat and uncover your abs in just 82 days!) Bad advice: “Go big or go home.” “There's this idea that you have to train to failure to trigger growth,” Boyle said. “But 'go big or go home' is a slogan for a meathead's T-shirt and a prescription for injury, not an effective training strategy. The truth is precisely the opposite—'slow and steady wins the race.'”  Not convinced? Talk to Bernard Yang Kim. The key to success in the weight room is to make consistent, incremental gains that ultimately add up to the body you want. Better move: Train to technical failure.  ”You want to do as many reps as you can with perfect form,” Boyle said. “Once you can't do a perfect rep, the set is over—no negative reps, no spotter assistance, no using momentum to crank out one more.”  When you can complete your goal reps for every set—three sets of 10, for example—you're ready to move up in weight. “Throw another five pounds on the bar or grab the next heaviest pair of dumbbells,” Boyle said. “It might not sound like much, but think about it this way: Even if you only go up five pounds every two weeks, you'll still add 130 pounds to your lift after a year.” Bad advice: “Push through the pain.” A little bit of soreness isn't a bad thing. It just means you've pushed your body harder than usual, causing microtears in muscles that ultimately lead to gains in size and strength.  ”But there's a big difference between soreness and pain, and ignoring pain is a ticket to the disabled list,” Boyle said. “I regularly ask my clients, 'Does the exercise make any of your joints hurt?' I don't care if the pain diminishes after they warm up—if they answer yes, that's the end of the exercise.” (Know what symptoms warrant a trip to your doctor: Learn the 7 Pains You Shouldn’t Ignore.) Better move: Find a pain-free alternative that works the same muscles.  “Just because the barbell bench press causes you shoulder pain doesn't mean you have to stop working your chest,” Boyle said. “Try using dumbbells, do incline presses, or switch to pushups.”  Changing your grip, angle, or movement pattern alters the load and positioning of your joints, allowing you to build muscle without breaking your body. Bad advice: “Protect your spine with crunches and sit-ups.” There's no denying that crunches and sit-ups can help you sculpt a six-pack, but they come with an inherent flaw: repeated spinal flexion, which can increase your risk of developing a back problem and aggravate existing damage.  Bottom line: By recommending crunches and sit-ups, some trainers facilitate the very injuries they're trying to prevent, Tony Gentilcore, certified strength and conditioning specialist, a trainer at Cressey Performance in Massachusetts, said. Better move: Do stability exercises.  “Stability, or resisting unwanted motion, is the true function of your core, and exercises that reinforce that function protect your spine,” Gentilcore said.  Try the Swiss ball rollout: Sit on your knees in front of a Swiss ball and place your forearms and fists on the ball. Slowly roll the ball forward, straightening your arms and extending your body as far as you can without allowing your lower back to “collapse.” Use your abdominal muscles to pull the ball back to the starting position.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/09/most-dangerous-fitness-advice/

Man sues after plastic surgeon allegedly removes his entire nose

A New York man living in Tulsa went to get a nose job with a well-established Tulsa plastic surgeon and five years later does not have a nose. Dr. Angelo Cuzalina is known across Green County, Okla., for his plastic surgery. The Oklahoma Medical Board does not show any complaints in his history. He is listed as president of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. “I had the first surgery and suffered some breathing problems, nothing too bad, but it made it hard to exercise and sleep,” said Thakkar. He went back, again and again. Between 2006 and 2007 he had eight surgeries. He then left Tulsa until 2011 and came back for more surgeries. He had several infections. Finally, during a surgery, Thakkar says Cuzalina cut off his nose. “He told me that there was an infection in there and since I was on the operating table and unconscious he had to make the decision,” said Thakkar. On August 31st, 2012 Cuzalina sent Thakkar a form stating he will no longer work on him, “… you are considered medically unstable. Because of your ongoing threats and harassment against my staff, my practice, and me personally…”  the statement read. It was around this time Thakkar told FOX23 News, he learned Cuzalina was recording their audio and video without letting Thakkar know that was happening during his visits to the office. The lawsuit filed by Thakkar's attorney, Paul Boudreaux states: “During this period, and in violation of plaintiff’s medical confidentiality and privileges, Cuzalina hired private investigators and attorneys, and secured hidden audio and video recordings of Plaintiff without Plaintiff's permission or knowledge, in violation of the law and Plaintiff's reasonable expectations of privacy.” “In December of 2011, in the medical record he (Dr. Cuzalina) wrote I am suicidal, but at the same time the medication he is giving me it could easily kill a couple human beings,” said Thakkar. The lawsuit details those drugs: “.. prescribed an excessive amount of medication, enough to kill the patient, if taken, including but not limited to Loratab, Ambien, Valilum, and Oxycodone.” “I have more than 3,000 injections, pain pills and stuff so my liver is pretty much fried,” said Thakkar. FOX23 News learned of Thakkar's story on Friday and called to interview with Cuzalina's attorney, Tim Best. After a few conversations, Best said they are not comfortable doing an interview because they need a signed medical release to speak about Thakkar's medical history. Click for more from Fox News 23. source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/07/man-without-nose-files-lawsuit-against-tulsa-plastic-surgeon/

Man sues after plastic surgeon removes his entire nose

A New York man living in Tulsa went to get a nose job with a well-established Tulsa plastic surgeon and five years later does not have a nose. Dr. Angelo Cuzalina is known across Green County, Okla., for his plastic surgery. The Oklahoma Medical Board does not show any complaints in his history. He is listed as president of the American Board of Cosmetic Surgery. “I had the first surgery and suffered some breathing problems, nothing too bad, but it made it hard to exercise and sleep,” said Thakkar. He went back, again and again. Between 2006 and 2007 he had eight surgeries. He then left Tulsa until 2011 and came back for more surgeries. He had several infections. Finally, during a surgery, Thakkar says Cuzalina cut off his nose. “He told me that there was an infection in there and since I was on the operating table and unconscious he had to make the decision,” said Thakkar. On August 31st, 2012 Cuzalina sent Thakkar a form stating he will no longer work on him, “… you are considered medically unstable. Because of your ongoing threats and harassment against my staff, my practice, and me personally…”  the statement read. It was around this time Thakkar told FOX23 News, he learned Cuzalina was recording their audio and video without letting Thakkar know that was happening during his visits to the office. The lawsuit filed by Thakkar's attorney, Paul Boudreaux states: “During this period, and in violation of plaintiff’s medical confidentiality and privileges, Cuzalina hired private investigators and attorneys, and secured hidden audio and video recordings of Plaintiff without Plaintiff's permission or knowledge, in violation of the law and Plaintiff's reasonable expectations of privacy.” “In December of 2011, in the medical record he (Dr. Cuzalina) wrote I am suicidal, but at the same time the medication he is giving me it could easily kill a couple human beings,” said Thakkar. The lawsuit details those drugs: “.. prescribed an excessive amount of medication, enough to kill the patient, if taken, including but not limited to Loratab, Ambien, Valilum, and Oxycodone.” “I have more than 3,000 injections, pain pills and stuff so my liver is pretty much fried,” said Thakkar. FOX23 News learned of Thakkar's story on Friday and called to interview with Cuzalina's attorney, Tim Best. After a few conversations, Best said they are not comfortable doing an interview because they need a signed medical release to speak about Thakkar's medical history. Click for more from Fox News 23. source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/07/man-without-nose-files-lawsuit-against-tulsa-plastic-surgeon/

Woman attempting to live on nothing but water and sunlight for 6 months

A Seattle woman is attempting to live without food for six months -- planning to sustain herself on water and sunlight alone. Navenna Shine is calling her experiment “Living on Light.” “This is a paradigm for living in which we as human beings do not have to ingest any kind of food whatsoever into our stomachs in order to thrive,” Shine said. Shine, 65, says her experiment is an attempt to follow an obscure group of yogis called The Breatharians, who for thousands of years have claimed they have the ability to live on light alone. “At 'Living On Light' we propose that we have a nutritional source already embedded within our body/mind/spiritual systems that can give us exactly what we need to be healthy and well,” Shine wrote on her website. “Since we do not yet know exactly what that source is I am symbolically calling it Light.” Thursday marked Shine’s 33rd day without food, although she has lost more than 20 pounds. In order to verify that she is indeed sticking to the diet, Shine has placed several cameras throughout her house to keep a record of the experiment.  She also hopes to begin live-streaming her experience within the next few weeks. Click for more from My Fox 8. To follow Shine's updates, visit her Facebook page.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/07/woman-attempting-to-live-on-nothing-but-water-and-sunlight-for-6-months/

New vaccine drives Africa meningitis cases to lowest in decade

Case numbers in Africa's meningitis season this year were the lowest in 10 years thanks to a cheap new vaccine designed to treat a type of the disease common in the so-called meningitis belt, the World Health Organization said on Thursday. The vaccine, called MenAfriVac, was developed with funding from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation specifically for use against meningitis A, a type which causes regular epidemics in Africa. Detailing data for January 1 to May 12, the United Nations health agency said that just under 9,250 meningitis cases, including 857 deaths, were reported in 18 of the 19 African countries under enhanced surveillance for meningitis. Epidemics of meningitis A occur regularly in Africa's “meningitis belt”, a band of 26 countries stretching from Senegal to Ethiopia, and are particularly devastating to children and young adults. Bacterial meningitis, known as meningococcal meningitis, is a serious infection of the thin lining surrounding the brain and spinal cord. It can cause severe brain damage and is fatal in 50 percent of cases if untreated. According to the non-profit Meningitis Vaccine Project (MVP), which helped develop the MenAfriVac vaccine, the seasonal outbreak of meningitis across sub-Saharan Africa in 2009 infected at least 88,000 people and killed more than 5,000. The WHO said the falling numbers this year were due to the introduction of the newly developed vaccine. MenAfriVac costs just 50 U.S. cents a dose and has been progressively introduced in Africa since 2010, starting in Burkina Faso, Mali and Niger. “The introduction of this first meningococcal vaccine available for preventive purposes in Africa has enabled the immunization of over 100 million people from 10 countries in the meningitis belt in the past three years,” the WHO said. “The reduced case load and epidemic activity observed this year adds to the evidence on the impact...of this vaccine.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/07/new-vaccine-drives-africa-meningitis-cases-to-lowest-in-decade/

Study: Cannabis may prevent brain damage

Marijuana continues to be a paradox as it makes its way from illicit drug to wonder medicine being used to treat a number of symptoms and disorders more safely than traditional pharmaceuticals. In the latest news, cannabis, which has been associated with long-term cognitive deficits in chronic users, is now being tested as a treatment to preserve brain function after traumatic injury. Amidst the many “it-damages-your-brain” studies, some reports have shown that cannabis has neuroprotective effects. Studies have suggested that it has protective effects in neurodegenerative diseases like multiple sclerosis, Alzheimer’s, Huntington’s and Parkinson’s diseases. The author of the new study, Dr. Yosef Sarne of Tel Aviv University's Adelson Center for the Biology of Addictive Diseases, theorized that ultra-low doses of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the main psychoactive component of marijuana, induces minor damage to the brain, which may actually “precondition” the brain to protect it against more severe damage from injuries such as lack of oxygen, seizures or toxic drug exposure. In other words, it may act as a sort of vaccine against more traumatic harm. In Dr. Sarne's animal study, published in the journals Behavioural Brain Research and Experimental Brain Research, researchers injected mice with a single, very low dose of THC — around 1,000 to 10,000 times less than what is found in a conventional “joint” — either several days before or after exposing the mice to a brain trauma. They found that the treated mice had enhanced biochemical processes, which protected brain cells and preserved cognitive function over time, compared to control mice that were not treated with THC. Specifically, when the mice were examined three to seven weeks after the brain injury, those in the THC group performed better in learning and memory tests. They also showed increased amounts of neuroprotective chemicals compared to the control group. In past laboratory experiments, Sarne’s group found that ultra-low doses of THC affected cell signaling, preventing cell death and promoting certain growth factors.   The researchers concluded that the use of low doses of THC can prevent long-term cognitive damage that results from brain injury in mice, but the drug needs to be tested in human trials. “Since we deal, in this case, in a basic process (THC is protective against a variety of insults, not just a specific condition), I personally believe it will go beyond rodents,” Sarne wrote in an email. Aside from treating patients with traumatic injury to the brain, Sarne suggested several ways of using THC preventively, before an injury occurs. One use could be for patients on cardiopulmonary heart-lung machines used in open heart surgery. These come with a risk of interrupting the blood supply to the brain. Sarne said that THC could be injected beforehand as a preventive measure in case the brain is deprived of oxygen. It could also be tested for use in patients such as those with epilepsy, who are at constant risk of brain injury, or those with a high risk of heart attack. Sarne is currently testing the ability of low doses of THC to prevent heart damage during a heart attack, to prevent the death of heart muscle cells that are deprived of oxygen.Laurie Tarkan is an award-winning health journalist whose work appears in the New York Times, among other national magazines and websites. She has authored several health books, including “Perfect Hormone Balance for Fertility.” Follow her on Twitter and Facebook.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/study-cannabis-may-prevent-brain-damage/

Medical breakthrough for multiple sclerosis sufferers

In a breakthrough discovery, researchers have discovered a treatment capable of reducing the debilitating autoimmune response that occurs in people suffering from multiple sclerosis (MS). When patients are diagnosed with multiple sclerosis, their bodies begin to attack the protein myelin, which insulates the body’s spinal cord, brain and optic nerves. As a result, MS patients experience symptoms such as numbness in their limbs, paralysis and sometimes blindness. However, during a phase one clinical trial of a new treatment for MS patients, researchers were able to curtail the body’s attacks on myelin by 50 to 75 percent, while sustaining the functionality of the rest of the immune system. Current treatments for MS seek to lessen the body’s autoimmune response to myelin, but this often results in decreased effectiveness of the entire immune system. “Most therapies for autoimmune diseases employ approaches broadly called immunosuppressors – they knock down immune response without specificity,” study co-author Stephen Miller, professor of microbiology-immunology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, told FoxNews.com.  “People can become highly susceptible to everyday infections and develop higher rates of cancer.” Miller and his colleagues sought a more targeted ‘tolerance’ treatment that would leave the greater immune system intact while knocking out only the autoimmune response to myelin. “In MS, the idea is to target autoreactive T-cells directed against myelin…which would (reduce) disease progression, but wouldn’t make patient susceptible to higher rates of infection,” Miller said. In a study published in the journal Science Translational Medicine, a small group of MS patients were treated intravenously with an infusion of their own white blood cells, which had been engineered to carry billions of myelin antigens. Researchers hoped the cells would teach the body to stop attacking myelin. Miller and his team needed to determine if the treatment, which was based on 30 years of previous research, could be safely applied in humans – and they were pleased to discover it could be. “It was safe to infuse as many as 3 billion autologous cells that we collected and manipulated back into the same patient and didn’t trigger exacerbations,” Miller said. “Most patients didn’t show any increased signs of disease during the six-month follow up.” Furthermore, the treatment did not seem to impede the larger immune system. Researchers tested this by analyzing whether or not each patient continued to retain their immunity to tetanus, for which all of the patients had previously been vaccinated. “Among four patients receiving the highest doses (of autologous cells),  immune response to myelin antigens had diminished or gone away - but tetanus had not gone away,” Miller said. This indicated that the immune system’s ability to fight other diseases after the procedure remained intact. Though researchers caution that the study was too small to draw any significant conclusions, they are optimistic about the outcomes of larger studies and the ability of this treatment to help halt the progress of MS – particularly among recently-diagnosed patients. “The idea is that if we’re able to intervene early enough in disease process, we can stop the autoimmune destruction and (the patient) will have little or no clinical deficit as result of earlier attacks before being diagnosed,” Miller said. Researchers hope to receive funding to begin a phase two trial soon.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/medical-breakthrough-for-multiple-sclerosis-sufferers/

5 siblings may all need heart transplants

Two of Jason and Stacy Bingham's young children have required heart transplants and the other three are facing the same fate. The Oregon couple thought they had their fair share of bad luck when 6-year-old Sierra got a transplant due to her failing heart. Six years later they were devastated to find out that 8-year-old daughter Lindsey would also require a heart transplant. Lindsey had presented with stomach pains and difficulty breathing, and her face and stomach were swollen. The children suffer from rare genetic condition affects approximately six out of every 1 million kids under 18 each year. It is a disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, which makes the heart increasingly weaker - and larger, as it tries to compensate. “At the time when the older sister was first diagnosed, not much was known about the genetics that can cause these defects,” the family's cardiologist Dr Daniel Bernstein told TODAY.com. “Today there are genetic tests.” So the Binghams got their children tested. Their son Gage, 4, has already had a pacemaker installed and will likely need a heart transplant at some point. Their 10-year-old Megan has shown a minor heart abnormality while 6-year-old Hunter is yet to display any problems, but given the family history it is something that he too will possibly face at some point. Click for more from news.com.au. To help the Bingham, visit http://www.heartsforbinghams.org/ or follow their blog http://jasonandstacybingham.blogspot.com/.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/06/5-siblings-may-all-need-heart-transplants/