Tag Archives: foxnews

Stepfather vows son will walk again after saving 4-year-old girl from Georgia creek

Ricky Robinson wants one thing for Father’s Day. He wants to see his heroic, selfless son walk again. Robinson said his stepson, Michael Patterson, 43, saw his life forever changed on June 8 when he leapt into the swift-moving Euharlee Creek along the Silver Comet Trail in Rockmart, Ga., to save Javea Jones, a 4-year-old girl whom he had never met. Jones survived, but Patterson severed his spine after hitting the shallow creek bed, leaving him paralyzed from the shoulders down. He is also suffering from pneumonia in both lungs. “He is an angel, a 100 percent hero and an angel,” Robinson told FoxNews.com on Friday. “It’s going to take time, but Michael is a fighter, so yeah, he will walk again one day.” “He is an angel, a 100 percent hero and an angel. It’s going to take time, but Michael is a fighter, so yeah, he will walk again one day.”- Ricky Robinson, stepfather Patterson, who recently started a contracting job, has no health insurance and is now facing thousands of dollars in medical and rehabilitative care. Relatives have created a trust for donations to help offset those costs and “thousands” of dollars have already been received, Robinson said. “They really have been pouring in,” he said. “We never knew how many friends Michael really did have until this happened.” Patterson’s 9-year-old son, Michael Cole Patterson, witnessed the accident and is so distraught that he hasn’t fully grasped the magnitude of his father’s injuries. “He really hasn’t comprehended it all yet,” Robinson said. “But he loves his Daddy 100 percent.” Patterson on Friday was scheduled to undergo surgery to alleviate breathing problems at Redmond Regional Medical Center in Rome, Ga. He was surrounded by relatives prior to the surgery, Robinson said. “Right now they got him sedated real heavy,” he said. “He can’t speak, but he really tries. He’s a real fighter.” Robinson said he was “not a bit” surprised that his stepson sacrificed his own well-being to save a stranger. Just two weeks earlier, Patterson rescued a trucker whose tanker overturned on State Route 278, pulling the man from his rig before it burst into flames. “Like I said, he’s an angel,” Robinson said. “He’s always had a big heart. He loves life and people.” Patterson’s tragic accident is not the only life-changing event currently plaguing his family. Robinson, who is suffering from throat cancer, is due to undergo surgery soon to remove his vocal box and tongue. Patterson is also in the process of divorcing his wife, Robinson said. A Facebook page called “Friends of Mike Patterson” has been created in his honor, providing direct links for donations and updates on Patterson’s condition. As of midday Friday, it had more than 42,000 supporters. “God bless you for putting yourself in [harm’s] way to try to save a child,” one posting read. “I am thankful there are people like you in the world who would risk themselves to save my child.” Vicki Jones, Patterson’s mother, told FoxNews.com that the show of support has been nothing short of overwhelming. “I’m grateful beyond belief because this is going to be the rest of Mike’s life,” Jones said. “I’m just thankful. I did not realize … I thought the world had gotten cold and cruel, but I have learned a lesson from my son. I have opened my eyes. In this world, there is so much good, so many people with huge hearts and thing I didn’t even know existed anymore.” And despite the fact that her son — a man whose livelihood revolved around his hands — was unable to move both extremities as he suffered from a high fever on Friday, Jones saw some light amid the darkness. “There’s so many lessons here,” she said. “I now see why good people hide. They protect themselves, but they are angels.” Asked if his stepson would make the same decision again if seeing someone in desperate need, Robinson did not hesitate. “In a heartbeat,” he said. “But we’d tell him to jump, not dive. Right now we’re just praying.” Click here to donate to Patterson or mail monies to River City Bank, Mike Patterson Donation Fund, 228 N. 2nd Ave SW, Rome, GA 30165.source : http://www.foxnews.com/us/2013/06/14/stepfather-vows-son-will-walk-again-after-saving-4-year-old-girl-from-georgia/

Baby Matters recalls recliner linked to infant deaths

Baby Matters LLC is recalling baby recliners linked to five infant deaths as part of a settlement with the Consumer Product Safety Commission, the U.S. agency said on Friday. The settlement calls for the company, based in Berwyn, Pennsylvania, to recall its foam rubber Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill infant recliners and their covers, in exchange for the CPSC dropping an administrative complaint that it filed in December 2012, the agency said in a statement. Four infants have died in the Nap Nanny Generation Two recliners, and a fifth death involved the Chill model, the agency said. The CPSC also received 92 reports of infants hanging or falling over the side of the recliners, including some children who were restrained in the product's harness. The agency urged consumers to stop using Nap Nanny and Nap Nanny Chill recliners. It said Baby Matters was no longer in business and was not accepting returns. About 165,000 of the Nap Nanny and Chill products were sold between 2009 and 2012 for about $130 each. In December 2012, Amazon.com Inc, Buy Buy Baby Inc, Diapers.com, and Toys R Us/Babies R Us {TOY.UL] announced a voluntary recall of Nap Nanny and Chill models sold in their stores. Consumers who bought a Nap Nanny from one of those retailers should contact them for information on receiving a refund, the CPSC said. “CPSC urges other consumers to immediately dispose of the products to ensure that they are not used again,” the statement said.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/baby-matters-recalls-recliner-linked-to-infant-deaths/

Treating depression: One size does not fit all

Nearly 15 million U.S. adults suffer from clinical depression. Treating them is currently a process of trial and error. “It's always been a combination of physician preference, patient preference and… who you actually choose to see for your depression,” Dr. Helen Mayberg, a neurologist at Emory University School of Medicine, said. “If you choose to go see a psychologist, psychologists do therapy. If you go to your family doctor… the likelihood is that you'll be prescribed a medication.” With fewer than 40 percent of patients achieving success with their initial treatment for depression, the majority have to wait to see if additional therapies are effective. “It's a serious illness,” Mayberg said. “There are consequences to going another six weeks, another eight weeks, another 12 weeks on a treatment that is unlikely to work.” Now, Mayberg and a team of researchers may have discovered a way to reduce the guesswork involved with treating clinical depression. Their study, published online in JAMA Psychiatry, suggests the solution is locked in a portion of the brain called the anterior insula. PET scans revealed that patients who benefitted from escitalopram (an antidepressant also known by the brand name Lexapro) had different activity levels in the anterior insula than patients who responded well to “talk therapy.” “The patients who did the best on escitalopram have high insula activity (compared to other parts of the brain),” Callie McGrath, an Emory graduate student and lead author of the study, said. “And the patients who do the best on cognitive behavioral therapy have low insula activity.” The researchers believe they've found the first reliable indicator to guide doctors in their selection of initial treatments for clinical depression. This has the potential to spare many patients from the prolonged suffering and uncertainty associated with current trial and error methods. “It's a very discouraging process,” said Edi Guyton, who leads local support programs with the National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI). “It's long. You begin to feel hopeless.” Guyton said she struggled with treatment-resistant depression for most of her life until she was able to bring it under control through deep brain stimulation (DBS), an experimental therapy developed by Dr. Mayberg. Guyton said she hopes Mayberg's separate study on the relationship between brain activity and treatment outcomes will lead to more research that takes the hit and miss factor out of helping people with depression. “That would be wonderful, just knowing what medicine,” Guyton said. “If you were pretty sure, even 80 percent sure, that this is gonna work for me, I think it would make all the difference in the world.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/depression-treatments-brain-scans-may-suggest-best-course/

Florida woman dies after receiving butt enhancing injections

Miami police are searching for a Venezuelan doctor who performed butt surgery on a 28-year-old woman – which allegedly led to her death. Suyima Torres was going into surgery for her second round of treatment for gluteus augmentation on April 11 at the Cuerpos Health and Aesthetic Clinic, located on the second floor of a shopping center, the Miami Herald reported.  A friend had recommend the clinic to her. According to the Florida Department of Health, the clinic is only authorized to operate as a massage salon, but the center’s Facebook page claims they employ certified plastic surgeons. Torres received her first treatment at the clinic on April 1, paying the doctor $1,500 in cash. According to her parents, the doctor initially told her she would have to wait a month for the next treatment, but that day he said her inflammation was gone – and Torres could return the next week. Paying $800 in cash for the second treatment, Torres returned alone to the clinic on April 11 at 9 a.m. After the treatment was over, she complained that she felt dizzy, according to Ruth Planas, the clinic’s owner.  Planas called an ambulance, which transported Torres to Doctors Hospital in Coral Gables. Torres was pronounced dead at 9:50 p.m. of a lung embolism, the Miami Herald said. Authorities said they are investigating the death as a homicide in relation to Torres’ surgery.  The identity of the alleged doctor has not been revealed. Click for more from the Miami Herald.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/14/florida-woman-dies-after-receiving-butt-enhancing-injections/

Doctors should dress sharp in the name of hygiene, doc says

Doctors who wear casual and even “scruffy” clothes to work not only look unprofessional, but they also convey a lackluster attitude toward personal hygiene, which could have implications for hospital infections, one doctor argues. Dr. Stephanie Dancer, a consultant microbiologist at Hairmyres Hospital in Scotland, says that after the United Kingdom's Department of Health recommended in 2007 that doctors not wear ties, many younger doctors started to dress very informally. There was even a report at one hospital of doctors wearing ripped jeans. “I hear that patients complain that they do not know who the doctor is no tie, no white coat, no jacket and no presence,” Dancer said. “Untidiness erodes the image of doctors as responsible and competent.” Although some studies suggest that men's ties contribute to the spread of bacteria between doctors and patients, Dancer pointed out that diseases are spread in many ways. “Hand-touch contact, airborne delivery, environmental reservoirs and human carriage are all implicated in transmission,” Dancer said. Scruffiness in appearance also suggests “a lack of personal hygiene, and correspondingly lower standards of hygienic behavior,” Dancer said. “It could be argued that ditching the white coat and tie for hygiene purposes has had the converse effect,” in that informal attitude could encourage less-rigorous practice of infection control, Dancer said. “Before the antibiotics run out, we need to revisit the hygiene values of the past, and we need to communicate those values to the doctors of the future,” Dancer said. Dancer's view was published June 13 in the British Medical Journal. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/doctors-should-dress-sharp-in-name-hygiene-doc-says/

Giving birth at home looks safe, study finds

Among women with low-risk pregnancies, those who plan to give birth at home may face less of a risk from dangerous complications than women who plan a hospital birth, a new Dutch study suggests. For women in the study who had a low risk of complications and had given birth at least once previously, 1 in 1,000 home births resulted in severe problems, such as admission to an intensive care unit or requiring heavy blood transfusion. The rate of such complications for planned hospital births was 2.3 in 1,000 births. Home births also had a lower risk of certain less severe complications, such as bleeding after birth, and the need to remove the placenta manually. The rate of bleeding, or postpartum hemorrhage, was 19.6 in 1,000 for a planned home birth, compared with 37.6 in 1,000 for a planned hospital birth. The safety of giving birth at home versus the hospital is a topic of debate. While some worry that in case of an emergency, the time needed to transport a woman or baby from home to a hospital might worsen the problems, others have questioned whether it is wise to routinely recommend hospital births for low-risk women, where they could receive medical interventions they don't need that have potentially harmful effects. The new study sought to compare the rate of serious complications in home and hospital births in a large group of low-risk women in the Netherlands, a country that has one of the highest percentages of home births among Western countries. The researchers identified more than 146,000 low-risk pregnant women. Among these women, 92,333 (63 percent) had planned to give birth at home, and 54,419 (37 percent) were planning a hospital birth. The researchers found that the risk of complications was small in both groups, and there was no evidence that home birth would lead to an increased risk of severe complications.The difference between the groups was significant only in women who had given birth before. The results held when the researchers accounted for factors that can raise the risk of birth complications, such as the mother's age and ethnicity, as well as C-sections and augmentation of labor. The researchers noted that it is possible that women who previously had a relatively difficult birth may have been more likely to plan a hospital birth next time, even if there was no official medical indication. These findings likely only apply to areas where midwives are well trained to help women at home births, and where facilities for transportation in case of emergencies are adequate, the researchers said. The fact that the study did not find higher rates of severe complications among planned home births should not lead to complacency, the researchers said. “Every avoidable adverse maternal outcome is one too many,” they said. Copyright 2013 LiveScience, a TechMediaNetwork company. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/giving-birth-at-home-looks-safe-study-finds/

Facebook allows post-mastectomy photos following petition

Facebook has been forced to clarify its policy following a storm of criticism for removing post-mastectomy photos of breast cancer survivors. A Change.org petition had gathered more than 21,000 signatures since May, before Facebook issued a statement clarifying its policy against nudity. The petition, started by Scorchy Barrington who has breast cancer, asked Facebook to update its policy after photographer David Jay was banned for 30 days for posting post-mastectomy photos on his page, The SCAR Project. Barrington said the clarification was “victory” for everyone who had signed the petition and those living with the disease. “From now on, these powerful visual testaments to the real impact of breast cancer and the resilience of breast cancer survivors will be welcomed on Facebook, as they should be,” she said. She said the photos should not have been put in the same category as pornography. “They document the physical and emotional toll of women and men who have undergone mastectomies,” she said. “As a woman living with Stage IV breast cancer, photos like The SCAR Project help me feel a little less alone in what I'm going through. “By removing the photos, Facebook is sending us a message that our struggle with this disease should be kept in the dark.” The Facebook statement said the “vast majority” of post-mastectomy photos would comply with their policies. “We agree that undergoing a mastectomy is a life-changing experience and that sharing photos can help raise awareness about breast cancer and support the men and women facing a diagnosis, undergoing treatment, or living with the scars of cancer,” it said. You can see David Jay's photos at The SCAR Project. Click for more from news.com.au. source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/facebook-allows-post-mastectomy-photos-following-petition/

BPA linked to higher risk for obesity among young girls

A chemical commonly found in plastic food containers, water bottles and canned foods called bisphenol-A (BPA) has long been linked to serious health issues, including infertility and birth defects.Now, researchers say exposure to BPA may also be associated with a higher risk for obesity among puberty-age girls. In a study published in the journal PLOS ONE, researchers measured the levels of BPA present in urine samples from 1,326 children between the ages of 9 and 12. Researchers discovered that girls who had higher levels of BPA in their urine had a greater risk for being overweight. The effect was not seen in the boys involved in the study. Girls who had more than 2 micrograms per liter of BPA in their urine were twice as likely to be overweight, compared to girls with below normal levels of BPA in their urine. And girls that had more than 10 micrograms of BPA per liter in their urine had a ten times greater risk for obesity. Dr. Di-Kun Le, the study’s principal investigator and a reproductive and perinatal epidemiologist at the Kaiser Permanente Division of Research in Oakland, Calif., has been studying the effects of BPA for years. “Animal (studies) started to show that BPA can impact metabolic processes, which often leads to obesity and diabetes,” Le told FoxNews.com. “So we decided to look at it (in humans).” Le noted that though he expected to find a link between obesity and BPA levels, he didn’t expect it to be such a strong correlation.   While the research does not necessarily prove BPA is the reason for the girls’ obesity, Le said that the effect is likely caused by the fact that BPA is an endocrine disrupter and acts similarly to the hormone estrogen, which impacts metabolic function. Because of the damage that BPA incurs on the endocrine system, Le believes exposure to BPA is contributing to the global obesity epidemic.   “Overeating a little won’t cause obesity, but (by) having this kind of endocrine damage without knowing it, and adding more food, the consequences are magnified,” Le said. Though Le said there are currently no Food and Drug Administration (FDA) regulations forcing manufacturers to label how much BPA is used in packaging, he hopes this research will add to the body of evidence mounting against the chemical. He warns that people should try to avoid products containing BPA as much as possible. “Buy BPA-free containers, particularly containers used for kids. Kids and fetuses are the most affected populations,” Le said. “Also try to reduce using plastics. It’s not feasible to use none, but reduce exposure to plastic containers…and reduce the use of canned foods.” Le hopes to study the effects of BPA further, by testing its impact on unborn babies. “I want to look when pregnant women, and their fetuses, are exposed to even small amounts of BPA, how it’s going to damage (them),” Le said. “When you damage the fetus, you damage the rest of their life.”source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/bpa-linked-to-higher-risk-for-obesity-among-young-girls/

A simple test for a significant health issue

I just read the most amazing article about detecting cervical cancer. Pap smears have significantly lowered the number of deaths in the United States. But what about the third world countries where women can't afford this test, let alone get the test to the poor living in slums or far-reaching small towns?  A simple vinegar test, which can be taught to one or two women in the villages, has shown to save 150,000 lives in India.  Cervical cancer is the leading women's cancer in India. This is how the test works: The cervix is swabbed with diluted vinegar solution, which makes abnormal cells briefly change color. It's remarkable. So many women in rural areas who never seek medical care can be saved. I will have my third CT scan for the phase one study this week.  The last two showed that my liver metastases had not grown, which is a win. I am hoping that this CT scan will show signs of the tumors getting smaller. That would be so great, and it will give me more resolve to accept these horrible side effects. I will be 60 in December and my life-long dream has been to go on a safari.  I was so scared to ask my oncologist if he saw a problem with this. He gave me the thumbs up and said that this trip would be great for me. I am in the planning stages now. I hope everyone is having a wonderful summer!Noreen Fraser is living with Stage IV metastatic breast cancer. She is the Founder and CEO of the Noreen Fraser Foundation, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization dedicated to funding groundbreaking women's cancer research.& To stay in touch with Noreen, please 'LIKE' The Noreen Fraser Foundation on Facebook and follow her on Twitter. & Noreen can be contacted via email at noreen@noreenfraserfoundation.org.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/simple-test-for-immense-health-issue/

The new science of weight loss: Introducing the anti-inflammatory diet

You likely haven't given much thought to your cells since high-school biology, but focusing on them might be the key to unlocking your best body ever. While most diets prioritize cutting calories and fat, the anti-inflammatory diet—Hollywood's new favorite healthy-eating plan—operates on a biochemical level.  Designed to neutralize the inflammation that occurs inside your body, the regimen offers big benefits, including a slimmer waist, a clearer mind, fewer cravings, and better skin. No surprise, then, that image-minded celebrities have taken notice: Matthew Fox followed an anti-inflammatory eating plan to get in shape for his upcoming movie World War Z. So how does it work? Eating high levels of saturated fats, trans fats, and refined sugars (read: the modern American diet) sets off a series of reactions: The “bad fat” triggers the liver to release chemicals to fight the toxins, which causes inflammation. Meanwhile, the glucose in food can't be transported to your cells while the body is inflamed, which means that your brain isn't registering the intake. The result: You're left feeling foggy, hungry, and more prone to cravings, which then restarts the cycle. “The more inflammation you have, the less efficiently you're using your calories, so you eat more and feel worse,” says Jackie Keller, the Los Angeles–based founder of the NutriFit meal-delivery service, who crafts anti-inflammatory diet plans for Channing Tatum, Penelope Cruz, and Charlize Theron. Cellular inflammation also stiffens up your arteries, causes skin breakouts, and makes you more prone to heart disease and cancer. “Because we're eating so many processed foods, inflammation is a bigger problem than ever before,” said Kristin Kirkpatrick, a registered dietitian and wellness manager at the Cleveland Clinic. “This diet is partly about what you don't eat—saturated fats, trans fats, and sugar—and a lot about what you do eat.” The focus is on unsaturated fats in fish and olive oil, plus plenty of produce, especially deeply colored fruits and vegetables, which are packed with phytonutrients that help neutralize inflammation.  Another major hallmark is a reliance on herbs and spices: Powerful compounds including quercetin in garlic, gingerol in ginger, cinnamaldehyde in cinnamon, and curcumin in turmeric may all help fight inflammation, said Kirkpatrick. “Not all of my clients understand the science,” Keller said. “But they feel better and they find it easier to lose weight, and that's what matters. ___________________________________________________ More From Details: Elimination Diets: A Primer Why You Should Be a Meat and Potatoes Guy 8 (Surprising) Things That Make You Fat ___________________________________________________ The Anti-Inflammatory Menu Breakfast: 1 cup cooked steel-cut oats with cinnamon and 1 oz almonds. Morning Snack: 1½ cups seasonal berries with 1 cup nonfat Greek yogurt. Lunch: 4 oz baked chicken, cut into strips, mixed with 2 cups steamed or stir-fried Asian vegetables, such as bok choy and shiitake mushrooms, with garlic and ginger. Afternoon Snack: 1 cup fresh cherries or 1 cup cherry juice. Dinner: 6 oz grilled fresh trout seasoned with curry powder (which includes turmeric), 2 cups dark-green vegetables (preferably broccoli, Brussels sprouts, or kale) cooked in 2 tsp extra-virgin olive oil. Dessert: 1 oz dark chocolate.source : http://www.foxnews.com/health/2013/06/13/new-science-weight-loss-introducing-anti-inflammatory-diet/