Category Archives: General Health

Does Your Kid Have a Cold or Enterovirus D68? Here Are Two Ways You Can Tell the Difference

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It starts as a case of the sniffles but can end up putting a child in the hospital–or worse. Enterovirus D68 is sweeping through the country, causing, so far, 691 confirmed cases and at least one death. The bug also has been present in at least four other children who died from other illnesses.

Although this virus has been known since 1987, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says the strain this year has been particularly brutal:

From mid-August to October 6, 2014, CDC or state public health laboratories have confirmed a total of 594 people in 43 states and the District of Columbia with respiratory illness caused by EV-D68.

Read more at IJ Review

Coconino County Health meeting in Williams October 2

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marijuana3n-2-webWILLIAMS – The Coconino County Public Health Service is seeking to revise Chapter 8 of the Environmental Services Ordinance. There will be a public meeting in Williams this Thursday, October 2 from 9 am to 10:30 in the City Hall Council Chambers on 1st street.

The topic of discussion for the current series of public meeting is on Chapter 8, Food Establishments and Medical Marijuana Edible Est. (PDF)

Two other meetings will be held in Flagstaff on this topic. One on Thursday October 9 from 10:30 am to noon at the Board of Supervisors meeting room on Cherry Street and Wednesday October 29 from 1 pm to 3 pm at the Ponderosa Room at 2625 N. King Street.

New excuse: My dog kept me awake all night

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sleeping-with-dogPHOENIX – Along with the dog ate my homework, kids can now add the dog slept with me as an excuse why they are late for school. The Mayo Clinic in Phoenix conducted a study of sleep deprivation and claim a link to owners allowing pets to sleep with them. Some scientist warn of Zoonoses, or the transmission of disease from pets to owners from allowing pets to sleep in beds.

Web MD says 53% were disturbed by pet bedroom sharing. Medical Daily claims 63% have some sleep deprivation by sharing bed with a pet.

More than half of pet owners (54%) said they shared their bed or bedroom with their dog (58%) or cat (42%) Sowjanya Duthuluru, MD told MedScape. He said that is “quite a lot.” The Web MD site also cites:

Sleeping with pets isn’t unusual in this country. According to a recent survey of pet owners by the American Pet Products Association, nearly half of dogs sleep in their owner’s beds. The survey found that 62% of small dogs, 41% of medium-sized dogs and 32% of large dogs sleep with their owners.

Several stories quote Lois Krahn, M.D., Mayo Clinic psychiatrist and author of the study.

“The study determined that while the majority of patients did not view their pets intolerably disturbing their sleep, a higher percentage of patients experienced irritation — this may be related to the larger number of households with multiple pets. When people have these kinds of sleep problems, sleep specialists should ask about companion animals and help patients think about ways to optimize their sleep.”

She also noted:

“One patient owned a parrot who consistently squawked at 6 a.m. He must have thought he was a rooster.”

Could zoonoses explain the mental instability of Canadian actor James Eugene Carrey?

Could zoonoses explain the mental instability of Canadian actor James Eugene Carrey?

According to the document “Zoonoses in the Bedroom” by Bruno B. Chomel and Ben Sun (PDF)—which is not the title of the latest hot adult novel—transmission of disease from pets to human can occur from kissing animals on the mouth and sleeping with them. Particularly flea and tick infested animals.

During a 1974 outbreak of plague in New Mexico, USA, 7 cases of bubonic plague were investigated. One patient noticed flea bites the morning after he allowed his flea-infested cat to share his bed. Similarly, in a series of 23 cases of plague related to cat exposure, a 9-year-old boy from Arizona had handled and slept with a sick cat. Another case, which occurred in 1983 in New Mexico, was likely acquired after indoor/outdoor cats slept with the patient.

Listening to Ted Nugent is not the only way to contract Cat-Scratch Fever. The document stated that cat-scratch disease can be transmitted in the bedroom.

Cat-scratch disease is mainly transmitted to humans when they are scratched by a cat that harbors Bartonella henselae–infected fleas and flea feces. However, a few documented cases have been associated with sleeping or being licked by a household pet.

The report admits that zoonotic infections acquired by sleeping with a pet are uncommon and more cases of disease transmission are caused by kissing animals.

However, severe cases of C. canimorsus infection or plague in humans have been documented. More zoonotic agents that are transmitted by kissing a pet or being licked by a pet have been identified, especially zoonotic pathogens that are commensal in the oral cavity of carnivores, such as Pasteurella spp. and C. canimorsus.

The document recommends the common sense step regular veterinary visits. Immediate steps should be taken to rid pets of flea and tick infestations.

So the lesson here is that instead of telling the little dog to move over because A new dog’s movin’ in, you should just kick him out. Then spray the dog house.

Nighty-night.

See Also Science Daily, NBC News

Mosquito-borne chikungunya virus hits U.S.

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Aedes aegypti (left) and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes are the most common transmitter of chikungunya. – CDC Photo

The drier than normal northern Arizona weather may actually have at least one bright spot this year. A mosquito-borne illness labeled chikungunya, that is prevalent in the Caribbean, has now appeared in the United States. The virus causes high fevers and intense pain after an incubation period of three- to seven-days.

The dramatic claim by Phoenix television news that the disease “may be” fatal is apparently meant to appeal to the “reality television” mentality of their audience. Yes, it “may be” fatal, but like Swine Flu almost always isn’t. The World Health Organization contends that it could be a factor in the deaths of some elderly.

There is no vaccine or cure for the illness, however. Treatment revolves around mitigating the symptoms as possible. The Center for Disease Control web site says that the disease has been transmitted to unborn children from a pregnant mother, but that is rare. In theory, they say, it could be transmitted in a blood transfusion but there have been no recorded cases of that happening.

According to FOX News, Dr. Jorge Parada, medical director of the infection prevention program at Loyola University, Chicago, and medical spokesperson for the National Pest Management Association, said.

“The mosquitos that transmit this infection are pretty widespread around the world, and that’s why the infection has been able to spread across the tropical Pacific and now into the Caribbean.”

He said that the spread of the disease is another consequence of our highly mobile society.

From the CDC web site:

Chikungunya virus is most often spread to people by Aedes aegypti and Aedes albopictus mosquitoes. These are the same mosquitoes that transmit dengue virus. They bite mostly during the daytime.

According to the World Health Organization, chikungunya is a viral disease first described in 1952 during an outbreak in southern Tanzania.

It is an RNA virus that belongs to the alphavirus genus of the family Togaviridae. The name ‘chikungunya’ derives from a word in the Kimakonde language, meaning “to become contorted” and describes the stooped appearance of sufferers with joint pain (arthralgia).

Their web site goes on to say:

“Most patients recover fully, but in some cases joint pain may persist for several months, or even years. Occasional cases of eye, neurological and heart complications have been reported, as well as gastrointestinal complaints. Serious complications are not common, but in older people, the disease can contribute to the cause of death.”

The CDC web site on chikungunya—not updated as of this writing—states that the disease was first noted in 2013 in the Caribbean and warned travelers about the transmission of the disease.

Dr. Parada echoes the sentiment of the CDC that bite prevention is the best medicine.

The CDC recommends a good mosquito repellent when going outdoors even during the day.

Collections of water, whether intended or not, are breeding grounds for mosquitoes.

Those in northern Arizona who may have stored some of what little moisture we have had should cover any water storage containers. Residents who transport water to their homes should check for leaks causing puddles to form and seal any leaks found.

In the event of a good monsoon season, residents should continually check for old tires or containers not meant for water storage and drain them. Check for leaks inside or outside the home which might provide a breeding puddle for mosquitoes and have them repaired.

8 Foods Even The Experts Won’t Eat

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Food scientists are shedding light on items loaded with toxins and chemicals–and simple swaps for a cleaner diet and supersized health. Experts from different areas of specialty explain why they won’t eat these eight foods.

Clean eating means choosing fruits, vegetables, and meats that are raised, grown, and sold with minimal processing. Often they’re organic, and rarely (if ever) should they contain additives. But in some cases, the methods of today’s food producers are neither clean nor sustainable. The result is damage to our health, the environment, or both. So we decided to take a fresh look at food through the eyes of the people who spend their lives uncovering what’s safe–or not–to eat. ” Their answers don’t necessarily make up a “banned foods” list. But reaching for the suggested alternatives might bring you better health–and peace of mind.

1. The Endocrinologist Won’t Eat: Canned Tomatoes

The resin linings of tin cans contain bisphenol-A, a synthetic estrogen that has been linked to ailments ranging from reproductive problems to heart disease, diabetes, and obesity.

2. The Farmer Won’t Eat: Corn-Fed Beef

Cattle evolved to eat grass, not grains. But farmers today feed their animals corn and soybeans, which fatten up the animals faster for slaughter. But more money for cattle farmers (and lower prices at the grocery store) means a lot less nutrition for us.

3. The Toxicologist Won’t Eat: Microwave Popcorn

Chemicals, including perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), in the lining of the bag, are part of a class of compounds that may be linked to infertility in humans, according to a recent study from UCLA. In animal testing, the chemicals cause liver, testicular, and pancreatic cancer.

4. The Farm Director Won’t Eat: Nonorganic Potatoes

Root vegetables absorb herbicides, pesticides, and fungicides that wind up in soil. In the case of potatoes–the nation’s most popular vegetable–they’re treated with fungicides during the growing season, then sprayed with herbicides to kill off the fibrous vines before harvesting.

5. The Fisheries Expert Won’t Eat: Farmed Salmon

Nature didn’t intend for salmon to be crammed into pens and fed soy, poultry litter, and hydrolyzed chicken feathers. As a result, farmed salmon is lower in vitamin D and higher in contaminants, including carcinogens, PCBs, brominated flame retardants, and pesticides such as dioxin and DDT.

6. The Cancer Researcher Won’t Drink: Milk Produced With Artificial Hormones

Milk producers treat their dairy cattle with recombinant bovine growth hormone (rBGH or rBST, as it is also known) to boost milk production. But rBGH also increases udder infections and even pus in the milk.

7. The Biotech Specialist Who Won’t Eat Conventional Soy: GMO Unfermented Soy

Genetically engineered food is a cause of great concern due to the manipulation of DNA and genetic code including transfers from one species to another. Fermented Soy Is The Only Soy Food Fit for Human Consumption and since almost 90% of soy in the world is genetically modified, if you are not ensuring sources are organic, long-term health problems are inevitable, especially since soy has been found to affect hormonal balance and even cause cancer.

8. The Organic-Foods Expert Won’t Eat: Conventional Apples

If fall fruits held a “most doused in pesticides contest,” apples would win. Why? They are individually grafted (descended from a single tree) so that each variety maintains its distinctive flavor. As such, apples don’t develop resistance to pests and are sprayed frequently.

Read more details at Eat Locally Grown

North County Health Care Health Fair and Open House this Saturday

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WILLIAMS—The North County HealthCare clinic in Williams will hold a Health Fair and Open House this Saturday the 29th between 8 am and 12 pm. The clinic is located at 301 South 7th Street. The event includes a tour of the clinic, a raffle, health information and more.

There will be a cholesterol screening (if you fast for 10 hours prior), blood pressure and glucose checks and cancer screening programs.

Community agencies will be represented for information and assistance. You can call 928-635-4441 for more information.

The Surprising Health Benefits of Coconut Oil

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By Pina LoGiudice

Conventional thought used to consider fats like coconut oil to be unhealthy and contribute to heart disease. We now know that this isn’t true. In fact, coconut oil is actually a heart-healthy food that can keep your body running smoother in a few different ways.

What are the health benefits of coconut oil?

Studies have show that intake of coconut oil can help our bodies mount resistance to both viruses and bacteria that can cause illness. Even more, it also can help to fight off yeast, fungus and candida.

Coconut oil can also positively affect our hormones for thyroid and blood-sugar control. People who take coconut oil also tend to have improvements in how they handle blood sugar since coconut can help improve insulin use within the body. Coconut oil can boost thyroid function helping to increase metabolism, energy and endurance. It increases digestion and helps to absorb fat-soluble vitamins.

Can coconut oil reduce cholesterol?

Coconut oil has a saturated fat called lauric acid, a type of MCT. It has been shown that lauric acid increases the good HDL cholesterol in the blood to help improve cholesterol ratio levels. Coconut oil lowers cholesterol by promoting its conversion to pregnenolone, a molecule that is a precursor to many of the hormones our bodies need. Coconut can help restore normal thyroid function. When the thyroid does not function optimally, it can contribute to higher levels of bad cholesterol.

How does coconut help keep weight balanced?

Coconut fats have special fats called medium chain triglycerides (MCTs). It has been shown that breaking down these types of healthy fats in the liver leads to efficient burning of energy. One 2009 study found that women who consumed 30 milliliters (about 2 tablespoons) of coconut oil daily for 12 weeks not only did not gain more weight, but actually had lowered amounts of abdominal fat, a type of fat that is difficult to lose, and contributes to more heart problems.

Read more at Dr. Oz

Outbreak of Rare Strain of Hepatitis A Spreads to Hawaii

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By Dan Flynn |

Another Western state was touched by the outbreak of a rare strain of hepatitis A, adding two more individuals to the list of those sickened nationwide.  Hawaii is the sixth state to be added to the growing outbreak.

State health officials in Hawaii say two adults, one from the island of Oahu and the other from Kauai, are among those sickened with the liver disease.  Like at least another 30 victims on the mainland, the Hawaii residents are believed to have consumed a frozen organic berry mix purchased at local Costco outlets.

The national warehouse outlet based in Seattle has removed the product from its shelves, and contacted it members who purchased the mixed berry product.  But the weekend passed without any official recall by manufacturer of the suspect product, Townsend Farms, based in Oregon.

Townsend Farms Organic Anti-Oxidant Blend contains berries from multiple locations (Argentina, Chile and Turkey) and a pomegranate seed mix from Egypt, according to health officials.

Read more at Food Safety News

SEE ALSO: Case Count Rises to 49 in Hepatitis A Outbreak Linked to Frozen Berries

Take Precautions to Prevent Hantavirus

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Residents, visitors urged to protect themselves against the Hantavirus

FLAGSTAFF, AZ––As warmer temperatures and wetter weather return to Northern Arizona, so does the threat of Hantavirus, a rare but fatal disease spread by infected rodent droppings.

The Coconino County Public Health Services District (CCPHSD) reminds the public to take a few precautions when entering and cleaning sheds, garages, campers, cabins, barns and other buildings to protect themselves from Hantavirus Pulmonary Syndrome (HPS).

“As preparations for summer activities begin, we want to remind everyone to take the time to use appropriate precautions when entering and cleaning structures and buildings,” said Kimbal Babcock, CCPHSD Interim Chief Health Officer.

HPS is transmitted to people who come into contact with or breathe the urine, droppings and saliva of wild mice, primarily deer mice. The illness starts with fever, headache and muscle aches, and progresses rapidly to severe difficulty in breathing and, in some cases, death.

The last reported case of Hantavirus in Coconino County was reported in 2007, but to prevent HPS, public health officials recommend the following:

Proper clean-up methods:

  • Open all door and windows, leave them open for 30 minutes before cleaning.
  • Do not stir up dust by vacuuming, sweeping, or any other means.
  • When rodent droppings or nests are found in and around the home, spray them liberally with a household disinfectant and allow them to soak for at least 15 minutes. Any rodent droppings and rodent nests should be sprayed with a pesticide to kill fleas before disinfecting or disposing the carcasses.
  • After disinfecting, wear rubber gloves and clean up the droppings with disposable materials such as paper towels, rags or disposable mop heads.
  • Seal all materials, droppings or nests in double plastic bags and dispose of them in the trash.

Rodent-proof your home:

  • Prevent rodents from entering the home by plugging or sealing all holes and gaps to the outside greater than 1/4-inch in diameter. Use steel wool, thick wire screen, metal flashing or cement to seal holes.
  • Eliminate or reduce rodent shelter around the home by removing outdoor junk and clutter, and by moving woodpiles, lumber, hay bales etc., as far away from the house as possible.
  • Do not make food easily available to rodents. Do not leave pet food in dishes. Dispose of garbage in trash cans with tight-fitting lids.

Certain forms of outdoor recreation, such as camping and hiking, can pose a risk for Hantavirus exposure.

  • A few precautions should be taken, including:
  • Campers should not pitch tents or place sleeping bags in close proximity to rodent nests, burrows, or in areas of heavy rodent activity.
  • Before use, properly clean tents and other camping gear that have been stored where rodents may have had access.
  • If possible, do not sleep on the bare ground and zip tents closed to keep animals out.
  • Use only bottled water or water that has been disinfected by filtration, boiling, chlorination, or iodination for drinking, cooking, washing dishes and brushing teeth.

VA wait times mean some die before getting care

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“The bottom line is it is unclear how long veterans are waiting to receive care in VA’s medical facilities because the reported data are unreliable,” Draper told the panel.

By Patricia Kime – Staff writer

Internal Veterans Affairs Department documents show that at least two veterans died last year waiting to see a doctor while others couldn’t get primary care appointments for up to eight months, members of a House oversight and investigations panel said Thursday.

Addressing the ongoing problem of vets who suffer through long waits for appointments at VA hospitals and clinics, House lawmakers joined federal investigators and veterans service organizations in castigating VA on an issue that has endured for more than a decade.

“Evidence shows that many VA facilities, when faced with a backlog of thousands of outstanding or unresolved consultations, decided to administratively close out these requests. Some reasons given included that the request was years old, too much time had elapsed, or the veteran had died,” said Rep. Mike Coffman, R-Colo., chairman of the House Veterans Oversight and Investigations panel.

“This is unacceptable,” said Rep. Ann Kirkpatrick, D-Ariz., the panel’s ranking Democrat. “Veterans deserve timely, accessible health care.”

According to VA, about 49 percent of new patients and 90 percent of established patients are able to see a primary care doctor or specialist within VA’s goal of 14 days, a metric established in 2011.

But the first-time patients who weren’t seen within 14 days waited an average 50 days to schedule initial appointments.

Read more at Army Times