WHEN OBESITY BECOMES OBSCENITY.
The fire department in Elgin, Illinois, wants to buy a mechanized ambulance lift that can pick up a patient weighing 700 lbs. The system costs $32,000 but would cut down on the number of personnel needed to take a morbidly obese patient to the hospital. Battalion Chief McMahan stated that such calls used to be rare, but now come several times a month. As many as nine workers arriving in three vehicles, are required for transport. The department found that since 2010, injuries to backs, arms and shoulders of responders cost more than $329,000 in worker compensation claims.
IT WAS NO USE, THE EUROPEAN UNION STILL BANS SNUS.
In 1992, the European Union placed a ban on Snus, a moist, powdered tobacco placed between the cheek and gum as an alternative to cigarettes. When Sweden joined the E.U. in 1995, it was with the express provision that their country be exempted. Now the exemption would like to eat the rule. For the past year, Sweden has been attempting to lift the embargo, potentially opening up a $2.3 billion market. Swedish Trade Minister Ewa Bjorling argued that the E.U. commission has ignored scientific research indicating that Snus is less harmful than other forms of smoke-free tobacco or cigarettes. In Sweden, cigarettes are puffed by 11% of the population, less than 2/3 the rate of 18% of the rest of the E.U. The Swedish risk of dying by tobacco-related disease is also smaller than any other E.U. nation. Proving that logic has no place in government regulation, the request fell on deaf ears.
FOOD CHALLENGE: TRY TO FIND A BREAKFAST CEREAL WITHOUT ADDED SUGAR.
The National Center for Health Statistics released dietary guidelines for discretionary calories, including added sugars and solid fats. The recommended limitation is between 5% and 10% of daily caloric intake. Recent analysis showed that children and adolescents get 16% of their calories from added sugars, while the figure for adults is 13%. Interesting findings: males age 60 and beyond were lowest at 11% while the 20–40 age group was 14%. A similar pattern and percentages were reported in women. Another correlation was higher income yielded lower percentage at 12% and lowest income got 16% of daily calories from added sugars.
WHY DIDN'T MOTHER NATURE MAKE THE MOSQUITO A VEGETARIAN?
What we don't need in our island home is this newcomer from Southeast Asia. Aedes albopictus traveled from its native habitat, hitch-hiking as larvae in pools of rainwater in stacks of used tires. Recycling used tires has become big business worldwide. This aggressive hit-and-run mosquito frequently lives in close contact with humans, and dines on humans, dogs, livestock, birds and a host of wild animals. Named tiger because of its black and white stripes, A. albopictus can serve as a vector for dengue, yellow fever, chikungunya virus, West Nile fever and two forms of encephalitis named for St. Louis, Mo., and LaCrosse, Wis. Only yellow fever is preventable by vaccine. The tiger mosquito has been reported across the south below the Mason-Dixon line and as far north as New York and west to Texas. Dengue has already gotten a toehold in some southern states, and has been reported in Hawai‘i.
TRANSPLANTATON ART REQUIRES KNOWING THE DONOR.
A previously healthy man returned from a fishing trip and developed nausea, vomiting and upper extremity paresthesias over a four-day period. He was seen in the ER with a fever, elevated WBC, and low sodium and potassium. Shortly after arrival he had a seizure and was admitted to the hospital. He had dysphagia to liquids, altered mental status, and autonomic dysfunction with hemodynamic instability. He was declared brain dead 17 days after the onset of symptoms with a presumed diagnosis of ciguatera poisoning. Organs were harvested for kidney, liver and cardiac transplant. Seventeen months later, one of the kidney transplant patients presented to the ED with right hip and lower extremity pain. He was discharged with a diagnosis of sciatica, but returned four days later with fever, weakness, and right lower abdominal pain at the site of the transplant. He progressed to ascending paresthesias, encephalopathy, excessive salivation and autonomic instability. He was found to have rabies and died 22 days after admission. Retrospective analysis of donor's body fluids and work history revealed a raccoon source of rabies infection. The other three recipients of potentially rabid transplants were treated with post-exposure prophylaxis and remain well.
DOES AMERICA HAVE A PILL-TAKING CULTURE OR WHAT?
Melatonin is a naturally produced hormone that is released to regulate our sleep and wake cycles. Insomniacs and jet-lagged flyers have used synthetic melatonin supplements as a sleep aid for years. An article in the Annals of Neurology in 1991 reported that melatonin successfully corrected a blind child with multiple disabilities. Melatonin came into popular use in pediatrics for both special needs and healthy children as well. Because the drug appears to have a good safety record, many parents find it useful for their children on a continuing basis. Stuart Ditchek, clinical professor of pediatrics at New York University School of Medicine said, “I've never seen such widespread abuse of any drug or therapy in all my years of practice.” Nutrition Business Journal put sales of Melatonin at $260 million in 2012, compared with $90 million in 2007, a nearly three-fold increase.
JUST WHAT AMERICA DOESN'T NEED, ANOTHER ELECTRONIC DISTRACTION.
If you are a member of the “latest gadget club” in 2014 you can spend about $1500 and own the Google Glass. This futuristic eyewear puts a tiny voice-controlled Wi-Fi enabled computer on your face. Soon you will be able to view e-mails, text messages and maps on a translucent screen suspended in the upper right corner of your peripheral vision. Breaking news alerts will appear before your eyes. You will be able to take a picture with a voice command. Google claims (hopes?) that there will be thousands of dorky-looking Google Glass wearers over the coming months taking pictures, giving verbal commands and viewing their e-mail.
WHAT GOES UP MAY NOT STAY UP.
The US Food and Drug Administration wants certain drug labels changed to reflect complaints of patients taking finasteride (Proscar, Rogaine). A clear causal relationship has not been established, but the use of prostate and baldness drugs are linked to sexual malfunction. Drug labels have been updated to note the possibility that users may experience decreased libido, erectile dysfunction, and ejaculation and orgasm disorders. There is always a price to pay.
THIS IS FIRST CLASS MAIL DELIVERY.
In Brunete, Spain, near Madrid, complaints of dog droppings in public areas have decreased dramatically. The county council employed volunteers to obtain the names of derelict dogs. The names were recorded with the owners' addresses. The un-scooped droppings were packaged and mailed to the owners as “lost property.”
ADDENDA
Phineas T. Barnum staged the first international beauty contest in 1854. It was closed down by public protests.
LeBron James has a vertical leap of 40.3 inches.
Papa Hemingway is said to have consumed 13 daquiris in one sitting. We aren't told if he was able to stand.
News item: the Loch Ness monster surfaced today and asked if there were any facebook or twitter messages for her.
If you get cheated by the Better Business Bureau who do you complain to?
Aloha and keep the faith rts
(Editorial comment is strictly that of the writer.)