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Bedbug Battle Best Left to Professionals

By On · Add Comment · In accidental poisonings, bedbugs, boric acid, Centers of Disease Control and Prevention, exterminator, illnesses, indoor insecticide, malathion, National Park Service, pyrethroids, toxic chemicals

C’mon folks–let’s not go nuts.  You’ve got a bedbug problem–hire an exterminator; don’t try to do it on your own.  Duh!  A recent government report has disclosed that scores of Americans have fallen ill by playing bug executioner, and they are endangering family members in the process, including their children.

The report by the Centers of Disease Control and Prevention showed that 80 illnesses and one death were linked to indoor insecticide use over the last three years.  Most of the cases were in New York, where bedbug infestations have been highly publicized due to a recent revival.  However, the CDC has collected data from twelve states, where seven reported accidental poisonings from insecticides used against the microscopic blood-suckers.

About 90% of the cases were linked to pyrethroids or pyrethrins, insecticides commonly used against bedbugs. Such products are not a health risk to most people but should still be applied by a trained exterminator, said Dr. Susi Vassallo, an emergency medicine doctor who works at New York City’s Bellevue Hospital Center and occasionally treats patients who report bedbug problems.

Although bedbugs pose no risk to people, some are getting hysterical over bugs feeding on them while they sleep, and are resorting to drastic measures.  A 65-year-old woman from Rocky Mount, N.C., with a history of heart trouble and other ailments, died after one such response.  She and her husband used nine cans of insecticide fogger one day, then the same amount two days later, without opening doors and windows to air out their home afterward.  She also covered her body and hair with another bedbug product, and covered her hair with a plastic shower cap.

Unsuspecting people have also been getting ill.  Take, for instance, two carpet cleaners who had not been told that an apartment they worked in had recently been treated with pesticides. Two others were emergency medical technicians who responded to a scene and were exposed to a white powder believed to be a pesticide.  Duh, people!

In some cases, a more dangerous and inappropriate product was used as the insecticide.  In 2010 in Ohio, a non-certified exterminator used malathion to rid an apartment of bedbugs, even though the chemical is never supposed to be used indoors. A couple and their 6-year-old child got sick.

Okay here goes: First off, use an exterminator.  Doing it yourself when it comes to toxic chemicals is not a good idea.  Would you do your own electrical wiring?  Forget I asked.  And if you do decide to be the bug executioner, can you at least try reading the labels on your products?  Duh?  Malathion?  Fer cryin’ out loud!  And could you please have the decency to tell your guests, workers, landlord or parents of your kids’ friends that you’ve just sprayed toxic chemicals in your home?  Can they have a choice…please?

I wouldn’t like bedbugs, either–but I’m not going to endanger my family over a freakout.  If you can’t drop the coin for professional help, then maybe follow some guidelines, like these set forth by the National Park Service: You’ve got to fill cracks and crevices with caulk in ceilings, walls and corners.  And boric acid works well, although it’s toxic to humans and animals, too.  And clean your house, dagnamit!  I know nobody wants to accept this part of the equation, but it’s not a judgment…just a fact.  Be smart about fighting bedbugs–that’s all.

Too Many Kids Vit D Deficient

By On · Add Comment · In children, illnesses, rickets, sun, supplement, vitamin D deficiency

Get those kids in the sun, parents–one out of every five American children aged 1 to 11 is vitamin D deficient. Dang! And the numbers are worse for blacks and Hispanics. Almost 90% of African American children and 80% of Hispanic children could be vitamin D deficient. Double Dang! All this coming from a new analysis at Harvard Medical School and Children’s Hospital in Boston.

Vitamin D deficiency can lead to many illnesses including infections, diabetes and even some cancers. Even the severity of asthma symptoms has been shown to be increased in children with low vitamin D levels. But the most common ailment attached to vitamin D deficiency is bone weakness, or rickets, common a century ago but still happening today with all to often frequency. D-D-D-Dang!

The RDA for treating and preventing rickets is 400 IU vitamin D daily, which can be obtained by drinking four glasses of fortified milk. Vitamin D can also be obtained from sun exposure, which unfortunately may be lacking in children residing in northern climates and those with darker skin tones. The explosion of computers and video games is also a risk factor for children that do not spend enough time outdoors. Further, many kids are not getting enough milk, cheese or fish–all good sources of vitamin D.

So what’s the answer? How about a good vitamin D supplement for junior? Can’t get them off the Madden 2010 and playing outdoors??? (many children found to be vitamin D deficient were also overweight or obese–D-D-D-Duh!). Then you’ve got to pick up a good supplement, period.

Then slap yourself across the noggin AND GET JUNIOR RUNNING OUTDOORS D-D-D-DANGIT! I mean, what’s the major malfunction??? It’s not rocket science: Kids need to be outdoors running, playing, wrestling, carousing, whatever–it’s the natural order of things. Video games–and that includes the Wii—sorry–are for “sometimes“. That’s it, d-d-d-dagnamit! Vitamin D deficiency is no joke–don’t treat it like one.

The American Way

By On · Add Comment · In health care crisis, health insurance, health paradigm, illnesses, immigrants

I hate to say I told you so, but well…I did. Here’s the latest on American health insurance habits: Americans spend more on medical care than their foreign counterparts. But not their own money…oh no, uh uh…Americans spend more insurance dollars, because the perception is that their health is somebody else’s responsibility.

According to new research conducted at George Washington University, insured immigrants spend less on medical expenses than U.S.-born citizens, even after accounting for lower levels of insurance coverage. Well, no kidding; you don’t say. In fact, overall health care spending was 20% less for American immigrants, even when controlling for factors like health status and age.

No surprise to me–I’ve been reporting on the convoluted American health paradigm for quite some time. Americans, in general, think that health care is an entitlement–which might not be a problem if the average citizen did all they could to take care of themselves. But when a large number of all illnesses are lifestyle related, it really skews the stats, doesn’t it?

The authors of the study point out that these results “contradict the popular belief that immigrants are a drain on the U.S. health system.” I agree. But even more telling in my opinion is that Americans overuse the medical system for one simple reason: They aren’t footing the entire bill. Truth is that all insured people foot the bill for those using health care the most–the obese, drug addicts (both recreational and pharmaceutical), and the neglectful. And our current government wants to now give us more to pay for with universal health care. You really think this is the answer to “fixing” the health care crisis? Wake up call: not only is there not a crisis, but universal health care is going to cost way more than ever imagined. You’ll see.

Vaccines: Protection or Poison?

By On · Add Comment · In Amanda Peet, autism, CDC, children, herd immunity, illnesses, Jenny McCarthy, The Dr. Nick Show, thimerosal, toxic, vaccinations
What do you think about vaccinations? Public health miracle or a conspiracy ploy by the pharmaceutical industry? Listen to this month’s episode of The Dr. Nick Show (episode 8) to get the scoop on vaccinations. For a taste:

Haven’t millions of lives been saved by vaccinations? Aren’t illnesses like whooping cough, diphtheria and the flu horrible enough to warrant mass protection? Most people sure think so.

But there is another camp–a group of people who feel strongly about not vaccinating their children. They think that vaccines are toxic and can cause more harm than good? There is concern that the rising number of vaccines (24 before the age of 2) are increasing the risk of autism in American children. According to one report, autism has gone up by 500% (check here, too) in the last 15 years. Check out the video below to hear one celebrity vaccine activist speak out against the toxic substances still present in a number of vaccines.

Where do you stand on the subject? Do you wonder about some of the preservatives put into vaccines, like thimerosal or aluminum? Can these preservatives lead to autism? Do you need to vaccinate against chicken pox…or the flu? Or do you think people who don’t vaccinate their children are crazy child abusers? You know, Guillan-Barré syndrome is a very real illness tied to vaccinations (check out some side effects as reported by the CDC). Perhaps you think like actress Amanda Peet does, that parents who don’t immunize their kids are “parasites”, since they leech off the responsible families who get vaccinated.

Oh wait, you didn’t know that? Yeah, it’s called herd immunity: If 80-85 % (give or take 5% depending on the infectious agent) of the population is immunized, then there is a very low chance of illness spreading since such a large number of people are already protected. If you listen to this month’s podcast, you’ll get information like this and more! It’s a must hear for anybody struggling with the decision on whether they should vaccinate or not.

No matter how you stand on the issue, please check out this month’s podcast, Vaccines: Protection or Poison?, to get all the information necessary to make an intelligent and informed decision. Don’t make assumptions or take anything for granted. This is a big issue and you need to know the facts. So take a few minutes to listen up, you’ll be happy you did.

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