By Miriam Raftery

March 21, 2016 (Sacramento) – The tobacco industry is threatening to snuff out reform measures recently passed by the California Legislature.

East County News Service

March 19, 2016 (San Diego) – Chicken of the Sea and Bumblebee Tuna both announced recalls this week of tuna that could cause potentially life-threatening illness.  Both recalls are due to problems with sterilization equipment that could cause spoilage and life-threatening illnesses, though no illnesses have been reported.

Take the diabetes risk test for diabetes risk awareness, then get free food from Chick-fil-A

East County News Service

March 18, 2016 (Santee) -- To commemorate Tuesday, March 22 as the American Diabetes Association’s “Alert Day,” the nine Chick-fil-A restaurants in San Diego County, including the Chick-fil-A restaurant at 9418 Mission Gorge Road, Santee, will giveaway free food to customers who find out their risk of developing Type 2 diabetes.

March 13, 2016 (San Diego's East County) -- Our Health and Science Highlights provide cutting edge news that could impact your health and our future.

HEALTH

• Are you pre-diabetic? 46 percent of Californians are, UCLA finds (Los Angeles Times)
• Zika virus implicated in brain infection in results: study (Business Standard)
• 2 studies strengthen link between Zika virus and serious birth defects (New York Times)
• San Diego researchers discover new way of curbing cancer cell growth (KPBS)
• Men who get breast cancer aren’t getting the right treatment (Daily Mail)

SCIENCE AND TECH

• The feds want to keep your broadband provider’s nose out of your online life (CNet)
• Supreme Court Denies Apple's Appeal On E-Books, Triggering Millions In Payments (NPR)
• How you move your mouse could help others track you (Motherboard)
• Marijuana helped preserve ancient Indian cave paintings (Lonely Planet Travel)
• We now have algorithms to predict police misconduct: Will police use them? (Fivethirtyeight)
• For U.S. Tech Firms Abroad And Data In The Cloud, Whose Laws Apply? (NPR)
• A Massive Volcanic Eruption May Have Tipped Mars Over (IFL Science)
• U.S. proposes lifting protections for Yellowstone-area grizzlies (Reuters)

For excerpts and links to full stories, click “read more” and scroll down.

East County News Service

March 13, 2016 (La Mesa) -- The Grossmont Healthcare District’s Dr. William C. Herrick Community Health Care Library, 9001 Wakarusa St. in La Mesa, will host “Learn Isha Kriya Meditation,” a free guided meditation practice, from 10 to 11 a.m. on Wednesday, March 23. The program is part of the library’s Wellness Wednesday series, normally held on the fourth Wednesday of the month.

By Steve Lauria

March 10, 2016 (Lakeside) -- A great place to get a good workout is Lakeside’s Lindo Lake exercise path. There is a great assortment of stationary workout equipment for every part of the body. It is located right on the lake, next to the skateboard park.

East County News Service

March 9, 2016 (San Diego) -- Speaker Emeritus Toni G. Atkins (D-San Diego) has introduced legislation that would close several gaps when it comes to providing screening and treatment for breast and cervical cancer to low-income Californians.

East County News Service

March 7, 2016 (San Diego) - County of San Diego Treasurer Dan McAllister will visit La Maestra Health Center at Rosa Parks Elementary (4510 Landis Street, San Diego) on March 10 at 9 a.m. to share his love of numbers and to find out how doctors and nurses are sending families home from check-ups with free books and a very important prescription: “read aloud to your children.”

New England Journal of Medicine Peanut Study Makes Debut at AAAAI Annual Meeting

East County News Service

March 4, 2016 (Los Angeles) -- Researchers from Kings College in London are reporting that infants who have been introduced to peanuts early in life are less likely to develop peanut allergies, even if they stop eating peanuts around the age of five.

By Leon Thompson

March 23, 2016 (Alpine) -- Charlotte Figi developed severe myoclonic epilepsy of infancy as a baby.  She was severely disabled and at 5 years old was having 300 grand mal seizures a week--each one potentially deadly.  She was given a liquid concentrate of Cannabidiol or CBD oil extracted from industrial hemp. Her parents and physicians said that she improved immediately and significantly. 

East County News Service

February 29, 2016 (San Diego) – Zika has recently been suspected of causing Guillain-Barré syndrome, a rare neurological disorder. It can leave patients partially paralyzed, sometimes permanently, also causing breathing problems in severe cases after the patient’s immune system attacks nerve cells, according to the Centers for Disease Control.

Now results of a study published in the medical journal The Lancet confirm that nearly all of the blood samples from 42 Guillain-Barré patients in French Polynesia in the South Pacific two years ago also tested positive for Zika virus.

Lots of free and discounted health/fitness services for Lakeside residents!

By Steve Lauria

View video with Senator Joel Anderson discussing the Lakeside Health Awareness Month: https://www.facebook.com/CaliforniaHealthNetwork/videos/1234959753184102/

February 29, 2016 (Lakeside)--Lakeside is a rural area in the Eastern region of San Diego County. Many people find it a great place to call home, but like the rest of San Diego County, it has a growing problem with chronic disease and other health concerns.

Throughout the month of March, California Health Network, a nonprofit organization based in East County, is doing its part in improving  the health of the citizens of Lakeside by sponsoring Lakeside Health Awareness Month. Another 32 local health and fitness businesses are offering free and discounted services to  citizens of Lakeside. You can view the offers here: http://californiahealthnetwork.org/healthawarenessmonth

Zika virus photo courtesy of the CDC.

County News Service

February 27, 2016 (San Diego) -- A San Diego resident who traveled to Colombia and returned in January 2016 is the first Zika virus case reported in the region this year, the County Health and Human Services Agency announced today.

By Liz Alper

February 23, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - There will be several blood drives in East County over the next couple of weeks.  Here is where to go if you wish to donate blood:

By Jennifer McGregor

February 23, 2016 (San Diego’s East County) -- If you’re a caregiver for an elderly loved one, a spouse, or a friend, worries probably plague your mind every day. Preoccupied with the day-to-day concerns of caregiving, many caregivers don’t think about what steps and precautions they should have in place in case of a disaster. This guide will help you prepare for the worst with precautions and plans to keep your loved one safe in any situation.