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.

County News Service

February 22, 2016 (San Diego) -- Hundreds of San Diego County children should be smiling brighter by this time next week thanks to the volunteer efforts of local dental health professionals.

Source: Grossmont Healthcare District

February 17, 2016 (La Mesa) --The Grossmont Healthcare District (GHD) is seeking nominees for its 2016 Healthcare Hero Awards. Now in its 10th year, the Healthcare Heroes is GHD’s annual awards program honoring volunteers who help advance the delivery of quality healthcare in the East County region. Nomination forms are available at www.grossmonthealthcare.org. Deadline for submission of entries is 3 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 23. Entries can be mailed, faxed, emailed or personally delivered to the GHD offices, 9001 Wakarusa St., La Mesa. For more information, contact the GHD offices at info@grossmonthealthcare.org.

By Liz Alper

February 18, 2016 (San Diego's East County) - Healthways Silver Sneakers Yoga in East County is offering five free-of-charge yoga classes to anyone interested in participating.  

By Miriam Raftery

February 17, 2016 (San Diego) —  Zika virus has been the main culprit suspected in thousands of cases of babies in Brazil born with microcephaly, a condition that causes small skulls and under-developed brains.  But now a group of doctors and researchers in Argentina have published a report suggesting another possible cause: the chemical Pyriproxyfen, a larvicide made by a Monsanto subsidiary that has been applied to drinking water supplies in Brazil to control mosquitoes.

By Steve Lauria

February 15, 2016 (San Diego) -- If you break the law in San Diego County, you will wind up in the custody of The Sheriff’s Department in one of seven county jails.

East County News Service

February 15, 2016 (El Cajon) – The East County Pregnancy Care Clinic in El Cajon is among the plaintiffs in a case set for appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court. At stake is whether or not the state of California can require “crisis pregnancy clinics” established by religious or other anti-abortion groups to post notices informing low-income women patients of their rights to obtain free or low-cost abortion, contraception and pre-natal care through public programs—including a phone number to call.

East County News Service

February 14, 2016 (San Diego) -- It is the leading cause of death in the nation, but not in San Diego.