Health

CALIFORNIA—On June 3, 2014, tax officials sent a 16-page report to Blue Shield California, the state’s third largest insurer. The tax board did not comment on why blue shield was audited, but after consideration it was decided that the non-profit health plan provider would now have to pay state taxes. They had earlier cited confidentiality reasons for not making...

YOSEMITE NATIONAL PARK—Two squirrels were discovered to have been killed by a plague at Yosemite National Park’s Tuolumne Meadows Campgrounds on Friday, August 14. According to the National Park Service, Tuolumne Meadows Campground will be closed from noon on August 17 to noon on August 21. All individuals who held camping reservations were contacted by the park services to have...

SAN FRANCISCO—The American Beverage Association (ABA) sued the city of San Francisco in federal court on Friday, July 24, in an effort to stop the implementation of the city's new ordinances that will require health risk warnings to be labeled on sugary beverage advertisements, including sodas, energy drinks, and sports drinks ads. According to San Francisco officials, on June 9 lawmakers unanimously...

BROOKLYN, NEW YORK—In 2011, just before Dayna and Manni Scarso’s son, Pietro, turned three, they discovered his body was deteriorating from the inside out. The Scarsos began suspecting problems when they noticed Pietro’s younger brother, Nico, running up and down stairs while Pietro made slow, valiant attempts, but would then get stuck. Looking back, Manni remembered initially thinking, “maybe Pietro’s just...

UNITED STATES—For quite some time I have been thinking about going vegan. On occasion, I have actually done it, where I would completely give up red meat, pork and seafood. Yes, I know what you all are thinking, but what about chicken. Yes, I do indulge in chicken a bit simply because I need to have protein in my...

WESTWOOD—UCLA scientists have discovered specific genes that are linked to a predisposition to post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). The study was published in the February 2015 edition of the Journal of Affective Disorders, and is significant because it answers the question of why some people suffer from PTSD and others do not. The findings also provide a “biological basis for diagnosing and treating...

UNITED STATES—If your hair feels and looks fried and brittle, it’s probably suffering from heat damage. Another sign of heat damage is if your hair is naturally curly or wavy, but when you wash it, it doesn’t return to its natural curl or wave pattern. For example, recently I started straightening my hair a bit often and after a...

UNITED STATES—The New Year is right around the corner and you're probably going to want to look your best in 2017. So, I'm going to share with you three tips that may be useful in your weight loss journey. Tip #1: Workout First Thing In The Morning There are a lot of mixed feelings in the fitness community about doing...

LOS ANGELES—This year spring was marked by my first ever visit to Tomato-Mania, reminding me that it’s time to spruce up the garden and make new choices now that the drought is in the rear view mirror. Coming from the east coast, it’s hard to acclimate to spring in early March. Every year something pulls my attention to the arrival...

UNITED STATES—We have been chatting about food the past few weeks in our efforts to highlight the importance of eating healthy and ridding our bodies of potential toxins and all things unhealthy.  Last week we took the approach of talking about things that aren’t always the best for the body, but they have benefits. This week the conversation turns...