Lifestyle Expert Justine Santaniello appeared on KCAL9 News on Monday at noon.

She offered some budget-friendly tips and last-minute gift ideas for those celebrating the day of love.

For more information, visit Justine Santaniello online.

Adele, who last year couldn’t sing — or talk — for months due to a vocal chord hemorrhage — she likened it to a black eye in her throat — sang publicly tonight and got a standing O — not to mention six Grammy awards.

But CBS2 Health Reporter Lisa Sigell tells us that if not for Dr. Steven Zeitels, tonight’s acclaimed return to live singing might not have happened. Sigell profiled Dr. Zeitels — called a miracle worker by many — on the CBS2 News following this evening’s Grammys.

After her voice literally gave out last October, Adele had to cancel her tour. Her career was in jeopardy.

She went under the knife last November. Adele talked to Anderson Cooper for “60 Minutes” and explained that non-cancerous polyps had to be removed.

Voice restoration specialist Zeitels, stepped up to the plate.  He tells Sigell, “The laser technology is called a KTP or a greenlight laser…it’s exactly the technology I used with Steven Tyler and its exactly what I use to treat almost all cancers endoscopically, it is a wonderful.”

In addition to Adele and Steven Tyler, Zeitels has also performed career-saving surgeries for  the Who’s Roger Daltry, Julie Andrews and Cher.

While the Boston-based Dr. Zeitels has high-profile clients like the aforementioned superstars of music, most of his clients are run-of-the-mill average Joes and Joannes. And the same problem — using the voice too much — can affect a superstar just as easily as it can a teacher or Wall Street banker.

To completely heal, Dr. Zeitels had to talk Adele into not talking for two months post surgery. “It was really hard to get my point across,” he says, matter-of-fact.

Dr. Zeitels is regarded as a prolific surgical innovator having designed numerous new voice restoration procedures and instruments. He also holds a number of patents for innovative operating techniques.

As for Adele, considered herself as an innovator, tonight is only a precursor to life ahead. There is no reason, Dr. Zeitels believes, to think Adele is going to need tune ups. “I think she is repaired,” he says, “and I think she is going to continue to do wonderfully.”

Irvine-based Regeneca said Saturday it will voluntarily pull RegenArouse after a Food and Drug Administration analysis confirmed the presence of Tadafil.

Tadalafil is an FDA-approved drug used as treatment for male erectile dysfunction. It is not listed among RegenArouse’s ingredients.

For some users, Tadafil could interact with nitrates found in some prescription drugs and lower blood pressure to dangerous levels.

On its web site, RegenArouse is billed as an all-natural, drug-free intimacy enhancer for women.

Regeneca has distributed the supplement in the U.S. and Puerto Rico via the internet since November 2011.

Consumers can return any unused product for an exchange or a full refund.

(© Copyright 2012 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

MALIBU (CBS) — One in eight people over the age of 65 suffers from Alzheimer’s Disease.

Just a few months ago, Glen Campbell told the world he was one of them.

Now, one of the world’s greatest guitarists and performers is trying to hold on to his memories. And he has memories that are the stuff of dreams.

(credit: CBS)

The 75-year-old performer earned his early fame with country/pop hits such as “Rhinestone Cowboy” and “Gentle On My Mind” and hosting the variety show “The Glen Campbell Goodtime Hour” on CBS. During the ‘60s and ‘70s, he dominated the pop charts as well as the tabloid covers, easily transitioning between musician, actor and TV personality.

Campbell and his wife sat down with CBS2 to share what they’re going through.

At their Malibu home Campbell walked us through hallways lined with framed memories.

(credit: CBS)

“Is that who I think it is? That’s me with Elvis,” Campbell said. “He had more charisma in his little finger than anybody…you could feel him when he was coming.”

The Country Hall Of Fame musician was also an actor. He played John Wayne’s sidekick in the original “True Grit”.

“John Wayne was just like he was in the movies,” Campbell said. “I pushed John Wayne…he wouldn’t have won his only Oscar if I hadn’t given him a big push.”

And those older memories seem to come up easier than recent ones.

His wife Kim has been by his side 30 years.

Musician Glen Campbell (R) and Kim Woolen arrive at the 2012 MusiCares Person of the Year Tribute to Paul McCartney held at the Los Angeles Convention Center on February 10, 2012 in Los Angeles, California. (credit: Larry Busacca/Getty Images For The Recording Academy)

“I’m a little hard of hearing on this side,” Campbell told us.

“Finally, he admits it!” Kim laughed.

When asked what changes she’s noticed Kim said that Campbell gets forgetful and disoriented, even in their home. Still, he is functioning well.

She’s thankful that certain medications have helped him improve and that his music is like therapy.

“It hasn’t affected his music. He really sings great,” Kim said.

The eight-time Grammy winner is still touring with his grown children but spends much of his time at his home in Malibu with Kim.

If you or someone you know is caring for a loved one with Alzheimers you can find tips and help from the Alzheimer’s Association here.

If you’d like to leave messages of support for Glen Campbell or if you have an Alzheimer’s-related story you’d like to share please leave a comment below.

Narciso Romanes Blando of Orange is charged with one felony count of sexual battery and two misdemeanor counts of battery, according to the Orange County District Attorney’s Office.

One of the alleged incidents occurred in Aug. 2011.

Prosecutors allege that Blando stroked the hair of a 60-year-old patient who was recovering from surgery and kissed her on the cheek and lips.

A 54-year-old patient also accused Blando of touching her groin area under her hospital gown on Feb. 6, 2012, under the pretense of rubbing a pain-killing lotion, according to prosecutors.

Authorities said Blando stopped when the woman started crying but when she awoke later, she discovered Blando allegedly stroking her hair.

Blando, who is expected to be arraigned Friday, is being held in lieu of $100,000 bail.

If convicted, he could face a maximum of four years in prison.

Anyone with information on this case is asked to contact Supervising District Attorney Investigator Lou Gutierrez at (714) 347-8794.

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(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

SOUTH REDONDO BEACH (CBS) — A group of SoCal mothers believe electricity is making their families sick. CBS2’s Paul Magers spoke with these residents to find out why they think nearby power lines and their neighborhood substation is creating unsafe living conditions.

“This is my hair loss from one shower,” said Lori Barber, a resident in the Knob Hill neighborhood, as she held up a large clump of hair.

(credit: CBS)

“I absolutely worry about health issues, I have three young children,” remarked Doris Donlou-Richmond, Barber’s neighbor.

Mary Contreras is yet another local mother who said her daughter has been experiencing a variety of gastrointestinal problems and that half of her esophagus is paralyzed — all for unexplained reasons.

These women live in a neighborhood lined with schools and churches and a Southern California Edison substation, which sends out electricity to the city of Redondo Beach.

The substation is immediately apparent when first entering South Redondo Beach. Many residents said they did not even realize the substation was there until after they purchased their homes. The first five homes to be built on the Barber family’s street were used to house the Edison employees that worked at the facility. Edison had initially planned to tear them down and expand the substation. Instead, the company sold the homes in the ‘90s.

The Barbers bought one of those residences in April 2010 and their baby Adelaide was born in November of that same year. Three months later, the Barbers said their daughter was diagnosed with unexplainable gastrointestinal issues.

“I can’t help but believe it’s related to living here,” Barber said. “I have a 14-month-old baby girl that was just in the hospital last month with issues that we still don’t 100 percent have answers for or that just don’t make sense.”
Contreras lives around the corner, directly behind the substation, and also became concerned when her son and daughter became ill and she began to suffer headaches daily.

“My son, he was diagnosed with a tumor and with a lot of joint problems,” Contreras said.

(credit: CBS)

These residents believe electromagnetic fields (EMFs) generated by the Edison power lines are the root of all their health problems, despite there being no definitive proof.

Barber’s husband, Tom, showed us the power lines surrounding his home.

“We have a situation that we have electricity from high from both sides, high from over there and underground from in front of the house,” he said. “You’re in your own boxed-in microwave.”

The residents have already asked for Southern California Edison employees to measure the EMFs in all of their homes. Edison notes on its paperwork that one milligauss is the average reading in most houses. The company reported that this community had readings that ranged between 4.1 and 32.6.

Edison said EMF readings vary based on what is inside a home and that not all readings relate to power lines.

Doris Donlou-Richmond has EMFs ranging from 5.4 to 13.9 on her property and an electrically-charged gas line. The gas company marked her meter “11 Volts” – alerting employees to stay clear.

“It’s been three and a half years, they haven’t resolved the issue, and there’s no notation on my account other than they are not allowed to touch my gas line due to it being electrically charged,” Richmond said.

Another neighbor purchased the Edison home closest to the substation. Simona Wilson believes something called “stray voltage” has been seeping into her shower and has jolted her body, causing nerve damage.

“When we learned about Simona’s situation, we kind of thought it was interesting, and we started reaching out to people,” Barber said.

Wilson vacated her home last September and has filed a lawsuit claiming that Edison was aware of the stray voltage for the past 20 years. She recently underwent a hysterectomy, a medical issue she also believes is linked to the Edison substation.

“I just feel horrible that we’re sitting here together while one of our neighbors is having surgery,” said Barber, adding, “Obviously, we’re not the only people on this block that have an issue and if you didn’t raise hell about it [SoCal Edison wouldn’t] come to your house.”
CBS2 took these residents’ concerns straight to Edison.
“Certainly, I don’t dismiss customers’ frustration but to sort of characterize that we have not been engaged in trying to solve issues, you know, it’s unfortunate,” said Steve Conroy, of SoCal Edison.

“The first complaint that we actually received was around 2004, and it had to do with an issue of stray voltage,” Conroy said.

(credit: CBS)

Edison later corrected that comment in an email, stating they made disclosures about EMF readings and were aware of stray voltage issues as early as 1999 — years before some of the women involved moved into the neighborhood.

Conroy went on to cite scientific studies to suggest that there was no direct correlation between EMF levels and health concerns.

“There’s no evidence to say EMF is safe,” according to Dr. De-Kun Li, Ph.D., of the Kaiser Foundation Research Institute. He has studied electromagnetic fields and possible health effects for 15 years.

Li said no one is certain which EMF levels are safe and which are dangerous. However, his research recently linked EMF exposure to miscarriages and asthma. He says even though there is no federal standard on EMFs, people need to take precautions.

“My study shows above two milligauss could be potentially problematic, particularly when exposed for a long time,” Li said.

That limit is way below the EMF readings in the South Redondo Beach neighborhood. That’s why Barber said she and her family moved out last November.

“I’m leaving,” Contreras said. “I can’t stand to put my children, and my husband and myself at risk.”

“If Edison is not willing to buy back our house or give us back what we’ve put into it, we’ve potentially lost it,” Lori Barber said.

And, for many families in the area, there are still too many questions left unanswered.

“I want to know why I have electricity in my gas line and I want it fixed,” Richmond said.

“There are substations in neighborhoods that don’t have EMFs or stray voltage – so, why does this one?” Barber asked.

Some residents said they were concerned about the possible effect of the electricity on nearby schools.

Alta Vista Elementary School sent a note home to parents after CBS2 reported on the situation earlier this week, saying both Southern California Edison and the gas company have checked the school and believe there’s no threat.

Edison representatives said they will work with Simona Wilson’s family on the stray voltage issue and said she could even hire the contractor of her choice to fix the problem. Edison also said they were working with the gas company to determine if there was any stray voltage on the gas line.

KNX 1070′s Tom Reopelle reports the Unit 3 reactor has cooled down after the leak was discovered in a tube that carries radioactive water.

Nuclear regulatory officials warned that a “very, very low level of radioactivity” may have been released into the atmosphere in the wake of the leak on Feb. 1.

Gil Alexander, a spokesman for Southern California Edison, which operates the facility along the coastline near the San Diego (5) Freeway, said one way to determine what was behind the leak is to put the tubes under water pressure.

“The leak stopped the very day we discovered it, so we would recreate the circumstances and look for the leak that way,” Alexander said.

Other technologies can also allow inspectors to “look through the walls of the tubes and find imperfections in that way”, he added.

The leak sparked a health scare among residents and activists alike, and Alexander said the investigation will be a slow and methodical process in order to stop such a leak from reoccurring.

Fitness guru Richard Simmons will lead students and faculty through a workout routine Thursday at the Riverside campus, to promote community health and fitness.

“I am so excited to teach a class for the students at UC Riverside,” Simmons said. “I have been making appearances at campuses around the country, and it has been so much fun. Come ready to sweat, to laugh, to learn a little and have a blast!”

Besides the class, Simmons will also host a raffle and judge a Richards Simmons look-alike contest, with an ‘80s theme,” event coordinator Devon Sakamoto said.

The event will be from 5-7:30 p.m. at UCR’s Student Recreation Center.

“Richard’s message of physical and mental health is one that everyone should have the opportunity to hear,” Sakamoto said.

Students, faculty and area residents will be admitted to the class free, however those without campus parking permits will have to pay for parking.

Everyone who wants to join the workout should come wearing the appropriate clothes, Sakamoto said.

Simmons, 63, has been making television appearances since the late 1970s promoting weight loss programs. He runs Simmons Studio in Beverly Hills, where he still teaches motivational courses.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

STUDIO CITY (CBS) — About 1,500 runners are putting their foot down in the fight against neuromuscular disease.

The second annual LA Muscle Walk to benefit the Muscular Dystrophy Association got under way Saturday morning at the CBS Radford Lot in Studio City with CBS2′s own Lisa Sigell as the emcee.

MDA covers 43 different diseases and organizers of the walk expect it to raise approximately $150,000.

“We offer different supports and health services to all families registered with MDA, including clinics, including support groups, for repairs and modifications for wheelchairs. We send kids who are diagnosed with neuromuscular disease to summer camp for a week each year,” said MDA Health Care Coordinator Emma Karavardanyan.

Joy Benedict, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, spoke with “Glee” cast member Max Adler, who is an honorary Vice President of the MDA.

Adler, who has a personal attachment to the cause, has raised more than $10,000 for the walk with help from friends, family and fans.

“We’ve kinda used social media to spread the word. As of this morning, we’re about $10,400. Donations are still pouring in. And that sends so many kids with the disease to summer camps and also goes to research and treatments,” he said.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — For Bethany and Jason Winters, getting sick is a worst case scenario. The pair have two boys and their hands full.

“There seriously is not a moment when there’s not something happening,” said Jason Winters.

But one thing is a constant in their life: their health.

It’s that idea that’s behind Dr. David Agus’s new book “The End of Illness.”

“I’m a cancer doctor. I see death two or three times a week and I can’t handle it. So I put together everything I know and developed a new way of approaching health to prevent disease,” he said.

The USC doctor and pioneer in cancer research wrote the book to help people begin to take charge of their own health care.

Using a kit, the doctor says you can start by testing your DNA. He co-founded one but says several companies now offer tests that can measure your lifetime risk for 35 diseases from Alzheimer’s to heart disease.

He also believes in full body scans and on the simplest level, blood tests your doctor should be doing but may or may not be. These include, among others, testing your thyroid stimulating hormone and inflammation marker.

But Dr. Agus says a lot of what can put an end to illness starts at home. The following are simple changes he recommends:

Start with Sleep
“There’s no magic number for sleep. Whether you get eight hours a night or five hours a night. Both of them can be adequate as long as it’s regular. Once you stick to a schedule, your body will start to regulate how you benefit from that sleep,” he said.

Eating and Exercise
The doctor recommends keeping a consistent schedule.

“You’re going to get improvements in how you think, in your athletic performance, and also overtime, actually lose weight because your stress will go down,” he said.

Keep Moving
Sitting for long periods of time may be as bad as smoking, according to the doctor.

“What I mean is, if you look at the data, walking during the day is one of the best things you can do to prevent disease. Every half hour, get up and walk around two to three minutes. It makes a big difference in health in the long run,” he said.

Stay Away from High Heels
Heels can put stress on joints and muscles and cause inflammation.

“Over weeks, months, years… that adds up. Inflammation yields heart disease, cancers and other diseases,” he added.

He also recommends asking your doctor about getting on a statin, which is usually prescribed for high cholesterol; as well as baby aspirin. Both drugs have been found to lower the risk of heart disease and cancer.

And finally, Dr. Agus recommends the following tests along with any others personalized for you by your doctor:
• Fasting lipid (Cholesterol) Profile
• Complete Blood Cell Count
• Inflammation Marker (High Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein)
• Comprehensive Metabolic Panel
• Thyroid Stimulating Hormone

For more information on Dr. Agus and his book, visit “The End of Illness” online.

KNX 1070′s Tom Reopelle reports the news marks the second recent incident at the plant northern San Diego County

Victor Dricks with the Nuclear Regulatory Commission said the unidentified employee did not receive a significant radiation dose after he lost his balance while leaning over to retrieve a flashlight and fell into the reactor pool in Unit 2 on Jan. 27.

“The exposure came largely because he ingested or swallowed a little bit of the water that was in the pool that had some residual contamination in it,” said Dricks. “He got an exposure that was probably equivalent to a chest x-ray.”

The worker was reportedly wearing a life preserver when he fell into the pool’s 23-foot-deep water that circulates through the reactor core.

He was pulled to safety by co-workers and was not injured.

Once he was examined and determined to have been exposed to 5 millirems of radiation — which is not considered a major dose — he was ordered back to work the same day.

Earlier this week, the San Onofre plant announced a water leak in Unit 3 that may have released a small amount of radiation into the environment.

IRVINE (CBS) — A popular weight loss device seen and heard on advertisements throughout the Southland will no longer be available for sale as regulators investigate the Orange County firm that makes the devices.

KNX 1070′s Mike Landa reports the move could signal that the ubiquitous diet “hotline” 1-800-GET-THIN will soon be out of service.

Irvine-based Allergan Corp. announced it will no longer supply the “Lap-Band” to surgery centers affiliated with the marketing company in the wake of five patient deaths in Southern California since 2009.

Attorney Alexander Robertson has filed two wrongful death lawsuits on behalf of relatives of patients who died following Lap-Band surgery.

“Both of those patients were unable to eat or swallow any fluids at all,” said Robertson. “Finally, they went to the emergency room, and emergency room doctors said in both cases they essentially showed up on death’s door.”

The Food and Drug Administration had approved the stomach-shrinking device for use for non-obese patients back in February of last year.

KCAL9′s Stephanie Abrams reports one of the patients, John Faitro, lost his wife Laura in July 2010 just days after her Lap Band surgery — an operation for which the firm was criminally negligent, according to Alexander.

“Not telling patients like John’s wife that they cut her liver three places during the surgery and put her in a wheelchair and sent her home to die,” he said.

John recalled how Laura became his provider and caretaker after John lost his eyesight.

“She helped everybody out, she was a serving lady,” he said. “She was doing the Lap-Band for herself.”

Faitros’ case is set to go to trial in September.

Surgery centers affiliated with the devices and 1-800-GET-THIN responded to the lawsuit by saying,” “In past years, thousands of patients served by our centers have achieved weight loss with positive results after receiving Lap-Bands.”

“Every surgery has risks — the Lap-Band is no exception,” the statement added.

But more and more, women are finding themselves in the maze of infertility.

As Lisa Sigell reports in Thursday’s Health Watch, infertility is also becoming more commonplace.

Doctors want more women armed with information.  Dr. Richard Paulson, head of USC’s Fertility Program, knows the entire process can be daunting.

He says, by the time a woman reaches 40, there’s a good chance she will need help to conceive.

For more information about USC Fertility, click here.

For more information about the causes and risk factors of infertility, click here.

For more information about Baby Steps Fertility, click here.

The LAPD shut down the last marijuana dispensary in the north San Fernando Valley, one of the last among shops in Northridge, Granada Hills and Chatsworth, as part of a three-year crackdown, the Los Angeles Daily News reported. Three owners of Herbal Medicine Care in Chatsworth were arrested on suspicion of felony possession of marijuana for sale.

The dispensaries are required by state law to be non-profits, where collective members all contribute to the growing and harvesting of the drug, but police say shops simply sign people up and are instantly given collective membership, where the marijuana is handed out for a “predetermined donation,” LAPD Detective Robert Holcomb told the Daily News.

The ban proposed by Councilman Jose Huizar would require all dispensaries to be shut down on the basis that even those permitted by the city are in violation of federal law because marijuana is considered an illegal drug.

Dispensaries with storefronts would be outlawed and those who need the drug would need to grow it at home, according to Huizar.

An estimated 200 dispensaries remain open in the Valley.

Pfizer is recalling 14 lots of Lo/Ovral-28 (norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol) Tablets and 14 lots of Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets, the generic version of the drug. Pfizer says some blister packs may contain an inexact count of inert or active ingredient tablets and that they may be out of sequence.

Because of the packaging error, women using this drug as birth control could be at risk for unintended pregnancies. The error in packaging, however, does not pose any immediate health risks.

Women taking the recalled pills should begin using a non-hormonal form of contraception immediately and return their packets to the pharmacy and notify their doctors.

The lot numbers of the affected packs of Lo/Ovral-28 Tablets and Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets are:

LO/OVRAL-28: E15678, E15679, E15686, E15687, E15690, E15698, E15700, E80434, E80438, F36908, F36909, F43915, F43926 and F43927.

Generic Norgestrel and Ethinyl Estradiol Tablets: E15677, E15704, E15706, E80440, F16388, F16390, F22132, F31330, F36911, F36913, F43924, F43925, F43934, F53238.

BEVERLY HILLS (CBS) — With the investigation of a LAUSD teacher ongoing, it’s hard to understand how so many kids could have been victimized for so long, but experts say part of the reason is fear.

“Their power was stripped away from them and they were sadistically hurt,” said child psychologist Doctor Fran Walfish.

School officials say Mark Berndt led students to believe it was a game.

“I don’t think any one of those children thought it was fun,” Dr. Walfish said.

Blindfolded with their mouths taped shut, some children were reportedly spoon fed Berndt’s bodily fluid.

Police believe the abuse happened for years, but as far as we know, not one student out of dozens said one thing about it.

“Children that age are very afraid to tell,” said Dr. Walfish, who added that no matter how the acts were initiated, in those types of situations, children can feel guilty or responsible.

“I suspect that he threatened that he would hurt their families,” she said.

Like in many cases involving lewd acts with children, Dr. Walfish believes the perpetrator more than likely experienced a similar incident as a child.

“Research shows that what was done to us is repeated,” Dr. Walfish said.

She said that it is important that victims acknowledge what happened.

“Encouraging and inviting these children to express their anger and rage at the violator,” she said.

Perhaps the key to prevention is emphasizing the importance of communication, she said.

“You need to tell your child, ‘speak up, don’t be afraid to be the only one to say stop,’” she said.

Experts also advise parents to tell their children to be assertive and trust their gut feeling, whenever they feel something is wrong.

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» Teacher Arrested In Connection With Photos Allegedly Showing Students Bound, Gagged

EAST HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — Thousands of Kaiser Permanente nurses from 80 Southland hospitals went on a one-day strike Tuesday morning to protest of major cuts to healthcare coverage and retirement benefits.

The largest strike, called by the California Nurses Association which also included other employees and social workers, began at 6 a.m. at the Kaiser Sunset Hospital near Sunset Boulevard and Vermont Avenue. Nurses also picketed Kaiser hospitals in Woodland Hills and Downey.

The union says hospital costs have not risen, but that Kaiser wants to increase out-of-pocket costs to nurses and eliminate retirement benefits.

“We are here to advocate for our patients’ safety because they deserve the best quality care. We want safe staffing rations implemented into the contract as well as no take-ways from our current benefits,” said Sandra Hanke, a pediatric nurse.

The union says the cuts come at a time when executives are getting excessive compensation packages.

Kaiser denies the California Nurses Associations claims.

“Our goal is to be able to retain the high quality staff we’ve and continue to attract staff so we must be competitive. We know our compensation plans and benefits today are competitive. We believe the proposal that is on the table is also one that is competitive in today’s marketplace,” said Mark Costa of Kaiser Permanente LA Medical Center.

Hospital officials say that a plan has been put in place and patients will not notice a change in care or safety.

Tuesday’s strike marks the fourth time Kaiser employees have protested since started they started bargaining in 2010.

KNX 1070′s Brian Ping reports researchers now say that a mysterious skin disorder affecting thousands of Californians is only in their minds.

The condition known as Morgellons disease — named from a 1674 medical paper that described similar symptoms — affects an estimated 4 out of every 100,000 Californians, according to a sample study on more than 3 million people who lived in 13 counties in Northern California.

Sufferers of Morgellons describe symptoms including fatigue, erupting sores, crawling sensations on their skin, and mysterious red, blue or black fibers sprouting from their skin. Some say they’ve suffered for decades.

At one point, government health officials estimated receiving up to 20 calls a day from Morgellons sufferers.

Senator Dianne Feinstein (D-Los Angeles) commissioned the $600,000 study in 2008, which was published in the journal PLos One on Jan. 25.

Most of the afflicted patients were middle-aged white women who displayed what doctors classified as a type of psychosis that makes them believe they have been infected with parasites.

The patients had no diseases, but more depression than the general public and were more obsessive about physical ailments, according to the study.

Last May, Mayo Clinic researchers published a study of 108 Morgellons patients and found none of them suffered from any unusual physical ailment.

The study also concluded that the sores on many of them were caused by their own scratching and picking at their skin.

(TM and © Copyright 2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. and its relevant subsidiaries. CBS RADIO and EYE Logo TM and Copyright 2011 CBS Broadcasting Inc. Used under license. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. The Associated Press contributed to this report.)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — One of the smallest babies ever born went home Friday, almost five months after entering the world weighing just over half a pound.

Melinda Star Guido was born Aug. 30 at 24 weeks, or four months early. Melinda is the third-smallest baby ever born, according to Global Birth Registry figures.

Melinda spent the first months of her life being monitored around the clock in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit of Los Angeles County-USC Medical Care, where Dr. Rangasamy Ramanathan says he wasn’t sure she would survive beyond a few days. However, as Melinda got older, she quadrupled in weight and now weights 4 and a half pounds.

Premature babies are at increased risk for health complications. Melinda is among the fewer than 1 percent of babies born earlier than 28 weeks, according to the March of Dimes. About 7,500 babies are born each year in the United States weighing less than a pound and about 10 percent survive.

Most babies go home without much fanfare and maybe dad will be at the hospital entrance armed with a video camera. Melinda, however, got the paparazzi treatment, with cameras from news outlets all over Southern California.

“This doesn’t happen every day. In my 30 years here, … this is the first time it ever happened that we were able to discharge a baby who weighed less than 400 grams, or 300 grams,” Ramanathan said. They plan to monitor Melinda’s health for the next six years.

Melinda’s mother, Haydee Ibarra of Granada Hills, says she’s so excited to bring her home.

“I’m just happy that she’s doing well and that she’d doing better than she was before. I’m happy that I’m finally going to take her home…”

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Rejecting healthful alternatives like vegetarian curries and tamales, quinoa salads and pad Thai noodles, students are throwing them in the trash by the thousands, bringing junk food from home and buying instant noodles and other decidedly unhealthy fare from the “black markets” that have begun to thrive at campuses across the district, according to the Los Angeles Times.

The wholesale rejection to its healthy menu comes about a year after a very public food fight with TV chef Jamie Oliver. Oliver filmed a few weeks of his ABC series “Jamie Oliver’s Food Revolution” at one LAUSD campus, but the permit was terminated abruptly.

The series’ first season featured Oliver trying to revolutionize the eating habits and food policies of Huntington, W. Va.

The district said they welcomed Oliver, but not his cameras, in an effort to avoid gimmicks, like filling a school bus with 57 tons of white sand to represent the amount of sugar LAUSD students consume weekly in flavored milk.

The kerfluffle led to LAUSD’s decision to change the menu in favor of healthier options. The district decided to do away with chocolate- and strawberry-flavored milk.

Now, the Times reports cartons of plain milk are being thrown away en masse, unopened, along with uneaten entrees. Participation in the school lunch program has dropped by thousands of students, who are ditching lunch and are suffering from hunger-related ailments.

The complaints have been heard and LAUSD is planning changes to the menu, the Times reports. Burgers and (healthy) pizza are coming back, and dishes like quinoa salads and brown rice cutlets are out.

L.A. Unified serves 650,000 meals daily.

»RELATED STORY: LAUSD Enlists Parents In Effort To Get Students Eating Healthier Menu

Northridge Hospital is among a few places in the nation that are at the forefront of this cutting-edge technology.

Combining innovative robotics technology with leading rehabilitation expertise, Myomo will revolutionize stroke therapy. Myomo’s technology was originally developed at Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in collaboration with medical experts affiliated with Harvard Medical School.

The Myomo (My Own Motion) System is designed to enable individuals to control movement of partially paralyzed limbs using their own biological signals. With this capability, Myomo helps people relearn how to move affected muscles and restore movement to their arms.

The possibilities, of course, are endless and offer hope to stroke patients looking to gain normalcy back into their lives.

For more about Northridge Hospital, click here.

For more about Myomo’s systems and products, click here.

The undefeated prizefighter gave the money Wednesday to officials from the Susan G. Komen for the Cure research and support foundation. The presentation was made during a news event at his gym in Las Vegas.

Foundation executive Stephanie Kirby tells The Associated Press the donation will go a long way at the Las Vegas nonprofit, which operates with about a $1 million annual budget.

Mayweather’s lawyers promised the judge who sentenced Mayweather in December in a domestic battery case that the boxer would make the donation. Mayweather, who goes by the nickname “Money,” is due to serve a 90-day jail sentence in the case beginning June 1.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — The Los Angeles City Council approved a new law Tuesday that will require adult film stars to use condoms.

The council tentatively approved the ordinance, which will require all performers in adult videos to use condoms, last week.

Ordinance supporters say the measure is needed to prevent the spread of HIV, but the adult video industry’s trade association, the Free Speech Coalition, says condoms are not necessary.

Los Angeles is the first city in the nation to approve a law requiring actors to use protection during sexual intercourse.

According to the school, an advisory group for the FDA on Wednesday endorsed the approval of a new medical device tested in clinical trials at USC’s Keck School of Medicine, as well as 14 other institutions nationwide.

Dr. John Lipham led the trials of the LINX Reflux Management System at USC and called the device, “a huge advance for the treatment of reflux.”

On its website, the school said the LINX Reflux Management System looks like a small bracelet-like ring of magnetic beads made of titanium.

It’s implanted at the bottom of the patient’s esophagus, just above a small valve that is supposed to keep stomach acid from going up the throat when people lie down.

Once implanted, the device augments the effectiveness of the natural muscle that controls that valve, USC said.

The process, which may become an outpatient procedure if approved, takes about 20 minutes to complete, according to Lipham, who says he has a list of patients waiting to be implanted.

The device is already being used in Europe.

The FDA is expected to vote on it once it’s reviewed the group’s recommendations, the school said.

(©2012 CBS Local Media, a division of CBS Radio Inc. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed. Wire services contributed to this report.)

LANCASTER (CBS) — A Lancaster mother is on a crusade to convince toy maker Mattel to create a cancer Barbie to honor sick children.

Beckie Sypin’s 12-year-old daughter Kinley Inich was diagnosed less than one year ago with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia. Within days of learning she had cancer, Kinley had lost more than 20 pounds.

“She was just so sick she couldn’t even stay awake,” says a tearful Sypin. “She couldn’t even have a conversation with you.”

To help Kinley and other children battling cancer, Sypin and a family friend reached out to Mattel, the maker of Barbie to request the company manufacture a bald version of the iconic doll.

Mattel has made a bald Barbie before, but has never mass produced one.

Sypin set up a Facebook page to garner support for a potential ‘Beautiful and Bald’ Barbie. The page received more than 83,000 likes in less than a month.

“We wrote Mattel a letter,” says Sypin. “And they came back saying they don’t accept unsolicited, outside suggestions.”

Kinley believes having her own bald Barbie would make her feel like less of a standout in public.

“It’s so important to me because I get to take her anywhere,” says Kinley. “And if there’s someone staring, I can be ‘look, there’s someone like me too.’”