STUDIO CITY (CBS) — Riders will blast calories while raising money for cancer research at the annual YAS-a-thon fundraiser on June 3.

Kimberly Fowler visited KCAL9 Saturday to discuss the event – which is like a charity walk, except that participants ride a stationary bike. The events are hosted at YAS Fitness Centers, studios she founded across the Southland dedicated to combining spinning and yoga.

A brain tumor survivor, Fowler has partnered with the L.A. Dodger’s Think Cure! charity, which funds cutting-edge cancer research at City of hope and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.

For more information visit: http://go2yas.com/studios/events/

Pre-ride kickoff parties, featuring premier silent auctions and raffle prizes, will be held the evening before the event on Saturday, June 2nd, at YAS Venice and Costa Mesa locations. Lucky bidders will score a coveted private party at James Beach, nights at Hotel Erwin, flights on JetBlue, signed Dodger Memorabilia and much more. Food will be provided by Bayou City and music spun by DJ Rafael DeLa Cruz.

Sponsored by Vita Coco and Smart Water, the event boasts exclusive prizes for top fundraisers. The rider who raises the most money to fight cancer will win a $12,000 all-inclusive holiday to Fiji, including flights and accommodations at a 5-star private island resort, courtesy of Fiji Vacations (www.fijivacations.com). Other top fundraisers will take home additional sponsor prizes like throwing out the first pitch at a LA Dodger’s home game, designer wares, luxury trips, 5-star meals, and more.

SANTA ANA (CBS) —  A Santa Ana resident has contracted typhus, prompting city officials to alert the community.

It is the first known case of typhus reported in Santa Ana, according to Juan Fernandez, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9.

Federal laws regarding privacy prevent city officials from releasing any information about the person who has typhus, but they did say the person lives near Broadway and Washington Avenue.

Orange County Vector Control officials have been passing out flyers to residents in the area to help them avoid getting the disease, which primarily is transmitted by fleas, city spokesman Jose Gonzalez said.

“The issue here is the person lives in close proximity to two schools and because there are feral cats on the school grounds,” Gonzalez said.

Santa Ana police Cpl. Anthony Bertagna said vector control officials will lay traps on Tuesday at Frances E. Willard Intermediate School in the 1300 block of North Ross Street and El Sol Science and Arts Academy in the 1000 block of North Broadway.

Michael Bishop, deputy school superintendent, told Fernandez that as far as classes go, it should be business as usual. “This won’t interfere with the instructional process.”

“We’re trying to be proactive,” Bertagna said, adding the workers will be wearing hazard suits as a precaution and that residents should not be alarmed.

Vector control officials have set multiple traps in the area so far and have caught possums, but none of the feral cats known to frequent the area, Gonzalez said.

If the cats are caught they will be sedated and then euthanized.

City officials advised residents to treat their pets with flea- prevention medication and eliminate places where wild animals can find shelter and any food sources.

Officer Sondra Berg said parents definitely need to be concerned about their children and where they play. “Especially if their children play where where might be a lot of stray cats in the area. They need to be careful their kids are not coming in contact with those cats.”

Symptoms usually surface a week or two weeks after exposure but include high fever, headaches, chills, body aches and pains and a rash on the chest, back or legs.

There have been 46 cases of typhus in Orange County since 2006, reports Fernandez.

(©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.)

HOLLYWOOD (CBS) — Keith Levidow said he had just stepped out of his apartment building when he collapsed. Neighbors told him a stranger jogging by administered CPR while they called 911. After undergoing heart surgery, Levidow is alive and well, and says he now wants to find the man who saved his life.

“A stranger saved my life and I don’t know who he is,” Levidow told CBS2′s Rob Schmitt.

Levidow had just walked out of his apartment complex on Hollywood Boulevard at 7 p.m. last Thursday when his heart stopped.

“It’s called a ventricular fibrillation — everything stops. I was dead, that’s it,” Levidow said. “I was just going down the stairs and from there I don’t know what happened. I blacked out or something, fell down the stairs and was out cold.”

Fortunately for the Hollywood resident, a man jogging by knew exactly what to do.

“But this guy stopped by and performed mouth-to-mouth and CPR on me and, basically, saved my life, because I was dead,” Levidow said.

Doctors credit that immediate medical attention with saving his life.

“They said, ‘You had a guardian angel, for sure, because it’s a one-in-a-billion chance that someone walking by is going to perform mouth-to-mouth, CPR, and know what to do,’” Levidow said.

Levidow woke up in Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Beverly Hills and underwent a major surgery, where doctors had a pacemaker installed.

“This is like an insurance policy, the doctor says…the doctor says, ‘If anything happens to your heart, if it stops, this will automatically shock it back into motion,’” Levidow said.

Levidow is an actor and an avid collector of rare collectibles.

He’s back on his feet and as active as ever. Now, Levidow says he feels the need to find the man who has made his recovery possible.

“It feels good to be alive, yeah. I’m going to try to enjoy life,” said Levidow, as his eyes welled up with tears. “But I want to thank that man. I want to thank him for saving my life.”

Anyone with information about the Good Samaritan is asked to contact CBS2 News at (818) 655-2000.

CALABASAS (CBS) — Many people hail acupuncture as an effective alternative to medication for dealing with physical ailments. Now, there are veterinarians who say it can also help heal pets.

Southern California resident Cathy Davis said acupuncture and other alternative therapies helped her three dogs when traditional treatments weren’t.

Dr. Dody Tyneway runs a holistic veterinary center in Calabasas and said she’s been using acupuncture on her patients for more than 10 years.

“When they have pain they can’t tolerate Western medicine a lot,” Tyneway said.

“It’s not drugs in their system. It works with the body’s own healing capacity…and it makes the dogs feel better,” said Tyneway, as she treated  Davis’ dogs.

The doctor said the use of acupuncture with pets is the same as with humans: tiny needles are inserted into various points of the body, improving circulation, and releasing endorphins – the body’s natural painkillers.

Tyneway explains that acupuncture has been used on animals for thousands of years. It was first practiced on large animals like horses in China.

Training and showing horses has run in Renee Baker’s family for generations – as does the belief in alternative medicine.

“My father 30 years ago plus used acupuncture…if I ever needed to use it I would use it,” Baker said.

Other alternative treatments are also helping pets heal faster and improve mobility: Swim therapy eases stress on joints in a weightless environment, cold laser reduces pain and inflammation, and chiropractic care and homeopathic remedies can improve their overall well-being.

“It really improves their quality of life and that’s what we hear over and over again – is that their dogs are feeling better,” Tyneway said.

The veterinarian said alternative medicine is not taking the place of standard veterinary care but serves as more tools to help pets recover and improve their quality of life.

Tyneway recommends animal owners consult their pet insurance to see if it covers alternative therapies like acupuncture.

For more information about Dr. Tyneway’s holistic practice visit: www.holisticdvm.com.

BURBANK (CBS) — The Ahern family love breaking out their barbeque for grilling season.

“I love barbecuing because it’s at my own pace. There’s something better about food you make. It just tastes better,” Jeff Ahern said.

The Burbank-based family is aware of barbecue dangers, such as bacteria and other food-related illnesses — but the grill brush?

It was a hard metal grill brush that sent a man in Carrollton, Texas, to the emergency room.

“We were grilling out, cooking burgers, and, obviously, during the last bite, I got something stuck in my throat,” Matt McMahon said.

It was hours before they realized that the item lodged in his throat was a 1.5-centimeter wire bristle from a brush his father used to clean the grill.

“You can see it’s just one of those plastic ones you can buy at any local store. And here’s a close-up. You can see bristles coming all out. That’s what was in my throat,” McMahon said.

Dr. Mark Bickert, who practices at Baylor Medical Center in Texas, operated on McMahon.

(credit: CBS)

“I can only liken this to a needle in a haystack,” the doctor said.

The ear, nose and throat surgeon found the bristle lodged inside of the muscle of the esophagus. It took Dr. Bickert four hours to remove the wire bristle from McMahon’s throat.

“We yelled out to the rest of the operating room staff, ‘We have it, we have it!’” McMahon said.

During the last three years nearly a dozen people across the country reported similar accidents to the consumer product safety commision.

“It’s probably more common than what we’re aware of,” McMahon said.

Arthur Migranyan, who works at Burbank Fireplace and Barbeque, has never heard of anyone swallowing a grill brush bristle. He showed CBS2 the brushes he sells, many of which have warning labels on them, which read: “Examine brush prior to each use. If brushes are not securly affixed to the brush, do not use and discard immediately. Ensure cooking grids are free of any loose bristle prior to cooking.”

It’s a warning Jeff Ahern said he will remember each time he grills.

(credit: CBS)

The last thing I want is to get these bristles in my throat or esophogus, or just in my food, or, even worse, my son’s or my wife’s. Yeah, so I’m going to keep my eye out for that,” Ahern said.

The consumer product safety commision says there are no set standards for grill brushes.

Doctors advise that if the bristles on your brush are loose or old consider buying a new one, or switch to a special stone that cleans grills.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Days before the start of the official summer season, city and state officials warned Southland residents to be aware of a potential rattlesnake population boom.

KNX 1070′s John Brooks reports hikers and other outdoor enthusiasts should be especially alert when it comes to encountering a snake in the wild.

Officials with the Los Angeles Zoo and California Poison Control System (CPCS) were at the Los Angeles Zoo on Wednesday to remind residents that rattlesnakes are emerging from hibernation earlier in 2012, which may see a greater snake infestation after heavy rains pummeled the region a few years ago.

Rattlesnakes are also the only native venomous snakes in Southern California, which is just one reason why Fish & Game biologist Kevin Brennan said people should take every possible precaution.

“Fatality, loss of limb, some really severe injuries, medical procedures are necessary to save limbs and life,” said Brennan.

Officials said residents should be aware that mother snakes are expected to give birth to a bumper crop of babies later this fall, and even newly hatched rattlesnakes possess dangerous venom.

Anyone planning on spending any prolonged period of time in brush areas should wear long pants that extend all the way over shoe tops and to avoid walking in areas where the ground surface is not completely visible.

Officials estimated that one to two rattlesnake bites each year in California are fatal.

“Simply avoiding the snakes is the number one thing you can do to try to avoid having a snake bite you in the first place,” said Dr. Cyrus Rangan of the CPCS. “But once a snake bit does occur, we want to make sure that people exercise the appropriate first aid in order to make sure you get to the hospital and get the appropriate care.”

KNX 1070′s Diane Thompson reports unlike most teens their age, Zach and Jackson Selby spend most of their weekends picking fruit.

“We pick a variety of different fruits,” said Jackson. “We usually pick lemons and oranges are our main things and tangerines, but we sometimes get avocados, figs, grapefruits, pomegranates.”

The two Arcadia high school students run a non-profit called “Fruit For All” — an idea that Jackson said came to his big brother Zach two years ago after their backyard guava tree was overloaded with much of the fruit rotting on the floor.

“We noticed that most of it was going to waste and we wanted to have it go to someone who needs it, and we thought this would be perfect,” he said.

The Selby brothers harvest the fruit at homes in a 20-to-30 mile radius in the San Gabriel Valley, where Zach, Jackson and their volunteers gather about 500 pounds of fruit every weekend and truck it off at several food banks including the Foothill Unity Center and the Union Rescue Mission.

But the harvest wasn’t always plentiful.

“In the beginning you could say it was a little tough to get homeowners to donate their fruit,” said Zach.

The brothers estimate they have picked up to 70,000 pounds of fruit over the course of the last two years, including a bountiful weekend in January when they reaped over 2,000 pounds of grapefruits, oranges and other produce from several houses in Pasadena, Monrovia, and Covina.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Jessie Joy Rees is the little girl who inspired so many others with her amazing spirit, even as she battled brain cancer.

Yes, Jessie lost her battle several months ago, but her goal to spread joy is only getting bigger.

I once asked Jessie why she was always thinking of others and not herself. She said because that is not what it is about.

(source: www.jessicajoyrees.com)

The countdown is on.

“I’m doing 9,996,” said one of the volunteers packing and stuffing to reach a goal that would certainly make Jessie proud.

“Jess, this is for you, baby. We love you, we miss you,” said Jessie’s dad, Erik Rees.

It was a year ago that we first introduced you to Jessie — a 12-year-old battling brain cancer. She had just started a foundation with her family.

The mission was NEGU — Never Ever Give Up. It included making her JoyJars, which were filled with everything from toys to nail polish — all to bring smiles to kids fighting cancer.

Back then Jessie was stuffing her JoyJars at home.

“Then it grew to our garage. And… today with have this,” Erik said, referring to the new Jessie Rees Foundation headquarters.

“We call it the Joy Factory, because you can’t come in here and not smile,” said Jessie’s mom, Stacey Rees.

It’s a room full of love; a tribute to a little girl who gave so much without asking for anything in return.

Jessie fought hard, but lost her own battle in January.

“I tell people that I’m peacefully empty. I’m at peace, because I know where my daughter is at. But I’m empty because I miss her,” Erik said, adding, “But every day she inspires me, because I get the honor of kind of carrying this message on on her behalf. ”

“That’s what she would have wanted. She wouldn’t want us to sit around and sulk, she would have wanted us to put a smile on and do something for other kids,” Stacey said.

Jessie had big dreams and now they are all coming true at the Joy Factor. The JoyJars made there have been sent to kids fighting cancer all across the country — more than 100 hospitals and Ronald McDonald Houses. They are even making their way across the world, spreading joy From Germany to South Africa.

Jessie’s goal was that every kid fighting cancer would receive a JoyJar and be encouraged to never ever give up,” Erik said.

Now Jessie has more help than ever from the nearly 150,000 fans on Facebook to the littlest members of the NEGU team, like Cade, who is fighting a brain tumor as well.

Olympic gold medalist Kaitlin Sandeno is also part of the team. She got close to Jessie during treatment and now carries her message as proudly as she carries her medals.

The idea is all about hope – Jessie’s hope for other kids. It can be seen in the eyes of the volunteers, the love of her parents and the promise of joy, stuffed, sealed and packed away in jars.

“Instead of focusing on never ever giving up for Jessie, now we’re never ever giving up for the other kids fighting, because that’s what she wanted. To honor her, to keep her legacy alive, we’re going to do that,” Stacey said.

“There it is, number 10,000,” said Erik, holding the 10,000th JoyJar made. “So amazing, so amazing, what an honor.”

That milestone jar was going to be placed on special shelf in the Joy Factory.

For information on JoyJars visit www.jessie.org.

RELATED STORIES:
» Girl Spreads Joy To Others While Battling Cancer
» Girl Faces Cancer With Courage, Hope And Unyielding Love
» Thousands Gather To Remember 12-Year-Old Jessie Joy Rees
» Girl Who Spread Joy And Hope To Thousands Loses Battle With Brain Cancer

RELATED LINKS:
» Jessie’s Facebook Page
» Learn More About the Jessie Rees Foundation

WESTWOOD (CBS) — Millions of Americans are being kept up at night by a painful syndrome that’s often misdiagnosed.

Restless Leg Syndrome affects up to an estimated 20 percent of the population nationwide.

It’s a condition that can be excruciating – something 74-year-old Eugene Jones knows too well.

“I’ve gone as far as jumping in a cold Jacuzzi to get rid of it,” the Westlake Village said. “I don’t even remember a real good night’s sleep.”

Jones has suffered from the condition for approximately 10 years, and has since sought help from UCLA’s new Sleep Disorder Center in Westwood.

“It’s very hard to describe feeling terrible to the point where you say, ‘If I have to go through life like this I’d rather have my feet cut off’ — I’ve thought of that,” Jones said.

“This is not uncommon to see in patients with pretty severe restless legs,” said Dr. Alon Avidan, the director of the Sleep Disorder Center, as he demonstrated by hitting his legs.

“It’s very difficult to live with and see your partner go through,” said Jones’ wife, Joyce.

At SDC, patients like Eugene Jones spend the night in one of their rooms equipped with an infrared camera to record video and audio. Technicians monitor patients’ movements from another room.

“This is one of the most severe I’ve seen,” Avidan said of Jones’ sleep behavior.

Avidan said the condition affects people of all ages. It’s a neurological disorder whose cause remains a mystery.

“It’s characterized by the urge to move the legs. The urge gets better with movement and worse with inactivity,” Avidan said.
RLS peaks in women ages 20-40 during prime childbearing years, with approximately one-third of pregnant women suffering from the condition. The statistics get worse with age. Children with RLS are often misdiagnosed with Attention Deficit Disorder.

“What we are trying to do is…overcome the stigma. This is something real. There is treatment. It’s not just a psychiatric condition,” Avidan said.

Jones is trying a variety of medications used to treat the condition and spending some nights on camera at the Sleep Center.

“You’ve got to do something because it is strange,” Joyce Jones said.

In an initial decision announced Monday, Chief Administrative Law Judge D. Michael Chappell agreed with an FTC complaint that POM Wonderful, LLC violated federal law with deceptive claims that its pomegranate juice and POMx supplements would treat, prevent or reduce the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and erectile dysfunction.

Chappell issued an order barring POM from making any further representation about the “health benefits, performance or efficacy” of its products, unless the representation is not misleading and the company possesses “competent and reliable scientific evidence…to substantiate that the representation is true,” according to a release from the FTC.

POM’s claims “pertained to serious diseases and dysfunction of the body, including cancer,” according to the FTC. The FTC says POM’s advertisements claimed drinking eight ounces of POM Juice daily, taking one POMx pill daily and/or taking one teaspoon of POMx Liquid daily treats, prevents or reduces the risk of heart disease, prostate cancer and/or erectile dysfunction, and/or is clinically provent to do so.

The FTC filed its initial complaint against POM in September 2010.

A study from the UCLA School of Nursing found that serious male cyclists had elevated levels of estradiol, which is associated with conditions like loss of male pubic hair and enlarged breast tissue.

Researchers studied 107 healthy male athletes ages 18 to 60 and separated them into three groups: 16 triathletes, 46 cyclists and 45 recreational athletes. After they participated in different levels of activity and inactivity, researchers collected blood samples from each man to measure their hormone levels.

“Plasma estradiol and testosterone levels were significantly elevated in serious leisure male cyclists, a finding not previously reported in any type of male athlete,” the study’s senior author, Leah Fitzgerald, said in a statement.

Plasma estradiol concentrations were more than two times higher in cyclists than in the triathletes and recreational athletes, according to the study. The cyclists total testosterone levels were about 50 percent higher in cyclists than recreational athletes.

The increase of hormones could be due to the cyclists’ use of chamois cream. Some cyclists apply chamois cream to their perineum area to help prevent chafing and bacterial infections related to saddle sores.

The study found an association between an increase in estrogen levels and increasing years of chamois cream use, especially for more than four years, but researchers say there’s no direct cause and effect just yet.

The UCLA study, “Reproductive Hormones and Interleukin-6 in Serious Leisure Male Athletes,” was published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology.

NORWALK (CBS) — Leaders of Consumer Watchdog Campaign along with patients and the state’s Insurance Commissioner delivered to the Los Angeles County Registrar’s office in Norwalk hundreds of thousands of petition signatures in support of a health insurance rate justification ballot initiative.

Laurel Kaufer, a self-employed single mother of two, was among the supporters of the measure which would require health insurance companies to gain approval from the Insurance Commissioner before raising rates.

She says her health insurance bills have skyrocketed to more than $1,100 a month.

“For me to have to choose between medical care and medical coverage and other necessities is absolutely absurd,” Kaufer told CBS2′s Randy Paige.

But she’s not alone.

According to Dave Jones, California’s Insurance Commissioner, “Laurel is one of literally millions in California.”

“The initiative today will finally give me the authority to reject excessive rate hikes which I have for almost every other insurance product line except for health insurance,” said Jones.

But Fiona Hutton, who represents the opposition, says “it’s a flawed concept because it’s bad for patients.”

She says the initiative would create an expensive, new bureaucracy paid for by higher premiums and give too much power to the insurance commissioner.

“You’re putting one politician that’s beholden special interests and campaign contributions in charge of your benefits and your rates,” Hutton explained.

“I don’t take any contributions from health insurers or HMOs or any part of the insurance industry and at the end of the day, it’s the law that governs,” Jones contends.

Backers of the measure hope county registrars throughout the state will be able to verify the signatures before the June 28, deadline.

Fullerton is the first school in the State University System to institute a campus-wide ban.

Interim president Willie J. Hagan approved the proposal, which goes into effect in August of 2013.

The school is also banning the sales of tobacco products.

The campus-wide smoking ban comes 10 years after the university banned smoking on most of the campus, except in parking lots and vehicles.

Tests performed by the World Organization for Animal Health also confirmed what U.S. labs had found: The cow had a random mutation of the illness that was unlikely to affect other cows in the herd.

The tests were part of an investigation begun in April when an examination of a carcass of a nearly 11-year-old cow taken to a Hanford rendering plant tested positive for mad cow disease, the nation’s fourth case and the third “atypical” strain to be discovered.

Mad cow disease is a deadly affliction of the central nervous system that can be transmitted to humans who eat meat from infected cows.

The rash of cases that occurred in Great Britain in the 1990s were caused by cattle being fed protein supplements made from the spinal columns and brains of diseased cows, a practice that has since been banned.

The California cow had what is known as atypical L-type bovine spongiform that scientists know happens occasionally.

In the disorder, a protein the body normally harbors folds into an abnormal shape called a prion, setting off a chain reaction that eventually kills brain cells.

Scientists say they do not yet know what causes this strain of the disease. The incubation period is two to eight years.

The USDA tests 40,000 of the 35 million cattle slaughtered annually for BSE, but some public health experts have called for more aggressive testing, especially in light of Friday’s announcement.

“If that’s true, then it’s even more important to increase surveillance since the feed ban could not be expected to prevent future cases,” said Dr. Michael Greger, director of public health and animal agriculture with the Humane Society of the United States.

He said adopting the European model of testing all older cattle, or the Japanese model of testing every cow slaughtered for human consumption would add mere pennies per pound of beef sold and lower the risk of human cases of the fatal disease.

As part of its investigation, the FDA and the California Department of Food and Agriculture examined feed records at the affected dairy and identified at least 10 suppliers. They said Friday that all were in compliance with regulations.

The California cow, which came from a still-unnamed Tulare County dairy, had been unable to stand when she was euthanized and hauled away to a plant that renders carcasses into animal food protein and other products.

Dairy operators are not required to report if their cattle contract neurological diseases.

Investigators with the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the USDA’s Animal Plant Health Inspection Service were still working to track down at least a dozen other living cows that were raised on a calf ranch with the sick cow. Calves taken from their mothers after birth are fed a protein supplement made from slaughtered cattle blood, and some question whether that blood might carry BSE.

Already investigators have tracked down two offspring of the diseased cow. One that was euthanized for testing turned out to be healthy. Another calf was stillborn within the last two years, but officials have not yet said what happened to the carcass.

Baker Commodities, the rendering plant where the diseased cow was discovered, is a voluntary participant in the USDA testing program.

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

The university’s Academic Senate approved a resolution Feb. 23 recommending the ban, including sales of tobacco products as well as promoting an educational outreach program on the dangers of smoking over the  next 18 months.

The proposal was approved Thursday by interim President Willie J. Hagan and will become effective Aug. 1, 2013.

“I expected to receive negative comments about the action of this new policy, but have been surprised,” Hagan said.

Students and faculty have expressed support for the smoke-free campus, Hagan said.

The university adopted a policy in 2003 banning smoking on most of the campus, but allowed it in parking lots and vehicles.

(©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.)

ENCINO (CBS) — The quest for a luscious set of lashes is leaving some women’s eyelids bare.

More women are using eyelash extensions to enhance their eyes and save time doing their makeup but some say there are downfalls.

“My eyelashes were very average eyelashes. They’re not particularly thick, they’re not overly thin,” Tiffany Howard told CBS2 reporter Sibila Vargas.

The Encino resident had heard rave reviews from friends about eyelash extensions and felt she had to try them.

“So they’re taking glue and they’re gluing on individual eyelashes to your own eyelashes,” Howard said.

She said waking up with bold lashes was worth the money.

“I have no makeup and you can see in this photo that my eyes are popping!”

She also loved the time she saved applying mascara.

But, after a few weeks, the glamor grew out.

“I could feel, when I would blink like that, I could feel the glue,” Howard said. “What I didn’t realize was that the good lashes were coming out with the extensions.”

Howard said she was left with gaps on her eyelids that had no eyelashes and it took months for her natural lashes to grow back.

A beauty insider, who chose not to be identified, said she’s witnessed the same thing.

“Eyelash extensions are the latest addiction. I’ve seen many women that have lost their eyelashes and once they stop using them, they have less eyelashes and I don’t see them coming back,” the insider said.

Dr. Wendy Lee, an eye surgeon, said her patients are mentioning this issue more often.

“The most common complaint I hear is that women end up with shorter stubbier lashes, or either no lashes when they take these off,” Lee said.

“It becomes a vicious cycle because they don’t want to stop the lashes — the lash extensions — in order to grow the lashes back,” the doctor said.

“It’s not the end of the world. They’re eyelashes but it was enough to say I will never do this again,” Howard said.

There are beauticians who say they can preserve natural lashes while providing extensions but Howard said, for now, she has just one tip for beautiful eyes: “Find a fabulous mascara and use it every day!”

In California you must be a licensed beautician to apply eyelash extensions. Customers can report a bad experience by filing a complaint through the California Board Of Barbering and Cosmetology here: https://app.dca.ca.gov/barber/complaints.asp

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Emergency dispatchers in L.A. County take approximately one 911 call every minute of every day. But officials complain that they’re being overwhelmed by unnecessary calls.

According to the L.A. County Fire Department, whose paramedics answer 911 calls, nearly two-thirds of all calls are “bogus”.

During one 911 call a man told an emergency dispatcher that his “mother” was not breathing and wouldn’t get off the floor. Paramedics arrived to find that the man was referring to the motherboard of his laptop computer. That caller was not charged with a crime because he suffered from mental issues.

In fact, there are no laws that make it a crime to dial 911 in a non-emergency situation. Officials say the problem is that many people confuse those situations with emergencies.

“It’s what I would characterize as people with no other options. You know, if you don’t have money and you need health care of some sort, and if you only have one option you use that option — and that’s the 911 system,” said Deputy Chief Mike Metro, of the L.A. County Fire Department. “Unfortunately, we’re obligated, once we show up, we’re obligated to provide only a single portal of medical services, and that’s to put the individual on the back of a very expensive ambulance and to take them to a very expensive emergency room.”

And when the patient insists there’s something wrong the paramedics have no choice but to take them to the hospital.

Some examples at the fire station in Wilmington: There was a case of a baby in distress when all it turned out to be was that the baby wouldn’t stop crying. There was another 911 call where a man was reported unresponsive when he, actually, was passed out from drinking alcohol.

“If you have no insurance you can’t go to a clinic to begin with so what option do you have,” said Metro, explaining that many times people call to get a free ride to an emergency room.

“We need to provide other options,” the fire chief said.

The County would like to set up special clinics at fire houses so that people can get medical attention for non-emergency situations. They said they hope that will divert those calls away from the 911 line.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency announced Tuesday that it’s reached agreements to fund groundwater cleanup at a South El Monte Superfund site.

The agency claimed the current or former landowners and business operators polluted the groundwater with toxic industrial solvents.

The agreements cover only a portion of the eight-square-mile Superfund site in the San Gabriel Valley east of Los Angeles.

Last fall, Northrop Grumman Systems Corp. was ordered to clean up groundwater contamination at the Superfund site, at a cost of about $20 million.

The EPA says several tons of contaminants have been removed since groundwater cleanup began at the Superfund site in 2008.

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

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Do people say you are highly sensitive whether it be physically or emotionally? While it can feel like a burden, it can also mean a greater capacity for work, love and compassion.

“I knew that I was more sensitive, that I took things deeper and harder,” Ane Axford said.

“I felt things and they were heavy,” added Sandra Clifton.

Both women are so sensitive, they say that it has affected every aspect of their lives.

“It’s a whole different way of being in the world,” Axford said.

Now scientists say that they know why some people feel so much more. New research has indicated that hypersensitive people are genetically different than those who feel a normal degree of sensitivity.

“We’ve done brain activation studies,” said Dr. Elaine Aron.

“Sensitive people show more activation, both in the secondary intentional areas,” Dr. Arthur Aron added.

Clinical Psychologists Elaine and Arthur Aron conducted the studies and ultimately found that a large portion of the population – 20 percent — is made up of highly-sensitive people (HSPs), as the Arons have categorized them.

“They’re a bit more emotionally reactive. They process things more deeply,” Elaine said.

Do you think that you may be one of them? You can take the Arons’ self-test, that is comprised of 27 questions, to find out.

Some of questions in the test include:

• Are you easily overwhelmed by bright lights and noise?
• Do you startle easily?
• Do other people’s moods influence you?
• Does caffeine have a great effect on you?

If you answer “yes” to a quarter of these questions or more, the Arons say that you may be an HSP.

The Arons’ research also shows that highly-sensitive people, who had a difficult childhood, may struggle with shyness, anxiety, and even depression. In those cases, therapy or even medication may help.

“I felt like there was something wrong with me,” Axford said.

She says that just getting the label HSP helped her; knowing she was not alone.

Still, Clifton says her HSP can be such a burden that even the characters from books and television provoke overwhelming feelings of emotion.

“Sometimes I have to say, ‘These are fictional characters. This is a character in a book,’” Clifton explained.

Both women say that being highly sensitive is unlike anything else, so in tune they want to tune out of life. Everything sound, every voice, every mood is amplified by a million.

“The volume is turned up on everything,” Axford said.

“There are times when I say, ‘Just one day, I want to be free from this,’” Clifton said.

Although some HSPs do benefit from medical help or therapy, the Arons say that most just live normal lives and tend to be the best workers, highly creative and extremely compassionate.

Many do benefit from support groups meeting other HSPs in their area. There are several here in Southland.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

» Take The Arons’ Self-Test
» The Arons HSP Website
» www.highlysensitivepeople.com

Gregory Harry, a quadriplegic who was being treated at the medical center in June 2009, relied on catheters to urinate because of his paralysis. A custodial worker tripped over a hose connected to the catheter in Harry’s hospital room.

Harry had to summon a nurse after the accident caused him to pass blood and tissue, according to the ruling from the three-judge panel of the Fourth District Court of Appeal.

The nurse gave him pain medication and made several unsuccessful attempts to reinsert the catheter, according to the ruling. Ultimately, the nurse summoned a urologist, who was able to insert a new catheter.

Harry’s negligence lawsuit alleges he suffered “excruciating pain and trauma, permanent injury and loss of functionality,” and that the mishap worsened his problems with incontinence.

Orange County Superior Court Judge Franz Miller granted a motion for summary judgment filed by the medical center’s attorneys, who cited experts who said the incident did not fall below the standard of care.

The appellate justices cited the difference of opinions from various experts as a reason the case should not be dismissed.

(©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.)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Losing weight and getting healthy is not about counting calories, it is a way of life that one fitness expert says starts with adding 30 simple habits one day at a time.

Nikki Friedman is a busy mom from Calabasas, who has tried everything to get to her ideal weight.

“I constantly go back and forth, up and down,” she said.

But Freedman believes that one plan may be the answer to getting rid of those stubborn 15 pounds.

“I’m willing to try anything,” she said.

The plan consists of 30 new habits picked up over 30 days and it promises that the weight will come off. It is called “The Lean,” written by best-selling author and wellness expert Kathy Freston.

“The Lean is all about leaning into changes, gradually adding in healthy habits without overwhelming yourself,” Freston said.

Each day there is a new change, from eating apples to meatless lunches, what you will do day one, you will continue to do through the 30 days.

“That’s why habits stick and that’s how the weight comes off,” Freston said.

Day one calls for drinking eight glasses of water.

“Two cups before every main meal, you loss on average five pounds more fat than people who don’t,” she explained.

Day two brings again the eight glasses of water and adds a healthy breakfast.

“Studies show that people who don’t eat breakfast actually have a decreased metabolism by as much as 40 percent,” Freston said.

The plan is that simple. One day you’re adding fiber-rich flax seed.

“It’s really good for you, so add in two tablespoons a day,” she said.

Another day has you trading in regular milk for soy, rice or almond.

“Less calories and zero cholesterol,” she said.

Even super foods like blueberries, bitter-sweet chocolate and goji berries are going to be part of your daily routine.

“Goji berries to increase longevity and it’s good for your sexual vigor and it helps your weight loss,” Freston said.

But The Lean plan is not just about adding healthy choices regarding what we eat; it is also about our minds and how we think.

Day four has us coming clean by tossing away the junk foods that you simply cannot stay away from.

“Everybody has their trigger food. Get rid of it,” Freston said.

Day eight tells us to “think for five” – every day for five minutes get in touch with your feelings.

“When you actually go in and you make contact with what ‘s going on inside, you’re no longer going to be unconsciously eating,” she said.

Finally there is the very important day 30, when you reward yourself.

“My whole philosophy is progress, not perfection,” she said.

So you do not have to be perfect to get the body that is perfect for you.

“I am so ready, just to have more energy and have a bikini body,” Freedman said.

Kathy said the single most important thing you can do to lose weight and keep it off is to add fiber to your diet.

FOR MORE INFORMATION

» About “The Lean”
» Sign Up For Kathy’s Daily Lean Newsletter

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Time Magazine’s new cover features a picture of  Jamie Lynn Grumet, a 26-year-old Southland mom, breastfeeding her child.

That wouldn’t normally be newsworthy … but in this case the child is nearly 4-years-old.

The photo — highlighting a new phenomenon called “Attachment Moms –  has some cheering, and some cringing.

Amanda Burden, reporting for CBS2 and KCAL9, went in search Thursday night for reaction from both sides of the issue.

Said one, “I think he’s a little too old to be breastfeeding.”

Said another, “I think it’s maternal. To each their own.”

Grumet told the magazine she was breastfed by her mother until she was six and sees nothing wrong with attachment parenting. The term refers to mom’s breastfeeding as long as possible, sleeping in the same beds as toddlers and spending 24-7 with their brood.

Grumet told Time that people who see her breastfeeding in public all the time threaten to call social services. “Of that it’s child molestation. I really don’t think I can reason with those people.”

Time profiles Attachment Parent guru, Dr. Bill Spears. He wrote his controversial book more than 20 years ago, one that advocated breastfeeding beyond two years. He called it beneficial, Grumet calls is normal.

Burden spoke to pediatrician Dr. Tanya Altman who says it is anything but. “When I first saw this cover, I had to do a double take. It’s not the typical scenario I see in my office or in the park. Or of a mom looking lovingly at her baby breastfeeding.”

Dr. Altman also says after a child turns 1, they no longer derive any nutritional value from breastfeeding.

Plus, attachment — she believes — isn’t teaching the child about independence. “At some point you want to teach your child independence. And you can’t team them that. They let you know when they’re hungry, when they’re thirsty but make choices on their own that they can spend time away from you.”

LOS ANGELES (CBS) —  Imagine having a pounding headache that refuses to go away.

Not just a day or two or even a week. But a year. Or two.

For 45 million Americans who suffer from chronic headaches many of them are now being diagnosed with “persistent headache.”

CBS2′s Serene Branson talked to headache sufferers and a doctor who said curing the pain is no easy task.

Rachel Frishberg remembers the exact moment her headaches started. “It was a Tuesday afternoon. The headache came on. I didnt think much of it 
.”

That was then. This is now. Two years later the headache is still there. “My headache is specifically in the back left of my head. 

”

Two years and it hasn’t gone away. “I can go a couple of days with it being at a low severity and couple days of it being at a high severity. And I have no control or sense of what triggers it 
.”

Frank Ferrante also suffers from a persistent headache. “It’ts actually a dull ache that radiates right back on both sides of the head. 
”

His pain started five years ago. And hasn’t really ever let up. He was building a tree house with his son when the pain hit. “The headache just really came on hard. It felt like man…I have to… first let me get out of this tree ’cause I’ve never felt anything like this in my head before.”

These are not migraines. And it’s more than an ordinary headache.

Dr. Patrick Lyden, the chairman of neurology at Cedars-Sinai says, “The typical patient that comes to me has had the headache for several months if not a few years.”

Often, says the doctor, these headaches are misdiagnosed as tension headaches, sinus pain or eye strain.

He adds, “Sinus headache is extremely rare — although you wouldn’t believe it from all the commercials on TV for decongestants.”

There are, according to the doctor, more then 150 kinds of headaches.

The triggers are tough to target but persistent headaches can be caused by migraines or contribute to cause the sufferer to have a “mixed headache” or “transformed migraine.”

“The most important thing to remember,” says the doctor, “there is no single cause, no single treatment. You have to look at the whole patient. Do they have migraine contributing, do they have muscle tension?”

Ferrante is now managing his pain with Verapamil, a blood pressure medication. “I think I’m one of the lucky people that’s found something that mitigates it. It’s a drain but I’m still a happy guy.”

Frishberg, who has tried Botox and at least 15 other medications to alleviate her pain, is still searching for some relief. “I’m hopeful this will go away as quickly as it came on that one afternoon or we’ll find some medication treatment that will help regulate it. And help me get back to work. 

”

Southern California (CBS) — Keeping up a beauty regimen can get costly at the high-end spas.

Lauren Stokes, of Laverne, said, like many moms out there, an upscale beauty treatment just isn’t in her budget.

“The prices are astronomical and, for someone like myself, a stay-at-home mom who has kids, you need to think about the pricing as well as the time you are going to spend there,” Stokes said.

But CBS2’s Sibila Vargas found some affordable beauty deals through the Southland that allow for indulgence without breaking the bank.

Her first find was Clear Complexion Spa Retreat in Glendora, where Stokes doesn’t feel like she’s compromising on luxury. For just $15 Stokes got her eyebrows waxed – a service that can cost up to $40 elsewhere.

“Fifteen (dollars) is an incredible price for me to pay. I know some places do a little bit less, but I feel that with your eyebrows you do want to get it perfect,” Stokes said.

Clear Complexion also has a $25 spray tan deal. If you buy three sessions each costs $20.

For $50, Zina’s Skin Cure in Glendale offers a one and a half hour facial with microdermabrasion.

For just $25, Pure Sole in Huntington Beach has a one hour full body massage with our clothes on in a group setting.

Carol Levey, of Woodland Hills, said she once spent $145 on a pedicure for herself and a mani-pedu for her daughter at a high-end spa.

PediSpa in West Hills offers the same treatments for $46 total.

“I absolutely love it,” said Levey’s daughter, Alexandra.

Levey saved money on her daughter’s beauty treatments because girls 15 years and under can indulge in the Little Princess manicure for just $10 and a pedicure for $18. There was enough money left over for Levey to get an $18 basic pedicure as well.

The Spa Loft in Woodland Hills offers a 45-minute teen facial for $55 – a $90 savings Levey wants other moms to know about.

All the business mentioned are located at:

Clear Complexion Spa Retreat
www.ccsparetreat.com
340 S. Glendora Ave. Ste 7
Glendora, CA 91714
626 – 914-7444
______________________

Zina’s Skin Cure
1750 Victory Blvd
Glendale, CA 91201
(818) 551-1166
______________________
Pure Sole
19142 Beach Blvd, Ste Z
Huntington Beach, CA 92648
(714) 968-9680
______________________

PediSpa
www.yourpedispa.com
West Hills Fallbrook Mall
6727 Fallbrook Ave. West Hills, CA 91307
818 -887-5606
_______________________

The Spa Loft
www.thespaloft.com
5441 Topanga Canyon Boulevard
Woodland Hills, Ca 91367

Multiple brands of Diamond Pet Foods from a plant in North Carolina have been linked to some of the Salmonella infections, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

In 2005, the company offered a $3.1 million settlement when dozens of dogs died after eating contaminated food made at the same plant.

The following were the first products to be recalled last month:

- Diamond Naturals Lamb Meal & Rice dry dog food
- Diamond Chicken Soup for the Pet Lover’s Soul Adult Light Formula dry dog food
- Diamond Puppy Formula dry dog food

PetFoodDirect.com sent an e-mail to customers Monday saying the recall has been expanded to include all of following brands:

- Natural Balance
- Canidae
- Chicken Soup For the Pet Lover’s Soul
- Country Value
- Diamond
- Diamond Naturals
- Premium Edge
- Professional
- 4Health
- Taste Of The Wild
- Wellness
- Kirkland
- Apex
- Kaytee Fort-Diets

For more information, visit the CDC.

Operation Fitness launched in 2001 in response to the nationwide obesity epidemic and has partnered with First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move” campaign and The President’s Council for Physical Fitness.

The exposition on May 12 offers every member of the family free health screenings, fitness demonstrations, nutrition lectures and healthy shopping tips. You can also meet with motivational speakers and life coaches for help starting towards your goals. Got a competitive streak? Participants can enter in athletic competitions and strength challenges — or sit back and enjoy dance performances and product giveaways.

The Operation Fitness Expo is a free event held from 10 a.m.-5 p.m. Saturday, May 12, at the Westfield Culver City Mall, located at 6000 Sepulveda Boulevard.

For more information visit the Operation Fitness website or find them on Facebook.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Snoring is loud, disruptive and can make your partner miserable and it can also be a sign of sleep apnea, a serious breathing disorder that affects millions.

But a new treatment is offering relief and silencing the noise.

Ron Tucker and his wife Andy have a loving relationship. But something was getting in the way of their romance.

Every night before getting into bed, Ron had to strap on a special device called a CPAP.

“Medieval torture… Not sexy. Totally a nightmare,” Ron said, referring to .

“It was scary,” his wife added.

Wearing the CPAP was the only way Ron could get sleep, because of sleep apnea, which causing people to stop breathing for instances multiple times while they sleep.

To make matters worse, Ron is also a snorer, which affects him and Andy.

“It was loud. It was deafening. It’s light a train wreck. It sounds like a storm,” Andy said.

“It was either my snoring had to go or she was going to go,” Ron said.

But now there is a new, much smaller hope called Provent for snoring and sleep apnea.

“It works as a one-way valve,” said Dr. Roy Artal or Tower Sleep Medicine.

Dr. Artal said that Provent is another alternative to treat sleep apnea. Other options include everything surgery to mouth pieces.

“People are excited about Provent, because it offers them an alternative form of treatment,” Dr. Artal said.

Now before Ron goes to bed, he puts two small patches over his nostrils. Each patch has a valve, like a flap, that creates just enough pressure to keep his airway open while he sleeps.

“It’s just like when you blow air into a balloon and the balloon inflates. That’s what Provent is doing to the throat. It’s creating that little bit of back pressures that prevents the throat from collapsing and helps to prevent these recurrent pauses in breathing that take place throughout the night,” Dr. Artal explained.

Provent works differently than the CPAP machine, but has a similar result.

Dr. Artal said that it is FDA approved to treat sleep apnea, but it is also shown in studies to decrease snoring.

But there are still limitations.

“In contrast to CPAP, which is virtually 100-percent effective, Provent reduces the breathing pauses or the apneas by about 50 percent,” Dr. Artal said.

Although some say that number is much higher.

“It works for me 99 percent of the time,” Ron said.
“I don’t hear a thing,” Andy added.

Ron says it works so well for him that he has tucked away his CPAP machine. He is breathing better and his snoring is completely gone.

“No more snoring at all actually,” Andy said with a smile

“It has created such as easier lifestyle for me and for my wife. It has been a new beginning for us,” Ron said.

“Un, I like him a little better,” Andy said jokingly.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

» Roy Artal, Tower Sleep Medicine
» Provent Therapy

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — Arsenic is a dangerous poison that for decades has frightened people by its name alone, but now the substance is finding its way into popular foods.

Anna Fox is a mother of three from Van Nuys, who is careful about what she allows her kids to eat. She took away foods with artificial dyes and saw a huge difference in her son’s behavior.

“We just have study after study. Apple juice and arsenic, how much is too much,” Fox said.

Now she is surprised to find out that high levels of arsenic are turning up in some juices, cereal and energy bars, toddler formula and more.

“Avoid this, avoid that. Even organic food is coming up with arsenic in it and it’s really frightening,” she said.

Organic arsenic is around us all the time, located in the ground and in the water, but inorganic arsenic — a byproduct of industry, pesticides and more — seeps into the soil and into our food. Crops like rice tend to absorb more arsenic.

About two thirds of U.S. apple juice concentrate now comes from China, a country that is widely known to use arsenic-based pesticides in farming.

“We know at toxic levels it’s linked to abdominal pain, vomiting, diarrhea, skin irritations, immune system problems and even cancers. And as a parent and a pediatrician, that makes me concerned,” said Dr. Jeremy Shapiro of Providence Tarzana Medical Center.

Recently several major studies have put the spotlight on arsenic.

Dartmouth University highlighted foods that use organic brown rice syrup or other rice ingredients, as having higher levels of arsenic than what the EPA allows in drinking water.

That included one toddler formula with levels of arsenic up to six times high than the EPA allows.

Another study detected trace amounts of arsenic in chicken.

A third study by Consumer Reports found levels of arsenic in some juices again exceeded what is allowed in drinking water.

But if the EPA has set limits on how much arsenic should be in our drinking water, why has it not done the same with our food?

Congressman Frank Pallone Jr. (D-N.J.) has introduced what is being called the Apple Juice Act of 2012, requiring the FDA to establish standards for arsenic and lead in fruit juices.

But he wants to go even further with limits for all foods.

“Most people think when they go into a supermarket or grocery story, they buy something that is going to be consumed by their kids, that someone has made a decision to review this and make sure it is safe and it’s not necessarily true. And it bothers me that they operate under sort of false assumptions. And they shouldn’t have to worry that it’s not safe,” Pallone said.

But the FDA disagrees, saying from juices to cereal bars, the products are safe.

“Because arsenic is naturally occurring in the soil and is naturally used in pesticides, we are aware that there are trace amounts in many foods,” the FDA said in a statement.

Despite that, they have launched a large-scale study on arsenic levels in rice.

“What I don’t want is for anyone to panic just yet. What we need to do is just get more information, more research and once we do, then we’ll be able to make better decisions for you, for me and for our children,” Dr. Shapiro said.

As for Fox, she is not buying into the “everything is safe” thinking. Until more studies are done, she is limiting what her kids eat and drink.

HIDDEN HILLS (CBS) — Seven-year-old Mikah Kainine is stuck in a hospital bed, unable to walk, after being bit by a rattlesnake while playing in his family’s backyard Saturday.

“Well, there was a snake and it bit me,” said Mikah, who told CBS2 that the pain spread from the bite in his leg to the rest of his body.

Once bitten, he didn’t run. He stepped in to save his 2-year-old brother, Joseph, when he began crawling towards the snake.

His mother, Jennifer Kainine, was in the backyard of their Hidden Hills home when she heard the unforgettable swoosh of the serpent’s tail. The house is situated against a mountainside.

“I look at him. I’m terrified because the sound is going constant (imitates sound of rattlesnake tail), constant,” said Jennifer, who immediately got her children in the car and headed to the hospital.

Doctors say rattlesnake venom can take hours to spread through the body. If not treated immediately it can be fatal.

Mikah has been given 25 vials of anti-venom. His leg is swollen and he can barely move his toes.

“He was very lucky,” said Dr. Cesar Chavarria, of Providence Tarzana Medical Center. He said it will take the boy months of physical therapy before he can walk again.

Doctors say parents can take steps to prevent snakes from settling around their home.

“Make sure that there is not a lot of dead vegetation or piles of debris because the snakes like to hide in places where they like to feel safe,” Chavarria said.

Mikah’s mother suggests parents keep an eye on their children while they play outside.

Rattlesnake bites are more prevalent in the summer months. Doctors say if a person is bitten they should immediately go to the hospital for anti-venom treatment.

For information on making yards snake-safe, click here.

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — If you are tired of being tired and want more energy, a Hollywood doctor is revealing her secrets to fighting fatigue.

Ariste Wright from Sherman Oaks juggles kids and a career. At age 48, she says that she that is exhausted.

“I’m very, very frustrated,” Wright said.

Fatigue is the number one complaint that Southland Doctor Eva Cwynar hears from her patients. That is what led her to write the book The Fatigue Solution.

She has treated average housewives and even “desperate” ones, like actress Felicity Huffman, who was desperate for some energy.

“They know that they are no longer the person that they used to be and the answers that they’re getting are, well what do you expect? You’re getting older,” Dr. Cwynar said.

Stress, lack of sleep, low sex drive – they can all be caused by fatigue, something millions of women have. Many of them are told that there is simply nothing that can be done.

“The easiest thing to diagnose when you have symptoms of fatigue is your thyroid. That should be the first thing that anyone looks at,” Dr. Cwynar said.

Yes she says that many doctors do not check and when they do it is too basic of a screening. She says that is why 50 percent of women with the problem are never diagnosed.

Dr. Cwynar advises to ask for a Thyroid Stimulating Hormone (TSH) Test and any other tests relating to thyroid, including genetic ones.

“It is the God of your metabolism. Nothing else can function without your thyroid,” she said.

But Dr. Cwynar added that for the most part the doctor can step out and you can take control of fatigue on your own. You can start with your diet.

“Your hormones are highest in the morning. You need to eat to support those hormones,” Dr. Cwynar said.

She recommends protein for breakfast, but says to avoid soy products and empty calories found in white foods, like breads, rice and pastas. She also says to stay away from anything containing aspartame, because she says it causes inflammation in your gut leading to weight gain.

More weight equals more fatigue, according to Dr. Cwynar.

“We have to eliminate that from our diet,” she said.

To revive yourself – get sleep. She recommends seven to eight hours a night, keeping your room at 68 degrees or below for deep sleep.

She says to be consistent, trying to go to bed at the same time every night.

Speaking of the bedroom, supercharge your sexuality too.

“Sex is important for energy,” she said.

There is plenty of research that suggests sex stimulates endorphins and brings circulation and oxygen to the body – just to name a few benefits.

“All of our hormones being at their peak in the morning, I recommend as much sex as you can have, but also in the morning,” Dr. Cwynar said.

“My husband will be happy about this,” Wright said, who says she likes what she sees with The Fatigue Solution.

“Sign me up, I told you, now,” she said.

FOR MORE INFORMATION:

» More About The Fatigue Solution
» Herbal Remedies
» Read Excerpts From The Fatigue Solution

(Photo Credit: Simon & Schuster)

Mayim Bialik wrote ‘Beyond the Sling’ to offer her real-life advice as a real mom who has a Ph.D in neuroscience. She believes in Attachment Parenting, which emphasizes strong emotional bonds between children and parents, because it encourages her and her husband to follow their intuition. This intuitive style of parenting extends beyond the baby stage. It even includes how they treat babies and kids (and themselves!) for medical ailments. Added bonus: she played Blossom Russo on the hit show ‘Blossom.’

Between our two boys, ages six and and three-and-a-half, we have dealt with just about every ailment, sickness and flu out there. However, neither of our sons has ever been on antibiotics, nor do we give them Tylenol, Motrin, antihistamines or cough syrup.

I’ve learned from talking to other moms that almost everything you have right now in your home and your heart is enough to deal with most everything. I’m not arguing to be negligent. But too often, I see children being medicated when an ice pack, rest, temporary dietary modifications and good old-fashioned TLC would do the trick!

(Photo Credit: Thinkstock)

General Guidelines

Never second-guess the feeling that something isn’t right.

Don’t hover, but don’t ignore your intuition either.

If you have a feeling that something is not right, check on the baby.

Present parents often have an intuitive sense of their baby’s status that translates to knowing their well-being even from afar. It’s not hocus-pocus, it’s for real!

Watch how you speak.

Phrases like, “You’re OK,” “Stop crying,” “Big boys/girls don’t cry,” and “There’s nothing to cry about” send a message that getting hurt and expressing pain makes people uncomfortable.

(Photo Credit: Thinkstock)

Top Sicknesses

Here’s how we handle the top four sicknesses most households see:

Earache

About 70 percent of earaches are NOT bacterial and do not need antibiotics. What they need is rest and treatment for discomfort such as garlic drops or breast milk (!) in the ears, or hydrogen peroxide dosed appropriately.

Fever

Fever can be bacterial but is most often viral. Fever is there to kill the virus, so give tepid baths and dress the child in minimal clothing to keep them from overheating.

Plugged tear duct/eye inflammation (not diagnosed pink eye)

Gentle and frequent massage of a baby’s tear duct (towards the bridge of the nose) and breast milk dropped into the eye every time you nurse should clear this up!

Flu

For respiratory flu, a few drops of eucalyptus oil in the bottom of a shower with hot water running can steam up a bathroom for relief from congestion; a cut-up onion wrapped in a cloth handkerchief and placed near a pillow stimulates a runny nose to get the virus out. Rest and tons of fluids are crucial. For stomach flu, wait out the vomiting and diarrhea but don’t stop it up with medicines. It needs to get out! Encourage bananas, rice, applesauce and toast. Know the signs of true dehydration (dry lips, weakness, unresponsiveness) and stay close to your child to monitor them.

Children hurt for a lot of different reasons, and a parent’s desire for a child to be free of pain is universal. I implore you to take very seriously the charge given to you. Protect this tiny, dependent person not only with what Western medicine can offer you, but also with the intuition that is yours simply because you are a caring and loving parent.

Visit the Mother’s Day Section at CBS Local.

The foundation sends professionals in their “Beauty Bus” to provide beauty and grooming services to the people they serve. They also send beauty products to qualifying patients and caregivers.

To donate your time or money to this cause visit Beauty Bus Foundation online.

The requirements for donating platelets are the same as for donating blood. People who have taken aspirin or other anti-inflammatory drugs in the previous 48 hours are not allowed to donate.

Platelets are the cells in blood that help to form clotting and avoid excessive bleeding. Patients receiving chemotherapy or radiation treatment and those who have had a bone marrow transplant have especially low platelet counts and can easily lose blood. Platelet donations are in high demand for children undergoing these treatments.

Everyone who donates will be entered in a drawing for hockey tickets. One donor will receive a hockey stick signed by the entire Kings team.

Additional information about what has been dubbed as “Platelets for Playoffs” is available on the playoff portion of the Kings’ website or the hospital’s website.

Forty-six donors attended a platelets drive earlier in the month, including 38 who gave double or triple units, meaning they were able to help two or three more children, according to Jeff Moeller, the Kings’ senior director of communications.

More than 90 children will be helped by the platelets donated during that drive, Moeller said.

Appointments are required to donate platelets and can be made by calling (323) 361-2441 or emailing blooddonorcenter@chla.usc.edu. Appointments are available at 7:30 a.m., 8 a.m., 10 a.m., 10:30 a.m. 12:30 p.m., 1 p.m. and 3 p.m. daily throughout the drive. Donating takes approximately two hours.

(©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.)

About 376,593 pounds of prescription drugs were collected at 7,400 drop-off sites last April.

Medical professionals warn of the dangers of sharing prescription drugs, which can lead to accidental overdoses and poisonings.

According to the Drug Enforcement Administration, which hosts the take-back events, disposing of prescriptions by tossing them down the toilet or dumping them in the trash can also pose health and safety hazards.

The Riverside, Beaumont and Murrieta police departments are each partnering with the DEA for Saturday’s take-back, accepting unwanted drugs at the following locations:

– Kaiser Permanente Hospital, parking lot, 10800 Magnolia Ave., Riverside;
– Beaumont Civic Center, 550 E. 6th St.; and
– Murrieta Police Department, 2 Town Square.

In September 2010, the Secure and Responsible Drug Disposal Act was enacted, mandating that prescription medications be discarded in a safe manner.

(©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.)

LOS ANGELES (CBS) — It was the movie “One Million Years B.C.” or perhaps even more the poster from the film that turned Raquel Welch into an international sex symbol back in 1966.

Now looking back at age 71, she laughs about her big screen dialogue in that role and the impact that famous poster had on her life and on bedroom walls across the world.

“I often joked about the fact that that picture would’ve been a lot funnier if I had one kid on one hip and a stroller on the other, it would’ve changed the effect,” Welch said.

At that time Welch was a single mother of two, juggling instant fame with changing diapers, when Hollywood really came calling.

“The lord was watching over me or something, because otherwise, why? I mean there was no reason for me to be on top of a volcano in that outfit shooting a dinosaur movie and when I come back I’m a star. It’s just nutty,” she said.

Her first bits of wardrobe were not a far stretch from her days growing up.

“I call myself a California girl,” Welch said, who considers San Diego and its beaches her home.

“I figured out how to wear a bikini,” she added.

Welch said she always knew she wanted to be an actress. But before Tinseltown, there was high school cheerleading, pageants, and her first on-screen job, as none other than a weathercaster for our CBS station in San Diego.

“It was fun and you know they paid me a whole $7.50 per show. I was so excited, I got to be on television,” she said.

But Welch had bigger dreams and headed to Hollywood. But finding parts and her voice was not easy.

“I was on the ‘One Million Years B.C.’ [set] and I was kind of bored cause so I went to the director, Don Chaffey, and I really been studying the script, so I said, ‘I’ve been thinking.’ He looked at me and he said, ‘Don’t.’ I really did feel demeaned. Now, when I came back and I saw that silly costume had given me my big break, then I thought, well OK then. It wasn’t my plan, but if it works,” Welch said.

From film to Broadway to television, her dialogue grew with starring roles and a career spanning close to 50 years. She has received a Golden Globe and a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame.

She is a lover of life and a lover of love.

“What can I say, I’ve been married four times and I still didn’t get it right. I’m learning,” she said jokingly.

Raquel Welch is an actress, spokesperson, businesswomen, sex symbol and a woman who definitely speaks her mind. But she has yet another side. One thing people may not know about Welch is how much she gives back.

Through her line of Raquel Welch Wigs, she has donated $15 million worth of wigs, mainly to cancer patients and those medically affected by hair loss.

It is a cause near and dear to her heart. Her sister Gayle survived a tough battle with ovarian cancer and she knows the toll cancer takes.

“If you have somebody who will donate a wig, you are feeling and looking like your old self and it gives you a morale boost and it’s really, really important,” she said.

Welch herself has no problem showing off her love of wigs.

“No, I don’t. Why would I have a problem? Don’t you see how…” Welch said playing with her hair laughingly.

Welch said to embrace you’re spiritual age instead of your physical one.

As for still being known as a sex symbol, she embraces that too.

“This was not my plan, but if it works,” she said, adding, “I’m thankful for this gift of life. You know, I’m thankful and I appreciate it. If you don’t appreciate what you’ve got, then you’re never ever going to be happy.”

Consumers advocates are banding together to get answers and keep companies’ advertising claims honest.

The “diet detectives” shared their tips for food shopping on KCAL9 News. The Lean Washing Index uses the term “leanwashing” when a company makes exaggerated or misleading health claims through advertising, marketing, or packaging.

Check out their site to see which food companies are making bogus claims and which are telling you the truth at Lean Washing Index.

The program is designed to focus national attention on the proper disposal of such items, said Natalie Jimenez of the County of Los Angeles Department of Public Works.

During the event, people can bring their unwanted pharmaceuticals to a participating dropoff site between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. for proper disposal, Jimenez said. The service is free and anonymous.

For a list of participating collection sites, visit the website www.justice.gov/dea.

During the last nationwide event, which was held in October, people turned in more than 377,000 pounds of prescription drugs at thousands of sites operated by the DEA and state and local law enforcement authorities.

Jimenez also noted that the 24-hour Safe Drug Drop-Off Program is ongoing in Los Angeles County, and secured drop boxes are open seven days a week around the clock at 21 designated sheriff’s stations. More information is available at www.CleanLA.com.

(©2011 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.)

A park ranger on Sunday found the rabid bat near Laguna Niguel Regional Park, Orange County Health Care Agency spokeswoman Deanne Thompson said.

No one was seen near the bat, but if anyone has come in contact with a bat near the park they were asked to call the agency at (714) 834-8180.

Rabies is nearly always fatal and medical assistance should be obtained quickly, Thompson said. She said treatment is safe and effective.

According to Thompson, most cases of rabies are found in skunks and bats.

Last year, 11 bats tested positive for rabies in the county, she said.

The bat found Sunday was the second one to test positive for rabies this year, Thompson 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.)

CHATSWORTH (CBS) — Nearly a dozen parents have joined forces in calling for an investigation into a local dentist for the methods that he allegedly uses to treat young patients.

They claim that Doctor Edward Dove, who has four offices located in Southern and Central California, uses aggressive restraint tactics when treating kids.

“He’s just cranking them out. He’s basically strapping then in, doing work and getting out and there’s no patient care of love. It’s just basically like a factory. And he’s just doing a lot of work — I was shocked by some of the other stories that we heard from other families. I think we got off light,” said Chris Catalfamo.

The Catalfamo family said their 5-year-old son went in for treatment on his nine teeth.

The doctor told them, “That he may have to tie his arms down to keep him safe,” Brooke Catalfamo said.

The couple said that they were not allowed in the room and that their son was heavily sedated and strapped down with a device called a papoose board, which is used to keep patients immobilized.

“If child is so out-of-sorts where they need to be secured, it’s probably in my mind better to have a parent there,” Chris said.

Months later after noticing odd behavior in her son and hearing other parent complaints, Brooke started to ask her son questions about that day.

“I asked him, ‘Were you comfortable? Do you remember?’ He looked at me and said, ‘Well mom, they slapped me across my face and hit me in my forehead when I cried. I didn’t even know what to say,” Brooke recalled.

She and a group of other parents, who say they have had similar incidents with Dr. Dove, have tried to get help.

“We went to the police, the dental board, I even sent a letter to Congressmen Brad Sherman,” Brooke said.

Some started blogs and Facebook pages trying to have action taken against the doctor. They say that restraints should not be used, especially without a parent’s permission or presence.

We tried to speak directly to Dr. Dove at his office in Chatsworth, but were told in person and over the phone that he has no comment.

Dove’s attorney also did not return several calls to his office.

But Dr. Dove addressed the allegations months ago in Bakersfield.

“I did not hit anybody, I did not punch anybody. It’s all bogus,” he said to KBAK-TV.

The California Department of Consumer Affairs, which investigates claims against dentists, said that although papoose boards are losing popularity, there are no regulations against using them.

“Neither law nor regulation requires dentists to obtain consent by parents to use a ‘papoose’ restraining device on their pediatric patients,” said Russ Heimerich in a statement.

But the American Academy of Pediatric Dentistry said that it has “the potential to produce serious consequences, such as physical or psychological harm.”

The Dental Board of California said within Dr. Dove’s more than 20 years of experience, there has been no disciplinary action recorded on his record.

KNX 1070′s Charles Feldman reports State Senator Ted Lieu’s bill for greater transparency has been defeated — for now.

“They lobbied aggressively against it, and it was disappointing to me that they didn’t work out with me a solution to a very big problem,” Lieu said.

Back in February, Lieu introduced legislation that would call for more transparency from hospitals on all potential charges associated with any medical procedure or hospital stay.

Lieu — whose 28th District stretches across a number of cities including El Segundo, Hermosa Beach, Torrance and parts of Los Angeles and Long Beach — authored Senate Bill 1373 aimed at helping patients avoid sticker shock in response to Feldman’s initial report.

But on Thursday, the proposed legislation was defeated by a 5 to 1 vote, a defeat which Lieu blamed almost entirely on the hospital lobby.

“I thought I had a chance of getting it through but we went up against a very powerful industry, and sometimes you win some and sometimes you lose some,” he said.

Lieu said he plans on reintroducing his bill during the next legislative sessions.