Get Fit for 2013: Trainer Harley Pasternak Answers ‘GMA’ Viewers’ Questions

It’s a new year and many people have made resolutions to get fit.

Celebrity trainer Harley Pasternak ( @harleypasternak) has trained celebrities including Rihanna and Katy Perry and this morning he appeared on “Good Morning America” to show specific exercise moves to get you an all-star body.

Work the Body Parts

For Great Legs

Do sumo squats. You have to stand with your legs wide apart and toes turned out. Sink your buttocks down. You don’t even have to buy weights to do this. For added resistance, you can use jugs of laundry detergent.

For Abs of Steel

The key to amazing abs is to have a strong back. That means you have to strengthen the lower back by doing an alternating superman: lie face down and lift the left arm and right leg up simultaneously.

For a Shapely Rear End

For this it’s about a stiff dead left. Standing up and with your back straight, push your buttocks as far back as you can and come back to neutral.

For Sculpted Arms

To get toned arms you can do a close grip press-up. It’s like a push-up but instead you have your hands right under your shoulders and you press your chest up but leave your lower body on the ground.

RELATED: Jump-Start Your Weight Loss: Ask Celebrity Trainers a Question

For Manly Shoulders

Men who want impressive shoulders can do an Arnold Press, named after former California governor and fitness legend Arnold Schwarzenegger. Hold a pair of hand weights, and with palms facing toward the chest, press the weights up toward the ceiling, letting your palms rotate.

Harley Pasternak Answers Your Questions

FAST WAY TO LOSE WEIGHT?

Sanju asked : What is the best way to lose 5 to 7 pounds in two weeks?

Harley’s answer: Eat 3 meals and 2 snacks a day, each with a balance of lean protein, fibrous carbs, and healthy fats. Move all day! Grab a pedometer and walk at least 10,000 steps a day, and resistance train at least three days per week. Sleep seven to eight hours a night. Lack of sleep will make you hungrier and can slow down your metabolism

OVERNIGHT WORK SCHEDULE, WHEN DO I WORK OUT?

Rita of Elkhart, Ind., asked : I work overnights, 11 p.m. to 7 a.m., five nights a week. I do manage to sleep 7 to 8 hours a day. But don’t know when the best time for me to work out and eat would be. Currently I am doing everything in reverse, eating my “breakfast” at 5 p.m. and a small meal at work. I have tried exercising at 8 p.m. but find I don’t have much energy afterword. Any suggestions?

Harley’s answer: Exercise should give you energy, not take it away. If you feel exhausted after you workout, perhaps your working out too hard and for too long, or you don’t have the right fuel. Try working out when you wake up, or right after you’re done with work, or during your lunch break (probably 3 a.m. for you!)

RELATED: Apps to Help With Resolutions

HOW DO YOU STAY MOTIVATED?

Lisa of Albuquerque, N.M., asked : I am 45, 5’4? and 180 pounds. Believe it or not, I eat healthy for the most part and I know what I need to do to lose the weight (exercise a lot more), but my question is, how do you stay motivated? I am on an extremely tight budget and can’t afford a gym or the “extra healthy” foods/diet programs and I find myself getting discouraged at every turn. I’ve given up on trying to achieve the unrealistic body image I had when I was younger, now I would just like to lose the extra 50 pounds I’m carrying around and look better for me.

Harley’s answer: You are motivated. You took the time to write this question. Motivation is not the issue. It’s taking your motivation and putting it into action. Try breaking it up into small actionable goals. Did you walk 10,000 steps today? Did you sleep seven to eight hours? Did you eat protein, fiber and healthy fat with each meal? By achieving those goals you have control over, you will succeed at losing weight and keeping it off.

READ MORE : 138 Pound Weight Loss Changes Woman’s Life

TONING ARMS

Sudie of Kansas City, Mo., asked : I can’t seem to tone my arms. I do cardio four times a week, upper body two times and lower body two times. What am I doing wrong that my arms will not tone?

Harley’s answer: It could be one of many things. Are you training hard enough? Is there enough variation in your program? More important, is there fat covering the muscles of your arms that prohibits them from looking toned and lean. If so, is your diet off? Are you doing enough cardio? I leave it to you to answer.

WORKOUTS FOR WOMAN WITH KNEE PROBLEMS

Cheyenne of Tucson, Ariz., asked: Since I can remember I’ve had trouble with my knees and of course as I’ve aged, the problem has gotten worse. I don’t want to resort to surgery and have heard that I can strengthen the muscles around the knees to help, but I don’t know where to start. My knees are so bad I cannot squat down without pain, and even then cannot do a proper squat or go down very far. As for kneeling, it is nearly impossible, except for brief periods. I know losing weight will help but I need to know what I can do to get moving, helping me to not only lose weight but improve my knees to the point where I can enjoy being active again.

Harley’s answer: Obviously, without knowing what’s wrong with your knees, I’m not sure how to help them, but, swimming is a great activity for many people with bad knees and backs. Try finding a local swimming pool and get wet!

TRICKS TO LOSE LAST STUBBORN POUNDS?

Kia of Philadelphia, Pa., asked: How do I lose those last stubborn pounds? I have about 15 more pounds I would like to lose. Currently I strength train 5 times a week and do cardio five or six times a week (35 to 60 minutes). Should I increase the strength training or cardio or both to lose those last stubborn pounds?

Harley’s answer: Sounds like you’re doing all you can with your workouts so I assume it’s a diet issue for you. Try keeping a diet log and having your diet analyzed with myfitnesspal.com.

EXERCISE POST MENOPAUSE TO SEE RESULTS?

Janice of Beltsville, Md., asked : I have tried many different exercises and food plans but since I entered into menopause nothing seems to be working. What would you suggests I do to see results of a weight loss?

Harley’s answer: Are you eating as well as you can? Are you as active as you should be? If the answer is yes (and it usually is not), then see your doctor. Perhaps you have another health issue that needs to be addressed.

TONE CORE AND GET RID OF ARM FLAB?

Kittie of Huntington Beach, Calif., asked : Hi, I am 57 years old and I have consistently worked out for many years. I do weights four to five times a week and do cardio for an hour each time I lift weights. I do two 30-minute intervals of cardio, one on the elliptical and a walk run on the treadmill. I look the same all the time and not sure what I should be doing now. I would like my core to be better and flatter and my arms to look tight even without flexing my muscles. How do I flatten/tighten my core and get rid of the flab on the back of my arms? I am 5’4? and weight about 145.

Harley’s answer: Do you change up your program? Change the sets, reps, resistance, the combination of body parts, the cadence at which you’re training? Even the music you listen to can make a difference! And, of course, keep a diet log and see if you really are eating as well as you can!

EXERCISE WHILE WALKING FOR MOM ON THE GO?

Stacia of Tunkhannock, Pa., asked : I eat fairly healthy, but do not get any exercise. I would like to walk. Can you suggest something to get the most out of a walk with a 3-year-old child in tow?

Harley’s answer: Pick up a pedometer. It’s a tiny device that keeps track of how many steps you take a day. Shoot for at least 10,000 a day. Otherwise, get a comfortable pair of shoes.

MORE: Chris Powell’s New Year’s Fitness Tips

MORE: Star Trainer Tracy Anderson’s A-List Body Secrets

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Women Lose Half Their Weight: How They Did It

At 25 years old and 288 pounds, Ashley Donahoo was depressed.

“I was unhappy with my job, I was unhappy with the direction my life was going, and I had a hard time enjoying the little things that my kids wanted to do,” the 27-year-old mother of two from Pace, Fla., said. “My health was failing. My doctor told me that he didn’t think I was going to make it to 30 if I kept on [this way]. … It kept getting worse and worse.”

Donahoo was concerned, but it was her faithful husband, David, who pushed her on a path to health, starting with a walk around the block.

“His heart was breaking for me,” she said. “And he saw how unhappy I was, and he came to me and said, ‘We’re going to go for a walk.’  And I was, like, ‘No, we’re not.’”

Her husband won that battle, and on the walk, she started thinking about her own choices and future.

“The realization hit me that I made this choice.  I made this choice to get where I am right now.  So I’m going to start making a different choice,” she said.   ”I put my health and myself on back burner, and I think … it had all caught up to me.”

Jumpstart Your Weight Loss: CLICK HERE to Ask a Celebrity Trainer a Question!

Like Donahoo, Caroline Jhingory reached a similar eye-opening realization about her weight.

“I looked in the mirror one day and just realized I didn’t recognize the person that was staring back at me,” said Jhingory, 32, of Washington, D.C.

Jhingory’s struggles with her weight began early. At age 8, she weighed 120 pounds. Taunted by her peers, Jhingory was enrolled in a medical weight loss program, but it didn’t work because she would sneak junk food like candy bars.

“I found a way to be a food hustler and get whatever food I wanted,” she said. “Not only did I spend two decades of my life morbidly obese. I spent two decades of my life being taunted and teased in every environment. I never went to prom. I never had dates. I couldn’t ride a roller coaster because the safety bar wouldn’t go over my stomach.”

Jhingory remained heavy until college, when she tipped the scales at 303 pounds and started feeling self-conscious in her new environment.

“I felt like I had a moment when all these difficult experiences were a huge pause button on my life. I finally said to myself, ‘I’m tired of this. I want to have a normal life.’”

Jhingory started walking everywhere. Then, she took up a daily cardio regimen to shed the weight, and she rid her pantry of tempting snack foods she once binged on. Now 149 pounds, she has reclaimed her shape and kept off the weight.

Jhingory’s amazing transformation, along with Donahoo’s and other weight-loss success stories, were spotlighted in the “Half Their Size” feature in the latest issue of People magazine.

RELATED: Is Being Overweight Really Bad For You?

Donahoo cut out the late-night binges that brought her down and, thanks to her strong support system, lost 137 pounds. She credited her weight loss success to tracking her food and exercise on livestrong.com and running. She has run two 5Ks.

Leah Fernandez of Atlanta found herself at 251 pounds after two pregnancies. The baby weight stuck and she tended to eat emotionally.

“I wanted the food,” she said. “It made me feel good, and so I ate it.”

But it was the motivation to be there for her children that helped her turn it all around.

“Thinking about going out to the park with my kids felt like work to me, you know?  And at some point I realized that’s ridiculous. Not only am I cheating myself but I’m cheating my kids of me,” she said.

Fernandez turned to Jenny Craig in March 2011 and hasn’t looked back. Since then, she has lost half her weight by staying active with her kids and incorporating walking into her lifestyle.

“I’m getting my groove back.  Leah’s getting her groove back,” she said.

RELATED: Apps to Help With Weight-Loss Resolutions

RELATED: 329 Pound-Weight-Loss Trio Share Their Secrets

READ MORE: 138 Pound Weight Loss Changes Woman’s Life

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Clinton receiving blood thinners to dissolve clot

WASHINGTON (AP) — Doctors treating Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for a blood clot in her head said blood thinners are being used to dissolve the clot and they are confident she will make a full recovery.

Clinton didn’t suffer a stroke or neurological damage from the clot that formed after she suffered a concussion during a fainting spell at her home in early December, doctors said in a statement Monday.

Clinton, 65, was admitted to New York-Presbyterian Hospital on Sunday when the clot turned up on a follow-up exam on the concussion, Clinton spokesman Phillipe Reines said.

The clot is located in the vein in the space between the brain and the skull behind the right ear. She will be released once the medication dose for the blood thinners has been established, the doctors said.

In their statement, Dr. Lisa Bardack of the Mount Kisco Medical Group and Dr. Gigi El-Bayoumi of George Washington University said Clinton was making excellent progress and was in good spirits.

Clinton’s complication “certainly isn’t the most common thing to happen after a concussion” and is one of the few types of blood clots in the skull or head that are treated with blood thinners, said Dr. Larry Goldstein, a neurologist who is director of Duke University’s stroke center. He is not involved in Clinton’s care.

The area where Clinton’s clot developed is “a drainage channel, the equivalent of a big vein inside the skull. It’s how the blood gets back to the heart,” Goldstein said.

Blood thinners usually are enough to treat the clot and it should have no long-term consequences if her doctors are saying she has suffered no neurological damage from it, Goldstein said.

Clinton returned to the U.S. from a trip to Europe, then fell ill with a stomach virus in early December that left her severely dehydrated and forced her to cancel a trip to North Africa and the Middle East. Until then, she had canceled only two scheduled overseas trips, one to Europe after breaking her elbow in June 2009 and one to Asia after the February 2010 earthquake in Haiti.

Her condition worsened when she fainted, fell and suffered a concussion while at home alone in mid-December as she recovered from the virus. It was announced Dec. 13.

This isn’t the first time Clinton has suffered a blood clot. In 1998, midway through her husband’s second term as president, Clinton was in New York fundraising for the midterm elections when a swollen right foot led her doctor to diagnose a clot in her knee requiring immediate treatment.

Clinton had planned to step down as secretary of state at the beginning of President Barack Obama’s second term. Whether she will return to work before she resigns remained a question.

Democrats are privately if not publicly speculating: How might her illness affect a decision about running for president in 2016?

After decades in politics, Clinton says she plans to spend the next year resting. She has long insisted she had no intention of mounting a second campaign for the White House four years from now. But the door is not entirely closed, and she would almost certainly emerge as the Democrat to beat if she decided to give in to calls by Democratic fans and run again.

Her age — and thereby health — would probably be a factor under consideration, given that Clinton would be 69 when sworn in, if she were elected in 2016. That might become even more of an issue in the early jockeying for 2016 if what started as a bad stomach bug becomes a prolonged, public bout with more serious infirmity.

Not that Democrats are willing to talk openly about the political implications of a long illness, choosing to keep any discussions about her condition behind closed doors. Publicly, Democrats reject the notion that a blood clot could hinder her political prospects.

“Some of those concerns could be borderline sexist,” said Basil Smikle, a Democratic strategist who worked for Clinton when she was a senator. “Dick Cheney had significant heart problems when he was vice president, and people joked about it. He took the time he needed to get better, and it wasn’t a problem.”

It isn’t uncommon for presidential candidates’ health — and age — to be an issue. Both in 2000 and 2008, Sen. John McCain, R-Ariz., had to rebut concerns he was too old to be commander in chief or that his skin cancer could resurface.

Two decades after Clinton became the first lady, signs of her popularity — and her political strength — are ubiquitous.

Obama had barely declared victory in November when Democrats started zealously plugging Clinton as their strongest White House contender four years from now, should she choose to take that leap.

“Wouldn’t that be exciting?” House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi declared in December. “I hope she goes. Why wouldn’t she?”

Even Republicans concede that were she to run, Clinton would be a force to be reckoned with.

“Trying to win that will be truly the Super Bowl,” Newt Gingrich, the former House Speaker and 2012 GOP presidential candidate, said in December. “The Republican Party today is incapable of competing at that level.”

Americans admire Clinton more than any other woman in the world, according to a Gallup poll released Monday — the 17th time in 20 years that Clinton has claimed that title. And a recent ABC News/Washington Post poll found that 57 percent of Americans would support Clinton as a candidate for president in 2016, with just 37 percent opposed. Websites have already cropped up hawking “Clinton 2016″ mugs and tote bags.

Beyond talk of future politics, Clinton’s three-week absence from the State Department has raised eyebrows among some conservative commentators who questioned the seriousness of her ailment after she canceled planned Dec. 20 testimony before Congress on the deadly attack on the U.S. diplomatic mission in Benghazi, Libya.

Clinton had been due to discuss with lawmakers a scathing report she had commissioned on the attack. It found serious failures of leadership and management in two State Department bureaus were to blame for insufficient security at the facility. Clinton took responsibility for the incident before the report was released, but she was not blamed. Four officials cited in the report have either resigned or been reassigned.

___

Associated Press writer Ken Thomas in Washington and AP Chief Medical Writer Marilynn Marchione in Milwaukee contributed to this report.

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Recess ‘Crucial’ for Kids, Pediatricians’ Group Says

Kids aren’t getting enough recess at school, the country’s top pediatricians‘ group said in a new policy statement released Monday.

The statement by the American Academy of Pediatrics is the latest salvo in the long-running debate over how much of a young child’s time at school should be devoted to academics — and how much should go to free, unstructured playtime.

The authors of the policy statement write that the AAP “believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.”

“The AAP has, in recent years, tried to focus the attention of parents, school officials and policymakers on the fact that kids are losing their free play,” said the AAP’s Dr. Robert Murray, one of the lead authors of the statement. “We are overstructuring their day. … They lose that creative free play, which we think is so important.”

The statement, which cites two decades worth of scientific evidence, points to the various benefits of recess. While physical activity is among these, so too are some less obvious boons such as cognitive benefits, better attention during class, and enhanced social and emotional development.

Pediatricians not directly involved with the drafting of the statement applauded the AAP’s move to save recess.

“It fascinates me … that this continues to be a debate,” said Dr. Barrett Fromme, associate professor of pediatrics at the University of Chicago. “The business world repeatedly lauds the corporate culture of companies like Google who offer opportunities for play and community collaboration, and suggests that such culture is the reason for the success and happiness of its employees. Yet, we do not encourage the same culture in our children who are at a far more critical developmental period.”

“This policy statement is not only important because of the physical, but also the cognitive ability of our children,” said Dr. Shari Barkin, director of the Division of General Pediatrics and of pediatric obesity research at the Vanderbilt University School of Medicine. “This policy has created a thoughtful, comprehensive look at what is to be gained by coming back to an emphasis on physical activity and recess.”

Research Supports Benefits of Unstructured Playtime for Kids

A considerable body of research appears to support the AAP’s stand on the issue. Among this research is a study of 11,000 third-graders that appeared in the journal Pediatrics in 2009. This study found that kids who had little or no recess tended to behave worse in class and learn less than children who had at least 15 minutes of recess per day.

A 2009 Gallup poll of nearly 2,000 principals and other high-level administrators in the elementary school setting appeared to back up this finding; it found that more than eight in 10 principals believed that recess helped boost academic achievement.

“The science indicates that these kinds of breaks in the day for recess are necessary for cognitive processing,” Murray said.

Yet, various studies in recent years have revealed the erosion of this school staple. In most cases, research finds that elementary school children are getting some — but not much — unstructured recess time.

For example, according to 2005 numbers from the National Center for Education Statistics, only 7 to 13 percent of public elementary schools had no scheduled recess for children. From a relative standpoint, that’s the good news. But this same report also found that “the percentage of public elementary schools that had more than 30 minutes per day of recess ranged from 19 to 27 percent across elementary grades.”

Another study in 2005, published in the journal Childhood Education, found that up to 40 percent of the country’s school districts have either cut back recess or eliminated it in favor of additional academic activities.

Despite these trends, Murray said, many are not even aware that kids’ recess time had been dwindling.

“Most of the time when I talk about this issue with people, pediatricians and parents alike, they’re shocked that there is even an erosion of recess,” he said.

Murray said at least some of the explanation for this trend lies at the feet of policymakers’ best intentions to improve the country’s schools — specifically, the No Child Left Behind Act. The program launched in 2002 to increase children’s performance in such areas as math and reading, and effectively increased the amount of school time devoted to these subjects. As a necessary consequence, this forced cutbacks in time devoted to other school activities: art and music instruction — and, most dramatically, unstructured recess time.

“As schools are evaluated more and more on science and math scores, they have looked for opportunities to get more academic time in,” Murray said. “Some of the other [subjects and activities] have definitely taken a hit.”

It is a sacrifice, Fromme said, that deserves a second look.

“Though the argument that more time needs to be spent in teaching essential academic topics is valid, the time should not be taken from recess,” Fromme said. “The argument needs to be how to optimize the time that is spent in the classroom, and recess is part of that answer.

“Which is more effective: 60 minutes in class with half the attention, or 45 minutes with 100 percent focus? If recess can create the latter, then its existence is actually more valuable than its absence.”

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Michigan hospital blazes trail in fight against fungal meningitis

CHICAGO (Reuters) – After his first day working at St Joseph Mercy Ann Arbor hospital’s newly created Fungal Outbreak Clinic, Dr David Vandenberg struggled to describe to his boss the enormity of what lay ahead. He settled on a line from the movie Jaws.

“We’re going to need a bigger boat,” Vandenberg told Dr Lakshmi Halasyamani, chief medical officer of the Michigan hospital, echoing the film’s local police chief after he first eyes a 25-foot (7.5-metre) killer shark.

The St Joseph Mercy clinic has been at the front line of the fight against one of the biggest ever U.S. outbreaks of fungal meningitis, a killer infection that has been traced to tainted steroid shots from a Massachusetts pharmacy.

So far, 620 Americans have developed serious infections related to the outbreak, including 367 cases of deadly meningitis, and 39 people have died. Of the 19 U.S. states affected, Michigan has been worst hit, handling more than one third of the total cases in the outbreak.

St Joseph Mercy – a 537-bed Catholic hospital located in Ypsilanti, on the doorstep of the University of Michigan – has treated 169 of the state’s 223 cases of infections that can cause meningitis, including 7 people who died.

At one point it was so overrun that 87 of its 537 beds, which are usually occupied by patients with cancer or heart ailments and the like, were occupied by patients with fungal meningitis and related infections.

Dr Tom Chiller, the fungal disease expert at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, who has been overseeing the outbreak, praised the work of the hospital in helping to limit deaths from the outbreak.

“They have been incredibly creative in dealing with these complicated patients,” he said.

In all, almost 14,000 people seeking relief from back and joint pain received injections from moldy steroid shots made at the now-bankrupt New England Compounding Center in Massachusetts before they were recalled in late September.

CDC experts initially feared death rates in the 40 to 50 percent range; instead, only about 6 percent of those infected have died, and the CDC credits the creative and dogged efforts of state and local health officials for keeping the death rates so low.

The first wave of the outbreak involved the most severe cases of meningitis – an inflammation of the membranes that cover the brain and spinal cord. But starting in mid-October, patients who had been recovering from meningitis were developing potentially fatal localized infections near the site where contaminated drug was injected to treat back or neck pain.

As they started seeing more cases of these local, secondary infections, the staff at St Joseph‘s devised a bold plan to screen all patients in their database looking for potential new infections that might have been missed in the first wave.

On December 20, the CDC issued an alert to doctors incorporating some of lessons learned by the efforts of doctors at St Joseph’s and other hospitals, calling for increased screening of patients who may be harboring localized infections.

A BEWILDERING FUNGI

Among the patients who developed secondary infections was Bonita Robbins, a 72-year-old retired nurse from Pinckney, Michigan, who received doses of the tainted drug at the Michigan Pain Specialists clinic in the nearby town of Brighton while seeking relief for lower-back pain.

The first shot brought some relief, the second did little to ease her aches, and the third was contaminated. In October, Robbins went to St Joseph’s with a severe headache, back pain and pain in her thighs.

She spent 37 days in the hospital taking two kinds of antifungal drugs.

Dr Anurag Malani, an infectious disease specialist treating Robbins, said the challenge with the outbreak was that there was no medical literature to fall back on.

“No one has ever seen anything of this magnitude related to fungal infections, ever,” he said.

Chiller said U.S. doctors had never treated meningitis caused by Exserohilum rostratum, the environmental mold causing most of the infections.

“It’s just a rare, rare cause of infection.” Seeing that mold in the meninges – membranes covering the brain and spinal cord – is “completely new.”

Initially, St Joseph’s Fungal Outbreak Clinic was started in order to coordinate the care of patients after their discharge, which included overseeing the administration of a complex regime of anti-fungal drugs.

It morphed into something bigger when some of its 53 patients with meningitis started returning with infections near the site in their back or neck where the contaminated drug was injected.

Then came a wave of patients like Robbins, who had been ruled out for meningitis with a spinal tap, but were still complaining of pain near their injection site.

GETTING THE ‘BIGGER BOAT’

“When it became obvious that the number of patients would be a much higher percentage than anticipated by the CDC, we expanded our clinic and started enlisting the help of several other hospitals,” Vandenberg said.

Many of the patients had spinal abscesses, an infection in the space between the outside covering of the spinal cord and the bones of the spine. Others developed arachnoiditis, an infection of nerves within the spinal canal.

The decision to screen all patients in the hospital database who might have received tainted injections was not taken at the recommendation of the CDC.

“That was our own decision,” said Vandenberg, a specialist in internal medicine overseeing the screening effort.

He admitted that the strategy was aggressive, but said that, especially early on, doctors feared the local infections might be precursors to meningitis, making catching them early a potentially life-saving move.

Excluding patients who had already been screened and those who had injections in areas other than the spine, the hospital targeted about 500 patients for MRI scans.

Most so far have had private insurance that covers the screening. For the uninsured, the hospital’s Patient Financial Services department has been helping them to apply for financial support.

“We did over 400 MRIs in about a 4-week period,” Vandenberg said. The hospital screened so many patients, in fact, that the state of Michigan sent in an emergency mobile MRI unit to help.

Vandenberg got the task of reading stacks of MRI reports, sometimes as many as 30 a day.

So far, about 20 percent of the MRIs have shown up as abnormal, meaning that patients have to come back for surgery and treatment.

Vandenberg makes all of those calls personally. Not all of them go smoothly. He likens the gravity of the conversation – learning you have a potentially deadly new disease that requires months of treatment with risky drugs – to telling someone they have cancer.

After one especially tough call, in which a heart patient feared he would not survive the surgery he would need to clear his infection, Vandenberg cracked.

“I started crying. I probably haven’t cried for 15 years.”

SIGNS OUTBREAK IS EASING

But at last, after months of onslaught, there are signs the outbreak is easing.

Attendance at the hospital’s daily support group has begun to taper off. And since the beginning of December, more than 50 patients with fungal infections have been discharged, while only 20 have been admitted, bringing the total number of fungus-related inpatient to 30.

Vandenberg nevertheless cautions that the outbreak is still far from over.

“Every single day of this screening program, we’re finding one or two cases that are abnormal and need to be admitted,” he said.

Vandenberg gave the CDC access to the clinic’s database so the agency could see how the effort turned out, and this month, the CDC issued the alert to doctors incorporating some of the results of the MRI screening program.

The alert warned that some patients who got tainted injections but did not develop meningitis may still be at risk of localized infections.

And it urged doctors to consider ordering an MRI for all patients who still have pain, even if the pain is similar to what sent them in for treatment in the first place.

Chiller said the United States had not yet reached the end of the outbreak.

“Unfortunately, with fungi, the incubation periods are so long and they can remain indolent. I’m definitely concerned that we’re going to continue to see more cases.”

(Reporting by Julie Steenhuysen; Editing by Jilian Mincer, Mary Milliken and David Brunnstrom)

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Humidity Levels Explain U.S. Flu Winter Peak

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Program helps veterans reintegrate through music

MONTCLAIR, N.J. (AP) — During stressful times as a combat medic in Afghanistan, Mason Sullivan found solace in Vivaldi. New Jersey native Nairobi Cruz was comforted by country music, a genre she had never heard before joining the Army. For Jose Mercedes, it was an eclectic iPod mix that helped him cope with losing an arm during a tour of duty in Iraq.

These three young veterans all say music played a crucial role in alleviating the stresses of active duty. Now, all three are enrolled in a program that hopes to use music to ease their reintegration into civilian life.

“It’s a therapy session without the ‘sit down, lay down, and write notes,’” Mercedes, 26, of Union City, said of the music program. “It’s different — it’s an alternative that’s way better.”

The pilot program, called Voices of Valor, has veterans work as a group to synthesize their experiences into musical lyrics. Guided by musicians and a psychology mentor, they write and record a song, and then hold a CD release party. The program is currently under way at Montclair State University, where students participate through the school’s veteran affairs program.

Developed by husband and wife team Rena Fruchter and Brian Dallow, it is open to veterans of any age and background. No musical experience is required.

Both accomplished musicians, Fruchter and Dallow created the program as part of Music for All Seasons, an organization they founded which runs musical programs for audiences at places ranging from nursing homes to prisons.

Based on their experiences working with children at shelters for victims of domestic violence, Fruchter and Dallow realized that young people too traumatized to talk about what they had been through were nevertheless willing to bang on an instrument or sing — often leading to communication breakthroughs. They felt the same might be true for veterans, or other populations traditionally averse to more overt forms of ‘talk therapy.’

“We’ve had situations in which veterans have been carrying their burdens deep inside for such a long time, and they come into this group and they begin to talk about things that they’ve never talked about before,” Fruchter said. “They really open up, and it translates into some music that is really amazing and incredible and powerful.”

During a recent session of the eight-week program in Montclair, music facilitators Jennifer Lampert, a former Miss USO, and Julio Fernandez, a musician and member of the band Spyro Gyra, lead a small group of young veterans in brainstorming about their experiences.

“Tired of being angry,” ”Easier not to move on,” ”The war at home,” were phrases Lampert extracted from a discussion among the participants and she wrote each phrase in marker on large notepads fastened to a classroom blackboard. As they spoke, Fernandez strummed an acoustic guitar while Lampert sang some of the phrases the students had come up with, adjusting the beat and tempo at their suggestion. Suddenly, a musical lyric emerged: “Sometimes, I wish the past is where I stayed.”

A few weeks later, the group gathered at a sound studio in Union City, where they donned headphones and clearly relished the opportunity to record their collectively written tune, “Freedom,” in a professional studio.

“To see music heal people in that way, it’s beautiful, and the real incredible part is you don’t have to do anything but give in to the music,” Lampert said. She recounted how, time and again, the facilitators of the program had watched some participants start the class with shoulders slumped, hesitant to make eye contact, and afraid to speak up. Through the process of writing music they changed, she said, into group-focused, smiling, active participants unafraid to stand up and belt out a tune.

7/87/8_____

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Dentist Office Doubles as a Beauty Spa

Dec 27, 2012 6:58am

Scary lights, intrusive equipment and high-pitched sounds that make you squirm are what normally come to mind when one thinks of a visit to the dentist’s office.

Not so for the patients of Dr. Patty’s Dental Boutique in Ft. Lauderdale, Fla., a dentist office that doubles as a beauty spa.

“There are about 30 to 40 million Americans who suffer from dental anxiety,” Dr. Patty, whose real name is April Patterson, told ABC News’ Bianna Golodryga.  “I wanted to do everything I can to make those clients feel like they are not at the dentist.”

To do that, Patterson created an office that is definitely not your father’s dentist’s office.  Her version features treatments you’d get at your everyday spa – from facials to massages to eyelash extensions and a brow bar – along with the typical dental work.

“I offer high-end, quality dental services along with a full menu of spa services,” Patterson said.

“I can give you a great example of how all the services kind of work together,” she said.  “A client is coming in to have their dental veneers done. They come in an hour early [and] they can have a facial or a massage while their valium takes effect. They come in to start their dental procedure and they’re nice and relaxed.”

A typical client is one like Christina Carter, who came to Patterson’s office to have her braces removed but stayed for a scheduled facial.

“A busy professional like myself, it’s a one-stop shop where I can get my dental work done and I can also get a facial and massage and just relax,” Carter told ABC News.  “When you’re busy, it’s just so nice to have everything all at one spot.”

It’s not just women like Carter, however, who appreciate the one-stop solution Patterson has built.  Men like Andrew Heller, who came in for veneers but left with Botox, as well, are also her clients.

“I’m thrilled,” Heller said of his new look after Patterson put filler around his mouth and injected Botox in his forehead.

“It turned out better than I could have imagined, but it took her a tremendous amount of convincing to do more than just enhancing the teeth,” he said.

For Patterson, her combination dental office and spa is about more than just cosmetics.

“This is not just about teeth,” she said.  “This is also about building confidence and changing lives.”

SHOWS: Good Morning America

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Early Childhood Obesity Rates Might Be Slowing Nation-Wide

About one in three children in the U.S. are now overweight, and since the 1980s the number of children who are obese has more than tripled. But a new study of 26.7 million young children from low-income families shows that in this group of kids, the tidal wave of obesity might finally be receding.Being obese as a child not only increases the risk of early-life health problems, such as joint problems, pre-diabetes and social stigmatization, but it also dramatically increases the likelihood of being obese later in life, which can lead to chronic diseases, including cancer, type 2 diabetes and heart disease. Children as young as 2 years of age can be obese–and even extremely obese. Early childhood obesity rates, which bring higher health care costs throughout a kid’s life, have been especially high among lower-income families.”This is the first national study to show that the prevalence of obesity and extreme obesity among young U.S. children may have begun to decline,” the researchers noted in a brief report published online December 25 in JAMA, The Journal of the American Medical Association. (Reports earlier this year suggested that childhood obesity rates were dropping in several U.S. cities.)The study examined rates of obesity (body mass index calculated by age and gender to be in the 95th percentile or higher–for example, a BMI above 20 for a 2-year-old male–compared with reference growth charts) and extreme obesity (BMI of more than 120 percent above that of the 95th percentile of the reference populations) in children ages 2 to 4 in 30 states and the District of Columbia. The researchers, led by Liping Pan, of the Division of Nutrition, Physical Activity and Obesity at the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, combed through 12 years of data (1998 to 2010) from the Pediatric Nutritional Surveillance System, which includes information on roughly half of all children on the U.S. who are eligible for federal health care and nutrition assistance.A subtle but important shift in early childhood obesity rates in this low-income population seems to have begun in 2003. Obesity rates increased from 13.05 percent in 1998 to 15.21 percent in 2003. Soon, however, obesity rates began decreasing, reaching 14.94 percent by 2010. Extreme obesity followed a similar pattern, increasing from 1.75 percent to 2.22 percent from 1998 to 2003, but declining to 2.07 percent by 2010.Although these changes might seem small, the number of children involved makes for huge health implications. For example, each drop of just one tenth of a percentage point represents some 26,700 children in the study population alone who are no longer obese or extremely obese. And if these trends are occurring in the rest of the population, the long-term health and cost implications are massive.Public health agencies and the Obama Administration have made battling childhood obesity a priority, although these findings suggest that early childhood obesity rates, at least, were already beginning to decline nearly a decade ago. Some popular prevention strategies include encouraging healthier eating (by reducing intake of highly processed and high-sugar foods and increasing fruit and vegetable consumption) and increased physical activity (both at school and at home).The newly revealed trends “indicate modest recent progress of obesity prevention among young children,” the authors noted. “These finding may have important health implications because of the lifelong health risks of obesity and extreme obesity in early childhood.”

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UCB gets Japan clearance for two new drugs

BRUSSELS (Reuters) – Belgian pharmaceutical company UCB has secured two regulatory clearances in Japan, further cementing its worldwide shift to a new generation of drugs.

The company said in a statement on Tuesday that the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare had approved UCB’s Neupro patch to treat Parkinson’s disease and moderate-to-severe Restleg Legs Syndrome in adults.

Otsuka Pharmaceutical has the exclusive rights for developing and marketing Neupro in Japan, with UCB responsible in all other regions worldwide. Neupro is available in 35 countries.

In a separate statement on Tuesday, UCB said its drug Cimzia had been approved in Japan for treatment of rheumatoid arthritis in adults.

UCB is jointly developing the drug there with Astellas Pharma Inc, with UCB manufacturing it and Astellas managing distribution and sales. UCB said it would receive an unspecified milestone payment from Astellas.

Cimzia is currently being sold in over 30 countries, including the United States and in Europe.

UCB, a central nervous system and immunology specialist, is placing its hopes on three new drugs – Cimzia, Neupro and epilepsy treatment Vimpat – as previous blockbuster Keppra, also for epilepsy, faces patent expiries.

(Reporting by Philip Blenkinsop; editing by Patrick Graham)

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Few tests done at toxic sites after superstorm

OLD BRIDGE, N.J. (AP) — For more than a month, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency has said that the recent superstorm didn’t cause significant problems at any of the 247 Superfund toxic waste sites it’s monitoring in New York and New Jersey.

But in many cases, no actual tests of soil or water are being conducted, just visual inspections.

The EPA conducted a handful of tests right after the storm, but couldn’t provide details or locations of any recent testing when asked last week. New Jersey officials point out that federally designated Superfund sites are EPA’s responsibility.

The 1980 Superfund law gave EPA the power to order cleanups of abandoned, spilled and illegally dumped hazardous wastes that threaten human health or the environment. The sites can involve long-term or short-term cleanups.

Jeff Tittel, executive director of the Sierra Club in New Jersey, says officials haven’t done enough to ensure there is no contamination from Superfund sites. He’s worried toxins could leach into groundwater and the ocean.

“It’s really serious and I think the EPA and the state of New Jersey have not done due diligence to make sure these sites have not created problems,” Tittel said.

The EPA said last month that none of the Superfund sites it monitors in New York or New Jersey sustained significant damage, but that it has done follow-up sampling at the Gowanus Canal site in Brooklyn, the Newtown Creek site on the border of Queens and Brooklyn, and the Raritan Bay Slag site, all of which flooded during the storm.

But last week, EPA spokeswoman Stacy Kika didn’t respond to questions about whether any soil or water tests have been done at the other 243 Superfund sites. The agency hasn’t said exactly how many of the sites flooded.

“Currently, we do not believe that any sites were impacted in ways that would pose a threat to nearby communities,” EPA said in a statement.

Politicians have been asking similar questions, too. On Nov. 29, U.S. Sen. Frank Lautenberg, D-N.J., wrote to the EPA to ask for “an additional assessment” of Sandy’s impact on Superfund sites in the state.

Elevated levels of lead, antimony, arsenic and copper have been found at the Raritan Bay Slag site, a Superfund site since 2009. Blast furnaces dumped lead at the site in the late 1960s and early 1970s, and lead slag was also used there to construct a seawall and jetty.

The EPA found lead levels as high as 142,000 parts per million were found at Raritan Bay in 2007. Natural soil levels for lead range from 50 to 400 parts per million.

The EPA took four samples from the site after Superstorm Sandy: two from a fenced-off beach area and two from a nearby public playground. One of the beach samples tested above the recreational limit for lead. In early November, the EPA said it was taking additional samples “to get a more detailed picture of how the material might have shifted” and will “take appropriate steps to prevent public exposure” at the site, according to a bulletin posted on its website. But six weeks later, the agency couldn’t provide more details of what has been found.

The Newtown Creek site, with pesticides, metals, PCBs and volatile organic compounds, and the Gowanus Canal site, heavily contaminated with PCBs, heavy metals, volatile organics and coal tar wastes, were added to the Superfund list in 2010.

Some say the lead at the Raritan Bay site can disperse easily.

Gabriel Fillippeli, director of the Center for Urban Health at Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said lead tends to stay in the soil once it is deposited but can be moved around by stormwaters or winds. Arsenic, which has been found in the surface water at the site, can leach into the water table, Fillippeli said.

“My concern is twofold. One is, a storm like that surely moved some of that material physically to other places, I would think,” Fillippeli said. “If they don’t cap that or seal it or clean it up, arsenic will continue to make its way slowly into groundwater and lead will be distributed around the neighborhood.”

The lack of testing has left some residents with lingering worries.

The Raritan Bay Slag site sits on the beach overlooking a placid harbor with a view of Staten Island. On a recent foggy morning, workers were hauling out debris, and some nearby residents wondered whether the superstorm increased or spread the amount of pollution at the site.

“I think it brought a lot of crud in from what’s out there,” said Elise Pelletier, whose small bungalow sits on a hill overlooking the Raritan Bay Slag site. “You don’t know what came in from the water.” Her street did not flood because it is up high, but she worries about a park below where people go fishing and walk their dogs. She would like to see more testing done.

Thomas Burke, an associate dean at the Johns Hopkins School of Public Health, says both federal and state officials generally have a good handle on the major Superfund sites, which often use caps and walls to contain pollution.

“They are designed to hold up,” Burke said of such structures, but added that “you always have to be concerned that an unusual event can spread things around in the environment.” Burke noted that the storm brought in a “tremendous amount” of water, raising the possibility that groundwater plumes could have changed.

“There really have to be evaluations” of communities near the Superfund sites, he said. “It’s important to take a look.”

Officials in both New York and New Jersey note they’ve also been monitoring less toxic sites known as brownfields and haven’t found major problems. The New York DEC said in a statement that brownfields in that state “were not significantly impacted” and that they don’t plan further tests for storm impacts.

Larry Ragonese, a spokesman for the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection, said the agency has done visual inspections of major brownfield sites and also alerted towns and cities to be on the lookout for problems. Ragonese said they just aren’t getting calls voicing such concerns.

Back at the Raritan Bay slag site, some residents want more information. And they want the toxic soil, which has sat here for years, out.

Pat Churchill, who was walking her dog in the park along the water, said she’s still worried.

“There are unanswered questions. You can’t tell me this is all contained. It has to move around,” Churchill said.

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UK prosecutors consider charges over royal hoax call

LONDON (Reuters) – British detectives investigating the death of a nurse found hanged after she took a prank phone call at a hospital treating Prince William‘s pregnant wife Kate have passed an evidence file to prosecutors, police said on Saturday.

Public prosecutors must decide whether the case is strong enough to bring charges over a stunt that was condemned around the world and fuelled concerns about media ethics.

Indian-born Jacintha Saldanha, 46, was found hanging in her hospital lodgings in London, days after she answered the hoax call from an Australian radio station, an inquest heard.

She put the call through to a colleague who disclosed details of the Duchess of Cambridge‘s condition during treatment for an extreme form of morning sickness in the early stages of pregnancy.

“Officers submitted a file to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) for them to consider whether any potential offences may have been committed by making the hoax call,” London’s Metropolitan Police said in a statement.

A CPS spokesman confirmed it had received the file, but declined to comment on the timing or nature of possible charges.

“That is what we will be considering,” he said.

Prime Minister David Cameron has described the case as a “complete tragedy” and has said many lessons will have to be learned from the nurse’s death.

Australia’s media regulator has launched an investigation into the phone call. Southern Cross Austereo, parent company of radio station 2Day FM, has apologised for the stunt.

Britain’s own media is already under pressure to agree a new system of self-regulation and avoid state intervention following a damning inquiry into reporting practices.

The presenters who made the call, Mel Greig and Michael Christian, have apologised for their actions.

(Reporting by Peter Griffiths; Editing by Stephen Powell)

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China probes safety of Yum Brands’ KFC chicken products

SHANGHAI (Reuters) – Yum Brands Inc‘s fast-food chain KFC was supplied with chicken in China that contained excessive amounts of antibiotics, said food safety authorities investigating allegations of tainted KFC products.

The finding by the Shanghai Food and Drug Administration (SFDA) deals a blow to KFC’s reputation in China, where it is facing fierce competition from the likes of Taiwanese-owned fried chicken chain Dico and Japanese-style noodle chain Ajisen (China) Holdings Ltd. Yum Brands has forecast a drop in same store China sales in the fourth quarter.

Eight of the 19 batches of chicken samples Yum Brands sent to a testing laboratory in 2010 and 2011 contained overly high levels of antibiotics, the SFDA said in a statement on its Website late on Thursday.

An investigation is underway to determine whether Yum Brands had taken corrective measures at that time, and the Louisville, Kentucky-based company may face harsh penalties if the probe showed laws had been violated, the SFDA said.

On Friday afternoon, Yum said it was cooperating with the Chinese government’s review of two poultry suppliers who provided chicken with unapproved levels of antibiotics to KFC, adding that these suppliers “represent an extremely small percentage of product to KFC.”

In a securities filing dated Dec 21, the company said it does not anticipate a shortage of product supply, though “recent publicity has resulted in moderate sales impact the past few days.”

Shares in Yum Brands have slumped 4 percent since December 18 when China’s state television CCTV reported that some poultry suppliers in eastern Shandong province had fed chickens with anti-viral drugs and hormones to accelerate their growth.

The SFDA is looking into the CCTV report and has not released its findings yet, but authorities in Shandong have already shut two chicken farms in eastern China, including one that supplied KFC and McDonald’s Corp, the official Shanghai Daily newspaper reported on Thursday.

KFC’s subsidiary in China has pledged to cooperate with the authorities, while McDonald’s wrote on its official microblog that its chicken and raw materials pass through independent, third-party laboratory tests.

Shares in Yum Brands, which also owns Pizza Hut and Taco Bell, closed 1 percent lower at $ 69.49 in New York on Thursday.

China has been trying to stamp out health violations that have dogged the country’s food sector amid reports of fake cooking oil, tainted milk and even exploding watermelons. In 2008, milk laced with the industrial chemical melamine killed at least six children and sickened nearly 300,000.

(Reporting by Nivedita Bhattacharjee in Chicago, Samuel Shen and Kazunori Takada; Editing by Ryan Woo and Richard Chang)

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Charleston Car Accident Lawyer at Joye Law Firm Praises Efforts to Curb Driving Under the Influence

Ken Harrell, a South Carolina personal injury attorney, stresses the importance of making sure people don’t drive drunk or impaired during the holidays.

North Charleston, S.C. (PRWEB) December 21, 2012

As South Carolinians enjoy the Christmas season and parties to celebrate the new year, Charleston car accident attorney Ken Harrell urges drivers to remember to stay safe and refrain from driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

“The holiday season is full of celebrations and parties, with many involving alcohol,” said Harrell, managing partner of Joye Law Firm, a personal injury firm in Charleston. “If drinking is a part of your festivities, it’s important to make sure that your guests and you do not get behind the wheel. It doesn’t take much to become impaired and become a danger.”

Nationally, 9,878 people were killed in alcohol-impaired driving accidents in 2011, representing nearly a third of all traffic fatalities, according to the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration. In South Carolina, 38 percent of all traffic deaths — 315 of 828 — occurred in alcohol-impaired crashes.

According to Mothers Against Drunk Driving, an average of 25 people were killed in drunk driving crashes nationwide per day during December 2010.

During this holiday season, several organizations are taking steps to raise awareness of and prevent impaired driving.

The South Carolina Department of Public Safety is continuing its “Be a SANTA (Sober All Night, Totally Awesome)” campaign to encourage people to select a designated driver if their holiday celebrations include alcohol. The ad campaign includes a TV commercial that can also be seen online, as well as stickers, billboards and placards for restaurant tables to remind people to choose a designated driver.

“Programs such as ‘Be a SANTA’ give people the important reminder to use a designated driver for a group if drinking alcohol is a part of their holiday celebrations,” Harrell said. “Our firm supports any efforts that keep intoxicated people from driving on South Carolina’s roads.”

In addition, President Barack Obama has declared December 2012 as National Impaired Driving Prevention Month. The designation is meant to raise awareness about the dangers of driving while under the influence of alcohol or drugs.

The presidential proclamation contained reminders that drugs, including some prescription medications, can impair the skills crucial for safe driving and that distractions such as using mobile phones also make the roads more hazardous.

“The declaration of National Impaired Driving Prevention Month underscores that alcohol is not the only thing that does not mix with driving. Drugs and distractions are also serious problems, and it’s important to increase awareness of these hazards among drivers in South Carolina and across the country,” Harrell said. “Drunk and impaired driving is completely preventable. Our firm encourages drivers and passengers to follow guidelines from groups like MADD to ensure a safe and enjoyable holiday season. If you don’t have a designated driver, call a cab. I’m sure the cost of the cab will be a lot less than the estimated $ 10,000 of costs that a DUI arrest results in.”

MADD’s safety tips include designating a sober driver or arranging another safe way home, not letting someone who has been drinking get behind the wheel and calling 911 to report suspected drunk drivers.

Harrell also urged anyone who is injured by a drunk driver or other negligent motorist to seek legal counsel from a qualified Charleston car accident lawyer.

“The attorneys at Joye Law Firm have years of experience in handling these kinds of cases,” he said. “We can investigate your case fully and help you get the compensation you need and deserve for your car accident injuries.”

About Joye Law Firm

Since 1968, Joye Law Firm has been fighting to help people throughout South Carolina with their legal challenges in a broad range of practice areas, including personal injury, car accidents, birth injury, brain injury, defective products, drug injury, motorcycle accidents, nursing home abuse, Social Security disability, spinal cord injury, traffic tickets, truck accidents, workers’ compensation and wrongful death. The South Carolina law firm has offices in Charleston and Myrtle Beach and assists clients in areas that include Mount Pleasant, Goose Creek, Moncks Corner and Summerville. The firm’s Charleston-area office is located at Northgate Office Building, 5861 Rivers Avenue, North Charleston, SC 29406 (local phone (843) 554-3100). To learn more, contact the firm by calling (888) 324-3100 or by filling out its online form.

Ken Harrell
Joye Law Firm
(843) 554-3100
Email Information

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Liquid Nutrition Retains CHF Investor Relations

TORONTO, ONTARIO–(Marketwire – Dec 20, 2012) – Liquid Nutrition Group Inc. (“Liquid Nutrition” or “Company”) (TSX VENTURE:LQD)(TSX VENTURE:LQD.WT) today announced that it has engaged CHF Investor Relations, a highly regarded Canadian investor relations firm headquartered in Toronto, as its IR partner.

“We are eager to share Liquid Nutrition”s story with a broader investor audience. CHF was selected to provide a solid broker outreach program and ongoing investor relations support that will showcase the Company”s growth and investment opportunity,” commented Glenn Young, President and CEO, Liquid Nutrition Group Inc.

Effective immediately, the services agreement for investor relations and market-making is for a term of twelve months to December 31^st 2013, and may be extended for up to one year. Under the terms of the services agreement, which is subject to TSX Venture Exchange approval, CHF will receive up to $ 7,500 per month in fees and reimbursement of expenses. CHF has been granted a total of 78,000 LQD stock options at an exercise price of $ 0.90 per share. The options vest quarterly over twelve months and have a five-year term. Upon termination of the services agreement, any vested options will be cancelled after 30 days, as is required for TSX Venture”s Tier 2 Issuers. 

The market-making activity will be conducted using a registered broker in compliance with Policy 3.4 of the TSX Venture Exchange Corporate Finance Manual (the “Manual”), IIROC”s Universal Market Integrity Rules & Policies (2010) and other relevant policies, so that trading orders in Liquid Nutrition”s shares are made to manage share price volatility and imbalances of orders in order to improve trading liquidity on the exchange. In accordance with Policy 3.4, section 2.8 of the Manual that states in part “an Issuer may not use its own funds, or provide direct or indirect compensation to other parties to undertake a market-making function in its securities,” the Company and CHF confirm that capital for the purposes of market-making has not and will not be provided from the Company”s treasury.

Prior to the grant of options outlined above, CHF had no direct or indirect interest in the Company or its securities.

About CHF Investor Relations

CHF”s effective role is acting as the public company”s outsourced, low-cost equivalent to an internal investor relations department. CHF serves an international portfolio of TSX/TSX Venture and CNSX listed companies that operate in a broad range of industries including niche products and business solutions, mining exploration and producers, oil & gas, industrial products and services, biotech and high-tech. The depth of capital market experience at CHF is formidable dating back to the late 1970”s.

About Liquid Nutrition Group Inc.

Liquid Nutrition Group Inc. (LNGI) (TSX VENTURE:LQD)(TSX VENTURE:LQD.WT) is a rapidly growing functional beverage, vitamin and supplement store brand committed to bringing healthy and delicious eating to communities around the world. Through its wholly-owned subsidiary, Liquid Nutrition Franchising Corporation, LNGI has signed franchise agreements for over 80 stores across Canada, as well as license agreement in the Caribbean and the Middle East. For store locations, business opportunities or more information visit www.liquidnutrition.com. Please join Liquid Nutrition on Facebook and follow us on Twitter @liquidnutrition.

About Team Liquid

Comprised of pro-athletes and experts in the world of sports, fitness and nutrition, members of Team Liquid were selected based on their personal and professional dedication to healthy active living. Members of the Team Liquid include: Steve Nash; Matt Ryan; Suzann Pettersen; Russell Martin; Vincent Lecavallier; Tora Bright; Elaine Hastings, RD, LD/N, CSSD, Nutritionist; Trish Stratus, seven times WWE World Champion, Yoga Master and Arlene Dickinson, Dragon”s Den CEO. To see what the Team Liquid has to say about Liquid Nutrition, please visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=da785AGWQqk.

To receive Company news via email, contact [email protected] and mention “Liquid Nutrition” in the subject line.

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Germany’s Merck suffers setback with cancer drug

BERLIN (AP) — German pharmaceutical company Merck KgaA says a late stage trial of a new lung cancer drug has failed to meet expectations.

The company, based in Darmstadt, says the drug Stimuvax did not improve the overall survival of patients in the phase III study.

Merck shares fell 3.1 percent to €98.20 ($ 129.41) after the announcement early Wednesday.

The company is a separate entity from Merck & Co., which is based in the U.S.

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Hairstyles may keep some black women from exercise

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A number of obstacles may stand between a person and exercise, and hairstyles may be one of them for African-American women, according to a new study.

Researchers found about two of every five African-American women said they avoid exercise because of concerns about their hair, and researchers say that is concerning given the United States’ obesity epidemic.

“As an African-American woman, I have that problem, and my friends have that problem. So I wondered if my patients had that problem,” said Dr. Amy McMichael, the study’s senior researcher and a dermatologist at the Wake Forest University School of Medicine in Winston-Salem, North Carolina.

McMichael and her colleagues, who published their findings in the Archives of Dermatology on Monday, said hair care can be tedious and costly for African-American women.

Rochelle Mosley, who owns Salon 804 in the Harlem neighborhood of New York City, told Reuters Health some of her African-American clients come in once per week to get their hair straightened at a cost of about $ 40.

They may not want to wash their hair more than once a week to keep their hairstyle, and may avoid sweating because of that.

To find out if women were putting hair above their health, the researchers surveyed 103 African-American women who came to the dermatology clinic at Wake Forest University in October 2007.

They found that more than half of the women were exercising for less than 75 minutes per week, which is less than the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services‘ recommendation of 150 minutes of moderate-intensity exercise.

That’s also less than U.S. women on average, according to a 2007 study from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention that found about half of all U.S. women were exercising close to 150 minutes per week.

More than a quarter of the women in the new study said they didn’t exercise at all.

About a third of the women said they exercise less than they’d like because of their hair, and half said they have considered changing their hair for exercise.

McMichael and her colleagues found that women who avoided exercise because of their hair were almost three times less likely to meet the recommended physical activity guidelines. That finding, however, could have been due to chance.

Also, scalp issues, such as itching and dandruff, played a role in the women’s decision-making process.

SALON OWNER NOT SURPRISED

McMichael also admits that they only surveyed African-American women, and they can’t say whether this is a problem shared by other ethnicities.

“It is a really important conversation that African-American women want to have, and they’re looking for solutions,” said McMichael.

Salon 804′s Mosley told Reuters Health that she’s not surprised by the findings based on her 22 years in business.

Previously, studies have connected people who get their hair done and their overall health. Some barbershops and salons even act as health clinics (see Reuters article of June 29, 2011 here: http://reut.rs/WjFXgB).

Mosley added that some women schedule their visits around their exercise schedule, but she also tries to find a hairstyle that will work with physical activity.

“If you don’t have a healthy body then you aren’t going to have any hair to fix,” she said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/WjBo5P Archives of Dermatology, online December 17, 2012.

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Keep thimerosal in vaccines: pediatricians

NEW YORK (Reuters Health) – A mercury-containing preservative should not be banned as an ingredient in vaccines, U.S. pediatricians said Monday, in a move that may be controversial.

In its statement, the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) endorsed calls from a World Health Organization (WHO) committee that the preservative, thimerosal, not be considered a hazardous source of mercury that could be banned by the United Nations.

Back in 1999, a concern that kids receiving multiple shots containing thimerosal might get too much mercury – and develop autism or other neurodevelopmental problems as a result – led the AAP to call for its removal, despite the lack of hard evidence at the time.

“It was absolutely a matter of precaution because of the absence of more information,” said Dr. Louis Cooper, from Columbia University in New York, who was on the organization’s board of directors at the time.

“Subsequently an awful lot of effort has been put into trying to sort out whether thimerosal causes any harm to kids, and the bottom line is basically, it doesn’t look as if it does,” Cooper, who wrote a commentary published with the AAP’s statement, told Reuters Health.

In a 2004 safety review, for example, the independent U.S. Institute of Medicine concluded there was no evidence thimerosal-containing vaccines could cause autism. A study from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention came to the same conclusion in 2010.

With the exception of some types of flu shots, the compound is not used in vaccines in the United States, which are distributed in single-dose vials.

And nobody is arguing that should change, according to Dr. Walter Orenstein, a member of the AAP Committee on Infectious Diseases and a researcher at the Emory Vaccine Center in Atlanta.

But in countries with fewer resources – where many children still die of vaccine-preventable diseases – it’s cheaper and easier to use multi-dose vials of vaccines against diphtheria and tetanus, for example.

Thimerosal prevents the rest of a multi-dose vial from getting contaminated with bacteria or fungi each time a dose is used.

Researchers estimated it could cost anywhere from two to five times as much to manufacture vaccines for developing countries without thimerosal, and both transporting vaccines and keeping them refrigerated would be much harder as well.

“If we had to take the thimerosal out of those multi-dose vials, we’re having a hard time completing the task of getting every kid immunized now, that would add a tremendous burden,” Cooper said – and more children would probably die as a result.

“Children who can now be protected from these life-threatening diseases could become vulnerable,” Orenstein told Reuters Health.

The new statement is published in the AAP’s journal Pediatrics.

Thimerosal contains a type of mercury called ethyl mercury. Toxic effects have been tied to its cousin, methyl mercury, which stays in the body for much longer.

Earlier this year, the WHO said replacing thimerosal with an alternative preservative could affect vaccine safety and might cause some vaccines to become unavailable.

Mercury, however, is still on the list of global health hazards to be banned in a draft treaty from the United Nations Environment Program – which would mean a ban on thimerosal.

Reducing mercury exposure “is a wonderful thing,” Orenstein said.

However, “We need this exception because thimerosal is so vital for protecting children.”

He said keeping thimerosal in vaccines is essential mostly for humanitarian reasons – although preventing childhood diseases in the developing world could also help the U.S. because other countries can serve as reservoirs for illness.

“For American parents, this is more looking at the world and our role and responsibility in protecting the children of the world than it is a direct impact,” Orenstein said.

SOURCE: http://bit.ly/cxXOG Pediatrics, online December 17, 2012.

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Child deaths and bitter cold in Syrian refugee camps

ZAATARI, Jordan (Reuters) – One-year-old Ali Ghazawi, born with a heart defect, faced a battle for survival even before his family fled Syria‘s civil war. It was a struggle he lost two weeks ago in the bitter winter cold of a tented refugee camp in north Jordan.

Ali died two days after undergoing a heart operation in Zaatari camp, which houses at least 32,000 refugees who escaped fierce bombardment in Syria’s rebellious southern province of Deraa, cradle of the uprising against President Bashar al-Assad.

“I covered my son with two blankets, but he was not warming up, and he turned blue before he passed away in my hands,” said his sobbing 22-year-old mother, alone with a three-year-old daughter after she left her husband in Deraa and crossed the border in November.

Ali was the fourth baby to die in three weeks in the windswept camp. United Nations aid workers say none of the deaths were the direct result of conditions in Zaatari, yet they highlight the challenge facing relief agencies scrambling to provide basic shelter for half a million refugees in the region.

“These deaths are a result of cumulative factors, some related to shortage in needs and natural causes. But on top of that, the reality that conditions are harsh cannot be ignored,” said Saba Mobaslat, program director at Save the Children.

Jordan, Lebanon and Turkey each host more than 130,000 registered refugees, and relief workers predict the numbers will only increase as violence escalates around the capital Damascus.

Mirroring Syria’s youthful population, almost 65 percent of Jordan’s camp residents are newborns and young children.

“Every night we are getting children as young as four days old, six days old, one week, two weeks old, and it’s a real struggle to try to make sure that everyone survives,” said Andrew Harper, Jordan head of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR).

“Women are giving birth on the border, and people are coming across pregnant. It’s a situation where we just need to redouble efforts, particularly as we move into winter, because you have hundreds of pregnant women who cross the border,” Harper said.

Families often send the most vulnerable to safety, he added, so alongside the very young in Zaatari are many older refugees. “Last night we had a couple who were 97 years old,” he said.

“CHILDREN’S CAMP”

Along the main road in the middle of the camp’s muddy and gravel streets, children of all ages race around the makeshift market place that sprang up after the camp opened in July.

Many families join in, out of enterprise or necessity, selling everything from hot falafel to household goods, old clothing and fresh vegetables.

“It’s a children’s camp. You walk into it and there are children everywhere. It’s in your face. The male adults are staying behind, and a woman comes with 10 children without her bread earner,” Mobaslat added.

In one of several UNICEF-run playgrounds, among seesaws, swings and volunteers giving music lessons, the scars of war are fresh in the minds of most children.

“I long for my home, and I hope Bashar falls to get back to my home. It’s much better than here, where we are humiliated,” said Mohammad Ghazawi, 12, who came to play after a break from selling cheap cigarettes.

Their elders complain that two thin blankets per refugee distributed in recent weeks were not enough to warm them in tents that let in rain water despite zinc reinforcements and waterproof layers that have helped insulate them.

“Kids are dying from cold and lack of blankets. My kids shiver at night, and one has constant diarrhea,” said Mohammad Samara, 46, who fled heavy shelling in the southern Syrian town of Busr al-Sham in October with his wife and four children.

Carsten Hansen, country director for the Norwegian Refugee Council (NRC), which has set up a heated tent that receives families on arrival, says much progress has been made to help distribute aid.

“Everybody is trying to mobilize resources … in order to react to bigger numbers and a huge influx,” Hansen said, adding that 6,000 gas heaters had been airlifted to Jordan to help heat the tent camp.

FROM CRISIS TO DISASTER?

Harper said UNHCR was working to prevent “this humanitarian crisis becoming a major disaster”. But he said that while aid teams were racing to improve conditions at Zaatari, there were 100,000 other registered refugees living outside the camp and probably another 100,000 unregistered, whose living conditions were not improving.

In Lebanon, too, host to 154,000 refugees, many face a bleak winter, and aid workers expect their numbers to more than double by the middle of next year.

In the Bekaa Valley town of Bar Elias, a woman from the northern Syria province of Idlib says her home for the last year has been a wooden shack with only plastic sheeting to protect from the rain. Plastic bags are stuffed into the roof as extra insurance against leaks. “There is no water, no electricity, no school for my kids,” she said in a croaky voice.

“My husband is sick. The situation is very bad.”

Mads Almaas, NRC country director in Lebanon, said many more may flee Syria over the winter to escape worsening conditions there, putting even greater strain on relief efforts.

“The violence will not only continue but also get worse. And even in the increasingly likely event of the fall of Assad, we don’t think the violence will end,” he said.

Almaas said the United Nations would launch a regional response plan on Wednesday anticipating a total of 300,000 registered refugees in Lebanon by mid-2013. “At first we thought it was too high. Now we are concerned it is too low,” he said.

In Turkey, which hosts 136,000 refugees, camps for the most part have facilities such as portable electric heaters, and refugees receive three hot meals a day from the Red Crescent. But temperatures can plunge below freezing in the rugged terrain along the 900 kilometer (560 mile) border with Syria during the winter months, and rain can be torrential and cause flooding.

Overcrowding remains a concern, with extended families cramped in single tents and ever more refugees arriving as fighting across the border drags on.

Across the region, aid workers fear an explosion in violence could leave them seriously overstretched.

“Right now funds are sufficient. What is a challenge is if we get any shocks, something like 5,000-10,000 refugees arriving (in Lebanon) in a matter of hours,” Almaas said.

If fighting swept through the center of Damascus, thousands of Syrians could flee to the Lebanese border in a matter of hours. “For that, we are not prepared as the NRC. I also question the international community’s capacity.”

(Additional reporting by Oliver Holmes in Beirut and Nick Tattersall in Ankara; Editing by Dominic Evans and Will Waterman)

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