Hey, moms of teens (and dads, too).. check this story out on teens and marijuana use.  Some of the statistics really surprised me.. like the suicide statistic:

http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/05/080509105348.htm

I hope you find article helpful.. and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Some of you have noticed that I'm now making semi-regular appearances in the noon show.  Here's a photo of our noon show producer Karen ((on the right of the photo)) and her friend as they hiked Angel's Rest.  Makes me feel like I need to get out and hike......

See ya Monday...

sstricklen@kgw.com

First, the Empower study link.. this is for the nerve zapper they're testing to see if it curbs the appetite.  I highly recommend you spend the time reading the FAQ page.  This is a long-term study that has some variables you should know about ((that are pretty well spelled out in the FAQ section)):

http://www.empowerstudy.com/index.html

Here is the link that I referred to in the 5pm health wrap on women and drinking:

http://www.webmd.com/mental-health/alcohol-abuse/news/20080506/more-women-drinking-more

And Sean is all over me about not posting replies to the pandemic flu triage story I posted.  Okay, he's not all over me.. but he did ask where they were.  You know, I didn't get too many replies to that, but here is what I did get:

Sean replied first saying: Even though the normal use of triage is to take the most critical first and work down to the least, in a mass incident like that the goal would be to save as many people as possible.  Unfortunately, many patients will have to die.  But if you could save 10 people while losing one, you'd come out ahead and that's the statistic that people will look back on.

Dorothy disagrees: I am appalled at such a suggestion. Why can't the richest country in the world care for ALL of it's citizens?

*** ATTN:  ASSIGNMENT EDITORS / BUSINESS / ENTERTAINMENT ***

PARIS HILTON LAUNCHES HER OWN LINE OF HAIR EXTENSIONS
The "Hairess" Partners with Sally Beauty Supply To Market "Clipin-Go by Paris Hilton"

VIDEO FEEDS THURSDAY, MAY 8th from 3:45 - 4:00 PM ET
               
        In a press conference held today, May 8, 2008, actress, businesswoman, and fashion icon Paris Hilton announced that she has partnered with Sally Beauty Supply to design a collection of chic, high-quality yet affordable hair extensions.  Available in ten natural looking shades, "Clipin-Go by Paris Hilton" is inspired by Hilton's flirty and feminine personal style and will be available exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply stores.
       
        "I'm thrilled to work with Sally Beauty to create my own line of hair extensions," says Paris Hilton. "My goal was to bring myself and my personality into this project. I have been wearing extensions for years and there is nothing out there like this product.  The hair we used is the best quality and just looks fabulous - and beautiful hair is the ultimate accessory." 
       
        Designed for girls who love to look good and feel good, Hilton's Clipin-Go extensions are made of the finest quality modacrylic hair which is 18 inches in length, giving you instant star quality hair. Hilton and Sally Beauty want everyone to have party perfect hair.

        The Clipin-Go by Paris Hilton collection will be sold exclusively at Sally Beauty Supply Stores beginning in May 2008.

        The extensions are available in 10 shades of hotness and will retail for $79.99.  For more in-formation visit www.parisandsally.com.

• No phojo to shoot it.
• Sick.
• Out of town.
• In meetings.
• On business elsewhere.
• Breaking news.
• Exploding car.

But we finally got it done and tonite you get a small peek into this pilot program,  This chapter of the Red Cross has collected 900 units of blood (basically 900 pints) from people with HH.  And that's just here.  When it rolls out nationwide, which should happen when all the Red Cross facilities are all on-line with their donor ID program, the donations will increase that much more.

About 60% of the people who have HH qualify to donate under the guidelines.  Here's a link to the Red Cross Blood Donor Program (for HH or otherwise):

http://www.nwblood.redcross.org/ 

Here's a bit more on HH:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hemochromatosis/DS00455/DSECTION=1

And a link to the American Hemochromatosis Society:

http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/hemochromatosis/DS00455/DSECTION=1

There you go!!  McGorge Scott stopped by to leave me with these cool photos to share!!

sstricklen@kgw.com

Here is that link on the full Associated Press writeup on the task force recommendations in case of a widespread pandemic flu or other sweeping illness.

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hDeWu9n8WS9LtmwUnxMIucnFdnKQD90F8KKG0

What do you think???

sstricklen@kgw.com

Also, time to revisit birth order!  How often do you hear that the middle child is a certain way... or the youngest is the "baby" of the family.  Well, let's talk about first-borns. 

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24397323/

Two ways to interpret this story: #1) Parents are way hard on the firstborn.. #2) The fact that parents are hard on first-borns helps turn them into responsible adults. Hmmmmm..  :-)

First: May is Stroke Awareness Month.

Second: SATURDAY from 11am to 2pm you can get your free, clip-in red streak at the Lloyd Center Mall Nordstrom's on the first floor.  Nurses will also do free health screenings.

Third: You need to know about stroke.  Please.. I never ask you to just 'trust me' on anything.  Except now.  Take a moment to visit this link and get educated.

http://www.strokeassociation.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=1200037

Fourth: Here is the information about Multnomah county-- in pdf form:

http://www.co.multnomah.or.us/health/hra/haq/spring_2008_stroke.pdf

Fifth: here's a pic of me with one.  Ignore the following... the silly clip (which is mine.. my hair got destroyed by the rain this morning) and the glasses (I yank my contacts out as soon as I can after the newscast).

Happy Friday!!

sstricklen@kgw.com

I'm working on some new blogging software.. same program, just redesigned. Let's see how this goes.

Here's a shout out to Dan.

He's steers the ship for us in the morning as the main producer from 5 to 7am. Every so often.. ohhhh, say, every day.. us reporters, weatherguys, and chatty anchors all take an extra 5 seconds here.. 5 seconds there.. leading to this:

Blue IS bad. It means he's dropping scripts on the fly to try and keep our show on time. Which is a lot of extra work going to waste. Yesterday, we aged Dan a few years. Sorry.

Anyway, I just thought it'd be nice to say THANKS DAN for doing such an awesome job on the morning show.... :-)

Happy Friday everyone!!

http://www.reuters.com/article/healthNews/idUSL2838269320080428?pageNumber=2&virtualBrandChannel=0

And a lot of you had thoughts about Lasik.. here are some snippets!! I took out specifics about which clinic or doctor-- you'll have to do your own research if you're in the market, but here's the gist of the emails I got!!

Maggie writes: I had Lasik one year ago, and I went to a clinic at a hospital rather than a less expensive independent clinic. I picked the hospital location due to the cornea specialist backgrounds of the doctors. The pre-screening medical exam was very thorough, and increased my confidence that they would rule me out if I were not a good candidate. They measured the thickness of my corneas and the amount of moisture my eyes produced normally along with other tests. The surgery itself was painless and quick, and my recovery was the same. I now have 20/10 vision (I think I was 20/150 before.) I have no side effects at all now, and feel extremely fortunate to have had access and funding for this surgery. My heart goes out to those who have problems with their vision and eyes now due to surgery that didn't go as
well for them. I would still highly recommend this surgery to family and
friends, but would caution of the potential side effects, just like any surgery, and would tell them the only option is to pay more to go to a specialist rather than a store front shop.

Richard writes: It appears that the laser story is being blown out of proportion but as with any medical procedure, there are many things that can go wrong and many people loose sight of that. I went to three Lazer vision correction facilities before deciding on going ahead and who to do it. Along with the notes on the web, all explained reiterated the possible side effects such as halos, dry eye, etc. All of them ran a thickness test saying that I was a good candidate and also the tearing "tear strip" test relative to anticipating little chance of dry eye problems.

Another friend had the *RK* type correction done and was not happy with it and went back to glasses but still has the halos and glare remaining.

Jerilyn writes: from the segment I saw last evening (4/25), I think the conclusion from the Federal panel that was investigating this procedure is that the surgeon makes the difference the outcome. Fortunately, I had the ABSOLUTE best surgeon.

I had my surgery in 1996-1997 and [the doctor] was very careful to explain the procedure as well as the possible outcomes that were known at that time. I had all 4 surgeries on my eyes - PRK, AK, PK, and Lasik. Lasik was just coming into being at the time [and the doctor] did the original surgery. The effects were absolutely breathtaking for me. I saw the world clearly for the first time as my eyes had been very bad (20/400 and 20/600) before the surgery.

Over the years the only problem I seem to have was dry eye which can now be treated. [The doctor] had given me monovision - one eye attuned to distance and one to close work. I noticed in 2006 that the left eye, the one tuned to distance, was not working as efficiently as it had due to some astigmatism caused by blinking over the years. I went to [the doctor] and he did an enhancement on my left eye. It has been functioning quiet well since then.

I know that as I get older, I might have to wear glasses again, perhaps when I reach 70 (I hope). For now, I can fully enjoy God's beautiful world and I thank him for allowing the miracle to happen - again!

Vicki writes: I had Lasik 5 years ago. My doctor was very clear with me about the risks and potential problems, including dry eyes, blurred night vision, etc. I already had dry eyes which made wearing contacts difficult, so I wasn't sure I would be approved for Lasik. I also already had bad night vision.
Since having the surgery I have had no problems with dry eyes, night vision or anything else.
I appreciated then, and now, how brutally honest my doctor was about the risks of Lasik. I'm one of the successful patients and am very glad it was successful for me.
As with any surgery, patients need to research the pros and cons and risks of undergoing surgery.

Janet writes: When I was considering Lasik surgery, I had real concerns about anyone touching my eyes and doing permenant damage. When I went for my consultation with what my research proved to be one of the best regional surgeons, I asked the questions that anyone taking responsibility for the decision would ask. The doctor appeared to not want to be bothered with taking real time to assure me and talk to me about my particular situation, and any real concerns that may have existed that only an educated surgeon could inform me of. Instead, my concerns were treated as if they were unreasonable, and the doctor seemed more annoyed than anything.
Essentially I felt bullied by someone that believed they were far more intelligent than I. It seems that they just wanted to run the people in and run the people out at light speed level to hit quotas to make as much money as possible. With the way patients were run through the office, we might as well have been in the airport being rushed to the next gate. Greedy.
Thankfully the end result for me was positive. Although, I would not call
it perfection. I have some glare at night, and my eyes get dry and tired
in the evenings, sometimes to the point where I can't focus well. However, I can easily remember the hassles involved with wearing glasses and contacts and would easily trade those problems with the ones I sometimes have to address now.

Randy writes: I had Lasik done about a month ago and love it.So far there have been no bad side effects. My last eye exam (last thursday) showed improvement from the previous exam. I'm really looking forward to the boating season without glasses or contacts.

Bernie writes: I had Lasik 2 yrs ago and couldn't be happier. [The clinic] spent a great deal of time informing me of the positive and negative issues so I could make an educated decision. The procedure went exactly as they had described..

sstricklen@kgw.com

http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5hm4_Y2gN7uuJFU9yGiiiwV0BWDagD908RA500

But the question I posed this morning/afternoon/5pm: If you have had Lasik.. how did it go for you?

Email me here: sstricklen@kgw.com

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/24277609/

Update: the c.diff story made a reappearance at 5pm. I thought it was a good choice for the newscast, since we're starting to hear more and more about it. Do you know anyone who has had it? And it's not just hospitals.. it can make it's rounds elsewhere. It's just that this study focused on hospitals.

This is an excellent c.diff primer courtesy of the Mayo Clinic: http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/c-difficile/DS00736

I hope you find the information useful!!

sstricklen@kgw.com

My good friend and stylist Randi shares my love for a certain TV show. So, she gave this to me yesterday. I stuffed a business card onto it for no other reason than I felt like it. Can you name the show? Come on, only the cool kids are watching it........

Email me your guess-- I'll get back to you in a week!!
sstricklen@kgw.com

Good morning!! I'm feeling remarkably awake. I have no idea why. I'm about to go on the air and talk about the compound in plastics... bisphenol A.. or BPA. I've covered this before after local online parent forums started buzzing about it in plastic baby bottles and then retailers couldn't keep glass baby bottles in stock.

((Standby.. I have to go do my hit now...))

Okay. So, where was I.... the links. I know this is an important issue a number of you are interested in since we all use plastics in our life.. from our water bottles, to our plastic food storage, and more.

First, an overview I pulled from the LA Times: http://www.latimes.com/features/health/medicine/la-na-plastic16apr16,1,498138.story

Then a link to the full draft report: http://cerhr.niehs.nih.gov/chemicals/bisphenol/BPADraftBriefVF_04_14_08.pdf

An an interesting related article out of Canada: http://www.ctv.ca/servlet/ArticleNews/story/CTVNews/20080415/bisphenol_warning_080415/20080415?hub=CTVNewsAt11

NEXT story about how vitamins may actually shorten your life:

This vitamin story mirrors research published by the same team in JAMA. Let me give you today's link: http://www.cochrane.org/press/vitamins.htm

And here is a nicely balanced writeup: http://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2008/04/080415194233.htm

That should hold you over... I hope this information helps!!

PS. I've been wearing sweat pants to work and Crocs.. which is why you don't see me standing up anywhere in the studio during my 4:30am newscast.

I had a second surgery to remove a tricky mole on my upper thigh-- an area that actually hurts because the skin stretches and pulls against the stitches.

I've had second mole removal surgeries before.. but they've been in better spots and didn't require much fuss to manage. Oh well. Want me to lecture you now about wearing sunscreen?! Or not using baby oil as a teen to essentially bake yourself in the sun??

sstricklen@kgw.com

But I'm dragging.

I do want to get you this link to Dr. Linn Goldberg's website, where you can learn more about the HEALTHY study. Click on the press release on the right for additional details!!
http://www.ohsu.edu/hpsm/healthy.cfm

As you know, I love love love covering these kinds of stories. I think school is such a huge part of a child's life and the healthy examples they learn there can mold them into healthy adults. I hope the researchers find the extra effort does, indeed, reduce type II diabetes. But even if it doesn't... isn't there something to be said for the students better overall performance in classes? I know that is based on one person's assessment.. you'd have to study that, too, to make sure it holds on a broader scale.. but it is nice to hear the kids are responding so well!

I'm going to the birds with this blog:

Sean sent me this cool photo of a woodpecker who is awfully fond of a bat box near his house. Must like the acoustics...

And McGorge Scott says the gobbler is back!!

You may or may not recall last spring he had to put up a board on his window because the turkey had figured out that a loud enough peck on the glass would get him food that he wouldn't have to share with the 20,000 other animals that all congregate at McGorge Scott's place.

I'm off to have one of those two moles I was telling you about removed. Again. Turns out it is a little dodgy and they don't want to take any chances. Oh boy!! Another two weeks of even more stiches!!!

sstricklen@kgw.com

Here's the full write-up from the Associated Press:
http://ap.google.com/article/ALeqM5gTTpenmxHA38AS54_YVIKx0ZLTpQD8VSPQG83

And here is a link to the abstract of the study in the journal Pediatrics: http://pediatrics.aappublications.org/cgi/content/abstract/121/4/e927

Look, the bottom line for parents is this: Dennis Quaid , as the Associated Press quoted him, is absolutely correct-- when someone walks into the hospital room to give medication, just ask how much are they giving and why. The same advice holds true for older parents, spouses.. anyone, really.

On a different note.. WOW-- many, many.... many of you read Margie Boule's column on Sunday.

((Check it out here: http://www.oregonlive.com/news/oregonian/margie_boule/index.ssf?/base/living/1207166109263440.xml&coll=7 ))

I got phone calls at home.. and emails.. and even a call here at work on my voicemail. It'll take me a while to get back to everyone. Thank you for taking the time. It's just so humbling and kind of you to let me know what you think. And I really want to thank Margie, too. I'm not often on the other side of an interview, but she was totally willing to spend the time talking to me which made me feel like I made the points I felt were important. She even included the snippet about Joe Coelho warning people to stay out of floodwaters in the aftermath of his wife's death. I could not have asked for more.

See you tomorrow!!! sstricklen@kgw.com