Tuesday, March 24, 2009
COLUMBUS, Ohio – An Ohio high school student has lost both his legs to a fast-moving case of a flesh-eating bacteria.

Doctors amputated Blake Haxton’s legs above the knees, and a spokesman for Ohio State University Medical Center said the 18-year-old was listed in critical condition Tuesday.

Haxton is the senior captain of the rowing team at Upper Arlington High School in suburban Columbus. More than a week ago, he complained to his coaches about a strained calf muscle.

Doctors say such a minor injury can pave the way into the body for necrotizing fasciitis, an infection that spreads under the skin.

The flesh-eating form of the disease requires antibiotic treatment, but when that doesn’t work doctors must remove dead skin, tissue and muscle – and sometimes limbs.

Wednesday, March 25, 2009GRAND RAPIDS, Mich – Well, at least the salsa is low-cal.

The West Michigan Whitecaps, a minor league baseball team, will be offering up major league cholesterol, carbohydrates and calories in an enormous hamburger being added to the menu this year at the Fifth Third Ballpark.

The 4-pound, $20 burger features five beef patties, five slices of cheese, nearly a cup of chili and liberal doses of salsa and corn chips, all on an 8-inch sesame-seed bun. That’s a lot of dough!

The Grand Rapids Press reports that anyone who eats the entire 4,800-calorie behemoth in one sitting will receive a special T-shirt. Saner fans can divide it up with a pizza cutter and share.

The Midwest League team is a Class A affiliate of the Detroit Tigers.

Look for simpler products with less ingredients to avoid any potential contaminants. ©

By Amanda Gardner, HealthDay Reporter
THURSDAY, March 12 (HealthDay News) — Many baby and child-care products contain the chemicals formaldehyde and 1,4-dioxane, both of which have been linked to cancer and various skin conditions, a new report contends.

But the chemicals aren’t listed on the labels of bubble bath, shampoo and other common products, according to the report from the Campaign for Safe Cosmetic Use.

“Companies can obviously do better, and we need to demand that they do better,” said Stacy Malkan, co-founder of the Campaign for Safe Cosmetic Use and co-author of the report, released Thursday. “Many companies are already making great products that don’t have any of these chemicals [and] many companies in the natural products industry have reformulated to get rid of that problem. We also know many companies are using preservatives that don’t use formaldehyde.”

According to the authors, the report, called No More Toxic Tub, is the first to document contamination of children’s products with these chemicals. The Environmental Working Group was involved in the analyses.

Both formaldehyde and dioxane are considered “contaminants,” Malkan said.

A contaminant “is a chemical that is not intentionally added to the product but is a byproduct,” she said. “Those are all exempt from labeling laws … Companies don’t even have to know themselves.”

Dioxane is a byproduct of chemical processing and formaldehyde is released from some of the chemicals that are used as preservatives, Malkan said.

John Bailey is chief scientist for the Personal Care Products Council, a national trade association for the cosmetic and personal care products industry. Responding to the report, he said, “These are issues that have been around for many, many years, so it’s not new news. The thing that impressed me was the low levels of dioxane that were found in these products, which indicates to me that the industry is doing its job in keeping this potential contaminant down to a low level.”

Bailey also said there were wasn’t enough information in the report to gauge how accurate the determinations of formaldehyde levels were. (more…)