We're All Gonna Glow In The Dark

•  you might have heard that DOD has a new policy of shape-up or get out.  At any given time, 10% of Soldiers are unavailable to deploy if the balloon goes up.  They have physical injuries, behavioral/mental health issues, dental issues, etc....  The new policy says they have to get deployable within 12 months or they will be sent packing.

• what's In Your Food This Week:

o   389 outbreaks of mostly Campylobacter and Salmonella in raw milk in Germany has made 2,300 folks ill, hospitalized 412, and killed 4.

o   Salmonella in U.S. eggs from Alabama have sickened 38 folks and hospitalized 10.

o   Listeria in "ready-to-eat" ham from Johnston County Hams Inc. in NC and shipped to Maryland, NC, SC, NY, and Virginia has killed 1 person and poses a long-term threat...shelf-life on the bad meat goes to September 2019.  Brand names include "Johnston County Hams", "The Old Dominion", Padown's Hams and Dell Inc", Valley Country Hams LLC", and GOODNIGHT BROTHERS".  Throw it out if you have any.

o   Thanks Cub Reporter, W.A. Trebing:  as first reported last week, the ground beef recall continues.  An Arizona company sent out 6.5 million pounds of raw beef with extra shots of salmonella.  57 folks in 16 states are gotten sick so far.  The product 'brand name' list is pretty long.

• Speaking of ham...living next to pig farms can kill you -- or your loved ones.  A study of NC concentrated animal feeding operations (CAFOs) uncovered increased infant mortality, death by anemia, kidney disease, tuberculosis, septicemia...the list goes on.  Picture what's going into the air and water there.

• the CDC reports that 1 in 3 American adults eat fast food every day.

• a timely issue:  researchers at the Univ of Pittsburgh are reporting that sexaual assault/harrassment trauma can have lasting effects -- even life-long -- on a woman's health by increasing incidents of anxiety, depression and sleep loss.

• as if they didn't have enough misery in their lives, an estimated 250,000 people in Afghanistan have been uprooted by drought and crop failure.  Many families are selling their daughters (child marriage) to survive.

• an interesting twist to China's elimination of the 1-child per family law -- many Chinese parents are seeking foreign women to be surrogates for having more children...like the 33 Cambodian women arrested this week and charged with human trafficking.

• China's entire health care system is in crisis.  Cradle to grave socialized medicine is being overwhelmed by its own successes, and failures are eroding the edges.  Witness the vaccination scandal we've talked about in the last couple of months.

• Under President Trump, the new EPA is going to argue that a little radiation is good for you...no kidding (insert sad face here)

Sexual Assault Risk by Service and by Location

I'm sure you all missed my Friday update last week, right?  We took a couple days off to go hike the mountains...and it was glorious.  So, here are very brief highlights from the last two weeks:

• Here is the RAND report that DOD didn't want to release...sexual assault risk by-Service and by-installation.  Fort Drum in upstate New York was one of the most dangerous places for both Army men and women in terms of risk of sexual assault.
• the 2017-2018 flu season took 80,000 lives in this country -- the most since 1976-1977 (when I graduated HS).  Get your flu shot NOW!
• "What's In Your Food?" this week:
• E-coli in your ground beef.  If you have ground beef in your freezer that was purchased in the summer, throw it out.  Recently bought is ok.
• Fish oils (omega-3 fatty acids) actually appear to reduce risk of death by heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular events by 25%...a huge finding. 
• alcohol abuse kills 3 million people a year (mostly men), according to the World Health Organization.  Wonder how many pot kills?
• don't feed the pigeons in Thailand...you could be sent to jail for 3 months
• Researchers at Johns Hopkins University have concluded that watching Fox News more than 2 hours a day leads to Mad Jack Monkey Psychotropic Wasting Disease, which is a contributing factor in overactive aggression and belligerence.  The good news is that it's curable by switching channels to reruns of Mr. Rogers.  
• STDs cases in the US rose by 200K in 2017... 2.3 million people.  Half of the new cases were girls/women ages 15-24.  Most cases are going undiagnosed and untreated.  If only everyone would make their kids a bit smarter about sex and the use of condoms.
• in my continuing tirades focused on China's totalitarian regime/repression/efforts to kill Americans, this week's story fits into the repression category.  Reports are emerging of at least 75 students at a south China high school that have been diagnosed with tuberculosis.  Several of those students attempted suicide.  Authorities are threatening students, their families, and a lawyer who represents some of the students.
• if you were expecting a text message on your cell phone from the President yesterday, you must have been disappointed when it didn't arrive.  This is part of a nationwide test of a new emergency alert system managed by FEMA.  The test has been postponed to 3 Oct.  Speculation that the first message will read, "Hey, it's an effing disaster out there.  Thank God for covfefe.  By the way, there's no room in my shelter for Mueller"

Hope you all have a wonderful week ahead.

Army Public Health weekly updates here

The Water Mafia

Good morning to all.  We're in for a wet weekend here as Florence gives us a glancing blow.  We're not as bad off as Jeanette (Donna's sister) who lives in Raleigh, so keep her and her family in your thoughts.  Hope everyone else is safe and dry.   

In other news, I just attended CPR/AED training this morning.  If you fall dead on the floor in front of me, I actually have a clue of what to do :)

Here's the latest health news from the Army's Public Health Center:

• the CDC recommends that everyone get a flu shot by the end of October.  However, if you're an early adopter (like I usually am), there's a new study out that says the effectiveness of the vaccine drops 16% for every 28 days after you've been vaccinated.  So, if you get the shot this weekend for example, by 1 Jan the effectiveness of your vaccine has dropped by 50%.  The authors of the study do not necessarily recommend, however, delaying your vaccination until late November.
• if you remember last week's story about African swine flu in pig populations across the globe -- but especially in China -- then you'll be interested to hear that the Chinese Communist Party is now arresting citizens on charges of "rumor-mongering" for discussing the topic.  The virus is almost 100% fatal in pigs, but reportedly harmless for humans.  Regardless -- and here's my personal agenda here -- please stop buying goods from China...they do not have our best interests at heart.
• the FDA is fighting back against a huge 75% increase in e-cigarette use among high schoolers.
• Colorado's attorney general is suing the manufacturer (Purdue Pharma) of oxycontin for their role in causing the opioid epidemic
• positive attitude and optimism can improve your health.  Regular physical activity and a balanced diets can contribute.
• Men's sperm counts across the globe are down 50% from the last 4 decades.  The only good news from study authors is that "there is a lot of redundancy built into reproduction".  Interpret that as you will...let your imagination run riot.
• Global water security -- and access to potable water -- is an increasing concern as populations soar.  In Karachi, India, enterprising crooks started siphoning off fresh water 10 years ago from government pipes that went to residents of the city's slums residents.  Now, those residents are forced to purchase from water mafias what they should be receiving for free.  They have 2 options:  fresh water for $150 a month (more than most residents make) or polluted water for $20 a month that has to be boiled.  16 million people live in Karachi.  The city's chief water engineer estimates that they can only supply a third of the city's requirement to begin with, and about a third of THAT is stolen by the water mafia.  Child mortality is high, and many suffer severe stomach pains/diarrhea, but they spend so much on the water that they can't afford medical care.
• Life expectancy in England has gone up, but not so much the quality of that life.  Average life expectancy 79.6 years for men and 83.2 for women, but they can only expect to live 63 of those years in good health.  Smoking, heart attacks and strokes are going down, but obesity, dementia, hearing and sight loss, and muscle and joint problems are going up.
• the EPA is changing its name from the Environmental Protection Agency to the Environmental Profit Agency.  EPA seeks to ease requirements on oil and gas companies to inspect their methane production facilities for leaks.  The EPA estimates that reducing inspections will save those companies almost $500M in costs, and will only cause $54M in worsened air quality and the impact on human health.  So, unless you're one of those suffering a stroke, chronic bronchitis, or premature death from the increased pollution, be cheered that that the oil companies are making tons more money for their shareholders.
• the Trump administration is also trying to eliminate workplace inspections for 39,000 workers at plants where nuclear weapons are made and stored.  Makes me sleep better at night. 
• 7 stats now have obesity rates of 35% or higher:  Alabama, Arkansas, Iowa, Louisiana, Mississippi, Oklahoma, and West Virginia

For lunch, I'm going for the salad today.

Hope you all have a wonderful weekend.