It's spring, the flowers are blooming, the leaves are budding, and the outdoors are calling you. However, when you come back inside you may have more than pink cheeks and happy memories. As I found out last week, the ticks are out, and they are on the move.

When I hear ticks, I automatically think lyme disease. Although lyme disease is generally considered to be a concern only back east, the National Institute of Environmental Health Science states that northern California has one of the highest rates of lyme disease.  Fun, huh?  So let’s get into tick-preparedness mode.

First off, when and where do ticks occur?  According to UC IPM Online, April through July is the time to be wary of nymphs.  Don’t relax once it cools down a bit though, as adult ticks are said to be most active from late fall to early spring.  Wonderful.   So which areas should you avoid from November to July?  Nymphs like forest litter.  The adults are more likely to be found on low vegetation like grass, at areas below knee level.  You should also watch out for logs, as research from UC Berkeley found that sitting on logs, gathering wood, and sitting against trees greatly increased the likelihood of encountering ticks.

I have done pesticide research and studied chemistry, and I am still boggled by all this chemical/pesticide stuff. I do have a few quick gems which I have picked up in my studies which I will share with you though:

• The greatest exposure to chemicals for the average American is in their own household. Have you read the label on your bleach, detergent, dish washing liquid, shampoo, ant spray, or splenda lately?
• Whatever we know about chemicals pales in comparison to what we don't know about what happens to the chemicals in the environment. There is little to know research about the toxicity of the breakdown chemicals, as well as the toxic effects produced when different chemicals meet in the environment and mix
• Just because a chemical is sold at the store does NOT make it safe.  Read the rules of application and follow them.  When it comes to chemicals, more is not better, and can actually be a lot worse.

I highly recommend an article (Parts 1 and 2) by Anne Steinemann that was published last year.  In it, she announces that “indoor sources account for nearly 90% of our pollutant exposure” and that “pollutant levels found in typical homes, if found outdoors, would often violate federal environmental standards.”  In Part 2, she states that ‘the places that we normally consider "safe" (homes, schools, workplaces, vehicles, public buildings, medical facilities) and the products that we consider "safe" (because they are widely sold and used) are precisely the major sources of pollutant exposures. Yet these sources are virtually unregulated by existing environmental laws.’

One teaspoon of sugar equals four grams. The FDA recommends no more than 10 teaspoons (40 grams)of added sugar per day for a 2000 calorie diet, while the WHO went with 12 teaspoons (48 grams) for the same diet. Keep in mind that one 12-oz can of Coke has 10 teaspoons of sugar, earning it the nickname "liquid candy." When looking for sugar on food labels, be aware that it has many names and forms including:

• brown sugar
• corn sweetener
• corn syrup
• dextrose
• fructose
• fruit juice concentrates
• glucose
• high-fructose corn syrup
• honey
• invert sugar
• lactose
• maltose
• malt syrup
  

and make it hard to file medical malpractice suits, read the article below which appeared in Reuters

Survey Finds 80 Pct of U.S. Doctors Witness Mistakes
Wed Jan 26, 2005 05:08 PM ET
By Maggie Fox, Health and Science Correspondent

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Eighty percent of U.S. doctors and half of nurses surveyed said they had seen colleagues make mistakes, but only 10 percent ever spoke up, according to a study released on Wednesday.

These mistakes are undoubtedly contributing to the deaths of tens of thousands of people who die from medical errors in the United States each year, the researchers and experts on nursing said.

Nurses, doctors and other healthcare workers need to be less shy about speaking up about mistakes, incompetent colleagues and other problems that can hurt patients, the report said.

While biting into soft food today, my jaw made a crunchy noise and a pain hit me deep in my ear, similar to but far more intense than that of a Q-tip poking too deep. It simultaneously felt as though my jaw bone was pushing into my ear drum, actually strecthing the skin inside my eardrum as it did so. It continued to push in my eardrum any time I would attempt to close it. This slowly went away over about a fifteen minute period.

The website of the California Federation of Certified Farmers’ Markets enables you to search for the location of your local farmers' market. Now you too can have (ahem)locally-grown produce for your table.

I found out I have two or three right by me, depending on the season. :)

I was inspired to look into this rating system after viewing Supersize Me. This is apparently an evaluation done by Men's Fitness, a health magazine. They base their yearly evaluation on several factors, including the number of fitness clubs, frequency of fruit and vegetable consumption, participation in sports and fitness-related activities, number of fast food outlets, number of bars, and percentage of obese and overweight people. You can read more about their criterion here.

So what were the 25 fattest cities of 2004?

Top 25 Fattest
2004 Ranking

I was examined for glaucoma today. I've had an increase in the pressure of my eyes in the past two years that was noted during my last eye exam, so I set up a glaucoma test at the advice of my eye doctor.

Yep, it's true. I spoke to someone earlier today who said her seven-year old niece had high cholesterol. Then I read this webpage from the University of Maryland Medicine about it, and found out that it does occur, especially if the parents have a history of it. They have actually developed cholesterol guidelines for children, which state that total cholesterol levels under 170 are acceptable. Among their recommendations are lean meats, low-fat or no-fat dairy products, lots of fruits and veggies, and whole grains. They also mentioned that parents need to watch their children's intake of trans-fats, which are major contributor to high cholesterol.

Here is a helpful cholesterol FAQ from the AHA. It contains warnings about high fat and high cholesterol foods.