Everyone has the so-called BRCA genes, it’s only when there is a problem – or specific mutation on them – that the risk of breast or ovarian cancer increases. And even those cases are not an exact correlation.

“We think that maybe 15% of all women who are diagnosed with breast cancer have a mutation like that,” said Breast Cancer Surgeon Dr. Lisa Bailey of Alta Bates Summit Medical Center in Oakland. “So the vast majority will have breast cancer for some other reason.”

The test that determines if a woman has the genetic mutations linked to heightened breast cancer risk costs close to $4,000. But insurance experts indicate the entire cost should be covered for patients under the terms of the Affordable Care Act, provided they meet certain conditions.

Nancy Kinkaid of the California Dept. of Insurance said that’s because the test for mutations in the BRCA1 and BRCA2 genes is considered “preventive care.” “There should be no-copay and no out-of-pocket cost for that consultation and evaluation,” Kinkaid told KPIX 5.

But that doesn’t mean just anyone can or should go out and get the test. The preventive care clause applies only to “non-grandfathered” insurance plans, which coverage started after March 2010 when the Affordable Care Act was signed into law. The test will also only be covered for patients with a qualifying family history of breast and/or ovarian cancer.

And for those who do test positive for the gene mutation, Kinkad said there’s no need to worry about being denied coverage or skyrocketing insurance rates.

“Genetic testing can not be considered. It is not a rating factor under the Affordable Care Act,” she explained.

Kinkaid said the Affordable Care Act does not address whether the mastectomy itself is covered. And when it comes to disability or life insurance, the law doesn’t reference genetic testing at all.

Kinkaid said Californians who believe they have been unfairly denied coverage for the genetic test that can and should contact the State Department of Insurance’s Consumer Helpline at 1-800-927–HELP or online at: http://www.insurance.ca.gov/contact-us/0200-file-complaint/index.cfm

(Copyright 2013 CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved.)

Tessa Grosso is 10-years-old. Since she was small, Tessa’s mom Kim Yates Grosso has fought to keep her daughter safe from those allergies.

“You literally walk through life like you’re navigating a mine field,” said Mrs. Grosso.

For years, Tessa has suffered severe allergies to food such as wheat, eggs, nuts and shellfish. Spilled milk meant danger.

“She had milk spilled on her hands, and she almost died,” said Mrs. Grosso.

“It was really hard because I couldn’t go to birthday parties or have playdates,” explained Tessa.

Then the Menlo Park family found hope in Dr. Kari Nadeau at Stanford’s Lucile Packard Children’s Hospital. The allergy researcher started clinical trials on 80 patients in 2011.

Nadeau is believed to be the first doctor to help people tolerate up to five food allergies all at once.

Patients first eat tiny amounts of each allergen in flour or powder form. Nadeau gradually increases the dosage until the patients can tolerate a full serving over a number of years.

Because Tessa also took Xolair, a drug that suppresses allergic reactions, she completed the trial in only four months.

Doctors call Tessa the world’s first person to be desensitized to several allergies at the same time.

“In general we are excited this will potentially be a breakthrough, but it needs to be tested further,” Nadeau said.

One in 13 American children has food allergies and a third of them react to more than one food. Nadeau does not know why, but she suspects a genetic and environmental interaction.

“We think that tobacco smoke or pollutants or diet may affect people who already have a predisposition for food allergies,” Nadeau explained.

Tessa must eat a serving of dairy, wheat, egg, peanut and almond every day to maintain her immunity to those foods. For eggs, she mixes powder into ice cream or milk.

Since completing the clinical trial last year, Tessa has tried her first store bought cake and ice cream. The fourth grader still carries her life-saving epinephrine pen in case of emergency. But life feels more relaxed.

“I can just have fun and play with everyone else and not be worried,” said Tessa.

“It’s an emancipation. You get to go live your life,” said her mom.

The Grosso family hopes Nadeau’s research will grant other children the same taste of freedom.

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Thin legs are the envy of young girls and women around the country, feeding their insecurities. More and more are going to dangerous lengths to create a thigh gap.

“People are working excessively at exercising in order to maybe change the way their body is or restricting what they eat,” said University of Miami body consultant, Tammy Sifre.

Facebook, Tumblr and Twitter are inundated with images praising models with thin legs and wide gaps. There are even more than 700,000 followers on Facebook and Twitter accounts dedicated to the thigh gap.

Sifre said it’s a toxic environment for teens and young women to be surrounded by.

“It’s sending the message (that) the body is objectified,” Sifre said. “The body is something that needs to be changed, that needs to be fixed and it’s not good enough the way it is.”

But with plastic surgery that insecurity can be quickly fixed.

“You make a little incision and use rods that have a little hole in the middle and it sucks out the fat,” said Dr. Carlos Wolf from Miami Plastic Surgery.

Doctor Wolf said the inner thigh surgery vacuums out the stubborn fat between your legs, but surgery so young could be a precursor to an obsession.

“Some of the times when they start so early they become addicted to it,” Dr. Wolf said.

Moms are a large group that elect to nip and tuck their inner thighs. Janet Correa lipoed her thighs after having two kids. She has always been self-conscious about her thicker thighs; something she attributes to her Cuban heritage.

“I was never happy with my typical Latin body,” Correa said. “Now, the way you look when you wear tight jeans and leggings, it’s amazing. a thigh gap!”

Miami Plastic Surgery Dr. Michael Kelley performs dozens of inner thighliposuction surgeries a year.

“They’re self-conscious about their thighs touching. Its always something that women are more concerned about men. Men could care less,” said Kelley.

But for teens and younger women, before opting for surgery, an unhealthy fixation should be addressed.

“I think what’s important is what kind of relationship a person has with their body,” Sifre said. “Sometimes (surgery is) an indication of not having a good relationship with one’s body.”

If social media is an indication of teens and women’s relationships with their bodies and specifically, their thighs, their insecurities are widening.

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The spicy noodle soup is Yakameat, also known as Yak-a-mein or “Old Sober.” It is typically made with salty beef and soy broth; noodles; beef, chicken or shrimp; chopped scallions and a hard-boiled egg.

Dr. Alyson E. Mitchell of the UC Davis Food Science & Technology department analyzed the soup, and said the hangover cure has a basis in scientific fact. Mitchell said each and every ingredient can help people recover from the effects of too much alcohol.

For example, the hard boiled egg contains cysteine, which helps to remove acetyldehyde from the body. Acetyldehyde is how alcohol breaks down in the body.

The soup also contains salts that can help replace the sodium, potassium, and other salts lost to the diuretic effects of alcohol.

Results showing the soup’s effectiveness were presented Tuesday at the annual meeting of the American Chemical Society, the world’s largest scientific society.

KPIX 5 spoke to Creole caterer Daniel Knight and chef Woodrow Conerly of Spice it Up Catering. Conerly whipped us up a batch of the soup, a recipe he got from his mother.

He used to eat it all the time growing up in New Orleans.

“I’m not a scientist,” said Conerly, “but it works.”

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Dr. Walter Bortz, Clinical Associate Professor at Stanford University School of Medicine, and his wife Ruth Anne run several times a week.

While their pace is slow, Bortz is quick to point out: “Getting old is fate. But how you get old is choice. And the difference between fate and choice is responsibility.”

The 83-year-old Bortz has practiced medicine for 50 years and he has a bone to pick with his profession. The geriatrician believes personal responsibility and sensible lifestyle choices will put you on the pathway to good health.

But, he warned, that’s not how the U.S. health care system is set up. He says 95% of medical care is more like a repair shop than a caring industry.

“The doctors now want you to be sick. They want you to bleed because that’s how they get paid,” said Bortz.

These are undoubtedly very strong words. But look at the statistics. A report from the prestigious Institute of Medicine appears to back up Dr. Bortz.

This year alone, the U.S. is expected to spend nearly three trillion dollars on health care. But hundreds of billions of those dollars are spent on unnecessary care: treatments, exams, tests, and procedures.

Our nation spends more than any other nation on the planet.

“Yet we’re not living longer, we’re not feeling better.” said Dr. Rita Redberg, cardiologist at the University of California, San Francisco and editor of the journal “JAMA: Internal Medicine.”

Redberg said while fear of malpractice plays a role in ordering tests, procedures and treatments, it’s not the only factor.

“Certainly it’s not very profitable to talk to your patients. We get reimbursed much more highly for procedures,” said Dr. Redberg.

Her medical journal published a survey of primary care physicians in which 42% felt their very own patients were getting too much medical care.

“There are a lot of times when saying no, not having a test you would be better off than having a test,” said Redberg.

High technology allows us to see things in the body that you really don’t even need to know about, said Redberg, such as little spots on the lungs or kidneys that turn out to be benign. But once a doctor sees it, the doctor is compelled to do yet another test or perhaps even a biopsy.

Dr. Redberg shared one horror story about a 52-year-old woman who decided to lose a little weight and in the process, went to the gym and felt sore.

The woman saw her doctor and complained of fatigue. Her doctor did an EKG which was normal but pushed on a part of her body that was sore. The doctor decided to get a cardiac CT test to reassure the patient nothing was wrong but the test found some calcium in a part of her heart.

No one knew what that meant so they did another test: an angiogram. But then, the angiogram created a complication by tearing an otherwise healthy artery. In fact, all of her cardiac arteries were healthy. The woman underwent emergency bypass surgery but the graft failed. She needed a stent and medication. The stent clotted and failed. And the woman ended up with a heart transplant.

Dr. Redberg wrote an editorial in the New York Times, pointing out we spend a fortune each year in procedures, many that have no proven benefit and should not be covered. For example: routine screening colonoscopies.

The screening test is not recommended in patients over 75: For them, there’s no evidence of a benefit; moreover, it can lead to serious complications and unnecessary biopsies

Yet in 2009, 42 % of Medicare patients 75 and older got it. Who paid for it? Taxpayers – despite the fact that there is a less invasive, cheaper routine screening test for colorectal cancer.

Dr. Redberg said such tests don’t make you healthy: only changes in your lifestyle can prevent many chronic diseases.

As for Dr. Bortz, he says just say ‘no.’

‘No’ to pap tests – if you’ve had a hysterectomy or over 65.

‘No’ to PSA tests or mammograms – if you’re over 75.

‘No’ to electrocardiograms, blood panels and annual cholesterol tests – if you are otherwise healthy.

Dr. Bortz maintains that patients need to know about health and be literate in how to take care of themselves. He’s just written a book called “Occupy Healthcare”, produced a short film on it, and is blogging for the Huffington Post on aging.

“Now that we know what health is – we have to transfer that to people and empower you,” said Bortz, with a smile.

According to the USDA, food dates are tricky: whether it’s “sell by, use by” or “best if used by,” the calendar date listed on a food product is not a safety date:

These dates are one piece of information that can help consumers know when to use food at its best quality. Not only that; it’s a conservative date.

If the date expires at home, the food should be safe to eat if it’s handled properly and kept cold – 40 degrees Fahrenheit or lower. Not storing or handling food properly can result in food poisonings.

A recent survey found three quarters of Americans make this mistake and believe once a date’s expired, they need throw it out.

That’s a waste of both food and money. Instead of depending on a date, use USDA storage charts and read the facts. On the charts, you’ll notice the storage time after purchase can vary dramatically according to the food and whether or not you’ve opened the package.

Depend upon your common sense. Fresh food is meant to perish. If your nose can tell its bad, or it tastes or looks funny, be in doubt and toss it out.

Another excellent source for the shelf life of both perishable and shelf stable foods are the online service “Shelf Life Advice“.

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So far, California has not been hit as hard as the rest of the country, but doctors have said that will likely change.

Public health officials have said that the best option for finding a flu shot at this point is to go to your doctor’s office because they get their doses from a different suppliers than big box stores, which are running out.

Some states with excess supply will share with states in need, but California is not sharing with states where the flu is widespread. Instead, any excess will likely be saved for the peak of California’s flu season.

While many customers have grown frustrated trying to track down a flu shot, the website Health Map Vaccine Finder can help you track down nearby vaccines using your zip code. (Follow-up phone calls are still recommended as availability can change quickly).

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A new study found that women who ate three or more servings of blueberries and strawberries every week for almost 20 years dramatically reduced their risks for having a heart attack.

“Blueberries and strawberries can easily be incorporated into what women eat every week,” study author Eric Rimm, an associate professor of nutrition and epidemiology at the Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, Mass., said in a written statement. “This simple dietary change could have a significant impact on prevention efforts.”

Heart attacks are a major concern among women, with recent research finding women are more likely to die from heart attacks than men. The American Heart Association (AHA) says women may be more likely to experience other heart attack symptoms besides chest pain that may be harder to pick up, such as shortness of breath, nausea, vomiting and back or jaw pain.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death for women in the U.S., the culprit behind 1 in every 4 female deaths, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Blueberries and strawberries, which are rich in antioxidants called flavonoids, may help reduce risk, according to the new study, published Jan. 14 in the AHA’s journal, Circulation.

Dietary flavonoids are also found in grapes and wine, blackberries, eggplant, and other fruits and vegetables, according to AHA. A particular type of flavonoids called “anthocyanins,” may improve blood flow, counter the buildup of plaque and provide other heart health benefits, the study’s authors report.

Researchers surveyed 93,600 female nurses between 25 and 42 who were part of a long-running study in which nurses filled out questionnaires about their diets every four years for 18 years.

Out of the large study pool, only 405 heart attacks occurred. Women who ate the most blueberries and strawberries were found to be 32 percent less likely to have a heart attack, compared to women who ate berries once a month or less. That was found true even for women who ate diets rich in fruits and vegetables, but not those two berries.

The study was observational, meaning it did not show a direct cause-and-effect relationship between berries and heart attack protection; the link was simply observed by researchers after ruling out other factors that may contribute to heart attacks.

One expert backs the study’s findings.

“This class of foods helps to dilate the arteries and reduce inflammation of the arteries, therefore reducing heart attack rates,” Dr. Mary Ann McLaughlin, an associate professor of cardiology at Mount Sinai Hospital in New York City who was not involved in the new research, told CBS News’ Teresa Garcia.

The American Heart Association supports eating berries as part of an overall balanced diet that also includes other fruits, vegetables and whole-grain products. Other ways women can reduce their heart risks include regular exercise, reducing stress, avoiding smoking (and second-hand smoke, which has been shown to increase risk) and reducing salt-intake.

(Copyright 2013 by CBS San Francisco and CBS Interactive. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

One way to shed those pounds, according to a new diet book, is to keep track of time. It’s called “The Eight Hour Diet.”

“This book changed my life and I’m never going back,” said Peter Moore.

Moore is the editor of Men’s Health Magazine, and along with David Zinczenko, a co-author of the book.

“This could not be a more simple diet. You eat for 8 hours. Fast for 16. That’s all you need to know,” said Moore.

Moore says our modern lifestyle – where we eat all day and night and stay up by artificial lights – has thrown our bodies and metabolism out of whack, making us fat and unhealthy.

The antidote is to confine our eating to eight hours a day, at least 3 times a week. The goal: to go back to the way our bodies have evolved to eat and sleep.

For example, have your first meal at 12 noon. Then for an 8 hour period, eat to your heart’s content. But once the clock strikes the end of that 8 hour period, begin fasting for 16 hours.

When you wake up, in the morning, start moving, and drink at least 2 glasses of water. Get in some exercise. If you get hungry before your first meal at noon, drink a hot low cal beverage.

“In the beginning, I’ll admit it, it was difficult because I was used to eating all the time,” said Moore, “But as I got better at it, I realized I didn’t need all that much food all day long”

Moore says this plan will help reset your body’s natural eat and sleep clocks.

He lost fifteen pounds with little effort. However, one Bay Area nutritionist had some questions about the plan.

“Fasting for 16 (hours) -think about that,” marveled registered dietician Jo Ann Hattner.

Hattner, author of Gut Insight, said intermittent fasting may burn fat but it could also affect your mood, especially in women.

She says if you want to try it, to test it out when you’re not working, taking care of kids, or operating heavy machinery.

“I certainly wouldn’t want to be driving a car,” said Hattner.

The plan is based on work done by scientists at the Salk Institute. The research involved mice, but the co-authors analyzed how the diet worked in a few thousand web followers. And while the 8 hour diet has not been subjected to clinical testing, Moore said it works and he’s never felt better.

Moore said the research shows how the 8-hour-diet works on a cellular level, by triggering a person’s body to selectively burn fat for energy.

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According to San Francisco officials, New York City has reported 12 cases of meningitis among gay men in the past year—three of those in the last six weeks.

San Francisco’s recommendation went out on Thursday. The city’s health officer, Tomas Aragon, says men who have recently traveled to New York City and had close or intimate contact with other gay men or plan to go there and have such contact should discuss vaccination with their doctor.

Meningitis is a potentially fatal bacterial infection that affects the tissues around the brain and spinal cord. It can spread through contact with spit or mucus.

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The primary strain circulating is one that tends to cause more severe illness, especially in the elderly.

Related Link: CDC Information On The Flu Virus

But officials with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention said the nation seems to be fairly well prepared. More than a third of Americans have been vaccinated, and the vaccine is well matched to the strains of flu so far.

Officials said Monday that suspected flu cases have jumped in five southern states—Alabama, Louisiana, Mississippi, Tennessee and Texas. An uptick in flu reports like this usually doesn’t occur until after Christmas.

The last time a typical flu season started this early was the winter of 2003-04.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

In the biggest study of its kind, researchers at Boston University analyzed the brains of deceased athletes and veterans (all of who had history of repeated head trauma), and found more than 80 percent had signs of CTE, or Traumatic Brain Encephalopathy.

What that means is these brains had scar tissue built up from getting hit on the head — and the damage was found as young as age 17. That scar tissue messes up brain cells.

To contrast this 80 percent figure, zero percent — as in none– of the brains of people who did not have a history of head injuries or sports related concussions had any sign of CTE.

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A few months ago, Roberta Lew went on Facebook, and saw an ad about a miraculous fat-buster called Green Coffee Bean Extract.

It seemed simple enough, and Dr. Oz on his national show was quoted as touting the new dietary supplement.

“If you can take two pills a day, you’re in,” Lew explained.

Online, she found varieties of the supplement for sale, and thought she’d give it a try.

“So I clicked on it. I ordered it,” said Lew.

She started taking a capsule a half hour before a meal, with a big glass of water.

Without changing her diet or adding exercise, she said she was stunned.

“It’s great. I lost my belly fat and ten pounds in two months without even trying,” said Lew.

Green coffee extract comes from unroasted or green coffee beans. What’s in the beans?

Caffeine is a well known stimulant. But they also contain chlorogenic acids which is a substance that’s believed to help your body better metabolize fats and carbohydrates.

In a small study, sixteen subjects lost more than 10% of their body weight in just five months, but some experts are voicing strong concerns.

“I worry that we don’t even know the right dose to take of chlorogenic acid or green coffee extract,” said Dr. Marc Hellerstein, is a nutritional scientist at U.C. Berkeley,

Hellerstein studies nutritional metabolism, and is also a Medical Doctor who specializes in endocrinology and diabetes. Dr. Hellerstein said that the study on humans is too small to draw any conclusion, and warns of both short and long-term consequences.

“If people want to take it now, I’d be careful. We don’t know about toxicities,” said Dr. Hellerstein.

A new study suggests we don’t know what’s even in these supplements.

Consumer Labs tested many popular brands of green coffee extract and found 50% don’t contain the expected amounts of ingredients for weight management.

The FDA recently issued a warning on how another brand actually contains a prescription appetite suppressant.

“Many products have been abused,” said Dr. William Stewart.

Dr. Stewart runs California Pacific Medical Center’s Institute for Health and Healing, where complimentary treatments are valued. But he too has too many questions about the extract.

“I’d be much more comfortable recommending it to people when I see further data,” said Dr. Stewart.

As for Roberta Lew, she said she’s experienced no side effects while taking this supplement.

“I’m on my third month and I plan on sticking with it,” she said.

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The statistics are suggestive: a very large percentage of runners get injured every year.

Experts note how 56% of recreational runners and as many as 90% of runners training for a marathon are injured each year. And half those injuries involve the knee.

Researchers have come up with a strategy to cut the risk. The idea: run like you’re running on eggshells and take lighter, quicker steps.

In other words, your right foot should hit the ground 80 to 90 times a minute, shortening your stride.

“By increasing the number of steps you take during running, that intuitively decreases the stride length and then it greatly reduces the impact forces that are generated,” said Dr. Richard Souza.

Dr. Souza is research director at UCSF’s Human Performance Center as well as a physical therapist affiliated with the Department of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Science. At the lab, scientists quantify in 3-D how a runner moves by affixing tiny retro-reflective markers to specific parts of his or her body. Specialized cameras then capture the markers as they move in space, allowing the team to reconstruct the runner’s skeleton for analysis.

“If we can determine that a certain injury is associated with a certain pattern, we can then develop interventions targeted to counteract that faulty movement pattern,” noted Dr. Souza.

He showed us the tale of two skeletons, reconstructed from two runners.

On the lab’s computer monitor, a clip played out showing how one runner’s skeleton was captured taking long strides and fewer steps.

“You can see the foot is far extended in front of the pelvis,” explained Dr. Souza. “What that creates is this very large breaking force and this very large impact which is propagated up the lower extremity.”

On the bottom of the computer screen, a second clip: a runner’s skeleton that was captured taking more steps, but with each step beginning directly under the body.

“There’s a much shorter stride rate, they’re not reaching nearly as much,” said Dr. Souza, adding how “you can see the person was loading much more underneath themselves and they didn’t have that much breaking force with each step.”

The difference in force is captured on a graph that looks like a bell curve: the runner with the long stride creates what’s called an impact peak which looks like a big dent into the curve – and that’s linked to injury.

The runner who takes more steps does not create a visible impact peak.

“That impact peak is completely obliterated,” said Dr. Souza.

And by eliminating the impact peak, by increasing one’s step rate and decreasing the stride, runners may be protected from injuries.

Not everybody needs to boost the number of steps they take. At this point, the science shows that those who may benefit the most are runners who have sustained previous injuries such as stress fractures.

Studies are currently underway to determine whether increasing your step rate or cadence will prevent all runners from getting injuries in the future.

“Running with better technique is going to be much safer with people and give them better longevity to do the things they want to do,” said Dr. Anthony Luke, a sports medicine specialist at UCSF.

At the UCSF Center, Dr. Luke and his team has developed a Run Safe program where scientists will look at a runner’s biomechanics, strength, flexibility, diet, as well as footwear.

“We want to make sure they are running the best way and that’s a lot of information and awareness and educations, and all of those play a big role in getting to run safely,” explained Dr. Luke.

Related Links:

UCSF Human Performance Center

Run Safe Program

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UC Berkeley researcher Dr. Emiliana Simon-Thomas, who is leading a project to detail the health effects of having gratitude, pointed to previous studies that show those who kept a journal and detailed their gratitude were 25% happier than those who did not.

“The people who did the gratitude showed increases in happiness, reductions in stress, reductions in vulnerability to physical symptoms, such as headaches and rashes dizziness, said Dr. Simon-Thomas.

Two years ago, it’s hard to imagine Janine Kovac feeling grateful for anything. Her twin boys Michael and Wagner were born via emergency C-section, 15 weeks early. They both weighed under two pounds, and spent three months in neonatal intensive care unit

But instead of falling apart, Kovac began to count her blessings and focus on the positive.

She didn’t look at the monitors that counted their heart rates and breathing, she looked at her babies and focused on what was going well.

“I knew some of the things that I had to do to get through something traumatic,” said Kovac.

Two years later, the boys were still in their Halloween costumes a day after Halloween. In fact, their mom is actually grateful that they put them on.

“I said, ‘Yes wear your Halloween costumes. That’s fine,’” said Kovac. “I’m just thankful that we got out of the house without a lot of tantrums because we just wore Halloween costumes.”

Kovac is a volunteer at UC Berkeley’s Greater Good Science Center. Here, researchers study the benefits of feeling gratitude or thanks.

“It really encourages you to think outside of yourself for a moment,” explained Dr. Simon-Thomas.

Now the Center has launched a new Gratitude Project. It’s called Thnx4.org. The scientists hope the project will jump start an individual’s practice of gratitude while collecting the largest pool of gratitude data to data. Anyone can sign up. It will take two weeks and help science at the same time.

Kovac says her boys today are perfectly healthy. Gratitude plays a big part in their lives.

“At dinner, we go around and each says what we’re grateful for,” said Kovac, “Every night,”

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According to friends and family, Andrea Fisher was the healthiest person they ever knew.

“I always looked up to Andrea as the pillar of health and fitness, and tough ‘Gosh, I wish I could do as much as she does,’” said Laurie Weiss

But at age 25, just a few months before she got married, Andrea noticed a sore in her mouth that would not go away. The diagnosis was oral cancer. But Andrea was young, vibrant and optimistic.

Andrea underwent treatment, had three children, but the cancer kept coming back.

“She had a lot of surgeries and I think that’s tough for mom who is so incredibly strong and healthy and athletic,” said friend Mary Salom. Salom, a cancer nurse at Stanford, said Andrea was an inspiration to everyone.

“She was not going to allow you to have a pity party for her, which was just not in her being,” Salom remarked.

But at age 42, Andrea died. The cancer had spread to her jaw as well as to other parts of her body. When it comes to oral cancer, heavy drinkers and smokers are at high risk for the disease. But Andrea was neither.

Doctors now believe her oral cancer was caused by HPV, the human papillomavirus, the same virus linked to cervical cancer in women.

“These are starting to show up in patients who are in their 30s and 40s and they’ve lived healthy lifestyles, they’ve exercise, they don’t use anything that’s considered toxic to their bodies” said Dr. John Sunwoo, a head and neck surgeon at Stanford.

Dr. Sunwoo believes in the next several years, doctors will see more HPV-linked oral cancers than cervical cancers.  HPV-linked oral cancers, Dr. Sunwoo said, are tonsillar and also found at the base of the tongue. He stressed that early detection through screening is key.

“Early stage lesions have a much better prognosis,” said Dr. Sunwoo.

Andrea’s family believes that, in addition to screening, prevention is key, and point to the HPV vaccine.

Her friend Lisa Pagan agreed, saying if the vaccine were available and Andrea had been vaccinated, she might be alive today.

“It’s too late to prevent it for our generation, but not for the next,” said Pagan.

To fight back against this deadly disease, get a screening each year from your dentist, try to stop smoking, don’t use chewing tobacco products, and practice safe sex which includes abstaining from oral sex.

Dr. Sunwoo is concerned about people who are not regularly seen by a dentist or primary care physician.

On Saturday, physicians will provide free screenings from 8 AM to Noon at Stanford’s Ear, Nose and Throat Clinic at 801 Welch Road in Palo Alto.  Parking is free.

For more information visit: med.stanford.edu/ohns/news/ocs.html.

For more information on oral cancer, including the HPV link, visit: http://oralcancerfoundation.org/

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The study, published online Sept. 18 in the Journal of the American Medical Association, provides the first look at a nationally representative sample of U.S. children and teens, according to its authors. Lead researcher Dr. Leonardo Trasande, an associate professor in pediatrics and environmental medicine at NYU Langone Medical Center, told CBSNews.com that his study’s findings lend support to efforts to get the chemical banned by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

BPA is a chemical used as protective linings in food packaging to prevent corrosion, and can leach into foods through packaging as well through tableware, food storage containers and plastic bottles. While BPA can be found in air and dust, according to Trasande, previous studies suggest 99 percent of BPA exposure in young children comes from their diets.

That’s problematic because the chemicals have been tied to hormone-disrupting effects, including reproductive and neurological effects, and the researchers say children at a young age may be more prone to changes.The body excretes BPA through urination, but it can remain in fat deposits.

For the study, researchers examined the association between amounts of BPA in the bodies of more than 2,800 children and adolescents between ages 6 and 19 – as tested by urinary analysis – and body mass index (BMI), a measure for obesity. The children were part of the 2003-2004 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) that measures children’s behaviors and how it relates to their health.

Based on results from urine tests, the researchers divided the study participants into four groups, from lowest BPA exposure to the highest. After mathematically controlling for other contributing factors such as television viewing habits, caloric intake and socioeconomic status, the researchers found that only 10 percent of kids exposed to the lowest levels of BPA were obese, compared to more than 22 percent of kids who were exposed to the most BPA – a two-fold increase. Differences between the other groups were not statistically significant.

Trasande added that further analysis revealed the effect was only seen in white children and adolescents and not in Hispanic and black children studied, for unknown reasons. He also said his research found obesity was not linked to similar “phenol” chemicals used in sunscreens and soaps, such as triclosan.

Trasande noted that the study does not prove cause and effect and it may be that some factor of obesity causes children to store more BPA rather than the opposite. He said further studies that track children and adolescents for long periods of time are needed to provide additional answers to the role of BPA in causing obesity.

Linda Birnbaum, director of the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences, who was not involved in the new study, told the Associated Press that the study raises some interesting questions but it’s impossible to say BPA causes childhood obesity.

“It’s a hypothesis that needs further exploration,” she said.

Trasande said that based on his findings, it’s too early to make clinical recommendations on certain foods to avoid, but did say aluminum canned food is one of the biggest sources of BPA in the food supply and fresh vegetables should be part of a healthy diet.

“BPA does not discriminate by can,” he said.

He did however add that the findings lend support to intervention strategies, such as banning BPA from the lining of food packaging.

This past March, the FDA rejected a petition calling for the ban of BPA in all food and drink packaging.

“While evidence from some studies have raised questions as to whether BPA may be associated with a variety of health effects, there remain serious questions about these studies, particularly as they relate to humans,” the agency said in its response at the time.

In July the FDA decided to formally ban BPA from baby bottles and sippy cups, which many companies had already been phasing out from their products after reported health risks. At the time, the agency said it “continues to support the safety of BPA for use in products that hold food.”

A spokesperson for the Food and Drug Administration told CBSNews.com in an email that “FDA sees substantial uncertainties with respect to the overall interpretation of many published studies, and, particularly, their potential implications for human health effects of BPA exposure.” The agency added that Trasande’s study “will be considered in the FDA’s ongoing evaluation of the safety of BPA.”

Popular soup-maker Campbell’s previously announced it would phase out BPA from its canned goods, saying the cans were safe, but would use alternative materials amid the national debate over the chemical’s safety. Other companies like Eden Foods have already been using BPA-free packaging for its foods.

The American Chemical Council disputed the study’s findings.

“Attempts to link our national obesity problem to minute exposures to chemicals found in common, everyday products are a distraction from the real efforts underway to address this important national health issue,” the council said in a statement. “Due to inherent, fundamental limitations in this study, it is incapable of establishing any meaningful connection between BPA and obesity.”

The National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences has more information on BPA.

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A study published in Wednesday’s New England Journal of Medicine found that the protective effect weakens dramatically soon after a youngster gets the last of the five recommended shots around age 6.

The protection rate falls from about 95 percent to 71 percent within five years, said researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Vaccine Research Center in Oakland.

The U.S. has had more than 26,000 whooping cough cases so far this year, including more than 10,000 in children ages 7 to 10.

“The substantial majority of the cases are explained by this waning immunity,” said Dr. William Schaffner, an infectious-disease specialist at Vanderbilt University.

In light of the findings and earlier, similar research, health officials are considering recommending another booster shot for children, strengthening the vaccine or devising a brand new one.

But “there’s nothing in the pipeline that’s close,” said Dr. Tom Clark of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

Whooping cough, or pertussis, is a highly contagious bacterial disease that can strike people of any age but is most dangerous to children. Its name comes from the sound youngsters make as they gasp for breath.

It used to be common, causing hundreds of thousands of illnesses annually and thousands of deaths. Cases dropped after a vaccine was introduced in the 1940s, and for decades, fewer than 5,000 a year were reported in the U.S.

Because of side effects that included pain and swelling at the injection site, fever and apparently, in rare cases, brain damage, the vaccine was replaced in the 1990s. The newer version used only parts of the bacterium instead of the whole thing and carried fewer complications.

But cases of whooping cough began to climb, sometimes topping 25,000 a year during the past decade. Also disturbing: The proportion of cases involving children ages 7 to 10 — most of them vaccinated — rose from less than 10 percent before 2006 to nearly 40 percent this year, according to the CDC.

Dr. Nicola Klein and her colleagues looked at children ages 4 to 12 who received their health care through Kaiser Permanente Northern California from 2006 to 2011. They compared 277 fully vaccinated youngsters who got whooping cough to similar, vaccinated children who didn’t.

The researchers found that the risk of getting whooping cough increases by about 42 percent a year after a child’s last dose of vaccine.

The shortcomings in the vaccine did not become apparent until recently, when researchers had the benefit of several years of data uncorrupted by youngsters who received the old version.

Health officials have long recommended that children get vaccinated in five doses, with the first shot at 2 months and the final one between 4 and 6 years, and receive a booster shot at 11 or 12.

Now there’s a growing consensus that something more needs to be done. Ideas include somehow pumping up the effectiveness of the vaccine or developing a new one. French scientists have been working on an experimental nasal spray vaccine.

Other ideas include administering the booster earlier than age 11 or adding another booster.

While some parents around the country have taken a stand against childhood vaccines, the outbreak is not being driven by unvaccinated children, according to the CDC. Most of the illnesses are in vaccinated youngsters, officials said.

Dr. Maxine Hayes, health officer for the Washington State Department of Health, said it is important that people not mistake waning immunity for flat-out ineffectiveness.

The vaccine is “still the best thing we have,” she said. And vaccinated people who get whooping cough don’t get as sick.

Omar Gonzalez of North Richland Hills, Texas, has become a believer in the vaccine, even though his fully vaccinated 11-year-old son caught whooping cough three years ago.

“Imagine seeing your son gasping for air,” Gonzalez said. “This is really bad.”

Gonzalez, who runs an investment company from his home, spent weeks caring for his son and then got sick himself.

“You don’t want this, man, I’m telling you. It’s scary,” he said.

California surveys all schools with at least 10 kindergartners to determine how many have all the recommended immunizations. The Associated Press analyzed that data and found the percentage of children in private schools whose parents forego some or all vaccinations is more than two times greater than in public schools. And not even the recent re-emergence of whooping cough has halted the downward trajectory among the private school students.

KCBS’ Jeffrey Schaub Reports:

Public health officials say the rate of children entering private schools without all of their shots jumped by 10 percent last year, while the opt-out figures held steady in public schools for the first time since 2004.

The Bay Area has some of the highest opt-out rates, with Greenwood School in Mill Valley ranking at the fourth highest.

Laura Shumaker, parent of three, said she was like a lot of parents with autistic children that latch onto beliefs that vaccinations lead to autism.

“My son Matthew is autistic, he’s 26-years-old. In the very beginning, when he was first diagnosed, I wondered about this vaccine,” she said.

Now she believes it was not a vaccine that caused her own son’s illness, but many other parents worry.

The immunization gap is an issue and Governor Brown has been asked to confront. A current bill would mandate that parents meet with a pediatrician or school nurse before opting out.

Vaccination advocates warn that childhood diseases that were once thought long-gone now are on the comeback. Marin County’s Immunization Coordinator Sharayn Forkel said no child should ever die from a disease that is vaccine preventable.

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The death rate from Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s and Lou Gehrig’s disease combined was about three times what one would predict from the general population, researchers reported.

Prior research had suggested football players were unusually prone to those diseases, said lead researcher Everett Lehman of the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health, which is part of the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.

The study, reported online Wednesday in the journal Neurology, looked at death certificates.

It drew on a long-running study of more than 3,400 NFL players with at least five playing seasons in the league between 1959 and 1988. Some 334 had died by the end of 2007, the cutoff for being included in the study. Researchers compared their death rates from various causes to that of a comparable group of American men.

One or another of the three brain diseases was listed as the underlying cause of death in 10 cases, which is about three times the general rate for American men, the researchers reported.

Researchers noted that the study can’t prove that the results were caused by football-related concussions, and that they may not apply to pro or amateur players who’ve played fewer than five years.

In recent years, much of the attention to brain problems in football players has focused on a condition known as CTE, which is traced to repeated head blows. The new study didn’t look for CTE. It’s not among the standard list of conditions the researchers used for classifying deaths, Lehman said.

But some of the brain disease deaths counted in the study may have actually come from misdiagnosed CTE, which stands for chronic traumatic encephalopathy, the researchers noted.

Dr. Robert Cantu, who co-directs a center that studies CTE at Boston University but did not participate in the new study, said the results are “not at all surprising.” He agreed that some of the deaths could be misdiagnosed CTE, noting that the diagnosis requires a special chemical test of the brain after death.

Also on Wednesday, the NFL announced a donation of $30 million for medical research to the Foundation for the National Institutes of Health, the fundraising arm of the NIH.

NFL Commissioner Roger Goodell said the research could benefit athletes and potential areas of study may include CTE, concussion management and treatment and disorders from later in life such as Alzheimer’s.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and The Associated Press. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

What makes flamingos pink and wild salmon rosy is an organic phyto-chemical, a carotenoid, called astaxanthin,

The colorful pigment occurs naturally, but you find it primarily in certain nutrient dense microalgae and yeast. The animals eat it in their environment.

Scientific research shows how astaxanthin acts like an antioxidant and may help reduce inflammation as well as damage to tissues. But these studies have been done in lab and with lab animals, not humans.

Flamingos take note: you can now find astaxanthin supplements for sale. Marketers tout them as a way to treat a variety of health concerns including eye problems, high cholesterol, dementia, arthritis, even sunburn.

While the studies sound promising, more evidence is needed before the human flock can draw any substantial conclusions.

Astraxanthin is used as a feed supplement for farmed salmon to give farmed salmon the same pink color as the wild salmon. The United States FDA said this use is safe.

Before you take any dietary supplement, consult with your health provider. Some websites warn that this supplement may carry some side effects.

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But there are so many kinds of aspirin: coated, uncoated, low dose, chewable, extended release: what’s the best kind to use and in what situation?

Manufacturers coat aspirin so it won’t taste bad, burn your throat or upset your stomach.

One type of coated aspirin is called enteric aspirin. Enteric aspirin is designed to dissolve in the colon, not the stomach, but that does not make it safer.

Enteric coatings do not reduce the risk of significant stomach bleeding and they even have some drawbacks.

By slowing the dissolving and absorption of aspirin, the enteric coating delays maximum pain relief by up to four hours, and may also make the aspirin less effective.

As for your heart? If you’re a candidate for low dose aspirin therapy, you can take either coated or uncoated aspirin. But if you’re having a heart attack, chew an uncoated aspirin, because it will get into your blood stream faster.

Make sure to check with your health care provider if you’re taking aspirin on a regular basis to prevent heart attack or stroke, or other chronic problems and let your doctors know if you’re taking other medications, supplements or herbal preparations.

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My top choice: heat or cold. Heat relaxes the nerves that fire pain signals to the brain. Cold numbs these nerves. And both heat and cold improve blood flow the area.

Some experts say to use ice off and on for 20 minutes at a time for the first 48 hours. Others recommend alternating heat and ice.

Heat rubs and topical creams work by distracting users from feeling the pain.

However, don’t use leftover prescription pain medication – that’s an invitation for abuse.

What if you have a cut or scrape and you want to clean it? Is hydrogen peroxide or isopropyl alcohol the better choice?

Neither -  the best way to clean a minor wound is with cool running water and mild soap.

Rinse for at least five minutes to remove dirt, debris and bacteria.

Wounds that are large, deep, or bleeding nonstop should be treated by a professional.

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“We’ve been very excited,” said lead researcher Dr. Richard Kramer.

Dr. Kramer and his team are part of group that discovered a chemical compound that offers hope to individuals who are born with an inherited form of blindness called retinitis pigmentosa or those who become blind because of age-related macular degeneration.

The UC Berkeley researchers studied mice born with a genetic mutation that causes blindness.

Some of the mice were injected with the treatment. These mice, when exposed to a bright light, showed a reaction: their pupils constricted. The pupils of the untreated mice showed no response.

Researchers call the chemical compound “AAQ”. The effects are temporary, but the scientists are already working on newer versions of the chemical that work for a even longer period of time.

“We could restore some level of visual function for up to 24 hours, usually less than 24 hours but the new compounds that we developed can restore function for many days up to two weeks at a time,” said Dr. Kramer.

How does it work? With some diseases that cause blindness, the light sensitive cells in the retina die off. This drug, when applied to the retina, harnesses other different, surviving cells to jump into action and do the job.

“We could make them respond to light,” said Dr. Kramer.

It remains to be seen how the chemical will work in humans. The next step, explained Dr. Kramer, is to use more sophisticated tests with the mice and then see if the drug works the same way in other mammals.

Since AAQ is a drug, the researchers are hopeful that this treatment would be a less invasive alternative to surgical implants, and because of that, if this drug proves safe and effective in humans, it may find a faster way to eye clinics.

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Ibuprofen and aspirin reduce pain by fighting inflammation, whereas acetaminophen, like Tylenol, works on the parts of the brain that receive “pain messages.”

Aspirin works the fastest but ibuprofen is the strongest. If you have stomach problems and don’t drink a lot of alcohol, acetaminophen is safer.

Always read the label and follow the directions before taking any medication. Over time, over-the-counter pain relievers lose their effectiveness and may even cause more headaches.

Also, check out some of the many reputable websites for more background information on taking medication in safe manner, including: the Medicine Safety Toolkit, the Institute for Safe Medication Practices, Safe Medication put out by the American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, as well as WebMD.

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Coffee beans contain two naturally-occurring chemicals:  cafestol and kahweol. These phyto-chemicals can boost your cholesterol, especially the artery-damaging LDL or the so-called bad cholesterol.

Using a French press, espresso maker or boiled coffee keeps these chemicals in brewed coffee.

But using a drip filter or those single serving coffee pods removes them or makes their presence negligible.

The Nespresso pods can be recycled, so they are better for the environment. We found a good selection at Sur La Table but you can also find coffee pod makers (like Keurig) at many discount stores including Target and Bed, Bath and beyond, as well as EBay and Amazon.

A better brew of coffee may provide a better brew for your heart.

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“That night, I started getting really sick. My arm started hurting really, really bad,” Madsen said.

A flesh-eating bacteria called necrotizing fasciitis was infecting her arm.

“I had blisters covering my whole entire arm,” Madsen recalled.

Madsen credits Dr. John Crew, lead wound surgeon at Seton Medical Center in Daly City for saving her. “He saved my arm and my life,” she said.

“She’s my treasure,” Crew told CBS 5.

Madsen went to the emergency room. After a few days, her situation became worse. Dr. Crew was doing rounds one morning and heard her in pain. He grabbed her chart to find out what he could do.

“He was my angel, he just happened to come out of the nurses station,” Madsen recalled.

During an emergency procedure, Crew used a treatment called NeutroPhase, developed by a Bay Area company, to prevent deadly toxins from spreading. The treatment worked.

“We put a catheter in and treated it. It took care of the toxins up in there and it didn’t make a scar,” Crew said.

Two months later, Madsen is swimming again and thankful to be alive. Her family, who remembers the ordeal like it was yesterday, is also grateful.

Contracting the flesh-eating bacteria is very rare. It can enter the body through an injury, such as a minor cut, and multiply quickly. Initial symptoms are flu-like and the body can go into shock from the toxins released. Dr. Crew suggests washing a cut thoroughly to reduce the risk of any infection.

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But do they work? Robbie Caploe, executive director at Prevention Magazine and her team put them to the test. She said there is good reason to believe in the so-called “tried and true.”

“When the beginning of the sentence is ‘My grandmother told me,’ it’s always a good thing to follow,” said Caploe.

Some of these treatments can be found in the kitchen, or in the bar. For example, vodka has long been the base for cocktails, but it can also give stinky feet the boot.

“It’s actually very antiseptic and drying, just like rubbing alcohol. You take a face cloth and you soak it in vodka and you actually rub it on your feet, and it destroys the odor causing fungus,” said Caploe.

If your breath could use a little freshening, try yogurt.

“The live bacteria in yogurt are actually very effective at killing the quote unquote bad bacteria. Any kind of yogurt is good. Probably plain is better than anything else, but it all has the same beneficial effect” said the executive director.

But don’t throw away the mouthwash. Use it for blisters.

“You just put a little on a cotton ball, and you put it on a blister, maybe three times a day, and it will do a very effective job of drying it out,’ said Caploe.

If dry skin is a problem, try papaya. Papaya actually has some protein eating enzymes that are very good at sloughing off dead skin cells. Experts said to take about 2-4 tablespoons of papaya and grind it up. Then mix the papaya with a tablespoon of dry oatmeal into a paste.

Apply the paste on your skin and leave it there for about 10 minutes. Afterwards, your skin should be soft and supple.

You can also use olive oil. Take a teaspoon of olive oil per square inch of skin and rub it in. It will serve to create a seal, and reduce any kind of dryness as well as keep your skin moist.

Olives themselves and lemons can come in handy if road trips leave you a little woozy. “When you feel like you’re getting motion sickness, you actually produce an excess of saliva. So what you want to do is dry your mouth out,” said Caploe.

There are actually properties in things such as olives that are called tannins, and they do that for you.

“So you should eat a couple of olives, or pardon the expression, suck on a lemon and it will actually help quell any motion sickness,” said Caploe.

As for hiccups, a teaspoon of dried, granulated sugar can get them to go away. The dry, granulated sugar modifies the nerve muscles that actually help the diaphragm convulse to give you the hiccups.

Here are a few more home remedies:

Feel nauseous or have a headache? Get some ginger out of your spice cabinet. It works like an anti-inflammatory and may mediate your headache and or nausea. But don’t take ginger if you have gall stones or if you’re on blood thinners.

If you don’t want to waste vodka on stinky feet, try apple cider vinegar. Soak your feet in it. Or for women who are concerned about underarm order, dip cotton balls into the vinegar and rub under your armpits. It will kill the bacteria causing the odor.

If you hate yogurt, but have stinky breath, try chewing on a sprig of parsley. It contains chlorophyll, a phyto-chemical that acts like a natural deodorizer.

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The agency cleared the pill Qsymia for adults who are obese or overweight and have at least one weight-related condition such as high blood pressure, diabetes or high cholesterol.

Patients taking Qsymia for a year lost 6.7 percent of their body weight in one study and 8.9 percent in another study, the FDA said. That was more than two other weight loss pill recently reviewed by the FDA.

Despite its impressive performance in clinical trials, Qsymia is not exactly a scientific breakthrough, and its development underscores the slow pace of research for obesity treatments.

The drug is actually a combination of two older drugs that have long been known to help with weight loss: phentermine and topirimate.

Phentermine is a stimulant that suppresses the appetite, and has long been used for short-term weight loss. Topiramate is an anticonvulsant, sold by Johnson & Johnson as Topamax, that makes people feel more satiated after eating.

Researchers say the innovation of Qsymia lies in targeting multiple brain signals that drive people to overeat.

“We now know there are multiple pathways that determine how much energy we take in every day,” said Dr. Tim Garvey of the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “If you intervene on one pathway it’s hard to make much of a difference, you really need to attack multiple mechanisms to get a pronounced effect.”

Garvey helped conduct several pivotal trials of the drug.

Qsymia is the second weight loss drug approved by the FDA in less than a month, following Arena Pharmaceutical’s pill Belviq in late June. Previously the agency had not approved a new drug for long-term weight loss since 1999.

With U.S. obesity rates nearing 35 percent of the adult population, many doctors have called on the FDA to approve new weight loss treatments. But a long line of prescription diet pills have been associated with dangerous side effects, particularly heart problems.

In 1997, the popular diet drug combination fen-phen was linked to heart valve damage. The cocktail of phentermine and fenfluramine was a popular weight loss combination prescribed by doctors, though it was never approved by the FDA. Fenfluramine was eventually withdrawn from the market.

Other safety failures for diet pills have continued to pile up in recent years. In 2010, Abbott Laboratories withdrew its drug Meridia after a study showed it increased heart attack and stroke.

The FDA’s successive approval of Qsymia and Belviq suggests a new willingness to make weight loss medications available, even in the face of lingering safety issues.

The FDA initially rejected Vivus’ drug in 2010 over concerns that it can cause birth defects if taken by pregnant women. The agency laid out a risk-management plan Tuesday specifically designed to minimize the chance of the women becoming pregnant while using the drug. It recommends that women of childbearing age test negative for pregnancy before starting the drug and take a monthly pregnancy test while taking it.

The agency also said patients with recent or unstable heart disease or stroke aren’t good candidates for the drug because its effect on heart rates in those patients is not known. Vivus has to do studies of the heart effects of Qsymia, the FDA said.

Analysts estimate the new pill could garner more than $1 billion in sales by 2016, though Vivus Inc. plans a slow rollout.

The pill will launch in the last quarter of the year with a relatively small sales force of 150 representatives. Company executives say their initial marketing efforts will focus on obesity specialists, not general doctors.

“We’re going to have to grow our sales organization in order to support the primary care market,” said Vivus president Peter Tam, in an interview with the Associated Press.

Vivus had originally planned to market the drug under the brand name Qnexa. However, FDA regulators ordered the company to change the name to avoid potential confusion with similar sounding drugs.

Rival Arena Pharmaceuticals Inc. of San Diego plans to start selling Belviq in early 2013. A third California drugmaker, Orexigen Therapeutics Inc., is still running clinical trials of its product, Contrave, and is working toward an FDA approval date in 2014.

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Ventus Medical of San Jose has developed a new snore therapy product called Theravent. The treatment recently received FDA approval for use over-the-counter.

Theravent looks like a big band-aid that seals tightly around one’s nose. So-called “micro vents” allow the person to breathe in freely, but restricts the airflow when the person breathes out.

Dr. Raj Doshi said he invented the product after his wife complained about his snoring.

“Because it’s actually creating pressure when you breathe out, it actually pressurizes the airway,” Doshi explained. “So instead of having a floppier, smaller airway, the airway is distended and expanded and less likely to vibrating. And that’s how Theravent will treat snoring.”

Ventus Medical said Theravent is one of the very few products of its kind to undergo clinical trials. Results showed it reduced snoring by as much as 76 percent.

The device costs less than a dollar a night.

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“It’s pretty exciting,” said Dr. Chang.

Dr. Chang is the Chief Medical Officer for Team USA. She’s the first woman, as well as the first Asian-American, to hold the position. That doesn’t faze her.

“In the end you’ll be judged by your performance and the care that you provide a patient and not so much for your sex or for your ethnicity.” said Dr. Chang.

At the Olympics, Chang will oversee a medical team of 80 athletic trainers, physical therapists, massage therapists, chiropractors and medical doctors. She feels prepared. In February, she and her team flew to London to meet with officials.

“So we could talk to them about emergency situations what’s the ambulance system like, what type of health care and expectations of the host hospitals have, which hospitals are more specialty hospitals for certain injuries versus other injuries,” explained Dr. Chang.

Sports run in her blood. Chang is an athlete. She played club sports at Ohio State University, and became a sports medicine specialist.

“Certainly there’s a certain comfort level of athletes when they know that their physician understands their sport,” said Dr. Chang

For 13 years, she was head team physician for Cal’s twenty-seven athletic teams. She recently stepped down to spend more time with her kids.

Dr. Chang has volunteered before for the U.S. Olympic Committee. She was Chief Medical Officer for the Paralympics Games in Beijing, China. As for fame, she hopes no one sees her on television or in print while she’s in London.

“Because that means something has happened to one of our athletes and I would much prefer to be taking care of our athletes making sure that they’re ready to compete,” said Dr. Chang.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Sometimes spouses, family members or friends will offer to donate a kidney to someone they know who is in need, but a match requires more than just good intentions. It requires compatibility, which is influenced by blood type, antibodies and other factors.

Thanks to a computerized algorithm used by San Francisco’s California Pacific Medical Center, the odds for patients enrolled in their kidney peregrination program have significantly improved.

The software more easily pairs matches for multiple-way transplants—like a four-way transplant, one involving four donors and four recipients, performed at the hospital on May 18.

Although each donor in that operation had someone willing to go under the knife for them, the people who readily came forward were not compatible, in most cases.

The kidney peregrination program, however, allowed for each of those willing donors to share their gift of life with one of the other recipients.

Until Thursday, when all eight people were formally introduced at the hospital on Buchanan Street, the individuals involved did not know for sure who donated to whom.

“Some of the faces look a little bit familiar,” Bonnie Morrissey, 61, said as she looked around at the table where the donors and recipients were seated.

Although everyone involved in the four-way transplant nearly three weeks ago passed through the same preoperative area of the hospital and was able to steal glances and make guesses about the matches, “the hospital went to great lengths to make sure we didn’t know,” Morrissey said.

Moments before, in a heartfelt introduction, Morrissey, of Santa Rosa, embraced Gilbert Abeyta, 40, who donated his kidney to Morrissey after learning that he could not directly help his wife, Christina Abeyta, 43, who was also in need of a kidney.

“Not only did I help out one life, I saved two lives,” Gilbert Abetya said. “Not too many people would give up their kidney to someone they don’t know.”

All of the donors at Thursday’s meeting said they did not have to think twice about making the life-changing, life-giving decision.

“If you can help one person, why not help more?” Monterey Morrissey, Bonnie Morrissey’s husband, asked rhetorically.

Initially, he had learned that he would be a compatible donor for his wife but later learned through the peregrination program that there was an even more compatible match available for his wife and that he could help someone else who had been unable to find a suitable donor.

In the absence of one of the needed pairs, sometimes none of the transfers can happen, which underscores the ability of the peregrination program to pair people from geographically disparate locations.

Among the eight people at today’s meeting, one couple, the Morrisseys, was from Santa Rosa, another couple, the Abeytas, was from California’s Central Valley, and the remaining donors and recipients were from two small communities near Lake Tahoe.

David Brady, 56, of Minden, Nev., had originally offered to donate his kidney to his friend of 27 years, Reagan Eilers, 57, of Carson City, Nev.

“It was the easiest decision I ever had to make because it was the right thing to do,” Brady said. It was Brady’s suggestion that the surgery be performed on May 18, Eilers’ birthday.

Initial tests indicated Brady and Eilers were compatible, but additional testing showed this was not the case.

Because of the pairing program, Brady was able to help another friend, Walter “Toby” Cooling, 67, of Gardnerville, Nev. But the two, friends of 17 years who both worked for Nevada’s Douglass County Sheriff’s Office, did not know the outcome for sure until Thursday.

“I’m gonna pay for this the rest of my life,” Cooling joked.

The software that has led to the programs expanded success was developed by David S. Jacobs, who after enduring his own wait for a kidney almost eight years decided to apply his programming skills to help others in his situation.

Jacobs’ algorithm is designed to do the math required to match donors in minutes, not months, Jacobs said at Thursday’s meeting.

When he first developed the software that more easily paired matches for multiple-way transplants, the technique was novel. In the years since it was first employed at the hospital, 61 translations 44 transplants have been performed because of the software, according to Dr. Steven Katznelson, medical director for the hospital’s kidney transplant program.

While four-way transplants are still “relatively unusual,” Katznelson said the hospital last year performed an even larger feat, a five-way transplant. He noted that two- and three-way transplants performed at a single medical center are becoming more popular.

Jacobs’ software, Katznelson said, has significantly shortened the waiting time for kidney transplant recipients.

“In the old days, people would have to wait five to 10 years,” he said.

In the case of the May 18 four-way transplant, the Abetyas had been waiting since 2002.

It wasn’t until they changed their medical insurance recently, moving from a University of California at San Francisco medical center waiting list to the CPMC waiting list, that, in a matter of months, a suitable donor, Toby Cooling’s wife, Diane Ortenzio-Cooling, became available.

“I feel blessed,” Christina Abetya said. “It’s very exciting to be a part of something like this,”

Ortenzio-Cooling said, as she held hands with Abetya after both wiped away tears after meeting.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco and Bay City News Service. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or redistributed.)

William Wylie-Modro, a Gunn High School senior who is planning to attend UC San Diego, walked down the aisle to get his diploma Tuesday. The 17-year-old’s mother and father were in the audience.

“If you had asked me two months ago if I would be standing here with my son graduating, I would have said it was impossible. It’s amazing,” said Sheron Wylie-Modro.

Without a new heart, William might not have lived long enough to see his graduation day. He was born with a serious heart defect. A few weeks ago, the Gunn High School Senior was living on the brink of cardiac arrest when another family’s tragedy and generosity gave him another shot at life.

“I would be dead if it was not for the donor. I would have probably died last week,” said William, who doesn’t know who the donor was. “It saved my life. I’m living, breathing, beating proof that, if you click that box, you save lives.”

He was one of three young adults to receive a heart transplant over a three day span last month. William plans to study aerospace engineering at UCSD.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

On May 3rd, 20-year-old Amanda Sechrest, a freshman and Saint Mary’s College, received her heart transplant. The next day, a transplant was performed on William Wylie-Modro, a Gunn High School senior who is planning to attend UC San Diego. On May 5th, 18-year-old James Spencer of Lassen County received his new heart.

All three were born without serious heart defects, but faced early deaths without the surgeries.

KCBS’ Mike Colgan Reports:

Sechrest, Wylie-Modro and Spencer were all reunited at the hospital on Friday with their medical teams and families.

Packard Children’s Hospital is the only medical center that performs pediatric heart transplants. According to the hospital, 15 transplants are typically performed in a year.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Professor Dennis Wall of the Harvard Medical School created a test that requires just seven questions and a quick home video.

“Being able to detect something as early as possible and intervene with therapy as early as possible is something that I’m very passionate about,” Wall said.

Related Links:
The Wall Lab At Harvard
Wall Lab – Short Survey For Autism Diagnosis
Submit A Video To the Wall Lab

His passion comes from his sister-in-law, who has autism, and he has seen firsthand the impact the disorder can have on a family.

Getting kids needed therapy as early as possible is the goal at the Wall Lab. Currently the average diagnosis age for autism is around five years old.

“Getting diagnosed at five means that you’ve passed through critical developmental windows where early behavioral therapy would have had an impact,” Wall explained.

The traditional autism diagnosis takes hours. Families have to go to a doctor’s office, fill out lengthy forms, and be evaluated throughout the day. Wall’s approach is completely online with no waiting.

At the Wall Lab, the key is access. Anyone can send in the home videos and answer a survey online. Wall and his team of trained researchers score the videos while they watch.

A computer program then crunches the numbers to get an instant diagnosis.

“We can do this for a much greater percentage of the population and do so repeatedly,” Wall said.

Wall said kids are normally more relaxed at home than in the doctor’s office.

“Because he or she is operating within and behaving within their home environment, with their siblings and so on, we are able to see the signs much more easily and much more rapidly,” he said.

Right now the Wall Lab is still testing the program. So far, it’s been right nearly every time.

Bill Skillman would have jumped at the chance to have had access to a program like this when his daughter was young.

Katie is now 25 years old and Skillman remembers meeting with specialists for hours when she was little.

“It was like sculpting the fog. You struggle through and you do the best you can,” said Skillman.

Katie never received an official diagnosis as a child, but the family believes it is autism. Skillman said Wall’s approach “provides an avenue to just get there early and start to make a difference in your kid’s life.”

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

From the moment Rachel Wells discovered she was pregnant with twins, eating became more important than anything else.

“I wanted to make sure that I was still putting the best things I could into my body so I ended up eating a ton of walnuts and a ton of Greek yogurt,” said the new mom.

Wells isn’t the only one to go gaga over Greek yogurt.

“Oh Greek yogurt is so popular today. It’s amazing how the sales have increased so rapidly,” said Jo Ann Hattner, a nutritionist and registered dietician. Hattner is a Bay Area expert on yogurt and probiotics and author of “Gut Insight.”

In the United States, Greek yogurt is a billion dollar industry. One in four yogurts sold here is Greek, and all the major yogurt makers are taking a bite.

“So we quickly launched our four packs and we added a lot of unique flavors in the segment and we also added flavor with granola over caps to differentiate and to stand out,” said Yoplait Marketing Director Michael Harad.

Greek yogurt is Greek not because it’s imported from Greece. The yogurt is strained, which removes much of the liquid, making the yogurt thicker and creamier.

Hattner said since liquid is removed, Greek Yogurt packs more protein when compared to regular yogurt; roughly twice the amount in a single serving.

“So you’re getting a higher protein because it’s a thicker yogurt,” said Hattner, adding that Greek yogurt can make you feel fuller for a longer period of time.

The straining removes some of the carbohydrates and sodium that’s found in regular yogurt, but it also removes some of the calcium.

How much depends on the brand so you really need to read the labels.

All yogurts is made by fermenting milk with two active bacteria cultures: L. Bulgaricus and S. Thermophilus. Hattner said that the more of these live active cultures that you find in yogurt; the better it is for a healthier gut.

With Greek yogurts, Lucerne and Yoplait list two strains, while Wallaby and Open Nature list four.

Voskos, Chobani, Fage, The Greek Gods, and Stonyfield Oikos display five strains.

But Nancy’s regular yogurt has the edge with a whopping 13 different strains.

“I like traditional yogurts that have lots of active cultures,” said Hattner, who is a big fan of Nancy’s.

Traditional yogurts may also have the edge when it comes to the environment.

It takes a lot more milk to make Greek yogurt. The leftover liquid contains whey, and too much whey can be a problem if it gets into water.

“Something that may not be bad to you and me can be very bad in certain doses.” said Bruce Wolfe, the executive officer of the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Board.

Wolfe explained if too much whey waste ends up in water, it can hurt aquatic life and even damage important California crops.

Here’s how: In surface water, uncontrolled whey wastewater can have an impact because whey is very heavy in sugars and carbohydrates. As it degrades in surface water, the bacterium that breaks it use up oxygen. Less oxygen in the water can stress aquatic life, even kill it.

In groundwater, whey wastewater if uncontrolled can have a detrimental impact on certain important California crops that are salt-sensitive. That includes citrus crops.

Wolfe said for Greek yogurt makers, it’s a challenge to make sure that they are controlling whey wastewater. To reduce waste, some makers are actually working on anaerobic digesters to convert the waste into energy.

Greek yogurt is also more expensive, but Wells is willing to pay extra for her kids.

“It’s not about me any more and what I eat, said Wells. It’s about what they get from me. I’ll pay whatever I need to pay to make sure my kids are growing well,”

Even so, beware of Greek yogurts bearing added sugar. In the United States, we eat a lot of yogurt that contains added sugars.

“Well, the Greeks might be thinking “what have you done to my yogurts?’” laughed Hattner.

Instead of buying a product with added sugars, pick a low fat or nonfat plain variety and then add your own fruit to sweeten it and add fiber as well.

But move over Greek yogurt, a new contender for your hard earned cash is on the way. Icelandic Yogurt is also strained. As to what the difference is? We’re not sure, it’s all Greek to us.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

For Virden, liposuction is often the least desirable alternative. He’d prefer patients adopt a Paleo lifestyle, changing diet and health routine to lose weight.

“I think of obesity as a bigger problem than just having to have fat sucked out of you,” explained Virden.

Complete CBS 5 Coverage Of The Paleo Diet

The Paleo Diet worked for Stacy Cunningham, a hotel manager in Reno who struggled with her weight for years.

“I hadn’t been under 200 pounds since giving birth to my daughter 14 years ago,” said Cunningham.

Once she “went Paleo,” Cunningham lost 55 pounds over a period of six months. She also realized that “Paleo wasn’t just a diet, it was a lifestyle change.”

She worked with lifestyle coach Sandra Bledsoe of Renovation Medical Spa, who said people can take control of their own fight against obesity.

“We may not have charge of a lot of things in the world, but we have charge of what goes into our mouth and how things are prepared,” said Bledsoe.

Cunningham said she liked the simple approach to healthy eating.

“(dieters are able to) eat as many fruits and vegetables and proteins as you can, stay away from the things that come out of the boxes or the cans, and drink lots of water.”

In a real life example of the old admonition “Physician, heal thyself” Virden said he put himself on the program and lost 20 pounds.

“If I’m on it and I believe in it, it’s a real simple sell,” said Virden. “I like how I feel, so it was a natural.”

Virden said patients are often surprised when he balks at operations and sends them out to get healthier first.

“When you think about a surgeon, you assume our motives are financial,” he said. “I don’t think that way.”

Even for those who end up having liposuction, the results are often better if they have at least stabilized their weight through a Paleo approach.

For Virden, if one revenue stream dries up, others may flourish. Patients who no longer need liposuction have money for other procedures.

“I might be doing their eyelids,” he said. “The money they didn’t spend on liposuction (goes to) another part of their body.”

Stacy Cunningham, for instance, had a breast lift.

She said she feels better than ever. Her cholesterol is now in check and she qualifies for a better health insurance rate because of her weight loss.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

“This is a diet that would be good for anybody,” said UCSF nephrologist Dr. Lynda Frassetto, who has been studying the paleo diet for years.

CBS 5 HealthWatch Series On Paleo Diet

A key factor, according to Frassetto, is limiting the level of acid in the body. Acids, which are regulated by the kidneys, tend to build up as people grow older and their kidneys work less well.

But paleo proponents believe that the right diet can bring acids back into balance. Specifically, this means eating more fruits and vegetables, the so-called “base foods,” and eating fewer animal proteins and grains, which are high-acid foods.

“When you look at things like what do hunter-gatherers and chimpanzees eat, you get a diet that has meat in it, and a lot of fruits and vegetables, and no dairy products and no grains,” explained Frassetto.

Video:  Should Everyone Eat A Paleo Diet? – Lynda Frassetto, MD

There is also some evidence that a healthy diet, along with exercise and stress reduction, can help protect a key ingredient in the aging process called telomeres.

“Telomeres are the protective caps on the ends of the chromosomes,” explained Dr Elizabeth Blackburn, a 2009 Nobel Laureate. “If the caps are eroded away, the cells will stop replenishing.”

But it turns out that telomeres are dynamic – they can change, and the choices people make can affect that change.

“Physiological interventions like exercise and stress reduction and dietary changes are positively associated with improving telomere maintenance,” said Blackburn.

No one knows for sure yet whether a paleo diet will actually improve life span. But Robb Wolf, author of “The Paleo Solution,” believes his 40-year-old body is a decade younger thanks to his paleo lifestyle.

“I had some biometrics done with bone mineral density and muscle mass, which put me at age 28,” said Wolf, “With the telomerase analysis, I’m somewhere around age 32.” He said he’s been eating like a caveman for 12 years.

Nora Gedgaudas, certified nutritional therapist and author of “Primal Body, Primal Mind,” said one of the real strengths of the paleolithic diet is that it helps to keep insulin levels in check.

“There’s tremendous anti-aging potential in that. It tends to have the result of normalizing weight levels and improving things like mood and cognitive function,” said Gedgaudas. ‘Having an anti-aging effect is sort of unprecedented in terms of diet.

“It’s the most logical, rational, I think dietary approach, and if it’s a fad diet, then it’s the oldest fad diet known to humankind.”

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Switching to a Paleo Diet means cutting out a lot of carbs, salts and processed foods and loading up on veggies, fruits, nuts and proteins.

On her blog “Nom Nom Paleo,” you get a good look at how Michelle Tam and her family cook.

On the menu are items like Roast Beef, Asparagus and eggs in prosciutto.

“I try to make it enticing and I try to make the pictures look like something you would want to eat it,” said Tam. “It just so happens to be healthier for you.”

Paleo Guru Robb Wolf says the real challenge for modern cavemen is learning how to cook again.

“People have forgotten how to cook, they don’t want to spend time in the kitchen, they want everything really fast…there’s kind of a trade off there, particularly with food,” said Wolf.

Switching to a Paleo Diet means cutting out a lot of carbs, salts and processed foods and loading up on veggies, fruits, nuts and proteins.

To learn more about the Caveman Diet, Check out our previous coverage.

Get More Recipe Ideas For The Paleo Diet.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)

Researchers now believe something commonly carried by cats could be controlling you, a tiny parasite called Toxoplasma Gondi.

“This is a very clever parasite,” said Dr. Patricia Conrad, an expert in the parasite at the U.C. Davis School of Veterinary Medicine. Conrad added that some people consider toxoplasma to be the most successful parasite in the entire world.

The parasite can only sexually reproduce in the intestines of cats. Infected cats then excrete millions of microscopic eggs, called oocysts, in the soil, in water, and in litter boxes. That’s why pregnant women are told not to handle litter boxes.

“There is a risk that then the parasite will go from the mother to her baby,” said Dr. Jose Montoya, an expert in infectious diseases at Stanford University – as well as the Director of the Toxoplasma Serology Laboratory at the Palo Alto Medical Foundation. The Lab is the national reference lab for toxoplasmosis in the United States.

If a pregnant woman passes the parasite to her unborn child, the baby can then suffer serious brain damage, even die, explained Dr. Montoya.

But because cats poop outdoors, infected cats excrete far more oocysts into the environment. These oocysts endure for months, if not years. Many Americans who don’t own cats or handle litter boxes can get infected. They pick it up in the environment.

According to the Centers for Disease control, an estimated 60 million Americans are infected with the parasite, and they actually are chronically infected and show little ill effect.

“So it’s our immune system that really helps to control the parasite keep it in check,” explained Dr. Conrad.

But now there’s growing evidence that the parasite can creep into your brain, and directly manipulate your behavior.

“It’s a little creepy actually. It’s almost like a science fiction story but it’s probably what’s actually happening,” said Dr. Robert Yolken, an infectious disease specialist and neuro-virologist at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

His research found people infected with toxoplasma were two to three times more likely to develop schizophrenia or bipolar disorder. He said that, while the parasite doesn’t directly cause mental illness, he believes strongly that toxoplasma is a risk factor.

The work of Czech scientist Dr. Jaroslav Flegr takes it a step further. Dr. Flegr is an evolutionary biologist at Charles University in Prague. Flegr discovered that individuals chronically infected with the parasite develop subtle personality changes. The organism appears to tweak brain circuits, slow down reaction times, and cause individuals to take more risks.

“He postulates that this is due to the fact that they don’t actually have the right conception of risk, of what its like, say, to cross the street when a car is coming against the light,” said Dr. Yolken.

But why would a parasite steer you into oncoming traffic, potentially killing you?

“It wants to survive and it’s very good at it,” commented Dr. Conrad.

Dr Conrad’s team studies the parasite in wild and domestic animals. In her Davis lab they grow the parasite in cultures and then cryogenically freeze them for future research.

Dr. Conrad said that since the parasite ultimately needs to get back into a cat to sexually reproduce, a number of studies — including one very good one by Stanford researchers — show how it performs a pretty nifty trick: If mice are infected with toxoplasma Gondi, Conrad said, the parasite goes to their brain and it alters their behavior.

Instead of running away from cats, mice will flock to cat urine. Here you find cats. The cat then eats the mouse, and the parasite gets back into the cat.

“That’s fatal attraction for a mouse.” said Dr. Conrad.

And while we’re not mice, once upon a time we were potential prey for bigger cats, said Dr. Flegr. That might explain why the parasite slows us down. It wants to get back into a bigger cat.

Not only that, but a small study done by Flegr on students found, when infected with toxoplasma, the male students preferred the scent of cat urine.

Dr. Montoya cautions while there is no hard evidence linking parasite to mind control in humans, he said that it’s worth studying. If you can prevent an infection, he said, it’s better than trying to treat the illness after the fact.

“The more we know about the potential consequences of this parasite, in the brains of humans, the more we will know where to act and how to prevent those unwanted consequences,” said Dr. Montoya.

But in the meantime, as a precaution, should we get rid of cats? For that answer, we turned to the experts and every person with whom we spoke was emphatic:

“Oh please no,” said Dr. Yolken, who owns cats.

“Absolutely not,” said Dr. Montoya, who has studied and done research on toxoplasma for 20 years.

“Of course not,” said Dr. Flegr who added cats really benefit our health.

“Everyone in our lab has cats. I have three cats,” said Dr. Conrad.

There are steps you can take to protect your cat. Cats get infected by eating infected wildlife, such as birds or rodents.

If you can, keep your cat indoors. Dr. Conrad said they will live longer, be healthier and then stay away from infected creatures.

If your cat needs to go outdoors, make sure they’re always well-fed so that they don’t hunt birds and mice for food. Also, make sure to bring them to the vet for regular checkups.

You can also put a bell on their collar to scare away their prey.

There are steps you can take to protect yourself. Wash all fruits and vegetables very carefully. If you camp, drink bottled water. Don’t drink water from streams or rivers. And since the parasite can be found in warm blooded mammals, cook your meat and game very thoroughly.

(Copyright 2012 by CBS San Francisco. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)