What is more terrifying and awful than having a sick child? Having both your children diagnosed with an incredibly rare disorder that can result in kidney failure by age ten. Two sisters, Emily and Poppy, have been diagnosed with cystinosis, an incurable genetic disorder that causes a build-up of the amino acid cystine within the cells of the body. Over time, the crystals form in the kidneys, eyes, liver, and the thyroid gland. It is very rare for people with crystinosis to survive into adulthood. The disorder only affects 1 person in 3.5 million.

Emily was born first and she seemed to be a happy, healthy baby. When she was about ten months old, Emily suddenly started vomiting frequently and losing a lot of weight. At first medics thought it was just a passing virus. But after three different hospital trips within five months medics started testing the girl for every possible condition from leukemia to cystic fibrosis. Emily’s mother, Jessica Kemp, was told that the rarer Emily’s condition was, the harder it will be to diagnose.

Milk is an important part of our daily nutrition. It has nine essential nutrients that benefit our health like calcium and vitamin D for strong bones, proteins for energy, potassium for a healthy blood pressure, phosphorus, vitamin B12, Vitamin B2, and Niacin. Not only is it great for our bodies, it is delicious as well. I try to drink at least a glass of milk a day. Growing up, my grandparents owned a couple of cows so I used to drink unpasteurized milk all the time. Nowadays we know that is a no-no.

The Food and Drug Administration issued a warning that raw or unpasteurized milk can contain dangerous bacteria. However, the demand for raw milk has been on the rise for the past few years because of fears about hormones contained by traditional milk. Thirty Five people across four states have found out the hard way just how dangerous unpasteurized milk can be when they purchased raw milk from Family Cow farm In Chambersburg, Pennsylvania. The company voluntarily suspended production of the raw milk and advises its consumers to through away any milk they have purchased from the company on and after January 1^st. Twenty eight of the infected were in Pennsylvania, four in Maryland, two in West Virginia, and one in New Jersey.

Dog owners, beware!!! The Arizona Humane Society issued a valley-wide warning about two new strain of Distemper disease, a deadly disease for man’s best friend. If you want to help protect your dog, make sure his vaccination is up to date. Many people ignore their own annual checkups and biannual dentist visits. So, it is easy to ignore the recommended vet visits. But this can be dangerous especially since Distemper disease is very easily spread among pets.

According to the Arizona Humane Society, there is not known cure for this deadly disease, which starts as a respiratory infection and spreads quickly throughout the body. Distemper spreads among dogs just as fast as the flu spreads among humans, especially in communal areas for dogs like dog parks, dog spas, and more. Typically, an increased number of cases of the disease are observed during the spring due to increases in the number of puppy litters. However, signs of the condition have been appearing much sooner and cases have spread as far away as Ohio and Georgia.  Dr. Bradley, veterinary and member of the Arizona Humane Society stated that this was not considered an outbreak as of yet, but the number of cases is noticeably on the rise.

One in every 91 children in the United States was diagnosed with autism last year. This number does not even include Asperger’s, PDD, or other spectrum disorders. The number of cases has dramatically risen since the early 2000s when one out of every 250 children was diagnosed. This shows that the number of diagnosed children on the spectrum is rapidly growing. Because of this, a plethora of articles and campaigns have recently focused on allocating more public money towards education, health, and social services for those affected. But this effort is about to be in vain for many.

 Inspirational story

Did you know that heat waves are the most lethal type of weather phenomenon in existence? They have caused more deaths than all other weather conditions, including floods. A heat wave is an extended period of prolonged heat, combined with excessive humidity. 

In warm climates throughout the summer, areas of high pressure with little to no rain or clouds, the air and ground heat excessively. Static high pressure areas can cause persistent heat waves. There is no universal definition of a heat wave however, as temperature conditions that are normal in warmer climates could be considered a heat wave in a cooler area if they are different than the usual patterns for that area. Severe heat waves have resulted in thousands of deaths from hyperthermia, power outage due to the increased usage of fans and air conditioning, psychological stress and damaging crop failures.

Hyperthermia is a life-threatening condition that occurs when the body absorbs more heat than it can dissipate. During hyperthermia, the body’s temperature is normally greater than 100°F and the person is likely to experience hot, dry skin. Lips may be swollen and the body can appear hot as it is unable to perspire to cool off. Heat stroke can cause hyperthermia even when the body is at rest. It can exertional or non-exertional depending on whether the person has been exercising in the heat. The body’s ability to cope with the environmental temperatures can be too limited. Heat edema, heat rash, heat cramps and heat syncope can also be a result of high temperatures.

To deal with the heat wave you must stay hydrated, take breaks if working outdoors, avoid strenuous exercise during the hotter parts of the days, eat small meals and often, avoid caffeine and alcohol and avoid exposure to direct sunlight. Prepare for potential power outages and have an emergency preparedness kit just in case you may need it.

Doctors too commonly prescribe needless drugs for patients with Attention Deficit Hyperactive Disorder (a common mental health condition.) There is no need to resort to harsh medications or even herbal remedies when an alternative answer is easily available. Parents are recommended to enroll their children in support groups for ADHD patients. Specialists all agree that behavioral modification therapy is one of the most effective ways of treating ADHD because it provides long lasting results. When considering medications like Adderall and Ritalin- the results are only temporary and often impose unnecessary side effects. With this information it is a mystery why more parents and teachers haven’t turned to cognitive behavioral therapy in overcoming a child’s ADHD.

The secrets of treating ADHD without drugs rest upon the strategies of behavioral modification therapy. The key goal of this therapy is to coach the child in effective methods of coping with the problems ADHD inflicts. If the issues are not addressed, medication will surely wear off, leading the child to get out of control and cause self harm or hurt someone else. For safety and sanity reasons, children without this ADHD support therapy will have a difficult time learning how to deal with complications caused by ADHD.