The Desert Sun from Palm Springs, California • Page 39

THE DESERT SUN THURSDAY, MAY 27, 2010 D3 Health, Hi. I'almin James Primary Family Health are for your Family Ages 1 1 ami up Men's Health Women's Health 'Kibble crack' kills, too Americans feeding their dogs and cats to death ullege lleullh Saturday A ipointmeiits Atuilahlt I 'sif 1 University Park Village 36-021 Conk Slrr. S.iil.. 102 I'ulm Itr.rrl, Culifuriiin 22 1 1 I'll, (760) J136-0066 Accepting new patients. Ai'itliiiH Mi'ilii iii'd hikI MiixI lniiriill')'n Coiivt'uifiitly IoouIimI m-ur Cook ami llwy 10 Get 1 i mm Lindora Weight Loss Programs! 77940 Country Club Drive, Suite 7-6 Palm Desert, CA (760)345-4945 Lindora Clinic BY SUE MANNING The Associated Piess LOS ANGELES -The popularity of aits and dogs isn't the only thing that has grown in the List 20 years.

So have their bellies. Some veterinarians say Americans are feeding their pets to death without even knowing it. Treats take the brunt of the blame, said North Carolina veterinarian Ernie Ward, author of a book released earlier this year called "Chow I lounds" and founder of the Association of Pet Ok-sity Prevention. He Gills treats "kibble crack" and "calorie grenades." "We confuse food with love. In the dog world, what they want most is interaction and affection.

It's not a cry for food. It's a cry for attention," he said. The most egregious offense may be the "guilt treat" those dropped by the handful when pets have to be left alone, said Marion Nestle, a nutritionist, New York University professor and author of the 2006 book for humans allied "What to Eat." Her book with Cornell animal nutrition expert Maiden C. Nesheim, "Feed Your Pet Right," is due in bookstores this month. Experts agree people and pets are fighting the battle of the bulge for all the same reasons too many calories and carbohydrates and too little exercise.

The Association of Pet Obesity Prevention represents 400 clinics, or about 1,000 veterinarians. When polled last year, those vets said 45 percent of the dogs in their care and 57 percent of the cats were overweight or obese, defined as 30 percent above ideal weight The size of the country's cats and dogs hasn't gone unnoticed. About eight years ago, Guinness World Records elim- cups each meal," he said. He posted signs all over the house telling others not to feed her. "Some friends had been known to give her chips and pizza," he said.

Pet owners can overfeed their animals by as much as 25 percent a day, Ward said. "It seems so innocent. You overfeed and you don't even know it," he said. As a result, "we're raising the first generation of dogs that likely won't live as long as their parents," Ward said. "A cat's sagging stomach is a deadly ball and chain, and a dog's thick midsection is a hormone bomb factory waiting to explode." There is no law requiring calorie counts on dog fowl, Ward said.

Purina is one of those companies that does it voluntarily. Some labels, especially those on treats, require a calculator and a saile to understand, Nestle said. As a last resort for dogs (no cats allowed), there is the fat farm. At K9s Only in Los Angeles, you can rent your dog time on a treadmill or sign it up for swimming lessons. Twenty minutes in the pool can be like a three-mile hike and save stress on an overweight dog's knees, co-owner Kelly Doraf-shar said.

It doesn't come cheap: At K9s Only, which also provides daycare, training, massage and grooming, 30 minutes on the treadmill rents for $25. Buffing up Fido or Fluffy will help the animal live longer so you have more time together, your vet bills will be lower and the dog will be healthier, happier and experience less pain from diseases like arthritis, the veterinarians said. Slimming them down will also help you slim down, Ward said. "This works on both ends of the leash." DAMIAN DOVARGANES THE ASSOCIATED PRESS K9s Only employee Yvonne Garst helps Pancake, a 3-year-old Pekingese dog with back problems, to exercise his legs. STRUGGLING WITH ANXIETY, PANIC ATTACKS, FEARS OR PHOBIAS? There's hope! Become relaxed, confident and in control with hypnosis or counseling Call Kathleen Jordan, Certified Hypnotherapist Licensed Marriage Family Therapist 760-534-0150 Palm Desert www.KathleenJordan.com inated its fattest cat and fattest dog categories because of the health hazards, spokesman Stuart Qaxton said.

There are diet pet foods galore, gyms, personal trainers, masseuses, TV fitness shows, and now, even a reality show Purina has just completed an online "Biggest Loser" for dogs. The recently completed canine version, called "Project Pet Slim Down," was run by veterinarian Grace Long, director of veterinary technical marketing for Nestle Purina PetCare. Webisodes will be available online this summer. One of the show's biggest successes was Courtney and her owner, Michael Shaun Corby of Los Angeles. Courtney, an 8-year-old Shih Tzu, "was starting to seem weak and tired all the time.

I hoped to get a healthier, happier dog. And besides, she didn't look as good in her fat clothes," Corby said. The dog started the program weighing 19 pounds and shed 20 percent of her body weight Since the project ended, Courtney has continued to lose. "Courtney is like a teenager again. She is happy really happy and I didn't notice she wasn't happy until I saw her this new 'skinny he said.

Getting Courtney her svelte figure became a team project with friends, family and house guests. "It shocked me that she only needed half a cup of food a day. I had been giving her two Cosmetic Dermatology Chemical Peels xr4- Skin Rejuvenation LIU: RestylanePerlane Botox Sclerotherapy Seniors can do more to prevent falls Dr. Pamela Broska Board Certified Dermatology Former Assistant Clinical Professor UC-Irvine American Society of Mohs Surgery 1 American Society of Laser Surgery BY JEANNINE STEIN Los Angeles Times Falls can be devastating for senior citizens, causing serious health problems and even death. But a policy brief from the UCLA Center for Health Policy Research finds there's much more that can be done for seniors to help prevent falls.

Researchers looked at data from the 2007 California Health Interview Survey to see how seniors followed up with medical care after a falL In 2007, 14.5 percent of Californians age 65 and older fell to the ground more than once, according to the brief. About 21 percent of people age 85 and older had multiple falls. Those at even higher risk of felling included women, people with low incomes and people with disabilities and chronic conditions. More than half a million se up with any prevention strategies. "Following up with a doctor after a fell is critical to senior health," said Steven Wallace, lead author of the brief, in a news release.

Wallace, the center's associate director, added, "The safeguards we discuss are some of the best ways of preventing additional falls and the disastrous health consequences associated with fells." Among the strategies to reduce fells recommended in the brief were training emergency medical professionals and paramedics to encourage seniors to get medical attention after felling, even if they weren't injured. Also suggested were community-based senior programs, targeted to those at risk for fells, that include exercises such as tai-chi as well as home and medication assessments. niors in California fell more than once in 2007, a jump of about 100,000 from 2003. Seniors who suffer one fell are at greater risk for more falls. Though 91 percent of the state's seniors saw a doctor in the last year, fells were not often the reason they went A little less than half of seniors who had more than one fell said that was the reason they visited the doctor.

That's significant, since they could get information from the doctor on how to prevent future falls. Among seniors who have had multiple falls, 70 percent said they had done one or more of six suggested preventive activities, and about half did two or more (those include talking with a health professional about how to reduce fells and using a cane or walker). That still leaves many who didn't follow 16 (i New Pampers diapers draw dirty complaints Use of oxycodone for pain primary concern I I 3 i Henry A Malm, O.D.S. Full Service Dentistry Available Implants, Crowns Veneers Implant Supported Dentures Custom Dentures Relines Economy Dentures Available Lab on Premises When implants are contraindicated because of physiological, psychological or financial reasons! BY DAVID HOLTHAUS The Cincinnati Enquirer CINCINNATI It's touted as the driest diaper ever and the biggest diaper innovation in 25 years. But the new Pampers from Procter Gamble is encountering a backlash among its target audience moms and it's getting dirty.

is battling claims, spread quickly via the Internet, that the new diaper causes rashes and "chemical burns," claims that have snowballed in the online world of bloggers and social networking. The controversy threatens to damage the reputation of top-selling brand, which rings up $9 billion in sales a year and is being counted on to keep sales growing around the world. It's also an example of the power of the Web and online social networking to rapidly affect for better or for worse the image of brands that companies have nurtured for years. launched the new Pampers in April, with a new construction called DryMax in two diaper varieties, Swad-dlers and Cruisers. The diapers were advertised as being thinner, yet more absorbent than regular Pampers.

Almost immediately, some moms reacted, saying they wanted the old diapers back Rather than fade away, the complaints gathered steam. Facebook pages popped up, including the most popular "Bring Back the Old Cruis-ersSwaddlers," now with more than 7,200 members. Some called for the product to be recalled. The complaints became numerous enough that the Consumer Product Safety Commission is investigating them. A Seattle-based law firm on Wednesday filed a lawsuit in federal court in Cincinnati on behalf of seven plaintiffs, claiming knew the diapers could cause medical problems.

initially responded by engaging the group. But faced with a growing volume of complaints, Procter Gamble has gotten tougher with its message. It calls the complaints "completely false rumors perpetuated by a small number of parents." QUESTION: I have been taking a pain medication (oxycodone) for four months for metastatic bone pain. As long as I take the prescription as prescribed, the pain is bearable. Can I become addicted to it? ANSWER; You may already be addicted to it.

People who take this prescription drug daily over a long period of time become physically addicted to it. Even though they do not take it for the euphoriant effects, their bodies become adapted to its presence in the blood and nervous system. When they try to stop using it, their bodies react by what we call withdrawal symptoms. This is not drug addiction in the sense that the drug is taken for its psychologically euphoric effects. People we think of as drug addicts take their drugs (opiates, cocaine, etc.) for their mood-changing properties.

These people are physically and psychologically addicted. Since you are taking your pain medication as directed, under medical supervision, and it is working, I recom- Dr. James West sober days mend that you follow the treatment plan for your condition as prescribed by your physician. A steady, regular dosage regimen of opiate medication for the unremitting land of pain you experience in metastatic bone disease carries little, if any, euphoriant effect Early on in the use of this kind of pain medication, the euphoria disappears. But the pain relief continues to be the drug's primary and intended effect Do not worry about being a drug addict.

Be thankful that this medication gives you an acceptable quality of life until a better way to treat this condition comes along. Dr. James West is a retired medcal drector of the Betty Fori Center. Ma) questions to 000 Bob Hope Drw Rarcto Mirage, CA 92270 Better vision in five weeks Physician supervised Research supported therapy Non-invasive Painless No medications No side effects Call for a free consultation 760-674-5912 or 213-245-4242 Accpti(K LimilRci Niimhwr of Pntlontn If I.