If this year’s rainy season is anything like last year’s, the threat of floods in California is a real concern. To prepare, California Flood Preparedness Week, October 21–28, can help inform you on your flood risk and any necessary safety measures you should take. According to the Department of Water Resources (DWR), flooding is the…
Company to pay civil penalties and restitution to consumers; owner and others surrender licenses SACRAMENTO, Calif. — The California Department of Consumers Affairs’ (DCA) Speech-Language Pathology, Audiology and Hearing Aid Dispensers Board has announced a settlement in a civil complaint filed against McDonald Hearing Aid Center Inc., its owners, and eight other defendants. “The settlement…
You may have done it. Even the President did it. If you looked up at the solar eclipse on August 21 without eclipse glasses or other eye protection, there’s a chance you may have caused damage to your eyes. According to NASA, the sun’s surface is so intensely bright that it produces enough light to…
The Department of Consumer Affairs has announced the members of the state’s new Cannabis Advisory Committee under the Bureau of Cannabis Control (BCC). The committee will advise BCC and the other licensing authorities – the California Department of Food and Agriculture and the California Department of Public Health – on the development of regulations that…
More than half the people in the United States are taking at least one prescription drug (187 million, 58 percent), according to the Network for Excellence in Health Innovation, and tens of thousands of those people are dying annually because they don’t follow their medication directions. With people taking a dozen or more pills daily becoming…
Your feet take a beating every day. They’re responsible for helping you stand, walk, and sometimes kick, run, and dance. With all that daily wear and tear, over time your feet may suffer from aches and pains—one of the most common of which is plantar fasciitis. This painful foot condition occurs when there’s an inflammation…
Tiny houses, flu shots, backpacks, and water conservation—what do they all have in common? They’re all the subjects of articles in the fall 2017 issue of the Consumer Connection magazine! The fall issue offers information on: A new office created specifically to help students in need after private school closures Your right to your prescription…
When taken properly, antibiotics are generally thought of as innocuous, helpful medications. However, not all bacteria-fighting drugs are alike. One class of antibiotics, called fluoroquinolones, can cause dangerous, possibly permanent, side effects—even birth defects. Despite their extreme potency and potential risks, fluoroquinolones—including Avelox, Cipro, Factive, Levaquin, and Ofloxacin—are commonly prescribed to treat a host of…
Many of us visit barbershops and salons for pampering and grooming services without realizing there could be risks. In reality, our health depends on the safety and infection control procedures used by the barbers, cosmetologists and other salon service professionals to whom we entrust the care of our hair, skin and nails. The Board of…
An alarming health issue that literally lurks in your sleep has been getting more attention lately and with good reason. Sleep apnea is a sleeping disorder in which a person may stop breathing more than 50 times per hour and it can target anyone, at any age — and it can affect your brain in…
