Tick Bites: Symptoms, Diseases, and Prevention
Quick Facts Tick bites are on the rise in Missouri. To remove a tick, use thin-tipped tweezers—smothering or burning the tick is not recommended. The longer a tick is attached, the greater the chance of disease transmission. The best way to protect you and your family from tick-borne disease is…
The “Pits” of Food Safety
You may have known certain fruit pits and seeds contain a form of cyanide, but could someone really have a toxicity from eating them? A recent news story about cherry pits has brought concern to the public. A man reportedly ate three cherry pits and was hospitalized for cyanide poisoning. He apparently cracked open the pit and ate the seed inside. While this is extremely rare and unlikely to occur from an exposure like this, cherry pits do contain a small amount of a toxic substance.
Charcoal: It’s the New Black
Have you seen the new trend in food and cosmetics for 2017? For decades, charcoal was the “go-to” antidote in the emergency department for poisonings. Recently, it has fallen out of favor as research studies show it may not work as well as we thought. But, charcoal is making a comeback as a trendy product for use as a detoxifier. Many people are now buying activated charcoal powder or capsules at their local health food store or online.
Mushroom Hunting Safety
Wild mushroom hunting is a popular hobby. Mushroom identification is tricky. Toxic and nontoxic mushrooms can grow side by side, and many mushrooms that can make you sick look just like edible mushrooms. Our best advice is to NEVER pick and eat wild mushrooms unless they’ve been identified by an expert.
“Dripping”: Is Unfiltered Vaping Toxic?
Novel forms of vaping have hit YouTube and internet forums. “Dripping” is one such method. With traditional vaping, the “juice” passes through a filter where some of it gets trapped before each inhalation. With dripping, the filter is bypassed and a few drops of the “juice” are dripped directly onto the heated coils or atomizer of the device which produces a thicker vapor cloud.
Melatonin: Mother Nature’s Sleep Aid?
Melatonin is a naturally occurring hormone that helps regulate the body's sleep-wake cycle and is widely sold as an over-the-counter dietary supplement in the United States. Although often used to promote sleep in both children and adults, melatonin is regulated differently than prescription medicines, which raises concerns about product quality,…
Synthetic Marijuana Spike
With names like K2, Spice, Bliss, Cloud Nine, and hundreds of others, the drugs often called "synthetic marijuana", are – in reality – very different from marijuana. They contain powerful chemicals called cannabimimetics and can cause dangerous health effects. The drugs are made specifically to be abused. A recent synthetic…