Current Events in March 2017

Meijer is expanding its earlier recall of cheeses to include its Meijer brand Artisan Made Natural Muenster Cheese and its pre-wrapped Ham Sub on Artisan White Baguette.

The products may be contaminated with Listeria monocytogenes.

There have been no known illnesses reported to Meijer associated with these products.

The recalled Meijer brand Artisan Made Natural Muenster Cheese was located on “cheese islands” within the retailer’s deli section, has the expiration dates of March 28, 2017, May 13, 2107, and June 10, 2017, and the UPC 8-86926 27573-5.

The recalled Meijer pre-made Ham Sub on Artisan White Baguette was located in its “grab-and-go” fresh deli cases with sell by dates between November 2, 2016, and December 30, 2016, and the UPC Code 7-13733 76499-5.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should stop using them and and either dispose of them or return them to the customer service desk at any Meijer store for a full refund.

Consumers seeking additional information may contact Meijer at (800) 543-3704, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

One of the pieces of advice that you’ll so often hear from health experts is to meet regularly with your general practitioner for regular check-ups and testing. However, it turns out that many women are foregoing screens to test for cardiovascular disease.

A new study conducted by the Georgia Institute for Global Health and the University of Sydney finds that men are much more likely to be tested for heart disease, with screening for young women being much lower. The cause? Consumers still think of heart disease as a “man’s disease,” a fact that is leading to many deaths in the female population.

"Unfortunately there is still the perception that heart disease is a man's disease. This is not the case here in Australia, the UK or the US and we fear that one of the reasons more women are dying from heart disease is because they are not being treated correctly, including not even being asked basic questions about their health," said associate professor and researcher Julie Redfern.

Dangerous precedent

The study involved over 53,000 Australian participants from over 60 sites across country, with each person being asked a number of questions about screening practices and treatments. In all, the researchers found that women were screened for cardiovascular disease 12% less than men and were 37% less likely to be prescribed appropriate medications, such as blood pressure medication, statins, and antiplatelets.

The findings may seem surprising, since it’s not uncommon for women to be at high risk of cardiovascular disease. And, indeed, by age 65 women are 34% more likely than their male counterparts to have medications prescribed. However, Dr. Karice Hyun says that treating women later in life isn’t good enough.

"It is simply unacceptable that more than half of young women in this study did not receive appropriate heart health medications. These medications can greatly reduce the likelihood of having a heart attack or stroke. If these findings are representative, many women could be missing out on life saving treatment right now -- just because of their age and gender,” she said.

Fundamental change

To fix the problem, Hyun states that an overhaul is needed so that women are treated equally by the healthcare system. She argues that doing so could save countless lives worldwide.

"This fundamentally needs to change. We need a system wide solution to addressing these very worrying gaps in heart disease-related healthcare. . . These findings really show that we need to do a better job of preventing and tackling CVD. . . if we have any hope [of] reducing the death toll,” she said.

The full study has been published in the journal Heart.

As the chill of winter dissipates, you might find yourself spending more time outside. But before stepping out to enjoy a spring day, consumers should be aware of a few surprising sources of skin irritation.

Common plants and flowers, such as chrysanthemums, Peruvian lilies, tulips, and daffodil bulbs contain chemicals that can irritate the skin and cause an allergic reaction, according to experts at the American Academy of Dermatology (AAD).

“Your skin can be affected by a wide variety of things you might find in your backyard, or even inside your home,” says Dr. Amy Chen, an assistant professor of dermatology at the University of Connecticut School of Medicine. “While there are simple precautions that you can take, you have to be aware of what you might run into so you can protect yourself.”

Poison ivy

Protecting yourself from springtime skin dangers starts with knowing which plants to guard yourself against. To reduce the risk of an encounter with poison ivy or poison oak, Dr. Julian Trevino, a dermatologist, recommends avoiding plants with “leaves of three.”

Additionally, he recommends wearing protective clothing or applying a barrier cream while hiking, gardening, or working where these plants grow.

Poison ivy is among the more well known rash-inducing plants, but other sources of springtime skin irritation are less well known. For example, did you know that eating or drinking citrus in the sun can cause a rash?

Citrus and sunshine

Before sitting poolside with a margarita or beer with a lime, consumers should be aware that doing so could cause a skin reaction.

“When the sun's UV rays are combined with exposure to certain plants -- such as citrus fruits, like lemons and limes -- people can develop a condition called phytophotodermatitis, which leads to a rash and darkened skin,” Trevino said in a statement.

To avoid this condition, he recommends rinsing the skin and reapplying sunscreen after eating or drinking citrus in the sun.

Hazardous plants

Other common plants can also cause reactions, Trevino noted. Here are a few plants to avoid or use protective clothing when handling:

• Plants used in spicy foods, like chili peppers and horseradish. These contain chemicals that can irritate the skin.
• Plants with spines and thorns, such as cacti and thistles.
• Plants with small nettles or hairs. These can release chemicals into the skin that result in hives.
• Flowers and bulbs including chrysanthemums, Peruvian lilies, and tulip and daffodil bulbs. These contain chemicals that can irritate the skin or result in an allergic reaction.

Insect bites and stings

Springtime also isn’t without its risk of insect bites and stings. But red, bumpy, or itchy skin isn’t the only concern when dealing with insect bites.

Certain pests can carry harmful viruses and other germs. To protect yourself from insect bites and health issues such as West Nile virus, Lyme disease, and the Zika virus, Trevino says it’s important to wear protective clothing.

Long sleeves and pants can help to deter insects, as can spraying clothing, shoes, and camping gear with the insect repellent permethrin. Insect repellents containing DEET, picaridin, or oil of lemon eucalyptus can be applied to the skin.

Dr. Chen noted that most insect bites aren’t serious and can be treated with over-the-counter or prescription antihistamine and topical steroids. However, it’s important to seek medical attention if a bug bite results in a persistent rash, fever, or body aches.

A class action suit has been filed against the United States military, alleging that many servicemen and women are being denied full disability benefits.

Retired Marine Corporal Simon Soto claims that members of the U.S. Army, Navy, Marine Corps, Air Force, and Coast Guard are being denied the full amount of their retroactive Combat-Related Special Compensation (CRSC).

Denied benefits

Soto performed military duties in two tours of Iraq in a mortuary affairs unit, processing the remains of deceased soldiers. He claims that the experiences, which took place over the course of 10 years of service, were often very disturbing and left him with vivid nightmares and psychological damage. He describes graphic scenes of bagging remains that had been blown up and dismembered beyond recognition.

After receiving seven medals and other honors with the Marines, he retired from active duty in April 2006 and was found by the Department of Veterans Affairs to be 100% disabled by post-traumatic stress disorder, which made him eligible to receive disability payments under CRSC.

However, Soto put off receiving his benefits until June 2016, at which time he was told that he no longer qualified for the full amount of retroactive compensation. The suit states that the Navy office would only pay the ex-servicemen for six of the eight and a half years he had been entitled to after retiring.

Misinterpretation

The suit alleges that the military is misreading the CRSC’s retroactive payment cap clause to the detriment of Soto and others like him.

It states that the six-year limit is imposed for survivor benefits, travel costs, payments for unused leave, and retirement pay – but not for combat-related special compensation, such as the disability compensation that Soto is entitled to. As a result, Soto claims that he is eligible for eight and half years of retroactive payments instead of six.

The suit estimates that nearly 89,000 military retirees are also being shortchanged by the cap. It is seeking class certification and damages of up to $10,000 per affected member. The case is being handled by Tracy LeRoy of Sidley Austin LLP's Houston, Texas, office.

What to do

Editor's note:  This story is about a class-action lawsuit. If you are among the class of consumers described in the suit, you may eventually be eligible to participate in whatever compensation the court awards, if any. Unlike what many people think, you do not "join" a class action -- you are either in the class covered by the action or you are not. 

Often, consumers included in an award do not need to take any action, as the defendant is required to contact them directly. In other cases, the court and the attorneys who brought the case will issue instructions when the case is settled.

Please note that under our Privacy Policy, we cannot provide you with the names of other consumers who may be similarly affected. 

Please see our Class Action Guide for more information.

You're out with your real estate agent looking at houses, and in this market it's really tough. While you are considering whether or not to make an offer on a house, someone else snaps it up.

So you're eager to pull the trigger when your agent shows you a brick Cape Cod on a cul-de-sac that is in your price range. But before you leap, make sure you are getting what you think you are.

In its blog, real estate marketplace Trulia warns of the potential defects a seller is most likely to hide, or at least gloss over.

Number one on the list is water problems. Specifically, water where it is not supposed to be.

Damaging water

If water is leaking from the roof, pipes, the foundation, or from faucets, it can cause extensive and expensive damage. There are ways homeowners can plug these leaks temporarily, but an experienced agent should be able to point them out to you. A home inspector certainly can, but discovering a problem after the fact can mean starting all over again.

Pests are another problem that can be concealed from the casual observer. Again, that's something that would be revealed during a home inspection, which is why any contract should be contingent on an inspection.

If a seller specifies "inspections for information purposes only," then look out. That means the seller isn't willing to correct defects that turn up.

High and low

Because prospective buyers tend to be focused on kitchen appliances and the condition of the floors, they sometimes fail to look down and look up. That's a mistake.

The condition of the roof is hard to detect from ground level, but a home inspector will be able to tell you its condition and how much life it has left in it. Don't expect a seller to tell you the age of the roof unless it has been replaced in the last couple of years. The same goes for systems like water heaters and heat pumps.

At the same time, the foundation should be thoroughly inspected for cracks. If the home has a crawlspace, make sure it is dry and free of mold.

Haunted?

Buyers have become squeamish lately about homes where someone has died. This is a more recent thing, but it's apparently real nonetheless. If it bothers you, don't expect a seller to disclose it because, in most states, they don't have to.

Websites like DiedInHouse.com scan public records and can, in most areas at least, provide that information.

The point is that even in this tight market where sellers feel pressure to act quickly, it pays to ask a lot of questions and don't make an offer until you think you've learned all there is to know about the house -- at least the expensive stuff.

If you're one of the unlucky few selected for a TSA pat-down next time you travel, you may find it a bit more, um, personal than in the past. Embarrassed by reports of weapons sneaking through security checkpoints, the Transportation Security Agency is adopting a more "comprehensive" physical screening policy.

No one is saying just how much more invasive it will be, but it will most likely involve hands in more places than before, possibly involving contact some will consider intimate, according to a recent Bloomberg report.

A new screening policy may also result in more pat-downs, although no one is officially saying so. Airport workers and airline crews, however, have been notified that random pat-downs may be more frequent and more personal.

The change isn't expected to increase overall security delays, although one TSA official said those selected for more complete screenings will lose a bit more time.

TSA policy requires that pat-downs be conducted by a member of the same gender as the traveler, and passengers are allowed to request a private area for the screening and can choose to  have a witness present. 

Consumers are spending and borrowing money again. One way they are doing it is with personal loans.

The personal loan as a credit instrument has been around for decades. It was very common, for example, in the days before everyone carried a credit card.

A personal loan is very different from an auto loan, in that it is only secured by your creditworthiness. With a car loan, the vehicle itself serves as collateral. That's why the interest rate on a car loan is typically much lower than the interest on a personal loan -- the risk to the lender is less.

That makes a personal loan more similar to a credit card, which is also unsecured debt. A personal loan could come in handy, however, if you are faced with an unexpected bill -- often the kinds of emergencies that send people to payday lenders, where the interest rate can be 400% APR or more.

How personal loans are used

Dan Matysik, Vice President of personal loans at Discover, says more consumers are using these loans to consolidate existing high-interest debt.

"Generally, an appropriate use for a personal loan is one which fits within the consumer’s budget and helps them achieve their financial goals," Matysik told ConsumerAffairs. "Regardless of how you plan to use a loan, there are a number of factors to consider when determining what type of loan best fits your needs. "

It starts with determining how much you need to borrow and the timeframe during which you can repay it. Next, Matysik says consumers need to consider the terms of the loan.

"With the loan options currently available, including from Discover, there is no need to pay origination fees, prepayment penalties, or closing fees," Matysik said. "These fees can significantly add to the total cost of the loan, and they can be easily avoided by choosing the right lender."

For example, Matysik says if a lender has a 5% origination fee, a $20,000 personal loan would cost the consumer an extra $1,000.

Check for fees

So, when researching lenders who offer personal loans, consumers should first determine if the loan carries fees and, if so, how much.

The interest rate may be a little lower than what you would pay on your credit card, but that's all going to depend on your credit score. The higher your score, the better your rate.

In selecting a lender, Matysik also says trust should be a big factor.

"Trustworthiness could be gleaned from, among other things, a lender’s stability and transparency in the lending process," he said. "It’s critical to research the lenders you’re considering and make sure they have a reputation for providing an overall positive customer experience."

Ohio Farms Packing Co. Ltd., of Creston, Ohio, is recalling approximately 40,680 pounds of boneless veal products that may be contaminated with E. coli O103.

None of the products were sold directly to consumers, and there have been no confirmed reports of adverse reactions due to consumption of these products.

The the following items, produced November 30, 2016, through February 3, 2017, are being recalled:

60-lb boxes of “Atlantic Veal & Lamb Inc.: Boneless Veal SF” with product codes:

• 511012
• 511020
• 511021
• 511023
• 511024
• 511030
• 511032
• 511034
• 511336
• 511337
• 511340
• 511341
• 511343
• 511351
• 511362
• 511365

60-lb boxes of “Atlantic Veal & Lamb LLC: Boneless Veal” with product codes:

• 507023
• 507030
• 507335
• 507342
• 507356
• 507358

The recalled products, bearing establishment number “EST. 34569” inside the USDA mark of inspection, were shipped to distributors in Illinois, Michigan, North Carolina, Ohio, Oklahoma, Pennsylvania, Texas and Canada.

What to do

Customers who purchased the recalled products should not use them, but throw them away or return them to the place of purchase.

Companies that purchase products from Ohio Farms Packing Co. Ltd. should contact the firm directly to determine whether the products they have purchased is subject to the recall.

Consumers with questions regarding the recall may contact Shawn Peerless at (718) 599-6400.

The Standing Rock Sioux's on-the-ground protest against the Dakota Access Pipeline drew a heavy, coordinated response from local law enforcement agencies, sanitation crews, federal agents from the Bureau of Indian Affairs, and the Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms bureau. Even agents from the FBI’s joint terrorism task force reportedly opened investigations into some of the anti-pipeline activists.

But a pipeline leak on another North Dakota reservation drew a very different kind of bureaucratic reaction. 

“They don’t have any support. They feel kind of alone. They have no authority to go through,” recalls Dr. Aver Vengosh, a Duke University geochemistry professor who has studied the impacts of domestic fracking across the country since 2010. Several years ago, people from North Dakota’s Fort Berthold Reservation called to tell him about a spill on their land.

Officials initially said there was little reason for concern when fracking wastewater leaked onto the reservation in 2014 out of a gathering pipeline -- a pipeline that carries byproduct from oil and gas drilling. Gathering pipelines until recently received little government oversight at the federal or state level. This wastewater spill left 200 yards of dead vegetation in its wake and occurred right next to Bear Den Bay, a bay that feeds into Lake Sakakawea, which is the reservation’s source of drinking water.

Still, pipeline operator Crestwood Midstream Partners assured the public that “there is no evidence yet that the spill has contaminated nearby Bear Den Bay.” The Environmental Protection Agency said it had no confirmed reports that the brine reached the bay, and the Associated Press reported seeing “no visible signs of contamination in the bay” on a boat trip.

Widespread contamination found at the site

Vengosh and his team collected data from the bay anyway. “There was a need for that given the lack of local authority," Vengosh tells ConsumerAffairs. Sure enough, Vengosh and his researchers reported finding widespread contamination lingering in the bay and the soil.

At the Fort Berthold site and three other fracking wastewater spill sites in North Dakota, the fracking fluid, or brine, was laden with radioactive pollutants and inorganic compounds. The chemicals could not degrade over time, creating what the researchers described as  “a legacy of radioactivity at spill sites.” The researchers published their results in April 2016, nearly two years after the Fort Berthold spill had occurred. 

Regulators, Vengosh says, expressed little interest in his findings. “The reaction of the state was very defensive, there was not any true attempt to see what we found."

In the year following the spill, authorities calculated the total leak on Fort Berthold at one million gallons of brine. The EPA eventually gave Crestwood Midstream a "Notice of Potential Violation" concerning the leak in 2015, but that government investigation has appeared to languish since then.

"EPA’s investigation of the Crestwood Midstream brine spill is an ongoing enforcement matter,” EPA spokesman Katherine Jenkins now writes to ConsumerAffairs in an email. Crestwood recently indicated to investors that it would commence a clean-up or "remediation" of the Fort Berthold spill site -- but only once the EPA investigation is finished. "We expect to enter into a settlement agreement in the second quarter of 2017 and, thereafter commence the remediation actions contemplated by the settlement agreement," Crestwood wrote of the EPA investigation in its 2016 annual report. 

An attempt by a tribal agency to impose a $1.1 million fine on Crestwood has also been fended off, according to the annual report. “Although we continue to have productive settlement conversations with the Tribe,” Crestwood wrote to investors in its 2016 annual report, “we cannot predict if or when we will be able to settle the dispute.” Reached by ConsumerAffairs, a Crestwood spokeswoman said they had nothing more to say other than what was in the annual report. 

New study suggests nationwide under-reporting of fracking pipeline spills

Just six months after Crestwood Midstream announced a leak out of its gathering pipeline, a saltwater spill nearly triple its size leaked out of gathering line run by Summit Midstream Partners and into a creek that feeds the Missouri River. That saltwater spill was the largest of its kind in North Dakota's history. Summit Midstream promised to work "tirelessly" to clean-up the mess, but the following year the company experienced a leak in the same spot.  

Spills of this nature aren't unique to North Dakota. A new study published last week by researchers from the Harvard Law School’s Environmental Policy Initiative confirmed what the anecdotal evidence has suggested for years: that spills related to fracking, including spills of toxic saltwater as well as gas and oil itself,  have occurred "far more often than previously reported." North Dakota had the most spills out of four states the researchers studied. “Analyses like this one are so important, to define and mitigate risk to water supplies and human health," co-author Kate Konschnik told Courthouse News. 

North Dakota's health department, meanwhile, has been developing new guidelines for cleaning up saltwater spills. The agency has also done a better job than it has previously of helping ranchers affected by saltwater spills, Troy Coons, chairman of the Northwest Landowners Association, tells ConsumerAffairs. Last year, the state's industrial commission even finalized new rules governing gathering pipelines. "Are we heading the right direction? Yes. Is there more to do? Definitely," says Coons.

 At the same time, North Dakota's lawmakers are trying to give the oil and gas industry more breaks. A bill approved this year by the state House would no longer require companies to report spills of wastewater, crude oil, or natural gas that are less than 420 gallons, a move Coons describes as a major setback for landowners.

And while the ranchers affected by brine spills have received some clean-up help from authorities and industry, Coons is unsure whether people on reservations get the same assistance. Because reservations are designated as sovereign tribal nations, "there's different standards that they require on the tribal land."

North Dakota lawmakers crackdown on protesters

Rather than acting more aggressively to tackle pipeline spills, North Dakota's leaders have instead opted to set their focus on protesters. On February 27, Governor Dough Burgum signed into law four bills drafted in response to the Dakota Access Pipeline protests. The bills increase the penalties for criminal trespassing and the penalties for engaging in a riot, two charges that were commonly brought against anti-pipeline activists. The laws also criminalize wearing a mask or hoodie while committing a crime and give the state attorney general more authority to seek help from out-of-state law enforcement agencies.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which has joined 34 tribes in court to support an ongoing lawsuit that the Standing Rock Sioux filed against the Dakota Access Pipeline, has described North Dakota's overall response to the protests as a "suppression of free speech and civil rights."

Vengosh's advice to Fort Berthold Reservation

In 2016, several months after the Duke University study on saltwater spills in North Dakota came out, author Dr. Aver Vengosh took another trip back to the Fort Berthold reservation. In the absence of any help from regulators, he wanted to discuss the group's findings directly with the community.

In several presentations, Vengosh says he tried to put the risks that the reservation faces in perspective. For example, he doesn't think there is an immediate risk that the reservation's drinking water will be poisoned. But there are long-term concerns and ecological dangers, he says.

Most importantly, the spill has a very easy remediation, Vengosh says---pumping out the contaminated spill water, collecting the contaminated soil, and storing it all in a landfill or in a deep injection well. But he has yet to see this mitigation process take place.

"What you need to do is very simple," Vengosh says, "and it hasn't been done."

Do you know that Lake Michigan has sand dunes? Or that Northern Michigan, with its rolling hills and sandy, dry soil is the perfect place to grow sweet and tart cherries? And do you know that there’s such a thing as a state mineral, rock, stone, or gemstone? In Michigan, the Petoskey Stone, a prehistoric fossil, is Michigan’s official state stone.

These are just some of the facts I learned on a visit to Traverse City, Michigan.

When to visit

There’s plenty to do in Traverse City year-round with wineries, an appealing pedestrian-friendly downtown, and quality restaurants. You’ll find all types of skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing in winter, beautiful foliage in the fall, and the cherry tree blossoms in spring. But it’s the summer season that provides one-of-a-kind offerings.

In fact, Traverse City is known as the Cherry Capital of the world and you’ll find not only the best cherry pie, but miles of sugar-sand beaches and countless outdoor activities to make any summer vacation memorable.

Summer highlights

Over the summer months, u-pick farms and farmers’ markets are jam-packed with cherries. If you are used to the expensive bags of cherries at the supermarket, you will surely enjoy snacking from brimming baskets of sweet cherries.

An annual National Cherry Festival, held this year between July 1 to July 8, celebrates all things cherry plus foodie events, free family fun, races and health activities, concerts, parades, and more. There are peninsulas and miles of coastline, trails to walk and bike, a variety of water and boating activities, charming towns, and vintage lighthouses.

What to do

The Interlochen Center for the Arts

Attend an open-air performance by students of the Interlochen Arts Camp, as well as international stars. The camp attracts musicians, dancers, actors, and artists. Former graduates include Josh Groban, Jessye Norman, Peter Yarrow, Lorin Maazel, Jewel, and Linda Hunt. Reserve your tickets early.

Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore

You could spend days exploring this National Park’s forests, beaches, dune formations, and ancient glacial phenomena. If you have less time, the National Park Service recommends you take the 7-mile Pierce Stocking Scenic Drive, trek up the Dune Climb or watch others walk up and run down the towering sand dunes, explore Glen Haven and the Maritime Museum, and dip your toes in the tranquil Loon Lake. More time? Walk or bike the Sleeping Bear Heritage Trail and attend a ranger-led program. For more information, visit this site here.

The Village at Grand Traverse Commons

A complex of restaurants, wineries, breweries, shops, boutiques, and galleries redeveloped from what was once a 19th century state mental asylum, located just a few blocks from downtown Traverse City. Historic, photography, and twilight tours are available by reservation in the castle-like buildings of the former asylum.

Hit the Water

There are a multitude of ways to enjoy the deep glacial Torch Lake, Elk Lake, and Lake Leelanau, or the calm waters of the two arms of Grand Traverse Bay. Options include boat or kayak rentals, parasailing, or diverse boat tours.

Search for a Petoskey Stone

Per the Petoskey Regional Chamber of Commerce, the best place to hunt for Petoskey Stones is at Lake Michigan beach. They’re also found in roadbeds, gravel pits, and even farmers' fields. Or, go the easy way and buy one in a souvenir or gift shop.

For additional information visit Traverse City's attractions site here.

A federal appeals court has upheld New York City laws intended to curb puppy mills. The ruling comes just a few days after San Francisco adopted legislation banning the commercial sale of dogs and cats. 

In the New York case, a three-judge panel from the Second U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals turned aside a challenge to the 2015 laws, one of which requires that pet shops can sell only dogs and cats from Class-A-licensed breeders who have not had their licenses suspended in the last five years, Courthouse News Service reported. The other requires that the animals are spayed or neutered before customers can buy them.

In their ruling, the judges found that the legislation has had no ill effects. Pet store owners and the American Kennel Club had claimed that the laws are discriminatory because they do not hold rescue operations to the same standards.

Pet store owners, veterinarians, and breeders, organized under the name New York Pet Welfare Association, had claimed that the laws were pre-empted by the federal 1996 Animal Welfare Act and violated the constitutional rights of breeders.

They also argued that the regulations were unsafe, claiming that young animals could develop fatal infections if spayed or neutered at 8 months old.

Look around any office and you'll likely find workers wearing wrist splints to help them deal with carpal tunnel syndrome, the painful condition that's often linked to too much time at the keyboard.

Many patients resort to surgery to get relief, but a new study conducted in Spain and the United States finds that physical therapy is just as effective as surgery.

Researchers report that one year following treatment, patients with carpal tunnel syndrome who received physical therapy achieved results comparable to outcomes for patients who had surgery -- and physical therapy patients saw faster improvements at the one-month mark than did patients treated surgically.

Repetitive motions

The syndrome results from repetitive motions, like typing and assembly-line work. It causes pain, numbness, and weakness in the wrist and hand and is linked to nearly half of all work-related injuries.

Although surgery may be considered when the symptoms are severe, more than a third of patients do not return to work within eight weeks after the operation.

The study demonstrates that physical therapy -- particularly a combination of manual therapy of the neck and median nerve and stretching exercises -- may be preferable to surgery, certainly as a starting point for treatment.

"Conservative treatment may be an intervention option for patients with carpal tunnel syndrome as a first line of management prior to or instead of surgery," says lead author César Fernández de las Peñas, PT, PhD, DMSc, with the Department of Physical Therapy, Occupational Therapy, Rehabilitation, and Physical Medicine at Universidad Rey Juan Carlos, Alcorcón, Spain.

The full study is published in the Journal of Orthopaedic & Sports Physical Therapy.

What to do

Editor's note:  This story summarizes a recent healthcare study. Many such studies are conducted each year and some may reach different conclusions. A single study does not form the basis for changing the course of treatment.

You should not make any decisions solely on the basis of this or any other news story, advertisement, or social media posting. Only your physician can advise you.

It's become a seller's real estate market in much of the country in the last few months. Declining inventories have increased competition for the fewer homes that are for sale, and they usually sell quickly.

But if you're looking for an even faster sale, real estate marketplace Zillow suggests listing your home in late spring. Specifically, it recommends May 1 to May 15. Homes hitting the market in that two-week period, it reports, sell faster and for more money.

If you happen to live in one of the nation's 25 largest metro areas, you might think about getting on the market sooner, such as in April.

Home shortage has spurred activity

Zillow reports buyers are getting active earlier than in years past because of the shortage of homes on the market. They realize the process might take longer and that their attempt to purchase a home might not always be successful. The Zillow Group report notes fewer than half of buyers got the first home on which they made an offer.

"With 3% fewer homes on the market than last year, 2017 is shaping up to be another competitive buying season," said Zillow Chief Economist Dr. Svenja Gudell. "Many home buyers who started looking for homes in the early spring will still be searching for their dream home months later.”

The reason May is a good month for selling, Gudell says, is the anxiety some buyers may feel makes them willing to pay a premium to close the deal.

List on Saturday

The study also shed some light on the best day of the week for your listing to show up on Zillow. Not surprisingly, it's Saturday. That's when the most people are home from work at the start of the weekend and may be more inclined to search for houses.

In January, Mortgage News Daily reported that existing home inventory hit a record low. The 1.65 million existing homes available for sale at the end of December was down 10.8% from the previous month.

Inventory is down for a number of reasons, including the fact that new home construction is about half the level it was before the housing market crash.

From instilling an early love of books to making sure Junior has a basic understanding of numbers, parents often do all they can to make sure their little one is ready for kindergarten. But could too much screen time hinder kindergarten readiness?

To find out, researchers from New York University tracked the kindergarten readiness of more than 800 students. Findings from the study suggested that kids, particularly those from low-income families, who watch more than a few hours of television a day may be less ready for kindergarten.

"Given that studies have reported that children often watch more than the recommended amount, and the current prevalence of technology such as smartphones and tablets, engaging in screen time may be more frequent now than ever before," said Andrew Ribner, the study’s lead author.

Poorer children most affected

For the study, Ribner and his colleagues tested kids’ thinking, memory, social-emotional, math, and literacy skills. The researchers found that watching TV for more than couple of hours a day translated to lower skills, especially among low-income children.

Kids whose families were at or near the poverty line saw the largest drop in school readiness from watching more than two hours of television. Conversely, the researchers found no link between school readiness and television viewing in high-income homes

The team suggested that parents heed the American Academy of Pediatrics’ TV viewing guidelines, which currently state that parents should limit TV time to less than an hour a day for children aged 2 to 5.

Different circumstances

Circumstantial differences may help to explain the varying strength of the association between TV time and lower school readiness across incomes, the researchers hypothesized.

For example, affluent parents may have more time to watch TV with their children and to explain and discuss the content. Additionally, kids in higher-income homes may watch more educational programming and less entertainment.

"Our results suggest that the circumstances that surround child screen time can influence its detrimental effects on learning outcomes," said study co-author Caroline Fitzpatrick, of the University of Sainte-Anne in Canada.

The study was published in the Journal of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.

You may have heard of the “gold standard,” but it seems that a type of online currency is making a bid for supremacy in the financial world.

Reports yesterday indicate that the price of one bitcoin surpassed the price of one ounce of gold for the first time ever. While both are considered “alternative assets” by the financial community, it gives some credence to past claims that the online currency might one day reign supreme for investors.

For those who don’t know, bitcoin is a type of digital currency that consumers hold electronically. However, unlike other forms of currency, it is sent from one entity to another and is not controlled by a central source, like a bank. The cryptocurrency has a number of advantages, which consumers can learn about in the video below. However, due to the anonymity associated with its trading, it has also been used for a number of scams and illicit activities.

Potential bitcoin surge

While the value of bitcoin has gone up and down since it was introduced to the market, its recent increase in value may indicate that investors are taking it more seriously. Currently, traders of the currency are awaiting an SEC decision that would allow Winklevoss Bitcoin ETF to become the first bitcoin exchange-traded fund (ETF) in the U.S. market.

The ruling, which is set to be announced on March 11, would open the digital currency to a wider range of investors. However, some analysts have said that the bitcoin ETF has less than a 25% chance of being approved, according to an earlier CoinDesk report.

As of Friday morning, gold had once again climbed back over bitcoin in value; one bitcoin was selling for $1,284.58, while one ounce of gold was selling for $1,319.60.