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Alicia Silverstone feeds her son a vegan diet

Alicia Silverstone has been an outspoken advocate for veganism for years, even writing a book in 2011 called The Kind Diet that explains why she chose a plant-based way of eating that doesn’t include meat, fish, seafood, poultry, dairy or eggs. Now, the Clueless actress is discussing her decision to feed her 6-year-old son, Bear Blu, a vegan diet, too.

“Knowing the truth about where our food comes from is just so disturbing to me,” she says in a video for the non-profit Farm Sanctuary’s Compassionate Meals program, as she and Bear eat veggie burgers and kale salad. “Once you see it, there’s no way to go back from that for me.” Bear is also asked what his favorite thing about being a vegan is. His response: “That you don’t have to eat yucky meat.”

Silverstone says it’s easy for her to feed Bear vegan foods, and she regularly makes easy-to-assemble meals like tacos and stir-fries. “I can make all those things based on what’s in the fridge,” she says. “You always have a bean, you always have a whole grain.” Silverstone says being vegan has “turned me into a health nut because you feel so good, you feel so different,” adding, “being able to do something that is good for the Earth, good for the animals, and good for you all at the same time seems like such a no-brainer. It’s like the biggest ‘Duh!’”

Although veganism is popular, feeding children a vegan diet is a controversial move.

Indiana girl nearly chokes on fidget spinner, firefighter says

An Indiana firefighter is warning parents about fidget spinners, a popular fad toy, after his daughter nearly choked on a metal piece that flew off.

The child was spinning her fidget spinner while sitting in the backseat of the car when one of the metal bearings broke off and flew into her mouth, according to a Thursday Facebook post on Dacatur Township Fire Department’s page.

"I did about 5 minutes of back blows and with her coughing it became dislodged and went to her stomach," the firefighter wrote.

The girl was hospitalized and later released. A photo of an x-ray showed the metal piece stuck in the girl’s stomach.

"Thankfully this turned out well, but please be aware that it can be a choking hazard," the department warned.

FIDGET SPINNER GETS LODGED IN GIRL’S THROAT

Fidget spinners, made of plastic, metal and a ball bearing, have become the must-have toy of the year, hitting store shelves and online retailers starting this spring. The toy was first seen as a popular item for people with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism. They have since been banned in many classrooms after teachers claimed they were more of a distraction than a helpful tool.

WHAT’S THE DEAL WITH FIDGET SPINNERS?

Parents also said the toys pose as a potential choking hazard.

In May, part of a fidget spinner lodged into a Texas girl’s throat while she was cleaning it with her mouth, a mom wrote in a Facebook post.

"She pointed to her throat saying she’d swallowed something, so I attempted Heimlich but there was no resistance," the mother wrote in her post.

Surgeons removed the piece of the spinner through an endoscopic procedure.

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Florida baby weighs 13 pounds, 5 ounces at birth

A Florida mother gave birth last month to a baby girl who weighed 13 pounds, 5 ounces — but fortunately mother and daughter are doing OK.

Christine Corbitt delivered her third child, Carleigh Brooke, at the Orange Park Medical Center on May 15, Fox 30 reported.

“When the baby was coming out, I was like, ‘is this baby ever going to end?’” Dr. Eric Edelenbos, who delivered Carleigh, told the news station.

Edelenbos said Carleigh is the largest baby he has delivered in his career.

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“I’ve had nine-and 10-pound babies and I figured maybe she’d be 10 pounds,” Corbitt said. “I’d have another 10-pound baby, but she was a surprise.”

Baby Carleigh experienced gestational diabetes when she was first born, so she had to remain in a neonatal intensive care unit briefly until her blood sugar levels were normal.

ARIZONA COUPLE FINDS 1963 WEDDING ALBUM IN THEIR FLORIDA HOME’S CEILING

Carleigh’s mother said she does not intend to have any more children for the time being.

“I’m done. I’m done. No more babies for me,” Christine said.

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Baby born after fatal car accident dies

The newborn baby who was delivered after the 18-year-old mother was fatally injured in a car crash died just a day after her. The head-on crash near Fresno had caused Joanne Delgado, who was between six to nine months pregnant, to go into early labor before her death, ABC 7 reported.

Investigators said Delgado crossed the median near Highway 145 and Elkhorn for unknown reasons and collided with another vehicle around 7 p.m. on Sunday. The other driver, Adriana Romero, 24, was also killed. Delgado’s 10-year-old passenger is hospitalized with major injuries, ABC 7 reported.

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“It’s never easy coming to these traffic accidents. But to see something like that where a child is born prematurely and potentially sustain fatal injuries as a result of the accident, it’s heartbreaking,” California Highway Patrol Sgt. Mike Trenhomlm, told ABC7.

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Powassan virus: Potentially fatal tick disease that can be transmitted in minutes reported in Maine

Two new cases of a dangerous and potentially fatal tick-borne illness have health officials in Maine on high alert as agencies across the nation brace for a particularly high-population tick season. The patients, who were not identified by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), contracted Powassan virus, which differs from Lyme disease as it can be transferred from tick to human in a matter of minutes.

“It’s a virus, whereas Lyme is a bacteria,” Dr. Kent Holtorf, a Lyme disease expert and medical director of Holtorf Medical Group, told Fox News. “If you catch Lyme early, antibiotics can eradicate it, but with a virus, you have much less options to do anything about it.”

‘MIRACLE BABY’ BORN WITHOUT A NOSE DIES AT AGE 2, FAMILY SAYS

Holtorf added that the symptoms of Powassan are more severe than Lyme, and can quickly reach a patient’s brain, leaving them susceptible to long-term neurological damage. The patients in Maine began presenting symptoms in late April and were hospitalized with encephalitis. They’ve since been discharged and are continuing to recover. Not all patients will have symptoms and will not be impacted by the infection, but those who are may experience fever, headache, vomiting, weakness, confusion, seizures and memory loss. In 10-15 percent of cases, the virus proves fatal.

Holtorf said people who are most likely to be symptomatic are those who are immunosuppressed or those who have previously contracted tick-borne illnesses like West Nile, Dengue and Lyme disease.

“In terms of the risk of you getting it, it’s very low,” Holtorf said, citing an average of seven cases reported annually by the CDC. “But there are going to be people that are going to get it, and though most won’t have symptoms, there are going to be people that are going to have severe brain damage from it — so it is concerning that you’re normal one day, and a few weeks later, you’re on a respirator and never the same again.”

According to the CDC, the two most recent cases brings Maine’s total count to nine since 2000. Holtorf said the overall recent spike in tick-borne illnesses likely has to do with the warmer temperatures during the two previous winters, and that the pests are developing mutated versions of some diseases.

“These things are mutating, and it’s becoming a scary world out there,” he said.

‘LIKE BEING PLUNGED STRAIGHT INTO HELL’: MOM OF TODDLER KILLED IN CRASH WARNS ON CAR SEAT SAFETY

While officials in the state are calling for hikers and others who choose to head outdoors to be vigilant, politicians and health agencies in other states are making similar pleas. In New York City, where more than 8,000 people were diagnosed with Lyme disease over the past 15 years, Sen. Charles Schumer (D-N.Y.) called for greater federal funding to fight against the disease.

Holtorf cited CDC recommendations to use tick repellent with DEET, and advised people who enjoy the outdoors to wear long pants, tuck jeans into pants or socks, and conduct frequent tick checks.

“With Lyme, you go back, take a shower and check yourself for ticks because you have time,” he said. “The problem with this is you don’t have much time.”

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4-year-old thriving despite 100 bone breaks

A Georgia preschooler who was “born broken” is thriving despite more than 100 bone breaks and a genetic collagen disorder that left his skeletal frame so fragile that his parents weren’t sure how to hold him.

“His willpower and determination are awe-inspiring,” Brianna Elrod, Easton Elrod’s mother, told Fox 5 Atlanta. “I don’t know any other way to say it. He just gets up and does his thing.”

‘MIRACLE BABY’ BORN WITHOUT A NOSE DIES AT AGE 2, FAMILY SAYS

Easton was born with a moderate to severe form of Osteogenesis Imperfecta, also referred to as brittle bone disease. Nearly every bone in his body was broken at the time of his birth. When he was just 15-months-old, doctors placed expandable metal rides inside his leg bones to help him grow, Fox 5 Atlanta reported.

“Those rods are like internal casts, that keep his bones straight and aligned,” Dr. Jill Flanagan, Easton’s pediatric orthopedic surgeon at children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, told Fox 5 Atlanta. “The more straight his bones are, the less likely they are to break.”

Through physical and occupational therapy, including water therapy, Easton has worked to strengthen his body. He receives an infusion of an IV drug every 10 weeks through a chest port, and recently began playing baseball with the North Metro Miracle League.

‘LIKE BEING PLUNGED STRAIGHT INTO HELL’: MOM OF TODDLER KILLED IN CRASH WARNS ON CAR SEAT SAFETY

Recently, Easton rounded the bases without the assistance of his walker.

“Whatever he wants, I hope he gets it,” Elrod told the news outlet. “And he will. He’s so determined.”

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‘Like being plunged straight into hell’: Mom of toddler killed in crash warns on car seat safety

A mother who lost her son in a tragic accident 12 years ago is urging others to research the safety of car seats before choosing one for their child. In an emotional post on the Car Seat Consultants Facebook page, Christine Caleb shared the heartbreak she’s lived through after her son Kyle was killed in a booster seat.

“12 years ago today was the last time I saw this beautiful smile, kissed his sweet face or felt his little arms wrap around my neck,” Caleb, who has five other children, posted on May 29. “I had no idea that morning with him would be the last time I heard his adorable laugh and sweet voice call me ‘Mommy’ and see his eyes lit (SIC) up with life and wonder.”

‘MIRACLE BABY’ BORN WITHOUT A NOSE DIES AT AGE 2, FAMILY SAYS

In May 2005, Kyle was sitting in a booster seat and wearing a seat belt when a driver ran a red light and hit the family’s van. Kyle, then 3, was ejected from the fan and killed on impact.

“He was the sweetest, kindest, most gentle soul I’ve ever known,” Caleb posted in part. “There is not a day that passes that my heart does not ache with missing him and wondering what he would be like now. Losing Kyle was like being plunged straight into hell, a pain and agony beyond description.”

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), 633 children ages 12 and younger died as occupants in a motor vehicle crash during 2015, and more than 121,350 were injured in 2014. A CDC study found that more than 618,000 children ages 0-12 months rode in vehicles without use of a child safety seat or booster seat or a seat belt at least some of the time.

“I think the hardest part of it all is knowing [how] easily preventable it was,” Caleb wrote. “That’s the dagger that twists in my heart. Had I just known about the dangers of booster seats for toddlers, had somebody warned me, I would have put him in a 5-point harness car seat…and that simple difference would have changed everything. It would have saved his life.”

OHIO POLICE OFFICERS ON THE FRONTLINE FIGHTING OPIOID CRISIS

Caleb urged parents to speak more about proper car seat usage and to ensure that they are installed correctly before being used.

“We try to portect our kids from everything from pesticides, GMOs, sharp furniture corners and cancer, but then buckle them into unsafe car seats. This needs to change,” she wrote. “Please, if you have young children or know someone with young children, research proper car seat usage and talk about it with everyone you know. I’ve lost friends and family members because they were offended that I pointed out their incorrect car seat usage. But to say nothing and have another child’s death on my conscious (sic) is not something I’m willing to risk.”

As of Monday, Caleb’s post had garnered more than 2,300 reactions and was shared nearly 5,000 times on Facebook.

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Why you should chew gum after a C-section

Among the difficult things a woman has to do after having a C-section — from tending to her stitches to learning to breast-feed — now there’s a recommendation that’s a little easier: chew gum.

A new meta-analysis suggests that chewing gum three times a day for 30 minutes each time can help bring back women’s normal gut function after a C-section delivery .

Up to one in five women develop a condition called "postoperative ileus" after a C-section, according to the meta-analysis, published online May 14 in The Journal of Maternal-Fetal & Neonatal Medicine .

"Postoperative ileus" means that the normal movements of a person’s bowels — which squeeze and relax to move food along — slow down or sometimes even stop entirely, said senior study author Dr. Vincenzo Berghella, an OB-GYN at Thomas Jefferson University Hospital in Philadelphia.

Troopers help save new mom in need of blood after difficult delivery

Minnesota State Patrol troopers are being credited with saving the life of a new mom who experienced a massive hemorrhage while undergoing a cesarean section last month. Lisa Jaeger, of Cannon Falls, was in dire need of blood located 45 miles away from the Mayo Clinic Health System where she was giving birth, Hastings Star Gazette reported.

“I remember the doctor saying, ‘Turn your head, wake up, look at your son,’” Jaeger, who labored for 36 hours before doctors decided to go ahead with a C-section delivery, told the news outlet. “I thought I was, and I wasn’t; I was not responding at all at that point.”

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Jaeger had lost about three litres of blood, and though unresponsive she heard the doctors call for a blood run. Jaeger and her husband, Brent, are both on the Minnesota State Patrol staff so they knew what that call meant, Hastings Star Gazette reported.

“In my head I went, ‘I bet that’s the troopers that are running the blood down here,’” she told the news outlet.

Troopers Jesse Einhorn, Jacob Letourneau and Dau Yang formed a relay and had the blood delivered to Jaeger in just over an hour. Doctors said that if it hadn’t been for their efforts, Jaeger likely wouldn’t have survived, Hastings Star Gazette reported.

‘LOTUS BIRTH’: WHAT EXPERTS SAY ABOUT CUTTING THE CORD

“We were that close,” she said. “I’m here because of a phenomenal team of doctors and nurses at the hospital, because of these three troopers and because of people that donate blood.”

Jaeger and her son, Ryan, are doing fine, the news outlet reported.

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‘Lotus birth’: What experts say about cutting the cord

The birthing practice known as "lotus birth," in which parents allow a newborn’s umbilical cord to remain attached to the placenta until the cord breaks naturally, is enjoying some popularity, perhaps especially among those who favor home births and assign special significance to the expelled placenta.

In a lotus birth, rather than cutting the umbilical cord within a few minutes of the birth, the parents carry the placenta — still connected to the newborn baby — in a bowl or special pouch, for days, long after it has ceased to actively transfer blood to the newborn.

Hospitals, by comparison, usually dispose of the placenta shortly after the umbilical cord is cut. Advocates for lotus birth argue that prolonged contact with the placenta eases the newborn’s transition to life outside the womb, and claim that the practice may provide health benefits. However, experts are skeptical about lotus birth, and some warn that it may even be harmful to the baby.

There is significant risk associated with keeping a newborn connected to what is essentially a dead and decaying organ , Dr. William Schweizer, an OB/GYN and clinical associate professor at New York University Langone Medical Center, told Live Science in an email.

1-year-old revived with Narcan after opioid overdose, police say

A 1-year-old boy in Ohio was revived with Narcan after he overdosed on opioids Thursday evening, police said.

The boy’s 9-year-old brother called 911 at about 6:30 p.m. after realizing the unidentified boy wasn’t breathing at their Akron home, The Associated Press reported.

Paramedics rushed the baby to the hospital where they administered a second dose of Narcan after the first round had failed.

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The boy was successfully revived and was able to breathe on his own a short time later. He remained at the hospital for the night in unknown condition, Fox 8 Cleveland reported.

Police are searching for the boy’s mother, who was not at the home when officers first arrived. Both children were taken into the custody of Summit County Children Services.

It was the youngest opioid overdose in the history of Akron, police said.

Narcan is often given to people to help reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.

Click here for more from Fox 8 Cleveland.

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Parents racing to save toddler from ‘childhood Alzheimer’s’

A Massachusetts couple is in a race against time to save their 13-month-old son from an extremely rare, fatal disease often referred to as “childhood Alzheimer’s.”

Last month, Purnell “Nell” Sabky was diagnosed with the genetic disorder Niemann-Pick Type A, and doctors told his parents that, without intervention, he likely would not live to see his third birthday.

MAN DIES FROM FLESH-EATING BACTERIA AFTER SWIMMING WITH NEW TATTOO

Niemann-Pick Type A is caused by a lack of a specific enzyme, and the disorder prevents the body from metabolizing fat, which leads fat to accumulate around the organs. Patients typically develop an enlarged liver and spleen by 3 months old, and fail to gain weight and grow normally. At around age 1, patients with the disease usually begin to experience a progressive loss of mental abilities and movement, according to the U.S. National Library of Medicine.

“In addition to the complications of his body, he’ll start to grow distant from us,” Sam Sabky, Nell’s father, told Boston 25. “He won’t be able to smile, he won’t be able to laugh, and that’s really the hardest part to deal with.”

With no treatment or cure available, the Sabkys’ doctor told Sam and his wife, Taylor Sabky, that a genetic therapy was on the horizon but that a lack of funding was preventing it from moving forward. They are now racing to raise $750,000 by the end of June with the hopes of treating Nell before his disease progresses much more.

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“You think of all the things that your child has ahead of him, and then you hear something like this, and it cuts short all those dreams and wishes,” Taylor told Boston 25. “We want him to have a future, to grow up, to do the small things like saying ‘mama’ and ‘dada,’ to do more long-term things. You think about him getting married, you know, what he’s going to do for a career.”

The money raised will go to the Wylder Nation Foundation, which is working with researchers at the University of California San Francisco’s Bankiewicz Laboratory to make the treatment available to patients, Boston 25 reported. While Nell would be the first patient to enroll in trials, the family is aware of how delicate the timeline is.

“We can dictate this timeline on our terms and try to give him a shot at life,” Sam told Boston 25. “And at the very worst, we can take comfort at the fact that we move the ball forward for maybe the next kid or the kid after that. And that’s a legacy we’d be really proud that Purnell left on the world.”

As of Thursday, the family’s GoFundMe page had received more than $191,000 in donations.

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