California Labor Law Board vs California Labor Law Attorney

July 20th, 2009. By janem

So much for that old adage “Go West Young Man”. In these tough economic times, some Californians may be thinking about moving elsewhere, particularly when employers are cutting back on payroll by various means such as implementing furloughs, or not paying overtime. If this has happened to you, the boss may be violating the California Labor Law.

You’ve got two options: either contact the California Labor Board or seek help from a California labor law attorney. “How the heck can I afford an attorney?” you are likely asking, especially when your paycheck has just been slashed. Of course the California labor board gives free advice and that may be a good place to start, but it generally handles cases below $7500 and it doesn’t even attempt to recover the 4th year of California overtime pay under the California Unfair Competition Statute.

A lawyer, on the other hand, will seek to recover up to 4 years of California overtime pay for their clients. And increasingly, many California labor law attorneys work on a contingency basis—meaning you only pay legal fees if your case has been successfully litigated by the lawyer on your behalf. So what are you waiting for? Get all your ducks in a row; get your paperwork together and call a lawyer.

Darvon Risk Reviewed in 2006 VHA Study

July 20th, 2009. By AbiK

Back in March 2006, the VHA Pharmacy Benefits Management Strategic Healthcare Group and the Medical Advisory Panel conducted a review of the Efficacy and Safety of Propoxyphene (aka, Darvon). The study concluded that the group…

found no substantive evidence to alter our previous conclusions about the efficacy and safety of propoxyphene relative to other opioids. Our recommendations on the use of propoxyphene in the Veterans Health Administration remain essentially the same as in the previous review.

In the majority of VA patients with mild to moderate acute pain and who do not have certain characteristics associated with intentional or unintentional overdose, single-dose or short-term therapy with DPP+/-APAP probably provides adequate analgesia with an acceptable safety profile. The efficacy and safety of long-term therapy with DPP+/-APAP for treatment of chronic pain has not been adequately studied. Read the rest of this entry »

What is a Moneygram Scam?

July 17th, 2009. By AbiK

Pleading Ignorance takes a look at Moneygram scams—what are they, what do you need to look out for?

First and foremost, it’s the misfortune of Moneygram—a reputable company—that its name rhymes with “scam”. Moneygram is probably best known for its money transfer and money order services. Western Union is perhaps a more well-known competitor to Moneygram, offering similar services. Regardless, any money order/transfer service can find itself in the middle of a scam operation—so the point here is not to point the finger at Moneygram. It’s to make you aware of those who try to put Moneygram’s services to illegal use—the scammers.

So Moneygram’s got the rhyming mishap, but…

What is a “Moneygram Scam”?

It’s a coined phrase that refers to a Consumer Fraud Scam. In all instances it involves a hapless victim sending money to a would-be relative, lover or bearer of good news (“have you claimed your sweepstakes prize?”). Read the rest of this entry »

Hydroxycut Diet Pill vs Cigarettes

July 16th, 2009. By janem

If I want to lose weight, I figure that smoking would get the same result as Hydroxycut. Cigarettes and Hydroxycut have a few things in common: they speed up your metabolism, they are appetite suppressants and they are extremely dangerous to your health.

When I quit smoking years ago, I gained 15 pounds. It took some time, but I got rid of the excess weight by exercise and good eating habits. Many people choose a “quick fix” to shed pounds even though it’s common knowledge that diet pills don’t work. In fact they are downright dangerous; remember Fen-phen? It was recalled for contributing to fatal heart valve damage.

 But diet pills are extremely popular and no wonder; according to the FDA, about 120 million Americans are overweight and 54 million are obese. And getting back to ciggies, while smoking is on the decline, overweight and obesity statistics are rapidly rising and obesity is the second most devastating avoidable cause of premature death in the US after tobacco. So can diet drugs save lives by curbing obesity? Doubtful.

Not only can diet pills deprive the body of essential nutrients, some pills can do irreversible damage such as Hydroxycut, which is known to cause liver damage and more. And more often than not, people just gain weight back—if the diet pills haven’t caused serious damage otherwise beforehand. Ask your doctor; the only way to lose weight is good old exercise and eating healthy foods.

Heparin Contamination & the FDA in the YouTube Era

July 16th, 2009. By LucyC

Have you thought of contaminated heparin lately? It’s kind of drifted off people’s radar, but it’s still a current topic on YouTube. Deep in the bowels of YouTube you will find an FDA video, which YouTube shows as being 3 months old, that recaps the reasons why heparin was recalled and precautions you should take, in case there’s more contaminated blood thinner still “at large.”

The video itself is dated July, 2008. It’s interesting that it followed a heavily viewed video from Reuters on heparin contamination titled, “FDA feels the heat over heparin”. So it would appear that the FDA, in a belated abundance of caution, chose to finally advise consumers to keep their eyes and ears open for any possible future heparin recalls. That someone chose to post the video only 3 months ago hints at reports that the FDA is apparently still receiving word of adverse events, which may or may not be due to contaminated product. Read the rest of this entry »