Police Respond To Animal Complaints And Drug Overdoses

Joan Rusek/Special to cleveland.com  CHAGRIN FALLS, Ohio - Animal Complaint, Ridgewood Road: After seeing a large white pig standing on the sidewalk 8:24 a.m. Sept. 19, a motorist called police. Before an officer arrived the pet pig had moved to its yard posing no danger to traffic or pedestrians.

Department Information, West Washington Street: While walking her dog on South Franklin Street on Sept. 16, a dog that lives on the street ran out and attacked hers. She told police about the incident the next day but declined to press charges.

Mutual Aid, West Washington Street: Police responded 5:34 p.m. Sept. 13 to help Bentleyville police after a woman exited a vehicle screaming she was punched in the face. The accused man was arrested and turned over to Solon police where the incident took place.

Traffic Stop, Carriage Stone Drive: A Penna. man was cited 4:38 p.m. Sept. 18 after he was stopped for driving outside of his driving privileges. He was also cited for having a small amount of marijuana.

Drug Overdose, Solon Road: Police responded 11:32 p.m. Sept. 19 and again 11 p.m. Sept. 20 to an apartment after a 23-year-old man overdosed on opioids. He was revived with Narcan each time and transported to Hillcrest Hospital for treatment.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.

Breastfeeding May Help Protect Mothers Against Stroke

.Stroke is the third-leading cause of death for women, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). A new study from the American Heart Association (AHA) says breastfeeding may be added to the list of ways to reduce the risk of stroke later in life.

Several risk factors (such as diabetes, high blood pressure, and smoking) and protective factors (such as controlling blood sugar and blood pressure and exercising), have been identified for stroke by the American Stroke Association.

To find this new protective factor, researchers from the University of Kansas looked at data from 80,191 women from The Women’s Health Initiative Observational Study, which tracked the health habits and medical outcomes for women between 1993 and 1998. At this time, the average age of the women was 63.7.

These women were asked to report how long (if ever) they had breastfed their children. Of the women who did breastfeed, 51 percent of them breastfed for one to six months, 22 percent for seven to 12 months, and 27 percent for 13 or more months. In 2010, after adjusting for other factors which may have been contributed (level of exercise, smoking, etc.), researchers tallied up how many post-menopausal women had experienced a stroke during the follow-up period.

What did the researchers find?

Compared with women who had never breastfed, stroke risk was 23 percent lower overall in women who did. It was most pronounced in non-Hispanic black women, who had a 48 percent lower risk, followed by Hispanic women, who had a 32 percent lower risk. White women showed a 21 percent lower risk. There was a slightly lower reduction in overall stroke risk, 19 percent, for women who had breastfed for at least one to six months.

What are the current breastfeeding guidelines?

A mom breastfeeds her child.

The guidelines, set by the American Academy of Pediatrics, recommend that women breastfeed for at least six months to reap benefits of breastfeeding for both the mother and baby.

Dr. Lisette Jacobson, lead author and assistant professor at the University of Kansas School of Medicine in Wichita, hopes that this study will encourage women to follow these guidelines.

"For women of reproductive age who are thinking of having a baby, I would say to strongly consider breastfeeding as a part of your birthing plan, at least for the recommended six month period," she told ABC News.

The study was observational, the researchers didn’t intervene and ask one group to breastfeed longer or shorter, so it cannot establish a “cause and effect” relationship between breastfeeding and stroke. The data does seem to link the two, however, and Jacobson does hope that the findings of this study will spark further research to learn more about the relationship.

She stressed the racially relevant findings, which showed the greatest benefit for non-Hispanic black women and Hispanic women. Stroke also happens to be leading cause of death overall in non-Hispanic black women and Hispanic women over the age of 65, so Jacobson says the study may give priceless information to public outreach programs about breastfeeding.

“We need to increase public awareness of breastfeeding and maternal outcomes later in life in general," Jacobson said, "but especially for those populations -- non-Hispanic black and Hispanic Americans -- who face a larger health burden from stroke."

Richa Kalra, M.D., is a resident physician specializing in psychiatry and working in the ABC News Medical Unit.

How Do Energy Bars Measure Up?

Energy bars are easy to grab, and there are lots to choose from. But how do they stack up? Consumer Reports' food experts looked at 33 popular energy bars - ranking everything from nutrition to taste. In the 1960's, energy bars were created for astronauts to eat in outer space. Back here on earth, energy bars fueled the jogging craze of the 70's, and continue as a fitness favorite today.

After all, they're portable, convenient, and help squash hunger. They're certainly marketed as being healthy, but are they legit? Consumer Reports' food experts sampled 33 bars, 21 chocolate nut and 12 berry nut types looking at the flavor, ingredients and nutritional quality. CR's most important finding: Many of these bars don't live up to the healthy marketing seen on the packaging. Will eating this one 'save your life?' The name actually refers to food aid donations. The RxBar sounds like a prescription for health but there's nothing medicinal about it. Consumer Reports Health Expert Ellen Klosz says, "The best way to choose a bar is to look for more real ingredients, like nuts, fruits, and grains rather than processed ingredients." Here are CR's top choices for nutrition and taste:

 In the berry category, Pure Organic Wild Blueberry Fruit and Nut Bar contain whole blueberries and nuts. This soft bar is sweet and tangy, and tastes of dates. Testers found this one soft and dense. Larabar's blueberry bar also has cashew pieces throughout, with a slightly sour and sweet flavor. CR recommendations in the chocolate energy bar category include an organic chocolate and peanut butter bar from Nature's Path. It's a sweet-tasting, moist bar with lots of coconut and chocolate chunks. And Larabar Nut and Seed Crunchy Bar is crunchy, with finely chopped almonds and dark chocolate with a slight coconut flavor. And watch for sugars. If you see agave or tapioca syrup, make sure they're towards the end of the ingredient list.