DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) – The medical director for the Iowa Department of Public Health is warning against the tapeworm diet.  In her weekly email to public health workers around Iowa, Dr. Patricia Quinlisk recounted a recent incident: A physician sought the department’s help for a patient who said she’d swallowed a tapeworm she’d bought over the Internet. The woman was hoping the parasite would help her lose weight.

Quinlisk says hucksters sold tapeworm eggs in pill form as a weight-loss aid a century ago. She says ingesting them “is extremely risky and can cause a wide range of undesirable side effects, including rare deaths.” Tapeworms can live for years in the intestines and grow to several feet long. They can be accidentally ingested in undercooked meat.  An anti-worm medication was advised for the woman.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest Thursday evening, of 69-year old Karen Jean Tuntas, of Red Oak. She was charged with OWI/1st offense, and cited for having no or improper registration and no insurance, following a traffic stop at around 5:25-p.m., in the 1300 block of north Broadway Street, in Red Oak.

Tuntas was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $1,000 bond.

Police in Red Oak report the arrest Thursday night of 35-year old Randall Aron Lane, of Red Oak. Lane was charged with Possession of Drug Paraphernalia, following an investigation into a fire at 104 east Oak Street, that occurred at around 8:40-p.m.

When officers with the Red Oak P-D arrived on the scene of the reported house fire, they located a first floor bedroom and its contents on fire. Red Oak Fire & Rescue personnel were quickly able to contain the fire damage to the lone bedroom. The amount of damage is unclear, but officials say there was extensive smoke damage throughout the residence.

No injuries were reported, and an investigation into the incident remains ongoing. During the initial investigation, authorities found indications of drug usage in the home. Lane was taken into custody and was being held in the Montgomery County Jail on $300 bond, with regard to the drug charge.