Consumers may need to give a few seasonal gifts a second look about their safety and other health-related issues: Powerful rare-earth magnets, used in many toys and especially in shape construction kits, pose big risks to kids when swallowed. Widely used over-the-counter genetic testing kits may subject users to major privacy concerns they never contemplated…..
Continue ReadingArchives for December 2019
Big cash gives Big Pharma and device makers a dubious sway over doctors
Although it’s always important to remember in research studies that associations don’t prove causation, findings from two separate works should raise serious concerns about doctors’ independence and judgment in prescribing drugs and reporting conflicts of interest about payments from makers of medical devices. That’s because doctors who get money from drug makers in connection with….
Continue ReadingU.S. to require vapers and smokers to be at least age 21 to buy tobacco in any form
Consumers soon may need to be 21 or older to buy burning tobacco cigarettes or e-cigarettes, the key component of the national health nightmare of “vaping.” Both the House and Senate have passed the higher age requirement and President Trump is expected to sign it, joining hundreds of states (including Maryland, as illustration shows) and….
Continue ReadingNew warnings on how Rx and illicit drugs can be deadly, especially if mixed
A widely prescribed drug, formally approved only for limited uses but now dispensed for many nerve-related conditions, can put patients at serious risk of breathing problems, especially if they are aged, suffer from all too common chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, or may also be taking opioid pain killers or other medications that depress the central….
Continue ReadingWhile kids suffered harms, consumer agency cozied up to corporations
One of the nation’s top consumer protection agencies cozied up to the businesses it was supposed to watch over, leaving children and other consumers vulnerable to significant harms. That’s the disturbing conclusion of congressional staffers reporting to Maria Cantwell, the ranking Democrat on a U.S. Senate committee with oversight responsibilities for the Consumer Product Safety….
Continue ReadingCan Car Accidents Cause Arthritis?
When you think of arthritis, chances are good that your first thought is of your grandparents, parents — or even your own aging joints! Most of us view this medical condition as something that only old people get, yet the truth is that anyone can be diagnosed with arthritis. This is particularly true if a….
Continue ReadingGOP lawsuit hasn’t shoved health care off a cliff — not yet. But ACA in limbo helps nobody.
Insurers feast on uncertainty the way most of us attack a holiday spread. They can relish risk because they know it can mean higher premiums and profits for their dealing with clients’ risks. This is one point to keep in mind while reading the abundant coverage of the latest step in Republicans’ decade-long assault on….
Continue ReadingHow Long Does It Take to Negotiate a Personal Injury Settlement in Washington, D.C.?
After you have been hurt in a medical malpractice case, car accident, slip and fall, or another type of personal injury, you may be in a difficult place. Many people are unable to work after this type of event, and find themselves with less money and more bills. When you add the stress of being….
Continue ReadingIntoxicated drivers keep killing too many. New, targeted tactics may be needed.
Politicians and police may need to step up their crackdown on drug- and alcohol-impaired drivers, targeting repeat offenders with substance-abuse and mental health problems who also are “disproportionately responsible for fatalities,” a leading traffic safety group recommends. As the Wall Street Journal reported of new work by the Governors Highway Safety Association and its consultant….
Continue ReadingIn a Car Accident with No License or Insurance: What Happens
In an ideal world, every driver on the road would have perfect driving skills and would pay full time and attention every second behind the wheel. Every motorist would also have the maximum level of insurance available — not that he or she would need it, because our perfect driving would mean no accidents. Of….
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