If you think back to junior high or middle school, you probably remember getting checked for scoliosis. We tend to think of this medical condition as something that afflicts the young. Generally, this is true; most people develop scoliosis between the ages of 10 to 15. Yet scoliosis can be diagnosed at any time in….
Continue ReadingArchives for December 2019
Hospitals’ preventable patient deaths add to big concerns in mental health care
With mental health services stretched thin and failing to fill significant need, it may be more distressing still for the public to confront growing evidence of big problems in existing facilities that try to treat those with serious psychiatric ills. The Los Angeles Times, based on its investigation, has found “nearly 100 preventable deaths over….
Continue ReadingWhat is BAC and How Does It Affect Your Driving?
The numbers are startling. Despite decades of campaigns against drunk driving, in 2017, 10,874 people were killed by drunk drivers. Of those killed, 61% of the drivers had a blood alcohol content (BAC) of .08% or higher. BAC is a scientific term that is critical to understanding drunk driving, as well as how alcohol affects….
Continue ReadingInvestigations rip FDA for laxity on asbestos-tainted talc and medical devices
When it comes to medical products — devices put in or substances put on our bodies — consumers may be ill-served by the federal regulators who are supposed to protect them from injury. The federal Food and Drug Administration has taken a double hit in recent news reports, with an investigation by Reuters news service….
Continue ReadingWashington, D.C. Parking Lot Accidents
If you’ve been shopping, out to a restaurant, or almost anywhere in the greater Washington, D.C. area, then you likely know just how hectic parking lots can truly be. If you’re lucky, you might grab a parking spot immediately. Otherwise, you’ll be circling for 10 minutes or longer, searching for parking — all the while….
Continue ReadingD.C. Teen Driving Laws
There are few things that parents dread more than their children turning 16. While there is a certain sense of relief that their kids no longer need a chauffeur, the thought of their young sons and daughters being behind the wheel of a car can be scary. This is particularly true given the statistics on….
Continue ReadingSamoa, a Pacific speck, provides a big and sad lesson about vaccinations
The distant nation of Samoa may have more to offer the United States than prominent athletes and warm Pacific Islander culture. Its deadly experiences with a raging outbreak of an infectious disease underscore a timely and important message: Vaccinations matter and we should all get them. A confluence of unfortunate events has led to a measles….
Continue ReadingAs life expectancy and fertility rates decline, health politics more key than ever
Ohio, Pennsylvania, Kentucky, and Indiana — if you’re obsessed with national politics, these states might register in your mind as key partisan battlegrounds. But if you’re focused on Americans’ health and well-being, these states — along with New Hampshire, Maine, Vermont, and West Virginia — may be causes for different and considerable concern: the nation’s….
Continue ReadingGrim way to increase nursing home profit: Toss out frail seniors and disabled
Profit-hungry nursing home operators persist in throwing out vulnerable seniors and disabled patients from needed care, too often because the facilities find they can get higher-paying patients to fill their already costly beds. Thousands of complaints about potentially improper discharges or transfers from nursing homes and assisted living facilities dominate the work of ombudsmen, whose….
Continue ReadingWith new heat on THC and CBD use, will zeal for marijuana keep growing?
Fans of marijuana and its related products may want to take careful note of developments regarding their health and safety effects. Federal researchers are racing to trace thousands of cases of lung damage and dozens of deaths to so-called smokeless consumption of tetrahydrocannabinol or THC, the ingredient that produces the marijuana high. Other federal officials….
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