Category: Brain & Nervous System
It’s time to stop spending money looking for a link between vaccines and autism, says a co-founder of a new autism advocacy group called the Autism Science Foundation. Many parents remain unnecessarily concerned that vaccines cause autism despite the results of a large number of studies that have found no evidence of such a link, [...]
The psoriasis drug Raptiva is being withdrawn from the U.S. market after reports that three patients on the drug had developed a serious brain disease called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML) that is almost always fatal. A third patient on Raptiva died of a progressive neurological disorder but it is not known whether the disease was PML. [...]
Virginia Mason Medical Center has opened a Headache Clinic at its Federal Way facility. The facility will be for adult men and women who have recurring headaches of all kinds, including migraine, tension and menstrual headaches. Dr. Dennis Rochier and Linda Johnston, an advanced registered nurse practitioner, will provide care at the clinic. Both are [...]
In three confirmed cases and one suspected case, patients using the psoriasis drug Raptiva have developed a rare and serious brain infection called progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy (PML), the U.S. Food and Drug Administration said in a public health advisory released today. All four patients had used the drug for more than three years; three of [...]
In Autism’s False Prophets: Bad Science, Risky Medicine, and the Search for a Cure, Dr. Offit examines the the theories of those who hold that vaccines cause autism.
Gingko biloba, a popular herbal preparation used to prevent or treat memory problems, failed to prevent the onset of dementia or Alzheimer’s diseases in a large study of older men and women. The study appears in today’s issue of JAMA, the Journal of the American Medical Association Gingko biloba is one of the most popular [...]
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The Multiple Sclerosis Association of King County after more than 50 years of operation is shutting down and will merge the Greater Washington Chapter of the National MS Society.
Swedish Medical Center in Seattle has opened a new brain cancer treatment center, the first of its kind in the Northwest. The facility, the Center for the Advanced Brain Tumor Treatment, will bring under one roof all the services needed for the treatment of brain cancer, including surgical, radiation, chemotherapy and social support services, said [...]
Swedish hospital will launch a study this fall to see if there is a link between migraines and a potentially dangerous pregnancy disorder called pre-eclampsia. About 8% of women will develop pre-eclampsia during pregnancy, but most cases are mild. In some cases, however, pre-eclampsia can be severe and lead to serious neurological complications including stroke [...]
Washington health insurer Regence BlueShield will stop paying for Botox treatments for migraines on Oct. 1, Seattle Times health reporter Kyung M. Song writes in today’s paper. Botox is the brand name of a drug derived from a toxin produced by a bacterium called Clostridium botulinum. This is the toxin that causes the paralyzing poisoning [...]
Small changes in one chromosome have been linked to a wide range of mental disorders including mental retardation, autism and other birth defects, University of Washington researchers report published Sept. 10 by the New England Journal of Medicine. The discovery could lead to new ways for doctors to diagnose mental retardation, autism and other disorders.
LocalHealthGuide is a health news and information web service for Seattle and the Puget Sound Region. We are independent and unaffiliated with any hospital, medical association or insurer. If you have questions or if your group has an upcoming event that you would like us to cover, please let us know by going to our "Contact Us" page and dropping us a note. -- Michael McCarthy, Editor
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Lost in translation: Lack of trained interpreters can lead to medical errors
Interpreter services at hospitals and other medical settings are often inadequate, forcing family members, including children, to step in, or the task falls to medical staff members who may not speak the language well.
Some insurers deny ER coverage to people who have been drinking
Laws in more than half the states permit insurers to deny payment for medical services related to alcohol or drug use. Faced with the prospect of not getting paid for care, some ER personnel sidestep the problem by simply not testing patients’ blood or urine for alcohol.
Travel insurance can protect your wallet — and your health on vacation
Think your regular health insurance policy will cover you if you get into medical trouble overseas?
Don’t bet on it.
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