When it comes to food safety, the general rule is, “If in doubt, throw it out.” Never taste suspicious food. It may look and smell fine, but bacteria that cause foodborne illness may be present and could make you sick.
“I lost 90 pounds with the Lap-Band!,” read the billboards. Sounds tempting, doesn’t it? But there are serious risks with the weight-loss surgery promoted by these ads.
As obesity among young people continues to rise, a growing number of clinicians say that weight-loss surgery may be their best chance to take off significant weight. But although health plans frequently cover bariatric surgery in adults, coverage for patients under age 18 is spotty.
Food safety for Thanksgiving goes beyond the proper preparation and cooking of turkey: cross-contamination and improper preparation and storage of other foods are other common causes of food-borne illnesses during the holiday season.
A new drug, called ivacaftor or VX-770, significantly improves lung function and other symptoms in cystic fibrosis patients with a specific mutation — Seattle Childrens/UW study finds
Food at fairs and other outdoor events may not have been properly cleaned, refrigerated or cooked: So take care.
If you’re injured after drinking, can your insurer refuse to pay? Do privacy rules keep insurers from talking to you about your spouse’s coverage? Does colonoscopy coverage include polyp removal? Yes, no and maybe.
People are urged not to eat shellfish from that area until further notice due to the risk of Diarrhetic Shellfish Poisoning (DSP).
The shellfish contain the bacteria Vibrio parahemolyticus, which thrives in Washington’s coastal waters in the summer, but which can be killed with cooking.
Consumers with celiac disease must avoid gluten—proteins found in baked goods made with wheat and some other grains. For those not sensitive to gluten, there’s no health benefit to a gluten-free diet.
Washington health officials to warn people not to eat alfalfa sprouts or spicy sprouts labeled “Evergreen Produce” or “Evergreen Produce, Inc.” The sprouts are linked to nine cases of Salmonella Enteritidis in Washington; cases have also been reported in Idaho, Montana and North Dakota.
German health authorities have linked the E. coli outbreak that has killed 22 and sickened 1,700 people across Europe to locally grown bean sprouts, the European press is reporting today.
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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Seattle Times Health News
Experts divided over recommendation to screen children for cholesterol
Some clinicians say universal screening is an important tool to help identify children who are genetically predisposed to high cholesterol and to pinpoint others who could benefit from treatment. Others express concerns that screening may do more harm than good.
People in state high-risk insurance plans often feel left behind
The federal health law set up new plans that are cheaper and more comprehensive than the older ones run by states but consumers need to go without insurance for six months to qualify.
Peeking in on your doctor’s notes
Although federal law guarantees patients the right to examine and get copies of their medical records, providers haven’t always made it easy to do so. But the movement to give patients direct access to their health information has picked up steam, and policymakers have encouraged it as a way to empower patients to help manage their health and their medical care.
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