The use of overnight sleep testing has soared. One reason, critics say: testing is a lucrative business for doctors.
The use of fireplaces and uncertified wood stoves is prohibited as a high-pressure system brings cold temperatures and calm winds to the region. Air quality is expected to worsen, especially in communities where residential wood burning is common. Burn ban violations are subject to a $1,000 penalty.
Among the trends that drove down the state’s rankings this year were rises in the rates of obesity, diabetes, and smoking — and a decline in high school graduation rates.
In the previous five years, the 7 percent of retailers were caught selling tobacco to underage teens. This year the number caught jumped to 15 percent of the time.
November through March winter weather often causes stagnant air that traps air pollution from outdoor burning, wood stoves, and fireplaces gets trapped near the ground.
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
The number of cases of whooping cough in Washington are up sharply this year with 431 cases reported in the state — 53 more than this time last year.
Ridding homes and offices of mold can help reduce respiratory infections and symptoms of asthma, but the best way to eliminate the mold remains unclear.
Hospitals are promoting the scans without warning patients of the potential downsides of the test, critics say.
Washington’s Tobacco Quit Line will no longer provide services to the general population, but King County residents and some other groups can get help other sources.
Hundreds of hospitals are routinely performing a type of chest scan that experts say should be used rarely, subjecting patients to double doses of radiation and driving up health care costs.
A provision of the law extends Medicare coverage to patients who developed asbestosis after living in the town which was contaminated by mining operations.
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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