Cut the growth in rates of obesity by just 1 percent a year over the next two decades, and you’ll slice health costs by $85 billion. Keep obesity rates at their current levels – which is well below a 33 percent increase being projected — save nearly $550 billion.
Deaths from cancer in the U.S. declined from 1999 to 2008, maintaining a trend seen since the early 1990s. Mortality fell for most cancer types, including the four most common types of cancer in the United States — lung, colorectal, breast, and prostate –, although the rate of decline varied by cancer type and across racial and ethnic groups.
The recognition is part of Communities Putting Prevention to Work (CPPW) initiative, which seeks to join community organizations, local cities, schools districts and public health agencies in efforts to reduce the leading causes of preventable death, such as obesity and tobacco use.
C-section boom in Boston. A virus stalks the NBA. A hospital apologizes to actor James Wood. Personhood at conception? Judge-directed malpractice settlements. GOP missing the boat on health care reform?
Federal funding for medical research, disease prevention and a host of public health initiatives could be sharply reduced if the congressional super committee fails to agree on a deficit-reduction package, triggering automatic cuts.
Stay Safe In and Around Swimming Pools A feature article from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Splashing in a swimming pool is a sure way to have summer fun. But it’s important to make safety a priority to protect children and others in and around the water. Drowning is a leading cause [...]
Ask your healthcare provider to clean their hands with soap before they examine you or check your wound — and other tips to avoid surgical infections from the CDC.
Are you ready for the zombie apocalypse? The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention has some preparedness tips that may prove helpful when the undead begin to stalk the streets.
More than 15% of US adults report binge drinking, defined as 5 or more drinks on a single occasion for men or 4 or more drinks on a single occasion for women. Most who binge drink are not alcohol-dependent or alcoholics and often don’t realize the dangers of this sort of drinking.
Public Health – Seattle and King County’s Dr. Jeff Duchin has been appointed to serve on the U.S. Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices
CDC reports on 60 cases identified in the U.S. since 2004: 43 from Oregon, 15 from Washington, one from California, and one from Idaho.
Clicking on the email allows a malicious code to be installed on your computer.
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
View Calendar
✔ Subscribe
Add to Google
Seattle Times Health News
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.
Recent Comments