Each prescription drug you take has a unique code that the government can use to track problems. But artificial hips and pacemakers? They are implanted without identification. In fact, the FDA doesn’t know how many devices are implanted into patients each year – it simply doesn’t track that data.
Bisphenol A (BPA) is a chemical used in the production of plastics and resins, such as some water bottles and the coatings of some food cans. It has generated controversy about its impact on human health and development, but the FDA has concluded that the scientific evidence at this time does not suggest that the very low levels of human exposure to BPA through the diet are unsafe.
Federal health officials are warning consumers not to use skin creams, beauty and antiseptic soaps, or lotions that might contain mercury after products with the toxic metal turned up in at least seven states.
“Statins”, the commonly prescribed cholesterol-lowering drugs, can cause impaired memory, diabetes, muscle and liver damage and other problems, but the benefits of the drugs still outweigh the risks, FDA says.
The FDA recently hit the American Red Cross with a nearly $10 million fine for safety violations, lax oversight and faulty testing of its blood services. The fine is just the latest of more than a dozen the Red Cross has racked up in the last decade.
Articles on: Conflict of interest on FDA panels. Radiology residents charged with cheating. Why dentists oppose allowing mid-level dental practitioners provide care in rural and other underserved areas.
Products may contain stray tablets, capsules, or caplets from other drugs, or contain broken or chipped tablets, manufacturer says.
“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.
FDA warns consumers to steer clear of “homeopathic” human chorionic gonadotropin weight-loss products, which are typically marketed with dangerously low-calorie diets.
The FDA has created a new online resource to help consumers recognize and protect themselves from health scams, fraud and bogus health products:
After more than a year of deliberations, the FDA has revoked approval of the biotech blockbuster Avastin, a medicine that chokes off the blood supply to various cancer cells, as a treatment for metastatic breast cancer.
The best thing you can do to lower the chance of Sudden Infant Death Syndrome (SIDS) is to place your baby on his or her back to sleep, with nothing else in the crib or bassinet.
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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