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.
Nine in 10 U.S. adults eat too much sodium. Most of it comes from common restaurant or grocery store items. Top sources of sodium in our diet? — Cold cuts, pizza, of course, but bread?
Overweight doctors discuss weight loss less frequently with obese patients than doctors with normal weights and they’re significantly less confident of their ability to provide effective counseling about diet or exercise.
Want to lose weight? Quit smoking? Get fit? It can be done, but you’re more likely to reach your goals if you take a slow, step-by-step approach, experts say.
“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.
Chef Eric Eisenberg, executive chef at Swedish Medical Center, has come up with some healthy holiday drinks to help those watching their weight get through the season’s celebrations.
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.
Many mothers and children qualify for WIC nutrition help. With just a phone call, parents get an appointment in one to two weeks, and will receive WIC checks at their first appointment.
After 20 years of U.S. residency, rates of hypertension, diabetes and obesity rise sharply for Hispanic immigrants.
Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center study suggests that, in postmenopausal women at least, dietary weight loss alone is effective while exercise alone is not effective — but both together are best of all.
Being heavy in young adulthood can lead to earlier death, even if a person loses weight later.
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.
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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