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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.
Alternative Medicine
Viewpoint: Exploring effective pain relief options
The Seattle Times series on methadone deaths highlights the drawbacks of drug treatment for pain and the need to explore alternative approaches, writes Bill Scott.
FDA warns dieters to ‘steer clear’ of HCG weight-loss products
FDA warns consumers to steer clear of “homeopathic” human chorionic gonadotropin weight-loss products, which are typically marketed with dangerously low-calorie diets.
The snake oil salesman is still alive — and on the Internet
The FDA has created a new online resource to help consumers recognize and protect themselves from health scams, fraud and bogus health products:
Yoga no better than stretching for back pain, Group Health study finds
“We expected back pain to ease more with yoga than with stretching, so our findings surprised us.”
Just what is ‘gluten-free’?
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.
When pain doesn’t end
“Pain encompasses the entire person. It’s not just in your leg or back. It encompasses the entire being of who you are and what you can do and don’t do. So physically, mentally psychologically: you have to take care of all of those things.”
CityClub: Diversity in approaches to care
In the United States, traditional Western medicine is the dominant form of care. But in Seattle many people favor alternative approaches. What do different approaches to wellness have to offer?
Vitamins & Supplements: What to know before you dive in
Unlike pharmaceuticals—which must be FDA-approved as safe and effective before they can be marketed—supplements are considered as foods by regulators and assumed to be safe until proven otherwise.
FDA Video Update: Hyland’s Teething Tablets and belladonna poisoning risk
FDA warns consumers not use the product and dispose of any in their possession after reports of children with symptoms consistent with belladonna toxicity.
FDA targets marketers of unapproved “chelation” products
FDA says claims these “cleansing” products can treat such serious illnesses as autism spectrum disorder, cardiovascular disease, macular degeneration, and Parkinson’s disease are “dangerously misleading.”
FDA warns about Web sites illegally selling unapproved H1N1 “swine” flu treatments
The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has listed 40 Web sites that the FDA says are illegally selling unapproved products that claim to treat or prevent H1N1 “swine flu”. Under U.S. law, a company cannot market a product with the claim it can diagnose, prevent, treat, or cure a disease unless it has obtained [...]
Cold “remedy” maker to pay $7 million to settle health-claims suit
The maker of the top-selling Airborne cough and cold supplements has agreed to stop claiming its products prevent or treat colds, sore throats and allergies and to pay $7 million to settle a lawsuit filed by 33 states and the District of Columbia. In its complaint, Washington state alleged the company, Airborne Health, Inc., engaged [...]
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