stories
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stories |
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| Preventing
Teen Suicide, June 2001 |
It's a hidden killer of our youth. Suicide claims more lives than murder; but stigma and fear obscure the toll, and too often delay action that could save a child at risk. This story tells of parents who became activists, in order to prevent other parents from losing their children. |
| Crohn's
Antibiotics, January 2001 |
An "incurable" disabling auto-immune disease may be curable after all, according to a small, but growing number of doctors and researchers. Crohn's disease can destroy the colon. Standard treatment just tries to control the symptoms, but some patients say their Crohn's disease was successfully treated with powerful antibiotics. |
| Second-Impact
Syndrome, November 2000 |
It seemed like just a routine tackle, but then high school football star Brandon Schultz collapsed in a coma. A second blow to the head just days after a concussion sent his brain into a catastrophic cascade from which Brandon has never fully recovered. Simple guidelines for dealing with concussions could prevent many deaths and permanent brain injuries, if everyone followed them. |
| Cash-Only
Docs, September 2000 |
Some doctors with a hankering for the "good old days" are
saying goodbye
to HMOs and managed care contracts. Their patients pay with cash, check
or credit card, and either deal with the insurance paperwork or
shoulder
the cost. But is it really good medicine? See also Simple Care, Jan. 2000. |
| Attention
Deficit Prison, June 2000 |
Impulsivity, frustration, short tempers, difficulty in school... and then more serious trouble. That's often the history of prison inmates... and it also describes some people with attention deficient disorder and hyperactivity. Now, one expert is taking on some of the toughest cases... in a federal prison. |
| Lung
Surgery, May 2000 |
Imagine trying to breathe with a thick pillow over your face. That's what emphysema feels like. Medication and oxygen can help, but some doctors say certain patients do better with a radical type of surgery. However, there's controversy over who should pay for the operation. |
| Doc
Data, August 2000 updated |
When we go to the doctor, we assume he or she is skilled and trustworthy. But sometimes that's not the case. A physician may be incompetent, even dangerous, and patients won't know it, because disciplinary records on doctors are typically off limits to the public. |
| Labyrinth,
April 2000 |
Have you ever gotten lost in a hospital? A lot of sprawling medical centers can seem like big mazes. But now some hospitals are actually building things that look like mazes... and encouraging patients to enter them in their search for healing. |
| Simple
Care, January 2000 |
Some doctors offer patients discounts to patients who pay cash-on-the-barrel for routine care and tests. It's an escape from mountains of insurance paperwork; an attempt to return to a time when medical care was, well, more simple. |
| Mini-Strokes!,
July 99 |
TIAs (Transient Ischemic Attacks,) briefly cloud vision, confuse thinking, or paralyze movement. But within minutes, victims feel normal. Doctors are finding new ways to diagnose and treat mini-strokes. They warn that ignoring the warnings could mean missing the vital opportunity to prevent a major disabling stroke. |
| Gay
Youth
Suicide, January 99 |
Gay, lesbian and bisexual teens are more than twice as likely to attempt suicide as their straight counterparts. Experts, and teens themselves, link the toll to the hostility gay teens often face. |
| Sound
Surgery, January 99 |
It sounds like magic... surgery without a scar, without even an incision. Sound is the key word, because this revolutionary new surgical technique uses ultrasonic energy to operate right through the skin. |
| Medical
Marijuana, November 98 |
Get a summary of reactions from doctors and medical organizations in Oregon and nationwide in this de-briefing just after voters in five states approved medical marijuana measures. (It follows the report by Eugenia Halsey.) |
| Insect
Chef, October 98 |
Looking for a new low-fat, high-protein treat? Try some of the specials on this Halloween menu... including Cricket Orzo, Grasshopper Kebabs, and Scorpion Scaloppini! |
| Macular
Degeneration
Diet, July 98 |
Can spinach or antioxidant pills prevent vision loss? |
| Electromagnetic
Field Risk, June 98 |
Perspective on a new report listing magnetic fields as a "possible human carcinogen." |
| ASCO
Wrap-up, May 98 |
From angiogenesis to gene-based breast cancer drugs, a summary of key announcements from the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting. |
| Oregon
Assisted Suicide Impact, May 98 |
Despite residing in the only state with legal physician-assisted suicide, Oregonians may have access to a higher level of end of life care than is available anywhere else. |
| Doctor's
Seal, April 98 |
A physician-accreditation program developed in Oregon to help cut managed care bureaucracy served as one model for a national quality assessment program being rolled out by the AMA. |
| Magnetic
Fields
and Melatonin, March 98 |
Women exposed to higher levels of magnetic fields in their bedroom have lower levels of the hormone melatonin in their bodies at night. Researchers are now looking to see if that hormone effect could change their risk for breast cancer. |
| Aromatherapy,
March 98 |
Are smells merely pleasant, or can they have a direct effect on health? |
| Parkinson's
Disease
Experiments, January 98 |
Electrical stimulation of critical brain areas and transplants of fetal pig cells are being tested with promising results in people with Parkinson's Disease. |
| Low
Fat
Diets, November 97 |
Less fat is good, but a study in JAMA finds no additional benefit from extremely low-fat diets. Dr. Dean Ornish, guru of the 10% fat diet, begs to differ. |
| Low-Income
Cooking, November 97 |
Top cooks teach how to eat well WITHOUT an expense account. |
| Thyroid Testing, October 97 | To test or not to test. It's a tricky question that affects millions of people. |
| Body Piercing, October 97 | Like it or not... what are the real health risks of body jewelry. |
| Fats Debate, August 97 | Fats are not created equal. Some actually may be healthy! |
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