Health

Children injured by falling TVs ‘alarming’
Health

Children injured by falling TVs ‘alarming’

July 28, 2013

Doctors and safety experts say better awareness is needed about the dangers – especially the risks of putting heavier, older model TV sets on top of dressers and other furniture…

Pain keeps us alive and helps doctors diagnose
La Plata Health Watch

Pain keeps us alive and helps doctors diagnose

July 28, 2013

Pain sensation is one sensory perception experienced through our nervous system. Others are touch, vibration, proprioception (or joint position) and temperature, hot and cold. Pain is experienced by all vertebrate…

Golden years shorter, sicker in Southern states
Health

Golden years shorter, sicker in Southern states

July 21, 2013

Hawaii tops the charts in the government’s first state-by-state look at how long Americans age 65 can expect to live, on average, and how many of those remaining years will…

Memory decline may be earliest sign of dementia
Health

Memory decline may be earliest sign of dementia

July 21, 2013

Noticing you have had a decline beyond the occasional misplaced car keys or forgotten names could be the very earliest sign of Alzheimer’s, several research teams are reporting. Doctors often…

Risks, benefits of medication must be weighed
La Plata Health Watch

Risks, benefits of medication must be weighed

July 21, 2013

The fact is that medications as a form of treatment can be confusing for many people. This is particularly true when patients are on many medicines, are elderly or suffer…

Playing it safe at your child’s playground
La Plata Health Watch

Playing it safe at your child’s playground

July 14, 2013

The Safety Geek was pointing out some of the safety features of the playground such as the protective surface of loose shredded rubber, which had been installed 6 to 8…

Treat people with HIV early to stop spread, WHO says
Health

Treat people with HIV early to stop spread, WHO says

July 7, 2013

The advice will have the most impact in Africa, where nearly 70 percent of people with HIV live. Many rich countries already advocate early treatment. WHO’s new guidelines were released…

Not all children need ear tubes to relieve fluid
Health

Not all children need ear tubes to relieve fluid

July 7, 2013

An extensive body of research shows that in cases where an otherwise healthy child gets middle-ear fluid, insertion of the tiny tubes (which help ventilate the middle ear and provide…

Overdose deaths spike for middle-aged women
Health

Overdose deaths spike for middle-aged women

July 7, 2013

The CDC study shows that while men are still more likely to die of overdoses, the number of deaths among women increased five-fold in the last decade, four times more…

Health Brief
Health

Health Brief

July 7, 2013

The Southwestern Colorado Area Health Education Center recently unveiled its new website, www.swcahec.org. The improved site builds on the organization’s theme “pathways to health” and offers a substantial amount of…

Stopping the spins
Health

Stopping the spins

July 7, 2013

Physical therapists treat vertigo – a malady of the inner ear

The murky world of morphine and palliative care
Coroner's Report

The murky world of morphine and palliative care

July 7, 2013

Palliative care is intended not to treat illness or prolong life but to keep someone with a terminal or debilitating condition “comfortable.” An example: the use of morphine to lessen…

Doctors hail promise of ‘artificial pancreas’
Health

Doctors hail promise of ‘artificial pancreas’

June 30, 2013

The MiniMed Integrated System is being called a major step toward an “artificial pancreas.” The device would constantly monitor blood sugar in people with diabetes and automatically supply insulin as…

Primary-care physicians are in demand
La Plata Health Watch

Primary-care physicians are in demand

June 30, 2013

Freshman orientation is just around the corner. It makes me wonder how many, like my younger self, are considering careers in primary-care medicine? To be sure, the practice of medicine…