Take steps to avoid unfortunate encounters with creepy crawlers
July 28, 2010
NEW — 8 a.m. July 28, 2010
Summer means barbecues, outdoor activities — and more encounters with biting and stinging bugs.
Keeping calm around buzzing bugs can help reduce the risk of winding up on the business-end of a bloodthirsty mosquito or irritated wasp.
The state Department of Health has a handy list detailing biting and stinging bugs found in the Evergreen State.
Bees play a crucial role in pollinating flowering plants, including many foods. Honeybees and bumblebees seldom sting as they leave the hive or nest to look for nectar or pollen — unless they get stepped on or deliberately provoked.
Virginia Mason hosts free prostate screenings
July 27, 2010
Virginia Mason Medical Center is hosting a free prostate screening in Issaquah on July 30.
More than 55 million American men face the risk of prostate cancer, and early detection is important.
Virginia Mason, in partnership with ZERO: The Project to End Prostate Cancer, will host the event from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at its Issaquah campus, 100 N.E. Gilman Blvd.
The screening is free, confidential and does not require an appointment or health insurance.
Virginia Mason providers will staff the screening and volunteers will be on hand to explain the process and answer any patient questions.
The screening consists of a simple blood test known as a prostate-specific antigen, or PSA, blood test and an optional physical exam. Patients will be seen on a first-come, first-served basis, a Virginia Mason news release said.
Results are confidential and will be sent to patients in three to four weeks by ZERO. Patients with high PSA scores should follow up with their healthcare providers.
Additional health information for men and women will be available at the event.
Virginia Mason hosts free prostate screenings in Issaquah on Friday
July 26, 2010
UPDATED — 3:30 p.m. July 27, 2010
Virginia Mason Medical Center is hosting a free prostate screening in Issaquah on Friday.
More than 55 million American men face the risk of prostate cancer, and early detection is the key.
Virginia Mason, in partnership with ZERO: The Project to End Prostate Cancer, will host the event from 9 a.m. – 5 p.m. at its Issaquah campus, 100 N.E. Gilman Blvd.
The screening is free, confidential and does not require an appointment or health insurance.
Virginia Mason providers will staff the screening and volunteers will be on hand to explain the process and answer any patient questions.
Issaquah yoga instructor reaches out to radio listeners
July 23, 2010
NEW — 6 a.m. July 23, 2010
Listen to Issaquah yoga instructor Anita Boser as she offers tips to prevent muscle injuries and recover from past strain Friday.
Boser, proprietor of Vital Self in downtown Issaquah, will be interviewed on the Living Yoga Radio Show at 1 p.m. Tune in to 1150 AM or 98.9 FM to listen to Boser. Or listen live online.
Host Robin Rothenberg, author of the “Essential Low Back Program,” and Boser will discuss how aches, pains and repetitive strains can get locked into connective tissue.
Boser will also offer tips to unwinding the tension patterns for more ease.
Stay up late for Twitter ‘sleep up’ to document sleep disorders
July 21, 2010
NEW — 10 a.m. July 21, 2010
Swedish Medical Center sleep experts want you to spend the night.
Sleep Medicine Associates, a Swedish affiliate, plans the first all-night “sleep up” Thursday — a live, online stream documenting a patient’s overnight sleep-disorder testing. During the event, sleep doctors and technicians will answer viewers’ questions via Twitter and in video interviews.
The team hopes to raise awareness about sleep disorders and treatments through the social media experiment.
The sleep up runs from 8 p.m. Thursday to 8 a.m. Friday. Sleepless in Seattle types can follow along here.
Summer fun includes protection from the sun
July 20, 2010
Michelle Johnson, Jackie Potter and Hayley Magee (from left), on summer vacation from classes at Skyline High School, share sunscreen sprays and lotions of SPF 15, 30 and 50, before sunbathing July 14 on the dock at Pine Lake Park. By Greg Farrar
Go into any drugstore and you’re bound to run into a plethora of sunscreen options this summer. But do you really know what to look for?
Many people don’t, so you’re not alone.
“There are a lot of sunscreens out there,” Amy Cheng, a dermatologist with Virginia Mason Medical Center, said.
Even the federal Food and Drug Administration doesn’t have a consumer-friendly system of standards regulating the claims of companies who make sunscreen, despite the Sunburn Protection Factor label.
Since 2007, officials with the FDA have posted consumer updates on its website saying it’s in process of developing a set of standards, but those have yet to come to fruition. Read more
Medicine disposal is important for family safety
July 20, 2010
Improper disposal of prescription medication can lead to poisoning, drug abuse and harm to the environment. To remedy this, the Issaquah Police Department is working with the community to establish a prescription drug disposal program that is easy to use and effective.
“A leading cause of prescription drug abuse is the ease of obtaining unused prescriptions from family members and friends,” Issaquah Police Department Chief Paul Ayers said. “Properly disposing of these drugs eliminates the opportunity to take and misuse the prescription drugs. “
As years go by, illnesses come and go and it is easy to let medicine cabinets fill to the brim with leftover or expired prescription drugs. This habit is not in families’ best interest, however, as a child or adult who’s ill can easily misuse abandoned drugs in the cabinet.
Poisoning is the first leading cause of unintentional injury-related death in Washington state, according to 2006 data from the state Department of Health. These are not only adult poisonings. Children under 6 took up more than half, 36,770, of exposure calls to the Washington Poison Center in 2003. Read more
Health support groups
July 20, 2010
Eastside Alcoholics Anonymous hosts the following meetings. Learn more at www.eastsideintergroup.org.
-Any Length: 8 a.m. Sundays, Issaquah Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way
-Issaquah Smoke Free: 8:30 a.m. Sundays, Issaquah Community Hall, 180 E. Sunset Way
-One Step At a Time: 10 a.m. Sundays and 7 p.m. Thursdays, Tiger Mountain (call 206-686-2927)
-Core Relations (men only): 6 p.m. Sundays, Issaquah Community Hall, 180 E. Sunset Way
-Sobriety Life Line: 7:30 p.m. Sundays, Issaquah Senior Center, 75 N.E. Creek Way
-Morning Buzz: 6:30 am. weekdays, Lakeside Milam, 98 N.E. Gilman Blvd. Suite No. 200
-Issaquah Breakfast: 7 a.m. weekdays, Issaquah Community Hall, 180 E. Sunset Way
-Issaquah Breakfast (step study): 7 a.m. Saturdays, Issaquah Community Hall, 180 E. Sunset Way
-Joy of Living: noon Mondays, Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays, and 4 p.m. Thursdays, IHOP Restaurant, 1433 N.W. Sammamish Road Read more
State pilot prescription drug program goes national
July 20, 2010
To help people in low-income families receive necessary medicines, Washington state established in 2004 the pilot program Partnership for Prescription Assistance.
Sponsored by groups in Washington state, like the Washington Health Foundation and America’s pharmaceutical research companies, the program launched an effort to reach the thousands of people whose health would be improved by new innovations in prescription medicines. The program has since helped more than 50,000 people in low-income families receive the medicines that relieve their health conditions.
The pilot project was such a success, it has been launched nationwide. Since its debut in April 2005, the program has helped more than 6.5 million Americans by connecting them to patient-assistance programs. By providing a one-stop shop for nearly 500 programs covering thousands of medicines, people across Washington are able to find the help they need.
Call the program’s toll-free number (1-888-4-PPA-NOW) to talk to a trained operator or go to www.pparx.org. It only takes 10 to 15 minutes to find out whether someone may qualify for free or nearly free medications.
Overlake’s Issaquah clinic offers classes
July 20, 2010
Overlake Hospital Medical Center offers the following classes at its Issaquah clinic, 5708 E. Lake Sammamish Parkway S.E., Suite 103. Register here. Call 688-5259 for class information.
-“You and Your Baby: 5 Class Series” — 10 a.m. – noon July 21 – Aug. 18, $55
-“Happiest Baby on the Block” — 10 a.m. – noon, July 24 and Aug. 14, $60
-Weight Loss Surgery Seminar” — 6-8:30 p.m. July 27, free
