Latest from The Spokesman-Review

• China to reinvestigate human flesh capsule claims

  May 8, 2012 in Nation/World BEIJING — China will reinvestigate allegations that Chinese-made drug capsules containing powdered remains of dead babies are being smuggled into South Korea, state media reported today. 5

• Hospital’s refocus a lucky break for boy

  March 16, 2012 in City on Page A5 Brenden Essig remembers hearing “Watch out!” before everything went dark. A minute or so later the 13-year-old attempted to shake off the BMX bike crash, a wicked collision of body … 1

• Doctors in Spain perform double-leg transplant

  July 12, 2011 in Nation/World A young man who underwent the world’s first double leg transplant might be able to walk with the aid of crutches in six or seven months if his rehabilitation goes … 1

• 16 heart patients get new lease on life

  March 16, 2010 in City on Page A5 KIGALI, Rwanda – Felicite Mukarubuga’s hands trembled as she took the pen and consent forms. The 22-year-old Rwandan woman listened while Dr. Hal Goldberg of Spokane Cardiology thoroughly explained a … 1

• Case against dermatologist dropped

  December 19, 2009 in City on Page B1 State health officials have withdrawn drug charges against Spokane dermatologist Dr. William P. Werschler. The move effectively clears Werschler of wrongdoing. “The evidence just wasn’t there” said Bill Etter, the …

• Sacred Heart’s CEO blasts Rockwood

  October 22, 2009 in City on Page A1 Providence Sacred Heart Medical Center’s chief executive charged Rockwood Clinic’s leaders with bad-faith dealings and ethical lapses the day after Rockwood stunned Spokane’s medical community by announcing it would align … 38

• Stem cell scientists creating human sperm

  July 9, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A2 LONDON – British scientists claimed Wednesday to have created human sperm from embryonic stem cells for the first time, an accomplishment they say may someday help infertile men father children. …

• New guidelines expand stem cell use

  July 7, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Hundreds of embryonic stem cell lines, whose use in the United States had effectively been curtailed by the Bush administration, can be used to study disorders and develop …

• FDA warns against Zicam

  June 17, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 WASHINGTON – Consumers should stop using Zicam Cold Remedy nasal gel and related products because they can permanently damage the sense of smell, federal health regulators said Tuesday. The over-the-counter …

• Multidrug heart pill shows promise in study

  March 31, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A2 Take a little aspirin, add one part low-dose cholesterol medicine and three parts low-dose blood pressure medicine. Put it in a single pill and give to everybody over the age …

• Scientists: Flu strain resistant to drug

  March 3, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A2 CHICAGO – As flu season hits high gear, doctors and public health professionals say treating cases is more complicated than ever because this year’s most common strain has developed resistance …

• FDA approves new gout drug

  February 15, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A2 WASHINGTON – The Food and Drug Administration has approved the first new treatment for gout in more than 40 years, a company said Saturday. Takeda Inc. said Uloric, a once-daily …

• U.S. approves first study to test safety of stem cell treatment

  January 23, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A3 NEW YORK – A U.S. biotech company says it plans to start this summer the world’s first study of a treatment based on human embryonic stem cells – a long-awaited …

• Where are all the miracle medicines?

  January 20, 2009 in Features on Page C3 Drug companies justify the high cost of prescription medicines to help pay for breakthroughs of the future. One company even advertises: “Today’s medicines finance tomorrow’s miracles.” The implication is that …

• Brain ‘pacemaker’ may help Parkinson’s patients

  January 7, 2009 in Nation/World on Page A4 CHICAGO – Parkinson’s sufferers who had electrodes implanted in their brains improved substantially more than those who took only medicine, according to the biggest test yet of deep brain stimulation. …

• Family doctors vanishing

  January 6, 2009 in Features on Page D5 BOISE – Many classmates of Dr. Chip Roser ended their medical training ready to practice a specialty. They morphed into neurologists, cardiologists, pathologists, dermatologists or other “gists.” Despite advice to …

• Living with challenges of MS

  January 4, 2009 in City on Page B3 Val Vissia has always been plagued by poor vision. “I need to put my glasses on to find my contacts,” she said. But after she turned 40, her vision problems …

• Problems of hunger, obesity pose paradox

  December 25, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A10 WASHINGTON – The worsening economic crunch is causing the tab for food assistance programs to balloon, and with the rising costs has come an intensifying debate over whether – and …

• Drug pairings often risky, study warns

  December 24, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 CHICAGO – At least 2 million older Americans are taking a combination of drugs or supplements that can be a risky mix – from blood thinners and cholesterol pills to …

• First face transplant performed in U.S.

  December 17, 2008 in Nation/World on Page A3 A woman being treated at the Cleveland Clinic has an almost entirely new face following the most extensive facial transplant ever performed, the medical center said Tuesday. The surgery is …

• Epilepsy medicine can hamper sex life

  December 16, 2008 in Features on Page D3 Q. Does Topamax cause complete lack of sexual desire? And I do mean complete! A. Topamax (topiramate) is prescribed for epilepsy, but it also is used to prevent migraine headaches. …

• Regaining control

  October 23, 2007 in Features on Page D1 Jackie Kittel returned to her yoga practice as soon as she was able following breast-cancer surgery four years ago. Kittel had been an Iyengar yoga instructor since 1994, so it …

• Aids Sufferers’ Latest Hope May Reach Market Soon Ritonavir, Crixivan Slow Virus With Fewer Side-Effects

  March 1, 1996 in Nation/World on Page A6 A new line of potent AIDS drugs is expected to reach the market within weeks. An advisory committee of the Food and Drug Administration recommended Thursday that the drug Ritonavir, …

• Man Vs. The Super Bugs Hospitals Battling The Rise Of Lethal Microbes Resistant To Antibiotics

  September 19, 1995 in Nation/World on Page A5 Hospitals across the country are beginning to restrict the use of their most potent antibiotics and isolate their sickest patients to try to stop the evolution of “super bugs” - …

• Cholesterol Drug Can Save Heart Patients

  July 6, 1995 in Nation/World on Page A1 The anti-cholesterol drug Zocor can prolong the lives of heart disease patients, the government said Wednesday, the first time it has declared such an effect for cholesterol medicine. Doctors urged …

• Angioplasty Or Drugs? Cardiologists Debate Merits Of Methods To Treat Heart Attacks

  March 23, 1995 in Nation/World on Page A9 Drugs or balloons? A rancorous debate over how to treat heart attacks, already a plot twist in the hospital drama “ER,” is sharply dividing one of the world’s largest gatherings …

• Method In Spokane Depends On Hospital Many Local Doctors Prefer Angioplasty, But Not All Facilities Set Up For It

  March 23, 1995 in Nation/World on Page A9 How patients are treated for heart attacks in Spokane may depend on where they’re treated. Only Sacred Heart and Deaconess medical centers are equipped for primary angioplasties, and doctors there …

• Doctors React To Bad News About Drugs Study On Hypertension Drugs Surprises Cardiologists

  March 16, 1995 in Nation/World on Page A1 A TV news report stopped Spokane heart doctor Donald Canaday in his tracks as he exercised at home last Friday. A new study had linked a hypertension drug - one …

• Pain Victims Make Case Before Board Patients Hope To Ease Fears About Prescribing Narcotics

  January 26, 1995 in Idaho on Page B1 A half dozen chronic pain sufferers pleaded with the Idaho State Board of Medicine late Wednesday to ease apprehension among doctors who prescribe narcotics. Jan Lambert, a Moscow resident, said …