A pharmaceutical manufacturer in Spokane has been making vaccines that hold the promise of ending the coronavirus pandemic.

WASHINGTON – The first COVID-19 test that can be performed entirely from home was cleared by U.S. regulators on Tuesday, and it can be acquired without a prescription. While availability initially will be limited, the new test and others in development could make virus screenings as accessible as over-the-counter pregnancy tests in the U.S. for the first time.

I don’t know about you, but the older I get, the more fragmented my sleep is. As a kid, that was not the case. I remember sleeping over at my cousin Mark’s house. We’d stay up late watching television while my aunt and uncle were out to dinner and a movie. We always fell asleep in front of the television, black and white, of course.

Yes, the messages about face coverings have changed since March – yet those adjustments stem from a better understanding about the coronavirus – and how it spreads, said Dr. Francisco Velázquez, interim health officer for Spokane Regional Health District. He also knows that with those changes, though, there's some confusion about the when's and where's of mask use.

Meditation made its way from spiritual practice to a secular, pop culture-fueled lifestyle trend, but despite all its evolution and appropriation, many psychologists and researchers still think it can have a substantial and beneficial impact on the human brain.

Longtime Spokane physician Bob Hustrulid, 78, knows it's rare for a doctor's office to be inside a retirement community, but the approach makes sense to him – and he's done it before. In a long career, Hustrulid has worked at Spokane group practices and veteran hospitals. In 1999, though, he opened a solo practice and stayed until 2007 at the Waterford, now Touchmark.

A friend of Paul Offit’s volunteered for one of the COVID-19 vaccine trials, but, like everyone who participated, was not told whether he was injected with a placebo or the real thing. The morning after getting the second dose, the North Carolina man woke up feeling crummy, with a headache and overall fatigue, and immediately called Offit.

While we’re eager to leave 2020 behind, our health is one of the things we’ll always carry with us. After months of stress, social isolation, concerning news headlines and drastically adapted ways of living, we all are eager for a fresh start. The new year is naturally a time for reflection, but it also presents an opportunity to reset our habits, intentions and priorities.

Q. I just stumbled upon your article regarding milk of magnesia for rosacea. I am 54 and have had rosacea since I was 48. I found that rosacea definitely responds well to MoM, but I don’t like the feeling of tightness on my face as the MoM dries. Plus, the flaking residue can be annoying to dab off.

Nothing prepares a mother for departure from the hospital after having her first child. All of the Dr. Spock books and material from other parenting experts slips out of your brain once you're smacked in the face by the welcome fresh air. Good luck after you're no longer tethered to labor and delivery.

Dance is a universal human expression. Even those of us who feel like we can’t dance often will when coaxed by a bit of inebriation and dim lighting, and it turns out that how we groove says a lot about us.

When a lifelong heart condition became worse, Donny Jones, who lives near Seattle, knew by June that he'd be heading to Spokane. Yearly talks with his cardiologist convinced him this city held his best option for robotic mitral valve repair. Jones' recent echocardiogram signaled it was time to see Dr. Branden Reynolds.

Kelly Morse entered her 4-year-old son's pretend doctor's office one day last April and asked him how she was doing. She was taken aback when he examined her with his toy stethoscope and responded, solemnly, "Not well, you've got coronavirus." A few months later, he started to brainstorm how a COVID-19 vaccine might work.

Americans heard the pleas to stay home. They were told what would happen if they didn’t. Still, millions traveled and gathered during last week’s Thanksgiving holiday, either doubting the warnings or deciding they would take their chances.

Stress, psychological stress, can be a big determiner of health. Most of you know it. You’ve felt it. You’ve been through stressful times before and wondered how that might affect your life.

Whenever I go to the doctor’s office, a nurse weighs me, takes my temperature and measures my blood pressure. These days, I really do not like them sticking a thermometer under my tongue even in its little plastic sleeve. How reliable are the touchless devices I have seen on TV news reports? Are they available to consumers

Self-awareness is an important tool for reflection and personal development that can help us better navigate our lives, set goals, strengthen our interpersonal relationships and improve our overall psychological wellbeing.

A lot of us have this bad habit called “taking things for granted.” This is not a healthy habit to cultivate. It has unfortunate side effects, such as causing us to sleepwalk through our pathetic little lives without even once stopping to appreciate the people we love, the friends we have made, the gifts we have been given.

The Medication Education & Disposal Project has launched a statewide program to offer free services to dispose of expired, unwanted and unused medicines. MED-Project is the Washington State Department of Health's approved program operator. MED-Project has activated about 150 additional drop-off sites.