AltWeeklies Wire
Tough Titties: Lowry Beall Stares Down Breast Cancernew
At 27 she found a lump. At 29 she had a bilateral mastectomy. At 30 she's trying her damnedest to be a badass cancer survivor.
Charleston City Paper |
Stephanie Barna |
10-07-2009 |
Housing & Development
Swine Flu Summit Aims to 'Keep the World Working' During Pandemicnew
Business leaders from the largest corporations in the United States come to Minneapolis, with purses full of hand sanitizer, to learn how to cope with swine flu.
City Pages (Twin Cities) |
Bradley Campbell |
09-30-2009 |
Science
Did an Army-Issue Antimalarial Drug Drive a Solider to Suicide?new

Criticism of the military's use of Lariam has continued to build since John Torres' death. "If it predisposes you to paranoia, anger, psychosis, is it appropriate to expose a company of people with automatic weapons?" army doctor Remington Nevin wonders.
Chicago Reader |
Kari Lydersen |
09-28-2009 |
War
Diagnosing and Treating Autism is Especially Difficult for Immigrant Familiesnew

Learning how to navigate the bureaucratic world of disability services and special education in Arizona is enough to drive a parent mad. Add the extra obstacles that lower-income, Spanish-speaking immigrant families face, and you've got a "heartbreaking" situation.
Phoenix New Times |
Malia Politzer |
09-15-2009 |
Science
Dying to Be Thin: A Survivor Shares the Nuts & Bolts of Recovering from Anorexianew
Paige Doughty says that she had never thought about it before, but one day, she started counting calories and counting fat and looking at the nutritional content of everything she ate. At first, it was just interesting to her. But then, it escalated.
Boulder Weekly |
Dana Logan |
09-08-2009 |
Science
Crap Shoot: Many D.C. Pools Contain Bacteria That Could Cause Illnessnew
Though the swimming facilities have plenty of signage apprising bathers of the pool's rules and regulations, there's no sign to update patrons on the germ count. Meaning that every time you take a dip, you're putting your health squarely in the hands of the Department of Parks and Recreation and its corps of very young lifeguards. Is that a smart gamble?
Washington City Paper |
Christine MacDonald |
08-27-2009 |
Science
Cancer: A New Front in the War Against Pot?new

A California panel concludes that cannabis causes cancer. But the research is still young, the industry seems undeterred and pro-legalization advocates don't seem fazed by the ruling or its potential consequences -- which they contend will not deter marijuana usage.
East Bay Express |
Paula Lehman |
08-26-2009 |
Drugs
Colorado's New Medicaid Funding Plan Will Leave Disabled Adults on the Outsidenew
Because of recent changes in the way Colorado distributes Medicaid money to adults with developmental disabilities, Sean Wenlock will only be able to afford the services of his caregiver two days a week instead of five. And he's not alone.
Dr. Feelbad: When This Physician Went Haywire, No One Intervened to Shut Him Downnew
A month after trashing his patients' charts, Alexander Kalk somehow managed to open a new practice less than half a mile away from his old one. It lasted only a few months. Kalk was more than $1 million in debt, with his medical license in jeopardy, when he abruptly left the state in March of this year. He did not surface again until June 21, when he was arrested by Clayton police on suspicion of forging checks belonging to his estranged business partner.
Riverfront Times |
Keegan Hamilton |
08-21-2009 |
Science
Another Reason to Ditch Coal: The Ashnew
When wet coal-ash sludge dries, it becomes toxic dust. The particulates are so small that they can burrow deeply into the lungs.
INDY Week |
Lisa Sorg |
08-21-2009 |
Environment
Canada's Harmonized Sales Tax Will Hurt Alternative Healthnew
Peter Wood, a practitioner of traditional Chinese medicine, is just one of many B.C. health professionals who are going to have to start charging the 12-percent harmonized sales tax when it comes into effect next July.
The Georgia Straight |
Gail Johnson |
08-18-2009 |
Science
Immunization Bottleneck Looms in Colorado Springsnew
Few Americans now worry about measles and doctors are concerned that the immunization program that has proven effective at controlling it and other fearful diseases is fraying at the edges.
Colorado Springs Independent |
Anthony Lane |
07-30-2009 |
Science
Toxic Gases Seep from the Ground in One Baltimore Neighborhoodnew

According to recent federal court documents, the Chemical Metals Industries site continues to pose a cancer risk to long-term residents of nearby homes subjected to "vapor intrusion" of chemical-laden air rising through the soil from contaminated groundwater below.
Baltimore City Paper |
Van Smith |
07-28-2009 |
Environment
Take a Pass on Back Surgery and Decompress Your Spine Insteadnew
Spinal decompression, a procedure what involves computer-assisted application of "distraction forces" may provide relief for individuals with chronic back problems. However, critics feel that laypeople may be forking over large amounts of cash for a treatment that hasn't been scientifically proven to work.
The Georgia Straight |
Gail Johnson |
07-27-2009 |
Science
The Colorado Voice Clinic Thinks Every Person Has the Right to be Heardnew
Although the clinic has seen more than its share of famous patients, the facility is designed to help everybody who needs to keep their voices healthy, and clients range from students to housewives to lawyers to politicians to local musicians.