Fecal Microbiota Transplantation Is Saving Lives
There are few topics more distasteful than fecal transplants, and discussing them with a doctor can be embarrassing for many people. However, a fecal transplant could be the cure to Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, a nasty infection that affects up to half a million people each year and kills close to 30,000, according to…
Read MoreWest Virginia’s Water Contains an Unsafe Amount of Teflon
The Ohio River Valley in West Virginia used to be a base of operations for DuPont, where is manufactured a chemical called perfluorooctanoic acid, usually abbreviated to PFOA or C8. It was used in a variety of products, but the best known among non-scientists or engineers is Teflon. The risks have been known since the…
Read MoreBirth Injury Primer: What Expecting Parents Need to Know about HELLP Syndrome
When doctors or lawyers talk about birth injuries, they usually focus on injuries to the baby or fetus. However, one of the most serious pre-labor conditions that can affect both mother and child is HELLP Syndrome, a relatively common condition that can prove potentially fatal if not diagnosed and treated right away. HELLP Syndrome is…
Read MoreDangers of Driving in the District of Columbia
The dangers of driving in the District of Columbia are legendary. Each year, Allstate releases the Allstate America’s Best Drivers Report, which is based on claims for that insurance company, and ranks the 200 largest cities in the U.S. in terms of how frequently drivers get into collisions. The national average frequency for car accidents…
Read MoreKeeping Updated about Auto Safety Recall Information
The U.S. Justice Department has ordered General Motors to pay $900 million to settle criminal charges related to a faulty ignition switch that has been linked to at least 124 deaths. GM admitted that its employees were aware of the problem for almost a decade before it initiated the recall of millions of cars last…
Read MoreHeart Failure, Pancreatic Cancer and Severe Joint Pain Linked to Onglyza and Januvia
Onglyza (saxagliptin) is a prescription drug that was approved by the FDA in 2009 as a treatment for type 2 diabetes. The drug, which is manufactured by AstraZeneca, gained popularity because it helped patients control their blood sugar without causing weight gain as can occur with other diabetes medications. Onglyza belongs to a class of…
Read MoreFailure to Warn: What are the Dangers of Faulty Medical Advice?
A new research study has uncovered the lack of knowledge and a high level of misinformation about gynecological conditions that could be keeping women from getting the health care they may need. A team of doctors from the Center for Innovative GYN Care (CIGC) has launched a new public education campaign designed to inform women…
Read MoreMedical Malpractice: Suing Your Doctor for Enabling Your Addiction to Pain Medication in West Virginia
What if you received a serious injury in an auto accident and your doctor prescribed pain medication to which you quickly became addicted? Can you sue your doctor for medical malpractice? In West Virginia you can. In May 2015, the West Virginia Supreme Court, in a 3-2 decision, rules that those who are addicted to…
Read MoreThe Hazards of Motorcycle Riding in the District of Columbia and West Virginia
Motorcycles are a dangerous form of transportation, but that does not stop motorcycle riders from enjoying the exhilaration and feeling of freedom that comes from riding. Accidents involving motorcycles are, with good reason, far more catastrophic than accidents between passenger vehicles because riders have no protection from the road or from other vehicles. For motorcyclists,…
Read MoreWhat the Media Does Not Understand about Premises Liability
A woman recently sued Dunkin’ Donuts and settled her premises liability case for $522,000. The media has had a bit of a field day with the story (as have the commenters on the sites covering the news) because they assume that this is another hot coffee lawsuit. In actuality, the victim “tripped over an exposed…
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