MEDICARE CUTS: Will restrict patient access to medication

As a local rheumatologist who treats Medicare patients, I am deeply concerned by a recent proposal from the federal Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) that could result in further payment cuts for Medicare Part B drugs. If implemented, this mandatory payment model test would wreak havoc on patients and cause massive access and safety problems.

Review: Apps to make holiday shopping easier

Black Friday Preview

This one looks nothing like BFs of the past

COVID-19 has stores getting proactive about customer safety like never before

Arthritis: Blurring the line

Epsom salt - forgotten but not gone

Today, Epsom salt has become an almost forgotten folk remedy -- something that might crop up among the creased and yellowing pages of a farmer's almanac. Sure, you can still find it on pharmacy shelves just about anywhere, but what the heck is this stuff, and what is it used for? These days, most people regard it as a medicinal soak for things like sore feet or insect bites. And, yes, it works wonders for both, but that is only the beginning. This multipurpose miracle salt can help cultivate internal and external wellbeing, and it is also a great go-to ingredient for happy gardens and houseplants.

Amazon vs. everyone else

Battle for holiday shoppers heats up

NEW YORK - This holiday shopping season, it's Amazon vs. everyone else.

Gifts that help your hands

Whether you have arthritis, have overused your hands or have another hand or upper body condition, daily tasks may be slower and more difficult. Stiffness, pain and numbness often increase with the weather and seasonal tasks like snow shoveling or even wrapping packages. Rather than giving the same old gifts, there are many simple and inexpensive gifts that will be used and remembered throughout the year.

Swollen knees, swollen bills

It took a long time for this mother of two to get an official diagnosis for her toddler. In the meantime, all she could do was worry a lot and watch her child suffer.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Joint pain: Simple or complex

Joint pain can be simple or complex, and often, perplexing!

Karen A. Longtin, 35

Karen Anne Longtin, 35, went to Heaven on April 12, 2015, at home in Post Falls, Idaho, after a long courageous battle with Lupus and auto immune liver failure.

Is a leaky gut contributing to your health problems?

The gut is the gateway to health. If your gut is healthy, chances are that you're in good health. However, there's a condition called leaky gut that can lead to a host of health problems.

Is the little yellow packet doing you harm?

Having Sucralose sensitivity myself, I understand firsthand the symptoms people have when consuming these products. I myself get fibromyalgia-type symptoms, swollen joints and headaches any time I eat anything with Sucralose in it. So when I have patients come into my office complaining of such symptoms and see that they eat or drink products with artificial sweeteners in them, I have to wonder what really is causing the particular symptom. Is it more spinal- or disc-related, or is more chemical-related?

Dialing in on vitamin D

When we think of vitamin D, sunshine or the popular orange “Sunny D” drink may come to mind, but vitamin D plays many important roles in the body and helps regulate weight, mood, heart health, bone health, diabetes, cancer risk, autoimmune disorders, and neuromuscular disorders. Due to limited sun exposure at northern latitudes in the winter months and low availability of vitamin D in foods, many people living in the northwest are at risk for vitamin D deficiency. Overweight/obese individuals are also at greater risk for vitamin D deficiency.

Retailers getting desperate

Free necklaces and shipping for holiday shoppers?

NEW YORK - Retailers are so desperate this holiday season that they're willing to lose money to get you to spend yours.

ADVERTISING: Advertorial — Arthritis: Not so cut and dry

Whenever I get ready to teach a class, and write the article, such as this one, that generally precedes it, I stick my research hat back on and see what has changed in our understanding of the topic at hand.

Web sites can take some hassle out of car buying

Pain pills

Soaring generic drug prices draw Senate scrutiny

WASHINGTON - Some low-cost generic drugs that have helped restrain health care costs for decades are seeing unexpected price spikes of up to 8,000 percent, prompting a backlash from patients, pharmacists and now Washington lawmakers.

Foggy day, foggy brain

Buy or rent?

Realtors will be quick to reply that you should buy, but let’s face it, we’re biased. If you want an objective opinion do some research online. The Department of Housing and Urban Development is a great resource for those of you who want to educate yourselves on how the advantages of Buying vs. Renting a home apply to your situation. In addition to the step-by-step process outlined on their website: http://www.hud.gov/buying/index.cfm there is a handy little calculator on realtor.com that will help you decide whether or not it makes sense to buy a home: https://www.realtor.com/mortgage/tools/rent-or-buy-calculator/ Click on advanced options. There you can enter in your current rent, let’s say $750 per month. Enter in the purchase price of a home, for this example we will use $200,000. Enter the percent down from your lender, but don’t forget about Idaho Housing, FHA, Rural Development and USDA loans that offer lower down payment loans. Then put in the number of years you plan to stay in your home. The default for this field is 30 years, but you can put in whatever you like. The yearly property tax rate is defaulted at 1 percent, so you may want to check with the Assessor or your Realtor to get a rate for the home you are considering buying. The calculator also projects a modest appreciation of 2 percent per year for the time you are in your home.

Stores focus on the hunt

Trader Joe's, the specialty grocery chain, might not have the cheapest toilet paper or the most varieties of ketchup, but it hooks customers with mango butter, chocolate-covered pomegranate seeds and cilantro-and-jalapeno hummus.