Medical Treatments and Procedures

Least popular button on 14th Street: FluVote

The Kid Bounces Back

A boy's death gives snowboarder Chris Klug a second chance at life and the Olympics.

Best Travel Advice for Scary Places

International Travel Clinic

Best Fledgling Talk-Show Host

Mark Schlereth
KOA-AM/850

Etta James and The Roots Band

Saturday, June 6, Boulder Theater, 303-786-7030.

Best Item Confiscated at DIA

Deer antlers

Best Second Coming of a Sports God

Michael Jordan

Best Place to Lose Your Doghood

Maxfund Wellness Clinic

Drink of the Week

Fernet-Branca

Meet Dr. Marc Philippon, the man on whom Alex Rodriguez's 2009 season rests

Dr. Marc Philippon. Yesterday, baseball fans read plenty about Dr. Marc Philippon. He's the Vail-based hip expert who recently examined Yankees slugger (and admitted steroid user) Alex Rodriguez, determining that he's not only got a bizarre cyst -- wonder how that popped up? -- but also a torn labr ... More >>

Best Way to Make a Fast Friend

Recycled Racers of Colorado

Channel 4 to Twitter -- gallbladder surgery?

Chop, chop. Who isn't jumping on the Twitter bandwagon? Last week, we told you about the Boulder Police Department's new Twitter feed. Now, Channel 4 is boasting about Dr. Dave Hnida, the station's medical expert, Twittering the gallbladder surgery of a seven-year-old girl. This gimmick, which can ... More >>

Pet Project

From animal CAT scans to one of People's most eligible bachelors, Alameda East has it all.

Pain Management

Cancer patient Tim Thomason didn't think he could feel any worse. His Denver jailers showed that he could.

A Cut Above

Taking a whack at circumcision.

It Happened One Night

The Thanksgiving party started early. And then the shots rang out.

Lady Sang the Blues

Monica Janzen had a great voice, a solid band and a new record. She also had breast cancer.

A Plague on All Your Houses

Denver readies itself for a bio-bomb — but is the federal program behind this exercise a dud?

Takin' It in the Pants

In Jefferson County, vasectomies are quick, cheap and cool.

Under the Knife

No matter who wins a medical malpractice case, the verdict cuts both ways.

Sex Machine

Dr. Stanley Biber has made 3,500 women--and 300 men.

Shot in the Arm

Colorado starts mandatory hepatitis B vaccinations for schoolkids.

CRITICAL CONDITIONS

WHEN MEGAN JONES ASKED HER INSURANCE COMPANY TO PAY FOR HER CANCER TREATMENT, SHE FOUND TRUTH WAS AT A PREMIUM.

THE NURSE WAS SCRUBBED

DOCTORS CLANDESTINELY OPERATED ON A COLLEAGUE. GUESS WHO GOT FIRED.

How I became a swine flu expert

A Flickr photo."Quick, call Professor Warner! This porker has the sniffles!" As the swine flu scare spreads across the country, people are desperate for answers. They're looking for experts to give them direction, context and reassurance about this strange new terror gripping the globe. Turns out ... More >>

Mile High Murder, No. 18: Homicide at 12565 E. Albrook Drive

View Larger Map The Denver Police Department is investigating shootings at 12565 E. Albrook Drive, in an area captured in the graphic above (if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map"). Officers arrived at the scene around 1 a.m. to find two men suffering from gunshot wounds; on ... More >>

Hep C victims speak out about getting stuck by Kristen Parker and Rose Medical Center

View Larger Map The Denver Police Department is investigating shootings at 12565 E. Albrook Drive, in an area captured in the graphic above (if you have problems seeing the image, click "View Larger Map"). Officers arrived at the scene around 1 a.m. to find two men suffering from gunshot wounds; on ... More >>

What's scarier: swine flu or the vaccine to prevent it?

The virus.​Plenty of parents are terrified to vaccinate their children these days, fearing side effects that are worse than what the vaccine was intended to prevent in the first place. Such concerns are magnified in the case of H1N1, aka the swine flu. After all, as noted in Joel Warner's blog ... More >>

Healthcare pro says "no" to swine-flu vaccine

The virus at work.​In a Tuesday blog, the Colorado Department of Health's Margaret Huffman reassured the public that the H1N1/swine-flu vaccine was safe and said concerns about it weren't dominating calls received on the state's CoHELP info line. If so, that flies in the face of a new Associat ... More >>

When cold and flu season hit, reach for chicken soup

​Cold and flu season has arrived, and while there are vaccines and a multitude of drugs out there that will be used to combat these illnesses, doctors remain constant on one remedy: chicken soup. According to WebMD, doctors prefer milder, natural alternatives to treat cold and flu cases, with ... More >>

Swine flu protocol: Children and inmates first

​In the movie The Dark Knight, the Joker conducts a nail-biting sociology experiment by rigging bombs on two ships -- one loaded with ordinary folk, the other transporting prisoners. A detonator for each bomb is then placed in the hands of the opposing camps, who are invited to blow up the oth ... More >>

Mile Highs and Lows: Pain Management of Colorado

​As Colorado's medical-marijuana industry grows, marijuana dispensaries of all types and sizes are proliferating around the state. Some resemble swanky bars or sterile dentist offices; others feel like a dope dealer's college dorm room. To help keep them all straight, Westword will be offering ... More >>

This just in: Slayer drops off KBPI's Midwinter Melee

Update: Just received word from Live Nation that the entire show/tour has been postponed. No word on when it will be rescheduled, but tickets will be honored. ​Bad news if you had your heart set on being deafened by this wall of amps in a few weeks. The American Carnage tour, due at Magness A ... More >>

Eyewitness to Hell: Dr. Scott Burke on Haiti's medical nightmare

Street treatment following an amputation in Port-au-Prince. Photo from despardes.com​Just a few hours after touching down in Denver, after a week of performing emergency amputations in a makeshift operating room in Port-au-Prince, local surgeon Scott Burke was trying to catch up on his sleep a ... More >>

Supermax showdown: Don't confuse us with facts

"We were lucky that day": Colorado Department of Corrections Sgt. Bill Nelson describes responding to a 2007 inmate attack on Limon staffer Pam Kahanic (left).​At first glance, the idea of tapping into the badly stretched state budget for a few million to open one wing of a new supermax prison ... More >>

The Unkindest Cut

"We were lucky that day": Colorado Department of Corrections Sgt. Bill Nelson describes responding to a 2007 inmate attack on Limon staffer Pam Kahanic (left).​At first glance, the idea of tapping into the badly stretched state budget for a few million to open one wing of a new supermax prison ... More >>

Hepatitis scare at Grand Lake restaurants: Who needs to get shots?

Max & T's.​It was one of those moments when the personal and the professional collided. On Friday, my wife and I were in Grand Lake when a summer storm passed through -- so we took refuge at Max & T's Bar and Grill, where we ate a delicious lunch. Then, the next morning, I opened up my Denver ... More >>

Medical marijuana for vets: Veterans Health Administration still unenthusiastic about its use

Wanda James.​Last month in this space, dispensary owner and veteran Wanda James shared her excitement about the decision by the Veterans Health Administration to allow vets to use medical marijuana. But "excitement" isn't a word that leaps to mind after reading the VHA's directive on this poli ... More >>

Aaron Klug: Top 5 (probably) worse places to get arrested than at a Dungeons & Dragons event

Aaron Klug.​ There Aaron Klug was, minding his own business at a Dungeons & Dragons event Tuesday, when the pesky cops showed up. Did he slay them with his Flaming Battle Axe or bludgeon them with his skull-topped Staff of Power? Did he pelt them to death with polyhedral dice? No, he did not. ... More >>

Hammer vs Jay-Z: The top five dumbest and most pointless beefs in music history

MC Hammer recently decided the best way to rekindle his once massive flame was to start a beef with Jay-Z in the way of diss track called "Better Run Run," boasting lines like, 'That boy tried to steal my swag/His finger prints all over the bag." While it might have sounded good on paper -- start ... More >>

Peter Boyles on his new face lift, and why he's happy not to look like Kenny Rogers (PHOTOS)

Large photos below.​Face lifts get a bad rap thanks to people like Kenny Rogers, who regularly appears on lists of horrific, shield-your-eyes worst plastic surgery disasters. But KHOW talk-show host Peter Boyles emerged from the process as an extremely satisfied booster of the procedure. "I r ... More >>

In honor of Minor Threat's 30th anniversary, here are five straight-edge bands keeping the spirit alive

Minor Threat (Glen E. Friedman)​December marks the thirtieth anniversary of the first show by Minor Threat, one of the best American punk bands that formed on these angsty shores. To commemorate the occasion, we've come up with a list of the top five current straight-edge hardcore bands that a ... More >>

Chemo101: Denver-based website puts chemotherapy education in patients' hands

​Chemo101.com, a Denver-based website designed to educate patients and caregivers about chemotherapy drugs, has welcomed over 125,000 unique visitors since it's launch in December 2010. That's equal parts impressive and sad for its president and founder, Kristin Gustafson.

Circumcision: Colorado to stop Medicaid coverage of snipping newborn boys' foreskin

Flickr​ A week from today, Colorado is cutting -- pun intended -- Medicaid funding for circumcisions. According to the Associated Press, the state will join seventeen others in making the cost-saving move, which will likely please circumcision opponents, such as Paul Russo, the subject of a 19 ... More >>

Marijuana: Surgery success for Larry Shurtleff, who credits Phoenix Tears with whipping cancer

Larry Shurtleff.​Update:Larry Shurtleff's facial reconstruction surgery -- a procedure that couldn't go forward until he was deemed cancer-free -- was a success, reports Timothy Tipton, his medical marijuana caretaker. An indication that doctors encountered fewer problems than anticipated: Th ... More >>

Medical marijuana: Larry Shurtleff, who credits MMJ for cancer-free diagnosis, leaves hospital

Big pic below.​We've been following the progress of Larry Shurtleff, who was finally able to undergo facial reconstruction surgery after being deemed cancer-free -- a diagnosis he largely credits to Phoenix Tears, a cannabis oil treatment. This weekend, he left Porter Hospital to continue his ... More >>

Post-mastectomy boutique: Pampered Passions lingerie shop to open at Porter Hospital

Alicia Vargo.​ Next month, Alicia Vargo, the proprietress of Pampered Passions Fine Lingerie in Englewood, will open a new outpost of her much-lauded house of bras and panties with an unlikely address and a noble cause. The boutique, to be called Pampered Passions Care Ware, will cater to the ... More >>

Laura Triem, woman hit by light rail, has awoken from her coma

Triem.​Mary Chadwick identifies days almost exclusively by number now. As in, Day 13 was when her daughter, Laura Triem, who was hit by a light rail downtown on November 4, woke up from her coma. Those thirteen days felt like months to Chadwick and she thinks she's aged fifty years, but at lea ... More >>

Kristen Parker's hep-C rampage: Doctors deny duty to prevent drug thefts (VIDEO)

Kristen Parker.​Although Kristen Parker, the surgical tech who infected dozens of Rose Medical Center patients with the hepatitis C virus in 2008 and 2009, is now serving a thirty-year prison sentence, the fallout from her crimes continues to keep a scrum of attorneys busy. In recent court fil ... More >>

Komen Denver affiliate rejects ban on Planned Parenthood grants

Race for the Cure.​For many years, the regional Planned Parenthood headquarters was Westword's neighbor, and we had a front-row seat for the picketers who harassed employees of an organization that does so much more than providing abortion services.