The Need for Screening

The Need for Screening

While men may be reluctant to see the doctor, they should consider these important preventive tests How do you think…

Sunscreens at a Glance

Sunscreens at a Glance

When it comes to preventing skin cancer, sunscreen is essential. There are two main types of sunscreen — chemical and…

The Power of Prevention

The Power of Prevention

When it comes to our health, we tend to treat disease instead of warding it off in the first place. …

How to Be Heart Smart

How to Be Heart Smart

Give your heart a head start by knowing — and reducing — your risks Preventive medical advice sometimes feels like…

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Preventing Type 2 Diabetes

Making lifestyle changes now can help stop or reverse the disorder It was a few weeks before Christmas 2019, and…

Weight-Loss Success

Weight-Loss Success

Initiatives  — whether surgery, medication, or diet — help people conquer obesity and improve their health Weight loss is a…

Breathing Easy

Breathing Easy

Preventing asthma starts by understanding triggers and, perhaps, by changing the way we eat A few months ago, I discovered…

Preventing Overdose Deaths

Preventing Overdose Deaths

Now, more medications treat opioid use disorder Drug-related deaths hit an all-time high in the United States recently, with most…

Eliminating Cervical Cancer

Eliminating Cervical Cancer

Cervical cancer in Chicago occurs 39% more often and has a 60% higher death rate than the national average, according…

Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body

Healthy Mouth, Healthy Body

Everyone knows that brushing your teeth prevents cavities and tooth decay. But many people don’t realize dental care is an…

Why Covid-19 Affects Kids’ Mental Health — and How You Can Help

Why Covid-19 Affects Kids’ Mental Health — and How You Can Help

While adults have been the hardest hit by Covid-19 infections, children of all ages remain vulnerable to the pandemic’s many…

A Caregiver’s Role: Running to a Crisis

A Caregiver’s Role: Running to a Crisis

In the middle of April, a few weeks into Illinois’ stay-at-home order, we finally got the call we were anxiously…

How Chicagoans Can Protect Themselves and Others from the Coronavirus

How Chicagoans Can Protect Themselves and Others from the Coronavirus

Tips from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to reduce your risk of infection and keep others safe, at…

Suicide Watch

Suicide Watch

Know the Warning Signs in Older Adults A recent study in the journal Clinical Interventions in Aging revealed a shocking…

Injury-Prevention Tips from Joffrey Dancers Help Recreational Athletes

Injury-Prevention Tips from Joffrey Dancers Help Recreational Athletes

Professional dancers, like professional athletes, are subject to injury because of the constant stress they put on their bodies. And…

No Proven Way to Prevent Celiac Disease

No Proven Way to Prevent Celiac Disease

Mayo Clinic Q&A DEAR MAYO CLINIC: Is there anything I can do now to prevent my 1-year-old from getting celiac…

4 Ways to Protect Against Skin Cancer (Other Than Sunscreen)

4 Ways to Protect Against Skin Cancer (Other Than Sunscreen)

Harvard Health Blog While sunscreen is essential to lowering your risk for skin cancer, there are other simple, over-the-counter options…

Car Safety for Road-Warrior Parents

Car Safety for Road-Warrior Parents

By Morgan Lord Whether you’re off on a road trip or running errands on crowded city streets, keep your child…

Sun Sense

Sun Sense

Dermatologists say chemicals in sunscreen not a risk By Laura Drucker I was walking along the lakefront with a friend…

Water Safety Tips for Kids Help Prevent Drownings

Water Safety Tips for Kids Help Prevent Drownings

By Nancy Maes You might think you know the signs of drowning: a kid frantically waving his arms high in…

Doctor’s Orders

Doctor’s Orders

What Patients Should Know By Dr. Gena Vennikandam When was the last time you visited the doctor? In more scenarios than…

The Kid’s Doctor: Have your child’s blood pressure checked regularly

The Kid’s Doctor: Have your child’s blood pressure checked regularly

By Sue Hubbard, M.D., www.kidsdr.com When you take your child in for a check-up, does your pediatrician check the youngster’s…

Playing It Safe

Playing It Safe

Summertime playground fun is best when serious injuries are avoided By Nancy Maes Public playgrounds can be some of the…

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Presbyopia a normal part of aging, but regular eye exams are recommended

Mayo Clinic Q&A: Presbyopia a normal part of aging, but regular eye exams are recommended

By Michael Mahr, M.D., Tribune Content Agency DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I’m 43 and have started having trouble with my vision…

The Medicine Cabinet-Ask the Harvard Experts: Preventive strategies can reduce risk of another dislocated shoulder

The Medicine Cabinet-Ask the Harvard Experts: Preventive strategies can reduce risk of another dislocated shoulder

By Robert Shmerling, M.D., Tribune Content Agency Q: I’ve dislocated my shoulder twice. What can I do to prevent this…

Peanut Consumption in Infancy Could Prevent Peanut Allergies, Study Finds

Peanut Consumption in Infancy Could Prevent Peanut Allergies, Study Finds

By Heidi Kiec When it comes to preventing a peanut allergy, it might be best to fight fire with fire.…

Sauna time linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems

Sauna time linked to longer life, fewer fatal heart problems

By Beverly Merz Harvard Health Blog After such a long, frigid winter, I wouldn’t mind sitting in a sauna for…

A Golfing Lesson from Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

A Golfing Lesson from Illinois Bone and Joint Institute

By Nancy Maes Back in March, Tiger Woods announced that he was withdrawing from the Arnold Palmer Invitational because he…

Teen Dating Violence Victims Suffer Long-Term Health Effects

Teen Dating Violence Victims Suffer Long-Term Health Effects

“They grab you, touch your butt and try to, like, touch you in the front, and run away, but it’s…

Awareness Related to Colorectal Cancer Helps Reduce the Number of Deaths

Awareness Related to Colorectal Cancer Helps Reduce the Number of Deaths

By David Himmel March is Colorectal Cancer Awareness Month, and here’s what you need to know: Colorectal cancer is tricky.…

Commit to Getting Fat: A Resolution Reboot

Commit to Getting Fat: A Resolution Reboot

By Anthony Bonazzo We’re into the second month of the New Year, and if your 2014 resolution to committing to…

Obesity

Obesity

The Little Known Truth About Being BIG By Alex Lubischer America’s obesity epidemic boils down to this: We do not…

Heads Up

Heads Up

While concussions are prevalent in contact sports, millions of nonathletes incur dangerous concussions, too By Eve Becker The images are…

What Your Body Is Telling You In Your 30s and 40s

What Your Body Is Telling You In Your 30s and 40s

By Morgan Lord When we women leave our 20s and enter our 30s and 40s, we finally peak—comfortable in our…

Welcome Home Mono

Welcome Home Mono

Students returning home for winter break could be carrying the kissing disease By Maryann Pisano With the holidays right around…

When Things Get Steamy

When Things Get Steamy

Can Vagina Steams Aid in Vaginal and Uterine Health? By Megy Karydes Spread your legs wide, she instructed. I obliged,…

The Prevention Column

The Prevention Column

Fitness Tips for the Traveler By Anthony Bonazzo Just because you are traveling, doesn’t mean that your fitness routine needs…

Chemical Deal

Chemical Deal

Chemicals in Our Products are Wreaking Havoc on Our Health By Megy Karydes Most of us blindly buy products sold…

Sexuality, Aging and the Rise of Sexually Transmitted Infections

Sexuality, Aging and the Rise of Sexually Transmitted Infections

By Rhonda Alexander During teenage and young-adult years, sexually transmitted infections (STI)—and how to prevent them—is a regular topic of…

Options Against the Flu

Options Against the Flu

This season’s flu shots will be more individualized, but immunization can begin in summer By Megy Karydes Patients who have…

Doctor’s Orders

Vaccinations don’t cause autism, they save lives By Dr. Gena Vennikandam For a lot of kids, a trip to the…

The Prevention Column

Back Pain is Crippling America By Anthony Bonazzo Back pain has become a trendy ailment in American culture. Many people…

Biking Ahead for Safety

Biking Ahead for Safety

Tips for protecting your child’s head with the perfect-fitting bike helmetBy Nancy Maes Parents can’t just buy the bike helmet…

Camping with Food Allergies

Camping with Food Allergies

It’s no one’s favorite activity, but some kids have to face food allergies at summer camp By Nancy Maes Summertime…

Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative announces major changes in Chicago

Michelle Obama’s Let’s Move! initiative announces major changes in Chicago

By Riley Andersen First lady Michelle Obama is kicking off the third year of her Let’s Move! initiative this week…

Caring for Your Winter Skin

Helpful tips from top area dermatologists By Karen Schwartz It’s wintertime in Chicago, and most likely, your skin looks and…

­­The Un-sexiest Disease in the Room

Why is the idea of improving our heart health so unattractive to us? The problem with cardiovascular disease is that…

Living Too  Large

Living Too Large

A Look at the Chicago Childhood Obesity Epidemic By Morgan Lord When it comes to childhood obesity in Chicago, there’s…

Good Oral Health

More at stake than just fresh breath By Terri Yablonsky Stat Your mouth is home to billions of bacteria that…

Thursday’s Great American Smokeout

Thursday’s Great American Smokeout

Tomorrow (November 15), marks the American Cancer Society’s 37th annual Great American Smokeout. This nationwide event occurs every year on…