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 it’s not sexy. Upon first hearing this, it seems obvious, right? What could be sexy about bad cholesterol, hypertension or angina pectoris? But let’s take a moment to define sexy. We’ll use Merriam-Webster’s secondary definition: […]
Sitting at the Unpopular Table
Lesser-known cancers deserve far more attention By Nancy Maes Some cancers, such as breast, colon and lung, are well known. And like principal actors in a movie, they get a great deal of time in the media spotlight. Meanwhile the lesser-known cancers are like the character actors and, therefore, receive far less attention. But these […]
The Primary Problem
As the population grows, so does the need for effective primary care. Yet the number of family doctors has dwindled, and the trend isn’t expected to change course By Patrick Kenney The modern healthcare industry faces an array of challenges, some more vexing than others. One particularly confounding problem; we have a shortage of primary […]
Animal Appetite
Good pet health, like ours, begins with the diet By Eve Becker We know that our health, as humans, is largely influenced by our diet, with unhealthy diets leading to obesity, diabetes and heart disease. It turns out that the four-legged members of our family may have some of the same concerns. “The most important health […]
The Chicago Blues
Seasonal Affective Disorder a far cry from clinical depression By Jenny Allen We’ve all been there. It’s the dead of winter. The alarm clock is blaring. We turn to the window with bleary eyes and… total darkness. A long workday lies ahead. Surely the lunch hour will offer some respite, but it’s 20 degrees out […]
Act Fast to Help Stroke Care
By Eve Becker Last January, Mark Kirk woke up with a headache. It worsened as the morning progressed, followed by vision problems and numbness in his hands. Symptoms became alarmingly more severe. His staff drove him to the emergency room, where it was determined that the junior senator from Illinois had suffered an ischemic stroke; […]
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 news, and there’s an overwhelming amount of bad news. Here’s the bad news first. “Childhood obesity is definitely becoming a bigger issue in Chicago,” says Dr. Mary Westerholm, a physician at Central DuPage Hospital […]
Real Men Ask for Help
Erectile dysfunction can damage self-esteem and hurt relationships. But if dealt with appropriately, it just might save your life. OK, maybe we wouldn’t normally put that last one on the list of manly attributes. But lacking good vascular health can mean that everything else on the list is compromised. There are few things that fall […]
Physical Therapy after Joint Replacement Surgery
The recipe for a successful return to normal activities By Nancy Maes When extensive pain makes knee or hip replacement a necessity, it sometimes is beneficial to go through a presurgical round of physical therapy with a trained physical therapist. “If a patient lacks strength or range of motion before surgery, it can be beneficial […]
Old Arthur Itis
Are the effects of arthritis just something we have to deal with as we age? By Karen Schwartz Ah, getting older… You wake up each morning, and that back pain makes it hard to get out of bed. Or perhaps you jogged around your neighborhood, and it feels like you’ve run a marathon. Should you […]
More than Bridge and Bingo
Retirement communities are no longer homes for the old folks By Karen Schwartz Walk into the independent living apartments of The Admiral at the Lake continuing care retirement community (CCRC) on the North Side of Chicago, and you’ll see beautifully appointed one-, two- and three-bedroom units, some with an expansive view of Lake Michigan. The […]
The Cost of Delaying Childbirth
Celebs can afford to do it, can you? So many stories abound about celebrities in their late 30s or 40s giving birth to healthy babies, that delaying childbirth seems like a normal, natural experience. Yet women who wait until their mid-30s or later to have a baby face certain risks. “The first important hurdle they […]
A Hazy Shade of Healthcare
What does tort reform mean for local doctors, insurance companies and you? By Morgan Lord Many of us have a vague idea of what the phrase “tort reform” means. But it’s just that—vague. Tort reform is defined as setting limits for awards of noneconomic damages such as pain, suffering and mental anguish. Meaning, if a […]
Good Oral Health
More at stake than just fresh breath By Terri Yablonsky Stat Your mouth is home to billions of bacteria that not only pose a risk for tooth decay and gum disease but can seriously affect your overall health. If you don’t take care of your teeth, bad breath and less-than-pearly whites may be the least […]
Going Above and Beyond
Shining the spotlight on Chicago’s charitable organizations By Megy Karydes There is no shortage of nonprofit organizations doing great work in Chicago. For families dealt with a devastating blow like news that they have been diagnosed with cancer or they don’t have health insurance to cover prescriptions that can keep them from an emergency room […]
Health Mastery
Tenaciously Stubborn: How the good kind of stubbornness can actually save our lives By Kathleen Aharoni She kept returning to her gynecologist and insisting that she be checked again. Her doctor, though, kept telling her that her bloating and not feeling like her usual self were just symptoms of menopause. She persevered in her self-advocacy, […]
