Critical Questions to Ask Your Pain Specialist
The following questions and answers were provided by John V. Prunskis, MD, FIPP, medical director at the Illinois Pain Institute and the Barrington Pain and Spine Institute. Q: What kind of training do you have? A: Successful pain management requires that your physician possess sophisticated medical decision-making abilities and expertise with numerous injections and other medical […]
Critical Questions: GERD
The following questions and answers were provided by Mitchell Bernsen, MD, managing partner at Illinois Gastroenterology Group, a member of Health Plus Physicians Organization. Q: My chest burns sometimes after I eat or go to sleep. Why does this happen? A: Acid reflux is caused by the reflux of digestive enzymes from the stomach […]
Critical Questions: Prostate Cancer
The following questions and answers were provided by Rajat Malhotra, MD, Medical Oncology/Hematology at Illinois Cancer Specialists in Arlington Heights. 1. What determines the stage of my disease? The stage is typically determined after a biopsy reveals prostate cancer. Certain characteristics about a prostate cancer will require some patients to have testing to learn […]
The Danger of a Routine
The Danger of a Routine By Anthony Bonazzo When it comes to fitness, you often hear, “Well, it’s better to be doing something than nothing!” As a personal trainer, that makes me cringe. It’s like trying to learn a new language but only learning enough to say, “hello” and “goodbye,” and then every day, you only practiced […]
Health Mastery
Pain: A Love Message from the Body of You Dear Self: I would like to address your so-misunderstood and overlooked sensation of pain. Before I do, though, I’d like to clarify who I am. I am not just (as in only) a body, such as those hollow, plastic ones of your Barbie and Ken dolls, adorned and controlled […]
Funny Bone
Originally published in the Fall 2015 print edition.
Doctor’s Orders
What Patients Should Know By Dr. Gena Vennikandam When was the last time you visited the doctor? In more scenarios than one, sadly, this question often elicits only a long pause followed by a shameful shrug of the shoulders. Understandably, our lives get hectic, but checking in on your health with your primary care physician should […]
Feeding Your Heart
Changing gears on cholesterol guidelines Cardiovascular disease still tops the charts among chronic diseases in the United States. Recent statistics show that 117 million American adults—about half of the U.S. adult population—have one or more chronic health conditions like heart disease, hypertension and type 2 diabetes. Plus, two-thirds of adults and one-third of children in the […]
On-Screen Doctors
Telemedicine delivers remote healthcare on demand By Karen Grimaldos Pamela Ziegler doesn’t have time to get sick. That’s why when this busy working mom from Bartlett started sneezing, coughing and wheezing, she tolerated the bothersome symptoms for a week, hoping that they might go away on their own. When they didn’t, she went online to […]
Girding up to treat GERD
By Nancy Maes You have a big steak and a glass or two of wine for dinner, and the next day you suffer from heartburn. So you take an antacid and you’re good to go. After you have a beer and a brat, you do the same thing. The story repeats itself many times over […]
End-of-Life Care: The Conversation That Can’t Wait
By Heidi Lading Kiec Winston Churchill once said, “Courage is what it takes to stand up and speak; courage is also what it takes to sit down and listen.” This quote, found in many leadership books, is applicable to a host of situations, but it’s especially relevant to individuals and their loved ones facing end-of-life […]
To The Point
Acupuncture eases chemo-related pain, fatigue and nausea A component of traditional Chinese medicine, acupuncture has been well researched in Western medicine and noted as safe and effective. It offers such a proven benefit as a complementary cancer therapy that it is offered in many major cancer centers as an adjunct to conventional care. In a […]
Rebuilding Man
Ankle replacements give patients more viability By Brett Dworski It’s been over 40 years since Dan Chesman, a former ROTC Naval Officer at Miami University in Ohio, shattered his ankle in a toboggan accident. At the time of the accident, back in 1972, the latest surgical treatment was to fuse the ankle bones together, which would have […]
New Treatments in Prostate Care
By Tom Mullaney It seems inconceivable that a small, walnut-sized gland lying just below the bladder could be the vicious killer of about 28,000 American men this year. Yet, that is the devastating toll inflicted by prostate cancer. Until quite recently, urologists had a limited, unreliable arsenal to screen for the disease, namely the prostate-specific […]
Taking Control of Your Birth Control
Having reproductive choices doesn’t always mean having control over your body Last fall, I asked my healthcare provider to switch my generic birth control prescription from a Target to a Walgreens that was more convenient. I went to pick up the medication, only to find that with the pharmacy change also came a change in […]
Pain-Fighting Recipes
By Jeannette Hurt Fresh Tuna Burgers with Mango Salsa These zesty tuna burgers not only awaken your taste buds with their depth of flavor, but they can also pack a punch of pain-fighting powers. The omega-3 fatty acids of tuna have been shown to help reduce inflammation, as have the anti-inflammatory compounds of turmeric and […]
Growing Pains
Teenage girls are prime targets for ligament injuries By Nancy Maes Julissa Campos was playing soccer at Chicago’s Holy Trinity High School when she heard a sound like the snap of a rubber band. “When I pivoted, my upper body turned but my lower body didn’t, so something in my knee tore,” she recalls. “I […]
The Illusion of Connection
Looking at youth culture with 10 years of social media effects By Tone Stockenström In barely a decade, social media has upended the way we interact with our friends, families, co-workers and the world at large. Many teenagers know no other way of socializing without web-based applications and text messaging as an option. The constant […]
Concussions: Coaches, Players, Physicians Realize Hard-Hitting Lessons
By Laura Drucker It wasn’t headaches that made Arija Inveiss think she might have a concussion. It wasn’t dizziness or sensitivity to light or any of the obvious symptoms you’d think might occur after a knock to the head. Rather, Inveiss, then a junior at Loyola University Chicago, suspected a concussion after a stack of freshly […]
The Fat Truth
Fat is on the radar again. It’s gone from being banished in the ’90s in the name of heart health to making a comeback with a recent media frenzy touting the virtues of saturated fats like butter. The low-fat trend became popular largely due to a groundbreaking 1990 study, The Lifestyle Heart Trial, by cardiologist […]
3D Printing: A model for a better future
Pictured above: Students use the models to practice performing complicated minimally invasive procedures to repair rare birth defects. Photo courtesy of Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. By Kate Silver On the counter sits a realistic leg, from the knee down, with a crimson gaping wound to the outer ankle. Nearby is a pair of […]
Where Does It Hurt?
Untreated or mistreated chronic pain can lead to the pangs of depression By Morgan Lord When Bill Lipscomb, 60, was in the tightest grips of chronic pain, he couldn’t stand up for more than a minute at a time, and his right leg was so red, hot and sensitive that wearing long pants was out of the question—which […]
This Is Not Your Grandparents’ Back Surgery
By Heidi Lading Kiec Some of you may recall a grandparent or elderly neighbor constantly stooped over and in pain after an open-back spinal surgery. Previously, patients having surgery to treat lumbar stenosis, essentially a spur or bony callus on the spine, had muscles cut and bones and ligaments removed in order for the surgeon […]
Alternatives to Hurting
Hypnosis and reflexology gain footing for pain control By Nancy Maes Pictured above: Sarah Preusker, Board-Certified Reflexologist. Photo by JC Paz Photography Two techniques to relieve pain—hypnosis and reflexology—may seem like some sort of hocus-pocus to those unfamiliar with the treatments, but research shows that both techniques are valid complementary methods to reduce pain. “A lot of people think […]
Reefer to the Rescue
Medical cannabis presents new treatment options for pain management Medical marijuana advocates are not just blowing smoke. Medical cannabis, now in Illinois, has proven to help manage chronic pain—in some cases working for patients when conventional painkillers do not. Illinois physicians who are willing to discuss the topic say that while cannabis treatments can offer […]
Above & Beyond: Action for Healthy Kids Makes Schools Healthier Places
By Megy Karydes Children spend 1,000 hours a year and consume as many as half their calories at school, making classrooms ideal places to teach healthy lifelong habits, according to Action for Healthy Kids, a Chicago-based national organization. Noticing childhood obesity growing and realizing that schools were a great place to educate children on healthy […]
Above & Beyond: Heartland Alliance Provides Housing, Healthcare Options to Help End Poverty
By Megy Karydes The cycle is familiar to many living in poverty. Charles was trying to land on his feet after a short-term incarceration, but he encountered barriers to obtaining health insurance as well as housing. Without a home, his health worsened. Without a home or healthcare, he was unable to maintain a job. And […]
Clarity Pill
Seeing Through the Cost of Your Drugs By Megy Karydes Like many families, mine is one that requires a daily dose of medicine to keep our bodies healthy. Last year, the two prescriptions for my daughter and me cost us $200 through our family insurance plan provided by my husband’s employer. This year, his company […]
How Baby Boomers Are Killing the Pain—and More
Pictured above: Daniel H. Angres, MD. Photo by James Foster By Kate Silver When Daniel H. Angres, 66, reads the headlines about the growing numbers of baby boomers addicted to—and overdosing on—prescription pain pills, he’s grateful that he found help for his own pill addiction 33 years ago. “I was sort of a product of the ’60s and ’70s; I […]
