Healing Power of Aromatherapy
Harnessing the power of Mother Nature, fragrant essential oils from plants are being used in medical settings to enhance a person’s physical, emotional and spiritual wellbeing. Blends of essential oils, such as lavender and lemon, are diffused in Swedish Covenant Hospital’s inpatient rehab unit to improve the mood of patients, says Judi Gavlick, RN, a […]
Retrain Your Bladder
Don’t let urinary incontinence dampen your life If you’ve experienced some form of urinary incontinence — the accidental release of urine — you are not alone. It’s an issue that affects 25 million people in the U.S., according to the National Association for Continence. And if you’re a woman, it’s twice as likely to be […]
How Do Doctors Unwind?
Being a physician is demanding. With long days, grueling surgeries and complex patient care, physician stress and burnout are off the charts. We asked Chicago doctors about their favorite ways to find balance and relax. Here’s what they told us. “I started figure skating at the age of 9, did competitive singles skating through college […]
‘Observation’ Hospital Stay Can Cost You Big Money
When you’re in the hospital, a difference in billing classifications can cost you thousands of dollars. Medicare sometimes classifies a hospital stay as an observation stay or an outpatient visit, rather than an admittance — even if you’ve stayed for one night. That difference might sound technical, but the result is not: Patients can wind […]
CDC Reports Record Number of STIs
You might not hear much about syphilis, but the highly contagious disease is on the rise, along with other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). In 2016, more than 2 million cases of gonorrhea, syphilis and chlamydia were reported nationwide — the highest number ever — according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). LGBTQ […]
Tattoos and Piercings for Teens?
Check safety first Tattoos and piercings are now more common among young people, but with commonality can come malady. Just ask Cynthia Mears, DO, an adolescent medicine specialist at Advocate Children’s Hospital in Oak Lawn. “One of my patients went to a birthday party, and she came in with an infected tattoo,” Mears says. The […]
Monitoring Prescriptions to Catch Opioid Abuse
Illinois’ efforts to track drug prescriptions have come a long way from the paper and pencil reports of the early 2000s. The Illinois Prescription Monitoring Program (PMP) is an online tool that lets prescribers view patient history to identify people who are at risk for opioid dependence. It’s designed to flag people who go medication shopping […]
Girls’ Concussion Symptoms Last Twice as Long as Those in Boys
New research finds that girls suffer sports-related concussion symptoms more than twice as long as boys. Adolescent girls with first-time concussions had symptoms for a median duration of 28 days versus 11 days for adolescent boys, according to a study in the October 2017 Journal of the American Osteopathic Association. The researchers believe the prolonged […]
Going Higher
Blood pressure problems among kids are rising High blood pressure is common in adults, and it’s also an increasing concern in children, in part due to rising obesity rates. An estimated 3.5 percent of kids and teens in the U.S. have chronic high blood pressure, according to the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP). High blood pressure, […]
Eating Disorders and Men
Fixations on food and body image aren’t just a woman’s problem Media and popular culture have defined unreal standards of beauty. For men, this often means six-pack abs and looking like Michelangelo’s David. But that ideal image can be destructive. For Elgin resident Robert Allanson and many other men with eating disorders, the fixation on […]
America’s Obesity Problem
Tackling our battle with weight America has a big problem — and it’s growing fast. Almost 40 percent of adults and 19 percent of youth are considered obese, and those extra pounds have huge health consequences. Being obese increases the risk of diabetes, heart disease, arthritis and stroke, among other preventable conditions. Obesity is at […]
End-of-Life Care
Talking about death can help you live better at the end Gerry Mathy learned she had late-stage pancreatic cancer in 2009. The 75-year-old Wisconsin woman had witnessed her late husband’s grueling lung cancer treatment and didn’t want the same for herself. No chemo, no radiation, no thank you. At the urging of her sons, she […]
A Nation in Crisis
Understanding the U.S. obesity epidemic In October 2017, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) released its updated statistics on obesity in the United States. The numbers were troubling and confirmed what many have been seeing and predicting for decades: obesity is skyrocketing. Like a train that has run off track, we seem to be […]
A Weighty Issue
Healthy behaviors can counter childhood obesity Ana Hernandez, 32, of Cicero, was worried about her son, Luis, who is now 9 years old. For years, his diet was heavy in junk food, he was gaining a lot of weight and he was always tired. Her pediatrician referred them to a pediatric weight management program. After just […]
A Stealth Disease
Type 2 diabetes can wreak havoc before you know it Allison Dickson hoped the feeling would pass. As an on-the-go mother of two juggling a regular job and a burgeoning career as an author, 38-year-old Dickson didn’t have time to be sick. Life was calling and, by her own admission, she sent her health to […]
Healthy Living for People with Disabilities
Adaptive approaches help address high obesity rates While obesity is one of the biggest health concerns in many communities, people with disabilities suffer from obesity more than their peers. Because of physical limitations, they can find it more difficult to eat healthy, control their weight and be physically active. This can start a vicious cycle, […]
