Take a Deep Breath: Making Risk-Based Decisions in the Coronavirus Era
Just last week, it seemed okay to have lunch out or maybe meet up with friends for a game of pickup soccer. Now, in the fast-moving world of the coronavirus response, that’s no longer the case. More and better social distancing is required. But what’s still acceptable? We reached out to public health experts, who, […]
Sensory-Friendly Events
Chicago theaters and museums set the scene for families with special needs Chicago has a wealth of cultural opportunities, but for some families, those options are off the table. Families with children on the autism spectrum often opt to stay home if they feel their loved one might be disruptive at a busy museum. Others […]
Being Aware of Parkinson’s Drugs
There is a long list of drugs to treat Parkinson’s disease, and many people take a mix of medications to manage the motor skills and side effects. The gold standard and most potent is levodopa, which the brain synthesizes to form dopamine. Other options include dopamine agonists and anticholinergic drugs to help reduce tremors. MAO-B […]
Putting Treatments into Motion
Parkinson’s disease — a progressive movement disorder — has no cure, but better treatments are giving more hope If you had told Rick Mazursky 13 years ago that he would be working out most days, hitting stickers on a boxing bag while simultaneously spelling words aloud, or balancing on a stability ball while throwing punches, […]
Aiding People with Alzheimer’s Through the Arts
While people with Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia gradually lose the ability to speak and to remember, the arts can help ground them, keep them engaged and let them express themselves. “The arts enrich the quality of life of individuals with memory loss and provide them with a sense of purpose and meaning,” […]
Communicating with People with Memory Loss
Lessons Lynn Roberts learned while caring for her mother When interacting with someone with Alzheimer’s disease, it can be helpful to avoid confrontation, create a calm environment, and focus on communicating slowly and clearly. Correcting them, or trying to jog their memory, might make them feel frustrated or agitated. Play along. Enter their reality. “I’d […]
Stolen Memories
The losses of Alzheimer’s disease mount for patients and their families Lynn Roberts first noticed her mother’s memory issues in 2007. At 70 years old, her mother still had her quick wit and independence and could fully care for her husband, who had Parkinson’s disease. But her memory was starting to wane. While driving, her […]
What it’s Like to Live with Dementia
Chicago resident Tom Doyle shares with us what living with dementia is like for him. Here are his words, as told to Chicago Health writer Kate Silver. Last year, my husband, Levi, and I were attending a meeting for the Alzheimer’s Association at a downtown hotel, and we took a break for lunch. The waiter […]
7 Foundations for a Healthy Brain
While growing older can bring maturity and wisdom, it can also bring a decline in our cognitive abilities, like memory, processing speed and other brain functions. But healthy lifestyle behaviors can reduce the risk of dementia, says Klodian Dhana, MD, PhD, assistant professor in the department of internal medicine at Rush University Medical Center and […]
How Different Types of Dementia Affect the Brain
Restituto Miranda Sr. occasionally reminisced about driving a taxicab, working in an office supplies store and riding his motorcycle. But there was one problem: To the best of his family’s knowledge, Miranda — who had worked as a meat cutter with the American Meat Packing Corp. in Chicago — never had done any of these […]
Dealing with Dementia
Types of memory loss vary, but the effects can be profound Rosemary Pagura of Elk Grove Village and her friends thought little of it when Rosemary said she couldn’t remember where she put the dessert for their party. “We all laughed. But the next day, when I found the dessert right in the very front […]
Eliminating the Fear Factor
Testicular cancer’s high cure rates turn panic into promise Testicular cancer rarely makes the headlines. Because so few men are diagnosed with the disease each year — the American Cancer Society puts the number of new cases at 9,610 annually — many men don’t pay attention to it. But they should. The earlier testicular cancer […]
Hidden Hormonal Disorder
Polycystic ovary syndrome’s far-ranging impacts on women’s health Back in 2013, Danni Allen, a native of Mundelein, shed 121 pounds and was crowned winner of NBC’s popular reality show, America’s Biggest Loser. Determined to keep the weight off, Allen maintained a lifestyle that included a healthy diet and plenty of exercise. Yet in 2016, Allen […]
Back on Track
Treatments for scoliosis help adolescents at a tender time A diagnosis of scoliosis can throw a child a curveball. Typically, at age 10 to 15 — just as kids embark on the sensitive years of adolescence — they might notice that one hip appears higher than the other. Or their shoulders or waist might look […]
Smart Stats Brain – By the Numbers
Can Smartphones Detect Signs of Dementia?
Smartphones and watches have proven themselves in the health world. They can track sleep quality, heart rate and even the severity of a head injury. But can they also spot signs of cognitive decline? In August 2019, health measurement company Evidation Health set out to answer that, publishing the initial results of a study conducted […]
Sharing the Healing Power of Music
If music heals the soul, then patients at some Chicago hospitals are in luck. Award-winning nonprofit Sharing Notes organizes volunteer musicians to bring hospital patients weekly interactive performances of classical, folk, jazz and other styles of music. Allegra Montanari, Sharing Notes’ founder and executive director, wanted to share her love of music with others after […]
Moving Your Mind to Combat Anxiety
Physical exercise is a great stress-reliever, and teens these days are under a lot of stress. So when two Evanston Township High School students were looking for healthy ways to deal with their anxiety, they developed a program called Moving Your Mind, movingyourmind.com. Free, monthly classes for local teens combine physical activity — from indoor […]
SuperBetter Game Aims to Decrease Depression
One in 13 people globally suffers from anxiety, the World Health Organization reports. While some video games and apps can contribute to anxiety, one new game is designed to increase optimism, self-efficacy and social support. After suffering from a severe concussion in 2009, game designer Jane McGonigal created a resilience-building game and watched her anxious […]
Hope for Huntington’s Disease?
A progressive and fatal neurological disease, Huntington’s disease affects the entire brain. It’s “a constellation of three types of issues: motor, cognitive and psychiatric,” says Danny Bega, MD, a neurologist and director of Northwestern Memorial Hospital’s Huntington’s disease clinic. There are no curative or preventive therapies, but there has been “an explosion of research in […]
