Meaningful Movements
Trauma-informed yoga creates space for physical healing When a person experiences trauma — gun violence, abuse, or military combat, for example — the body holds onto those memories in tissues, muscles, and physiology. Even as the person mentally tries to work past the experience, physical reactions that helped them through the traumatic experience may persist. […]
Nutritional Surplus
Can you overdo the supplements? America’s dietary supplement industry is big business, with an estimated 85,000 products in the marketplace. But believe it or not, most people don’t need them. “For most healthy individuals, supplements are not a necessity,” says Emily Smith, MD, a Chicago-based endocrinologist and obesity medicine physician at Form Health, an online […]
Medical Essentials
5 health tools to keep in the house First, it was a new thermometer, with a battery and display. Later, a blood pressure cuff showed up. I noticed a pulse oximeter on the nightstand once the pandemic started, and recently I saw an ad for a blood sugar monitor that implied that everyone should have one, […]
Feeling Flexible
Flexitarian diets let people prioritize plant-based options — without totally saying bye to meat You’ve probably heard that eating less meat will protect your health and the health of the planet. But does that mean you can never have a steak again? Not so fast. A flexitarian eating style offers a perfect middle ground for people […]
Eating Disorder Surge
How Covid-19 created a wave of eating disorders among America’s youth From age 12 to 25, Mackenzie Carmichael felt controlled by the food she both ate and didn’t eat. At 24, after denying her eating disorder (ED) for years, she hit her version of rock bottom and went through inpatient treatment after her friends held […]
Navigating Epilepsy
In the wake of mysterious symptoms, Renato Tosoc searches for answers and a treatment protocol that works for him For 42-year-old Renato Tosoc, the mystery began in fall of 2019, when he moved from Chicago to the Philippines for a one-year work assignment to help set up a new call center for JP Morgan. His […]
Pins and Needles
5 common causes of peripheral neuropathy At 7 weeks old, Angel Mason’s doctor diagnosed her with type 1 diabetes. Twenty years later, she developed diabetic neuropathy. It’s the most common form of peripheral neuropathy — a degenerative nerve disease that causes numbness, pain, and disability. Some 20 million Americans — most over age 50 — […]
Take Heart
How your legs’ health affects your heart — and vice versa Count to 40. In the time it took you to do that, someone in the U.S. had a heart attack. It happens every 40 seconds, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. And while most people recognize arm pain as a common […]
How to Keep a Symptom Diary for the Most Accurate Diagnosis
When you’re dealing with an illness you can’t figure out or if you visit multiple doctors, a symptom diary is a useful way to track and convey what you’re experiencing. But it can be difficult to know what exactly to include — especially if you aren’t already working with a doctor whose specialty relates to […]
How To Avoid Self-Diagnosis
In an ideal world, if you notice something wrong with your body, you could immediately get a medical appointment — and answers — with no fear about the unknown. Strange or unexpected symptoms always carry a level of worry, though, and doctors are often booked months out. So where do we often turn while waiting […]
Healthcare Power of Attorney: An overlooked college essential
When teens turn 18, they’re legally classified as adults. But with nearly half a million 18-year-olds starting college this year, guardians should talk to their teen about establishing a power of attorney (POA) to protect their teen in case of medical emergency. “A power of attorney document can avoid doubt, and give certainty and comfort that […]
Have You Heard?
Adults who believe they have mild or moderate hearing loss can now buy over-the-counter (OTC) hearing aids without seeing a hearing care provider, as of October 2022. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) rule is timely for an aging population: About 30 million people in the U.S. have hearing loss, but only 20% use […]
Ask the Doc
Your embarrassing questions answered! By Harold Boutté Jr., MD Q: I’m having some, um, issues with, uh, pooping. Is what I’m experiencing normal? How do I talk to my doctor about it? A: Strong-smelling farts and accidents during the night while sleeping are the most common bowel issues people are embarrassed to talk about. Without question, not […]
Never Not Hunting for a Diagnosis
My two boys are perfect. They are void of the trappings of time: wrinkles, scars, clogged pores, hunched shoulders, bulbus knuckles, squinty eyes when trying to read. But wait…what’s that? Where did that bruise come from? Oh, no…it’s leukemia, right? What’s that cough? It’s RSV. Why is my 4-month-old smiling and laughing so much? There […]
Seeing Clearly
How a routine vision check can save your life Jackie Memije assumed she was just stressed out, so she ignored her symptoms. The whooshing in the ears, the bad headaches, the back pain, and the visual flares that looked like lightning. Memije, a project billing specialist based in Round Lake Beach, figured anxiety from the […]
New Health Laws
Bodily Autonomy Ordinance This new Chicago law prohibits city departments and agencies from participating in investigations or proceedings related to reproductive and gender-affirming care by another jurisdiction. In other words, if an anti-abortion state comes around seeking information about a citizen who may have received care in Chicago, the inquirer won’t be able to access […]
Finding the Pain
How orthopedic specialists go beyond imaging to diagnose and treat pre-arthritic knee pain Sofía Stutz went bouldering for the first time in September of this year, when she suffered an injury that left her reeling with pain. After Stutz, 22, climbed an indoor rock wall to the top and started slipping, she did what many climbers do: […]
Invisible Ailments
Hormone disorders can be tricky to diagnose, but often the root cause is something else With a mix of concerning symptoms, a 54-year-old Grayslake woman visited her endocrinologist. Heart palpitations, severe headaches, panic attacks — she wanted answers. George Thott, MD, endocrinologist at Northwest Community Healthcare, part of NorthShore University HealthSystem, screened the woman for adrenal […]
Teens & Opioids
Conversation starters and strategies to guide young people toward treatment If opioids hijack your teenager, keeping them safe while they use can be the buoy that saves them. Telling a teen in the throes of an opioid addiction to just stop or say no won’t work once cravings, withdrawal, and other elements of addiction have […]
The Art of Practicing Yourself
I couldn’t believe that my editor deleted the phrase “practice yourself” from my last column. She said readers wouldn’t understand the concept. I balked, then remembered that in 2009 when I offered a course called The Art of Practicing You, I received no responses. Nada! Zippo! So I ask: Do you know what it means to […]
Private Practice Physicians Disappearing
The American Medical Association (AMA) last year noted that most patient care physicians now work outside of physician-owned medical practices. This marked the first time physicians in private practices dropped below 50%. The AMA study cited contributing factors to the shift, including practice closures and job changes. Marco Fernandez, MD, founding member of the Association […]
Primary Care at Home is on the Rise
Advances in portable medical technology, care reimbursement models, and changing consumer preferences are bringing more healthcare into the home. Modern house calls provide care to medically complex people or those who have trouble getting to a doctors office. And the Chicago Department of Public Health offers a form of home healthcare with Covid-19 and flu vaccine […]
