How To Start Your Own Native Garden
Illinois looks nothing like it did 150 years ago and beyond. Only .01% of the Prairie State’s prairies remain. People, however, can reclaim some of that prairie land — and the insects and wildlife that rely on it — in their yard. “They can be these little repositories to our shrinking natural areas,” says Mary […]
Oh, Naturale!
Chicago explores the role of trees in human health and heat mitigation This is not a joke. Ready? What mitigates major chronic diseases, all while cleaning and cooling the air, decreasing stress, and beautifying neighborhoods? Trees. “If trees were a vitamin, everyone would be lining up to take it. The benefits are enormous,” says Raed […]
CAR-T Cell Therapy
A promising therapy for people with certain cancers is now available in Chicago’s northern suburbs at the community hospital level. NorthShore University HealthSystem began treating patients with CAR-T (chimeric antigen receptor) cell therapy in March 2023. Since 2017, the revolutionary treatment has primarily been available at academic medical centers. David L. Grinblatt, MD, hematologist at NorthShore University […]
Ask the Doc
Am I Losing My Hair? By Victoria Barbosa, MD Q: I don’t want to seem vain, but I’m losing my hair, and I’m freaked out. Is there anything I can do about it? A: Hair loss — also called alopecia — is intensely personal for people. It has a psychological impact on their self-confidence and overall well-being. […]
Why We Forget Mass Shootings
The Highland Park 4th of July parade shooting may have faded from the national consciousness, but it hovers like a fog in this North Shore community A year and a half after the mass shooting in Highland Park, the aftermath still permeates the community. Conversation around the tragedy pierces the chatter of school hallways and downtown […]
Healing Highland Park
18 months after a mass shooting at a 4th of July parade, a community continues to mend More than a year after the 4th of July parade shooting in Highland Park, where seven people lost their lives and 48 others were wounded, Marcy Kamen, MD, family practice physician at NorthShore Medical Group, is helping people […]
Recycling is Complicated and Controversial…
But When It’s Done Right, It’s Good for Everyone When a Groot recycling facility in Plainfield burned down in 2021 due to a battery fire, no one could blame Davide Pezzini for it. Like an estimated 20% of people, Pezzini, a 46-year-old Chicago resident and professional bass player, is fastidious about recycling. He grew up in […]
Rising Concerns
Where flooding and sewage treatment meet — and how both impact people’s health Flush your toilet or rinse your kitchen sink, and you probably don’t spend a ton of time thinking about where that water goes next. Yet, wastewater treatment ranks as one of the most vital public health innovations in human history, due to the advances […]
How To Green Your Routine
Scientists expect climate change to cause about 250,000 additional deaths each year between 2030 and 2050, according to the World Health Organization. Heat stress will be one of the main reasons, so prioritizing exercise will also prime your body to handle the heat. “The heat itself will affect our ability to breathe. We get dehydrated quicker. […]
Sleep Right
Stress and environmental factors conspire against sleep, but help can make a lifetime of difference Since buying his-and-hers CPAP machines, North Park residents Wendy McClure and Chris Sienko have saved a lot of money — on soundproofing. “I used to buy these huge containers of earplugs every month,” says McClure, a 52-year-old book editor. Before […]
When Bystanders Take Action
Early intervention in a medical emergency can make all the difference. Know the steps to take. Winnetka resident John Lafferty was going through a routine examination with his physician, Robert Magrisso, MD, at his doctor’s office in town. Everything seemed normal at first, but in a matter of seconds things started to go wrong — […]
Unseen Threat
How environmental contaminants affect heart health From asthma to cancer risk, environmental contaminants affect human health in major ways. And research suggests that pollution also poses a significant threat to heart health specifically, increasing the risk of cardiovascular diseases. Pollution (including noise pollution), chemical exposure, and the weather all affect the heart in different ways. “The […]
Allergies Getting Worse?
Climate change may be the culprit As the long Chicago winter turned to spring, Lizzie Goodman threw open the windows to her home and, within a couple of days, she and her two young daughters were dealing with sneezes, stuffy noses, itchy eyes, and scratchy throats. Goodman worried they might have Covid-19, but tests came back […]
Forever Chemicals and Cancer Risk
Researchers in Chicago are studying how PFAS affect health and where people might be exposed Ken Lumb, managing partner at Chicago-based law firm Corboy and Demetrio, started getting calls from firefighters last year: men and women with kidney, prostate, and bladder cancers. They were interested in filing lawsuits based on their health issues. The very […]
Attention Dysregulation
More women than ever are being diagnosed with ADHD — what’s behind the increase? During her childhood years, writer, educator, and content creator Laura Danger, 34, of Chicago, often felt anxious, trying hard in school to overcome her challenges. At the time, she didn’t exhibit physical hyperactivity or impulsivity — two classically known symptoms of […]
Worried About Your Teenager?
Making room for adolescents’ healthy risks As anyone who has ever been a teenager or known a teenager is well aware, they sometimes take irresponsible, even dangerous risks. But some of that risk-taking is healthy, teaching them how to become independent, responsible adults. Student journalists Jubriel Chaparro, recently 20, and Jermaine Jackson, 18, take risks […]
Considering the Dangers of Breathing
On one of those first gorgeous spring days when Chicago reminds us why we live here, my eldest son, Harry, and I were driving home from school. The windows were down, and we were blasting his favorite song: Queen’s “We Will Rock You.” At a red light, a box truck pulled up next to us, […]
Fitting to Place is Healthy for One and All
Once upon a time, there were two big eyes that peered into the world from within a box. The eyes wondered about their placement, if they fit and if they were of value. As they continued to peer outside, they spotted a tree and became curious. Led by the eyes, a boy emerged from the box […]
Books Exploring the Health-Environment Link
Factors within and beyond our bodies impact our health. External factors include air quality, water quality, and access to nature. Here are just a few books examining the relationship between our environment and our physical, mental, and emotional health. A Sand County Almanac and Sketches Here and There By Aldo Leopold Conservationist, educator, and […]
Lead Removal Resources
From gasoline and cosmetics, to paint and plumbing, when it came to the impact on human health, for decades Chicago literally buried the lead. Yet, the city has decreased lead poisoning from 25% in the 1990s to 2% today among children who are tested, according to Lead Safe Chicago. The pandemic, however, may have caused […]
Risks Associated with Dense Breast Tissue
A new regulation from the Food and Drug Administration will require all mammogram facilities in the U.S. to notify patients if they have dense breast tissue by September 2024. Dense breast tissue is an important risk factor that many people don’t know about. A radiologist determines if a patient has dense breasts, which 40% of women […]
Legal Updates
New Rules for Rock Crushers Effective March 2023 Facilities in Chicago that process construction and demolition materials must now follow the Chicago Department of Public Health’s (CDPH) new rules to reduce dust and improve air quality. Rules include continuous air monitoring and reporting to CDPH, strategic planning to address air and water pollution, and lead […]
Trucks’ Heavy Health Footprint in Illinois
Transportation produces nearly a third of Illinois’s greenhouse gas emissions. Researchers have linked diesel emissions with low birth weights, respiratory illness, and heart disease. Nearly 2 million Illinois residents — disproportionately minorities or those below the federal poverty line — live near 2,400 truck warehouses, according to a recent Environmental Defense Fund study. That includes […]
