Mayo Clinic Q&A: Vaccines Are Important for Those with Suppressed Immune Systems
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 72 and take a drug for rheumatoid arthritis that suppresses my immune system. I’m scheduled to receive a vaccine later this year. Is it safe for me to receive this vaccine? ANSWER: Appropriate and timely vaccines are important for anyone with a suppressed immune system. That’s because a suppressed immune […]
Protecting Chicago’s Homeless Population During Covid-19
Above photo courtesy of Angela Moss, PhD, Rush University Medical Center On a sunny Wednesday afternoon in August, Maurice Harris, 29, stands in the middle of North Keeler Avenue on Chicago’s Northwest Side, with a cup and a cardboard sign, asking passing drivers for whatever they can spare. He’s not wearing a mask, though he […]
Tips for Getting Sleep in the Hospital
If you or any of your loved ones has ever been hospitalized, one of the complaints you may have heard about most is how hard it is to sleep in the hospital. There are lots of things about hospital routines that can make things difficult for patients to sleep, besides noise and illness. While some […]
The Good Egg?
The research on eggs over the years has been confusing, to say the least. One year, they’re “bad” because they contribute to dietary cholesterol, which has been associated with greater risk of cardiovascular disease (CVD). But then, the next year they’re back on the sunny side of the plate when researchers determine the link between […]
In Covid-19 Long-Haul Syndrome, Symptoms Continue for Months
Patrick Malia, then-37, felt sick enough on March 12 to visit an urgent care center, wondering if he had Covid-19. The Elgin sterile processing tech’s young son had nausea and a high fever — 103 degrees — the week before; his wife, Keri, also was ill. Now, Malia — who had mild, well-controlled asthma — […]
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Bee Sting Allergies Can Occur at Any Stage in Life
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: I am 50 years old and recently had a pretty severe reaction to a bee sting. I remember as a kid that I was stung without any reaction. Is it normal to become allergic later in life? Is there anything I should do to protect myself from now on? ANSWER: Although it’s […]
Is It Time to Stop Skimming over Full-Fat Dairy?
Americans consume about 150 pounds of milk and eat nearly 40 pounds of cheese and 20 pounds of ice cream per person per year, according to data from the Department of Agriculture. Yogurt and butter intakes are lower, but growing. But should the dairy we’re consuming be low-fat or full-fat? That debate has become increasingly […]
Mayo Clinic Q&A: New Technique for Prostate Biopsies Virtually Eliminates Risk of Infection
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: My husband had an MRI that showed an abnormal spot on his prostate. The last time he had a prostate biopsy, he got a severe urinary tract infection, which led to him being hospitalized. It took him weeks to recover. Is he at risk of another serious infection after this prostate biopsy? […]
What Seniors Can Expect as Their New Normal in a Post-Vaccine World
Imagine this scenario, perhaps a year or two in the future: An effective Covid-19 vaccine is routinely available and the world is moving forward. Life, however, will likely never be the same — particularly for people over 60. That is the conclusion of geriatric medical doctors, aging experts, futurists, and industry specialists. Experts say that […]
5 Reasons to Take a Proper Lunch Break
When was the last time you took a real lunch break? You know, one where you got up from your desk — yes, even your home desk — and sat somewhere else; where you weren’t using your left hand to eat your sandwich and your right hand on the mouse to finish up that spreadsheet; […]
Mayo Clinic Q&A: Check Daughter Regularly Because of Family History of Scoliosis
DEAR MAYO CLINIC: What causes scoliosis? Do genetics play a role? I was diagnosed with it as a teenager, and several of my cousins had it, too. Now I’m worried that my daughter, who’s 8, may be affected when she gets older. Should she be checked for scoliosis soon? ANSWER: The exact cause of scoliosis […]
Chicago Experts Answer Your Covid-19 Questions
As information about staying safe from Covid-19 seems to change weekly, it’s no wonder that people have a lot of questions about how the illness spreads. We talked with local infectious disease experts who answered some common questions about the coronavirus. From wiping down packages to using public bathrooms to letting children play with others, […]
Drills, Needles, and Pain, Oh My! Coping with Dental Anxiety
For many people, going to the dentist is an unpleasant but manageable experience. For others, just the thought of going to the dentist causes severe anxiety, leading them to delay or avoid dental treatment. Unfortunately, this behavior can spiral into a vicious cycle of dental pain, health problems, worse anxiety, and more complex and costly […]
Amid Surge, Hospitals Hesitate to Cancel Nonemergency Surgeries
Three months ago, the nation watched as COVID-19 patients overwhelmed New York City’s intensive care units, forcing some of its hospitals to convert cafeterias into wards and pitch tents in parking lots. Hospitals elsewhere prepped for a similar surge: They cleared beds, stockpiled scarce protective equipment, and — voluntarily or under government orders — temporarily […]
Curcumin for Arthritis: Does it Really Work?
Osteoarthritis is a degenerative joint disease that is the most common type of arthritis. Usually, it occurs among people of advanced age. But it can begin in middle age or even sooner, especially if there’s been an injury to the joint. While there are treatments available — exercise, braces or canes, loss of excess weight, […]
‘More Than Physical Health’: Gym Helps 91-Year-Old Battle Isolation
Above photo: Art Ballard, 91, is a retired jeweler in Monrovia, California, who relies on a gym — which he calls “the club” — for his physical and mental health. “If I hit 100 years old, I would like to be taken up to the club on my birthday,” Ballard says. (Heidi de Marco/KHN) MONROVIA, […]
Op-Ed: The Surprising Benefits of Remote Therapy
Chicago Health is committed to publishing a diversity of opinions. The opinions expressed in this op-ed article are the author’s own. As a therapist, I’ve learned to read between the lines with my patients, recognizing that sometimes what isn’t said is just as important — if not more so — than what is said. Sometimes […]
Misinformation Campaigns Hamper Coronavirus Response
Regina Fargis didn’t know what to do. Fargis runs Summit Hills — a health and retirement community in Spartanburg, South Carolina, that offers skilled nursing, activities and communal meals for its residents, most of whom are over 60, the highest-risk category for coronavirus complications. In South Carolina, more than a hundred new cases were emerging […]
Suffering from ‘Chemo Brain’? There’s Hope
Some of the most common symptoms experienced by cancer patients are memory problems, difficulties with multitasking, and reduced attention and concentration. Historically, cancer patients with these symptoms were often diagnosed with depression. Research over the past decade has revealed that many cancer patients experience such symptoms as a consequence of specific damage to the brain […]
Straight Talk on Planking
The best exercise I do only takes a minute. Granted, it is often the longest and most grueling 60 seconds of my life. I sweat, I shake and I often collapse in relief when it’s over. But spending quality time in a plank pose always pays off. The plank pose is where you hold a […]
How Those with Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder Cope With Angst of COVID
Before the COVID-19 pandemic took hold in the United States, Chris Trondsen felt his life was finally under control. As someone who has battled obsessive-compulsive disorder and other mental health issues since early childhood, it’s been a long journey. “I’ve been doing really, really well,” Trondsen says. “I felt like most of it was pretty […]
How to Participate in a Clinical Trial
All his life, Steve Sultanoff, 66, had high cholesterol, a problem that runs in his family. When he was younger and didn’t have great health insurance, he decided to participate in clinical trials to get better health care and help discover new medicine that would benefit him. He was put on statins, but those gave […]
COVID-19 Meat Shortage? Try Plant Proteins
By now, you’ve probably noticed less beef, pork and chicken at your local grocers due to COVID-19 outbreaks and closures of meat-processing plants. Major meatpacking plants have experienced temporary shutdowns due to more than 27,000 COVID-19 cases and 99 deaths, as of June 19, among meat-processing workers. As the pandemic progresses, intermittent meat shortages might […]
Pandemic Upends Lives of People With Disabilities
Above photo: A diving accident in 1987 left all of Matt Ford’s limbs paralyzed. One of his caregivers, Grace Brunette, spent the first two weeks of the pandemic living in Ford’s basement to assist his father with daily caregiving tasks. (Courtesy of Matt Ford) When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, Stacy Ellingen, 34, of Oshkosh, Wisconsin, lost […]
Reacting to Unwritten Rules Black People Learn to Navigate Racism
Above photo: In his work with black teenagers, pastor and mental health caseworker Darnell Hill teaches an unofficial guide to what he calls “living while black.” Though many black families have their own sets of rules to navigate others’ racist assumptions, Hill says he hopes that following his “do’s and don’ts” will allow kids to survive […]
5 Tips for Self-Care During the Pandemic and Protests
First came the coronavirus and its strict stay-at-home orders, impacting the mental health of almost half of Americans, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation poll. Then came the protests, filled with anger and outrage over racism and violence. “People are having a hard time adjusting to this new normal,” says Pavan Prasad, MD, a psychiatrist […]
A Teen’s Death from COVID-19
Above photo: The Guest family poses for a family photo. Front row from left: Ajene Guest and Abby Guest; second row from left: Dawn Guest, Andre Guest, Jessica Plunkitt, Zachary Guest, Elizabeth Guest, Laura Guest, Johnny Guest. (Courtesy of Amber Springer/Wildflower Photography) INDIANAPOLIS — It started as a normal day. Dawn Guest, 54, got up and […]
Eliminating the Pandemic of Racism
I love storms, even when they are frightening. When I look at the timing of COVID-19 and what has erupted from the brutal killing of George Floyd, I see not only a storm but a perfect storm — an opportunity for deep examination, for the realization of relationship, for the letting go of what’s been and what’s […]
Society Is Reopening, Prepare to Hunker Down at Home Again
Even before the May 25 killing of George Floyd in police custody drew large crowds of protesters into the streets of U.S. cities, people were beginning to throng beaches, bars and restaurants. Whether for economic, social or political reasons, our home confinement seems to be ending. Or is it? Public health officials warn that a […]
Stopping Vicious Cycle of Rebound Headaches
Rebound headaches, also known as medication overuse headaches, are caused by the frequent or excessive use of pain-relieving and/or antimigraine drugs to treat headache attacks that are already in progress. (Note that these are not the same as oral prophylactic or preventive medicines, which should be taken daily.) In other words, the same medications that […]
A Caregiver’s Role: Running to a Crisis
In the middle of April, a few weeks into Illinois’ stay-at-home order, we finally got the call we were anxiously anticipating. A local assisted living facility asked if Right at Home could provide one-on-one care for a woman with dementia who tested positive for COVID-19. Previously, when others asked if we would take care of […]
Rapid Changes to Healthcare Spurred By COVID Might Be Here to Stay
The U.S. healthcare system is famously resistant to government-imposed change. It took decades to create Medicare and Medicaid, mostly due to opposition from the medical-industrial complex. Then it was nearly another half-century before the passage of the Affordable Care Act. But the COVID-19 pandemic has done what no president, social movement or venture capitalist could […]
Hiring a Diverse Army to Track COVID-19
Above photo: Sgt. Jairo Paulino of Newark, Delaware, volunteered for a “bilingual mission” through the Delaware National Guard. Paulino, who grew up in a bilingual household in New York, says he often translated for his father a child. (U.S. Army National Guard photo by Capt. Brendan Mackie) As a contact tracer, Teresa Ayala-Castillo is sometimes […]
Behind the Scenes
How NorthShore Protects Non-COVID-19 Patients Before COVID-19, surgeons at NorthShore University HealthSystem’s four legacy hospitals conducted between 150 and 180 surgical procedures on a typical weekday. Now, they’re doing far fewer. “We know there are people avoiding the healthcare system right now. People are ignoring aches, pains, and other abnormalities because they may be afraid,” […]
Op-Ed: Illinois Needs Strong Emergency Rules to Stop COVID-19
Chicago Health is committed to publishing a diversity of opinions. The opinions expressed in this op-ed article are the author’s own. The COVID-19 pandemic has hit Illinois hard. Cook County now has more cases than any other U.S. county. Predominantly African American and Latinx zip codes have the highest infection and death rates in Chicago, […]
Busting Common Coronavirus Myths
Whether you turn on the TV, log on to social media or open a newspaper, it’s impossible to escape news about COVID-19. Yet with so much information available from so many sources, it can be hard to determine what’s accurate and what’s not. Keep in mind: The new coronavirus was only detected for the first […]
Can Exercise Help Treat Anxiety?
Chances are good that you, or someone you know, is dealing with anxiety. One in 5 Americans over 18, and 1 in 3 teenagers 13 to 18, reported having a chronic anxiety disorder during the past year. And when I talk to college students, they’re not at all surprised that a whopping 63% of students […]
Chicago Health Writers and Designers Win 8 Prestigious Awards and Nominations
A hearty congratulations goes to Chicago Health writers and designers who have won several recent prestigious journalism awards! Chicago Health received 5 awards from the Illinois Woman’s Press Association 2020 Mate E. Palmer Communications Contest. Katie Scarlett Brandt, Lead’s Dangerous Legacy: With lead lurking in the paint, soil and water, many Chicagoans are at high […]
Staying Safe and Engaged in Senior Communities During Pandemic
Above photo: The Cinco de Mayo happy hour cart makes its way around Artis Senior Living. Photo courtesy of Artis Senior Living The coronavirus pandemic has hit senior residential communities particularly hard. Older adults are at a higher risk for serious complications and death from COVID-19, and the virus spreads easily in close quarters. While […]
‘No Intubation’: Seniors Fearful of COVID-19 Are Changing Their Advance Directives
Last month, Minna Buck revised a document specifying her wishes should she become critically ill. “No intubation,” she wrote in large letters on the form, making sure to include the date and her initials. Buck, 91, had been following the news about COVID-19. She knew her chances of surviving a serious bout of the illness […]
Emptiness of ERs Worries Doctors as Heart Attack and Stroke Patients Delay Care
The patient described it as the worst headache of her life. She didn’t go to the hospital, though. Instead, the Washington state resident waited almost a week. When Abhineet Chowdhary, MD, finally saw her, he discovered she had a brain bleed that had gone untreated. The neurosurgeon did his best, but it was too late. […]
Healthy Eating for Older Adults
Eating right can help keep your body and mind healthy and extend your quality of life. But some older Americans may face barriers to getting enough nutrients or calories. Many ways aging can affect appetite Physiological changes that come with aging can result in reduced calorie needs, which can lead to decreased food intake and […]
Living with Eco-Anxiety in Age of the Coronavirus
While most news right now focuses on the worldwide emergency response to COVID-19, climate change remains an escalating threat. The current coronavirus pandemic requires immediate action to save millions of lives, but climate change could have even greater devastating effects in the decades to come, intensifying weather patterns, raising sea levels and decimating wildlife. Stay-at-home […]
Born into a Pandemic
Virus complicates births for moms and babies Above photo: Mallory Pease with baby Alivia and her older daughter, Emma Jean. Pease was worried about passing on the coronavirus to Alivia after getting home from the hospital. (Courtesy of the Pease family) Mallory Pease’s contractions grew stronger as her husband, Mitchell, drove her to Oaklawn Hospital in […]
Challenges of Keeping Young Adults Safe During Pandemic
Last month, after California Gov. Gavin Newsom ordered most of the state’s residents to stay home, I found myself under virtual house arrest with an uncomfortably large number of Gen Zers. Somehow I had accumulated four of my children’s friends over the preceding months. I suppose some parents more hard-nosed than I would have sent […]
Ineffective Masks Are Putting Healthcare Workers at Serious Risk
With medical supplies in high demand, federal authorities say health workers can wear surgical masks for protection while treating COVID-19 patients — but growing evidence suggests the practice is putting workers in jeopardy. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently said lower-grade surgical masks are “an acceptable alternative” to N95 masks unless workers are […]
How COVID-19 Impacts Teens’ Mental Health
Since the end of January, Isa Sanchez, a senior at Whitney Young High School, had been working on her senior project: choreographing a dance to the song “Dreams” by The Cranberries. The dance involves more than a dozen performers, but Illinois canceled in-person school before her group had a chance to perform it. “I wanted […]
Ask the Harvard Experts: Ibuprofen vs. Acetaminophen and COVID-19
Q: I usually take ibuprofen for aches or pains. Given the controversy about ibuprofen use during this coronavirus outbreak, is it still safe to use? Should I switch to acetaminophen now instead? A: Indeed, the message has been mixed. Early on in the coronavirus outbreak, French doctors treating patients with COVID-19 observed that some patients […]
Coronavirus Fuels Explosive Growth in Telehealth ― and Concern About Fraud
On March 17, Medicare chief Seema Verma stepped to the podium at a White House coronavirus briefing and unveiled a “historic action” to promote virtual medical care, or telehealth. Verma temporarily lifted a variety of federal restrictions on the use of the service, which had been limited to rural areas. She praised telehealth, saying it […]
Keeping Your Distance
The difference between self-quarantine and isolation during COVID-19 As states mull easing COVID-19 lockdown restrictions, Illinois officials say that staying home has worked and that residents need to continue to quarantine in order to slow the spread of the virus and not overwhelm the medical system. COVID-19 is particularly communicable because the virus spreads in […]