Access to Care
In a shifting healthcare landscape, where do you find the best and most practical care? And how in the world do you pay for it? Healthcare is a complicated business. And an expensive one. But never before has it been this complex. The intricacies of our healthcare ecology have extended into nearly every other aspect of our society. […]
What’s the Score
-A response from our editor In the Spring 2011 issue of Chicago Health, we printed a story called, “Heartful,” which discussed the best-ranked Chicagoland hospitals in the field of cardiology. And we caught a little guff from a hospital that was not included. For this particular story, we cited rankings compiled by the Illinois Hospital Report Card and […]
Bringing Healthcare Up to Speed
How electronic medical records are improving an outdated system Once upon a time, to find a book at the library you had to shuffle through drawers of alphabetically listed cards. To check out at the grocery store, the clerk entered every price manually. Identification wristbands at the hospital had your name written on them in pen […]
A Cleaner Lake
Chicago Park District improves monitoring of Lake Michigan As Memorial Day weekend rang in this year’s swim season, the Chicago Park District (CPD) began its summer monitoring of lakefront water quality, ensuring that our city’s 26-mile stretch of Lake Michigan stays safe for swimmers. Many new bacteria-detection and -prevention measures are in place, thanks to […]
The Price of Prevention
Dr. Mark Rosenbloom is trying to keep us healthier earlier, but can we afford it? At first glance, LIFEFORCE Medical Institute eludes categorization. The Evanston-based practice provides an array of healthcare services including hormone replacement therapy, heart disease detection and a special needs division that offers holistic support to patients grappling with multiple sclerosis. Its […]
Heart to Heart
A conversation about heart health with Loyola’s Dr. Binh An P. Phan Men and women are different. Should the two sexes be looking for different warning signs of heart disease? One of the biggest things to remember is that heart disease is the number one killer for both men and women. There is a lot […]
CT Scan Conundrum
Radioactive scans can save lives, but at what risk? Over the past decade, the number of computerized axial tomography scans, better known as CT or CAT scans, has increased dramatically. But their widespread use also has led to questions about their safety. “CT use has exploded,” says Dr. Daniel Appelbaum, director of nuclear medicine and […]
A Healthy Guide for the Aging Athlete
Dr. Eric Chehab holds board certifications in orthopedic surgery and sports medicine. He works with the Illinois Bone and Joint Institute and is affiliated with the NorthShore University HealthSystem at the Evanston and Glenbrook hospitals. Unfortunately, as we age, we may find ourselves unable to do the things we enjoy as well as we used to. […]
Critical Questions to Ask Your Doctor About Back Pain
1. Should I change my daily activities or exercise routine? 2. Are there positions or activities I should avoid at work or at home? 3. What are the potential risks associated with the proposed treatment? (This is an especially good question when surgery is involved.) 4. What are the potential risks of not treating my back pain? […]
Questions to Ask Your Vitreoretinal Specialist
1. Are you board certified by the American Board of Ophthalmology? 2. Did you do a two-year accredited fellowship in vitreoretinal surgery? 3. Did you train in both medical and surgical retina in your fellowship? 4. What are my treatment options for the condition I have? 5. If treatment is available, what are the most common risks of the treatment […]
Navigating Back Pain
The spine is, arguably, the most important structure in the human body. It is an extension of the brain, a pathway for the neurological signals that keep us beating, breathing and moving. It is the base of our skeleton, where our limbs and movements begin—it is our backbone. So, it’s no surprise that when something is wrong […]
Age of the Machines
How the da Vinci robot is changing the face of surgery. The idea of machines conducting procedures on human beings has been a stronghold in science fiction for a while. We’ve seen the imagery countless times in books, on television and in movies. But only in the last decade has this futuristic vision become a day-to-day reality. […]
Brain Power
More noninvasive technology really getting at brain tumors The brain is the home for so much of our central being: It’s the place that houses our thoughts and emotions, stores our dearest memories and controls all of our behavior. So what happens when this home is invaded by the likes of a cancerous tumor? According […]
A New Frontier
How a molecule in the cornea could help fight blindness—and maybe cancer This is how scientific discovery begins; a question that doesn’t have an answer meets intelligent people who won’t rest until they find one. “Why is it that the cornea is clear?” Dr. Dimitri Azar, interim dean, College of Medicine professor and head of […]
Health Mastery
Don’t underestimate the power of belief I remember drinking in the elixir of belief as a 4-year-old during the telling of Peter Pan in kindergarten. Tinker Bell was almost annihilated that day by classmate Johnny Sweeney’s half-hearted, floppy-wrist, air-between-the-fingers, don’t-believe-in-fairies clap. But my friends and I believed. We clapped powerfully and with passion. And through […]
Precious Memories
Gene studies advance medicines and profit for Alzheimer’s Denise Combs remembers the moment when she first realized her husband John might be suffering from memory loss. “He was a real estate broker for 38 years and always wore a necktie, but one Easter morning… he couldn’t knot his tie. He had done [it] all his […]
Caring for Children with Food Allergies
Renee Frixen had experience with children and food-based allergies. As a teacher of a student with a peanut allergy, she was trained to use an epinephrine autoinjector (the common brand name is EpiPen), just in case of an emergency. But nothing prepared her for taking care of her nephew, who often curled up in pain […]
Brain Aneurysms: Questions to Ask Your Doctor
1. What are brain aneurysms? 2. Can you show me a picture or diagram of what an aneurysm looks like? 3. How are aneurysms usually diagnosed and evaluated? 4. What causes brain aneurysms? 5. Are brain aneurysms dangerous? What problems do they cause? 6. Are aneurysms common? 7. Are aneurysms inherited? Do I need to […]
New Age of Diabetes
Rare form of diabetes being treated with new approach November is Diabetes Awareness Month, and unfortunately, the need for heightened vigilance has never been greater. More than 25 million Americans have diabetes, according to the latest statistics from the American Diabetes Association (ADA). Those numbers continue to climb, and the cost of treating so many […]
The Diabetic Misconception
Being young and thin is not a free pass from diabetes There’s an assumption that diabetes is only for the old and overweight. It’s not true. Today, the young and thin are being diagnosed with more convoluted versions of the disease. November is American Diabetes Month. Designed by the American Diabetes Association (ADA) to bring […]
Researchers Develop New Potential Solutions to Concussions
A group of researchers has developed the first potential solution to reducing sports-related concussions that doesn’t involve helmets—a simple collar worn by athletes that compresses vessels in the neck to increase cranial blood volume, thereby reducing internal movement of the brain. The medical community has known for a while that helmets do not offer total […]
Cancer’s Target
Pancreatic cancer remains one of the deadliest forms of cancer and most difficult to treat The announcement that Steve Jobs had died of pancreatic cancer last week brought surprise and shock to many. After being diagnosed in 2004, he underwent a pancreaticoduodenectomy, also known as a Whipple procedure that removed the tumor. And although he […]
When Help Is Needed
Assisted living offers much more than care—it offers a life When Chicagoan Laura Kimmel started looking at retirement communities in the city for her parents, Saul and Simmie Liberman, they weren’t interested in making the move. The octogenarians were adamant about staying in the house in Lincolnshire they had called home for more than 30 […]
The Long Road Back
Much of you is required to rehabilitate after a stroke Life is unpredictable. Most of us go about our days concerning ourselves with immediate tasks. What to pick up at the grocery store for dinner. Getting the kids to soccer practice on time. Meeting that deadline at work. Rarely do we consider the possibility of […]
