Death with Dignity
Illinois groups push for medical aid in dying as an option for people with terminal illness When we imagine the inevitable, we often think of the best: that we will pass away while cozily tucked in bed, surrounded by our loved ones, with a peaceful smile on our faces, knowing we led a life well-lived. Unfortunately, […]
Adults with Autism and Brain Injuries
Image courtesy of The Julie + Michael Tracy Family Foundation [spacer style=”3″] When faced with medical or developmental challenges, it helps to have aid from resources that offer support. And when those resources don’t exist, motivated parents create them. That’s the case with these two Chicago-based nonprofits. By Megy Karydes The Julie + Michael Tracy […]
Combating Childhood Obesity Through Food
Waistlines are expanding in the United States at every age. For the younger generation, it’s particularly alarming, as recent findings from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that 17 percent of American children and adolescents are obese—and that’s triple the rate from one generation ago. More body fat in children equates to a […]
Critical Questions: What to Ask When Choosing Medical Care
Choosing a primary care physician is critical to your health and wellness. It can be difficult when the marketplace is full of transformations like it is today. Asking your co-workers, friends and neighbors about their doctors and healthcare choices is a start, but there are many things that the smart consumer needs to think about. […]
Chemical Deal
Chemicals in Our Products are Wreaking Havoc on Our Health By Megy Karydes Most of us blindly buy products sold in major stores, certain that they have been tested for safety. Why would we think the soap we use to bathe our kids or the products we clean our homes with might be slowly killing […]
Considering Your Cancer Diagnosis
Knowing what you can do, might just save your life By Morgan Lord According to the Mayo Clinic, about half of all men and a third of all women in the United States will receive a cancer diagnosis at some point in their lives. Whether you’re a man, woman or a child, a diagnosis like […]
Camping with Food Allergies
It’s no one’s favorite activity, but some kids have to face food allergies at summer camp By Nancy Maes Summertime is the season for carefree fun at camp, but parents of children with food allergies have to be extra vigilant to make sure that their youngsters will be safe during their time away from home. […]
The Equality Equation
The Primary Problem
As the population grows, so does the need for effective primary care. Yet the number of family doctors has dwindled, and the trend isn’t expected to change course By Patrick Kenney The modern healthcare industry faces an array of challenges, some more vexing than others. One particularly confounding problem; we have a shortage of primary […]
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. […]
Multiple Choice
Breakthrough technologies broaden options for hip and knee replacement hopefuls It had been months since Cheryl Risicato, 56, a retired cake decorator and avid dog lover, first came to Chicago’s Northwest Community Hospital (NCH) seeking partial knee replacement surgery. Risicato, like so many other Americans, suffered from osteoarthritis, a common yet potentially excruciating joint disorder […]
The Surgery Diet
Bariatric surgery is not a permanent fix to obesity, but there are newfound benefits Weight-loss surgery can be life changing when diet and exercise fall short. The field of bariatric surgery has undergone its own transformation in recent years, with new techniques and discoveries that not only help people shed pounds, but control, and even […]
Caught In The Web
Video game and Internet addictions can damage lives It’s a sign of our wired times; it seems that we’re all being increasingly sucked into cyberspace. But when online play turns pathological, it can harm a person’s family, school, work and psychological functioning. Too much time playing video games or surfing the Internet may seem harmless […]
For the Love of Lipitor
Lipitor’s hold on the cholesterol drug market keeps you from saving money, but not much According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, heart disease is the leading cause of death in America. In 2008, the illness accounted for nearly 25 percent of all fatalities. Perhaps it should come as no surprise, then, that one […]
Allergic Food Groups
Caring for a child with food allergies requires knowledge and avoidance of parental diagnosis Chicago mother Lourdes Craelius isn’t sure whether her 8-year-old son is lactose intolerant because she’s never had him tested. Her suspicions stem from hearing her son complain of bad stomachaches occasionally after consuming dairy products. And quite often, he refuses them […]
Warning signs of video game/Internet addiction
1. Preoccupation with video games/Internet 2. Use of video games/Internet in increasing amounts of time in order to achieve satisfaction 3. Repeated, unsuccessful efforts to control, cut back or stop video game/Internet use 4. Feelings of restlessness, moodiness, depression or irritability when attempting to cut down use of video games/Internet 5. Jeopardizing or risking loss […]
Drugging our Kids
Will drugs cure ADHD, or are we overdosing? Who isn’t familiar with attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADD or ADHD)? Diagnoses increase each year. TV commercials pitch medications that can curb the symptoms. Celebrities such as Olympic gold medal winner Michael Phelps and Deal or No Deal host Howie Mandel have gone public with their condition. ADD […]
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 […]
Born Safe
Concern for what’s best for mother and baby could birth new legislation More women are choosing to have the baby at home, rather than bringing it home. According to the most recent data from the National Center for Health Statistics, home births increased by 5 percent from 2004–2005 in the United States. “People have very […]
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 […]
Critical Choices: Which Hospital and Physician is Best for You?
When you want to buy a car, you can test-drive a variety of vehicles before you make your choice. When you need a new pair of jeans, you can try on styles by various designers in pursuit of that perfect fit. But when you have a health problem that cannot be ignored, you can’t give […]
