Animal Medicine
Animals self-medicate with plants − behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia By Adrienne Mayor, Stanford University Main image: A goat with an arrow wound nibbles the medicinal herb dittany. O. Dapper, CC BY When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that […]
How to Buy Medicines Safely from an Online Pharmacy
Protect yourself and your family by using caution when buying medicine online. There are many pharmacy websites that operate legally and offer convenience, privacy, and safeguards for purchasing medicines. But the U.S. Food and Drug Administration warns that there are many rogue online pharmacies that claim to sell prescription medicines at deeply discounted prices, often […]
Anesthesiologists Form New Megapractice
By Tom Mullaney Anesthesiologists are expert at putting people to sleep. Now, a group of approximately 120 such specialists are generating some wake-up news. Chicago’s Midwest Anesthesia Partners (MAP) is the result of three independent suburban practices that consolidated in 2013. The group practice, in its short life, has achieved the nation’s best perioperative morbidity/mortality […]
Alternative Approaches
Integrative medicine gains foothold, providing hope for chronic disease So much of modern medicine comes down to a pill for an ill—treating disease by using drugs, surgery or other interventions. But more people are starting to look beyond that, finding alternative treatments to either replace or complement conventional treatment. Integrative medicine or functional medicine doctors […]
Navigating the airwaves of traveling with breast milk and prescriptions
By Megy Karydes “Breast milk doesn’t taste very pleasant!” exclaims Adam Sommer, a travel writer based in St. Louis, Mo. OK, but why was Sommer drinking breast milk in the first place? While traveling with his wife and baby, security personnel at an Italian airport insisted that he swallow—not just taste—some of his wife’s breast milk […]
Marijuana Medical Clinic Is Good for Business, While Helping Patients Find Relief
Pictured above: Tammi Jacobi’s Good Intentions in Wicker Park has teamed up with licensed physician Dr. Brian Murphy to open the first medical marijuana clinic in Illinois. [spacer style=”3″] By Megy Karydes Gov. Pat Quinn signed a bill on August 1 legalizing the use of marijuana for medical purposes in Illinois that supporters say is […]
A Hazy Shade of Healthcare
What does tort reform mean for local doctors, insurance companies and you? By Morgan Lord Many of us have a vague idea of what the phrase “tort reform” means. But it’s just that—vague. Tort reform is defined as setting limits for awards of noneconomic damages such as pain, suffering and mental anguish. Meaning, if a […]
Pharmfax: Is your PCAB certified?
By Alexander Lubischer You would never buy a used car without some reassurance that it’s not a lemon. Similarly, Ageology CEO Dr. Paul Savage advises that you should only take compounded medication from pharmacies certified by the Pharmacy Compounding Accreditation Board (PCAB). Think of it this way: PCAB is the Carfax of pharmacies. It’s Pharmfax. […]
Chasing the Shortage
How Chicago’s top pharmacies are keeping up with historic drug shortages Representatives from Rush University Medical Center, NorthShore University HealthSystem, Northwestern Memorial Hospital and University of Chicago Medical Center recently sat down together to devise a plan; what to do if the medicine runs out. “In the past, it wasn’t part of our daily job […]
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 […]
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 […]
Where is all the Medicine?
Rampant drug shortages demand the attention of everyone—from patients to Obama Every year, there are periods during which certain drugs are in short supply. Hospitals and pharmacies scramble to make up the difference, and patients are sometimes forced to make sacrifices. The problem is a constant in healthcare, and the causes are difficult to understand. […]
At Your Service: Perspectives on Concierge Medicine
In the great healthcare debate, the loudest argument seems to be about the “haves” and the “have-nots”—about who can afford what kind of care, and about who is responsible for getting something to those who can’t afford anything. These days, a new trend is trying to take the headache out of personalized health care by, […]
