Searching for Answers and Finding POTS

I had been tired for as long as I could remember, run ragged from years of pushing myself as a type-A student in high school and college while juggling part-time jobs. After graduation, I settled into a low-stress 9-to-5 position that rarely required my attention in evenings or on weekends. I could relax for the […]
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 […]
Hope for TBI

Researchers use stem cells to understand traumatic brain injury John D. Finan, PhD, didn’t intend to build a career out of manipulating stem cells. Far from it, in fact. As a PhD candidate at Duke University, he leaned on his mechanical engineering background to focus on creating a safer bicycle helmet to prevent head injuries. […]
Finding Relief for Chronic Migraines

Marie Syzdek, 54, grew up thinking that migraines were a normal part of life. Ever since she was a teenager, Syzdek suffered from migraines—a constant low-grade headache, that peaked several times a week into a painful, throbbing, full-blown attack. When she got married and had children, her family often would find her lying on the […]
Chicago Brain Doc Goes Hollywood

Above photo: Will Smith, left, and Alec Baldwin star in Columbia Pictures’ “Concussion.” Photo by Melinda Sue Gordon. © 2015 Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. All Rights Reserved By David Himmel Usually, when Hollywood depicts the true story of the ordinary guy/gal in an extraordinary situation, actors add a touch of glamor to the characters. But Julian Bailes, MD, […]
What you should know about anesthesia

Harvard Health Letters If you’ve ever had a tooth filled without Novocaine, you know the difference anesthesia can make. Anesthesia–whether it numbs your mouth or puts you into a full sleep–is designed to keep you comfortable during a procedure that otherwise might be hard to tolerate physically, emotionally, or both. “We have four goals: to […]
Study shows high school football players exhibit brain changes after single season

Arina P Habich / Shutterstock.com Source: Wake Forest School of Medicine whatdoctorsknow.com CHICAGO — Some high school football players exhibit measurable brain changes after a single season of play, even in the absence of concussion, according to a study presented at the recent annual meeting of the Radiological Society of North America (RSNA). “This study […]
The Dying Brain – Part 1

City hospitals team up to better understand brain death Over 99 percent of deaths are cardiac related. This means the heart stops; its monitor’s metronome-like beep flat lines. It’s what TV and movies have made us come to expect death to be like. Then there’s the other 1 percent of deaths, the ones caused by […]
Uncovering Concussions

How They’re Changing Our Brains and the Game It’s nearly kickoff. Families and friends nationwide gather around the television and bundle up in stadiums and bleachers. They cheer on their sons and sports heroes as they battle over the holy pigskin. Bright lights illuminate sweat-drenched and grass-stained soldiers in their armored uniforms as they crouch, white-knuckled, ready […]
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 […]