Media Coverage
The work done by Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine faculty members (and even some students) is regularly highlighted in newspapers, online media outlets and more. Below you’ll find links to articles and videos of Feinberg in the news.
-
ABC News
–
Trump, RFK Jr. go after antidepressants, weight loss drugs. Here’s what the science says
Shortly after Robert F. Kennedy Jr. was sworn in as secretary of the Department of Health and Human Services, President Donald Trump issued an executive order calling for a team to study the use of antidepressants, antipsychotics and obesity medications in children, claiming these medications may cause a “threat” to adolescents. Psychiatrists and obesity experts tell ABC News that Kennedy and the Trump administration may be missing some context in how antidepressants — and other drugs used to treat mental health conditions – and obesity medications are prescribed. “As somebody who studies pediatric chronic diseases, I think the intent to focus on childhood chronic diseases and the crisis around them is a really good one,” Justin Ryder, MD, an associate professor of surgery and pediatrics at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine and vice chair of research for the department of surgery at Ann & Robert H. Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago, told ABC News. “The focus on medical treatments as a source of exacerbating chronic diseases, I don’t think necessarily is really great,” Ryder said, adding that these medications are helpful rather than harmful.
-
NBC 5 Chicago
–
President Trump signs executive order to make IVF more affordable
President Donald Trump signed an executive order this week, aiming to make fertility treatments more affordable and accessible to families. In vitro fertilization, or IVF, involves retrieving a woman’s eggs and combining them in a lab with a man’s sperm to create a fertilized embryo. That embryo can then be transferred into her uterus to create a pregnancy. The process can be expensive and can take several cycles to complete. “The medications are very expensive, these are really specialized medications,” said Emily Jungheim, MD, the division chief of reproductive endocrinology at Northwestern University. “When you think of what needs to be done to keep eggs and embryos safe during IVF, I mean if you think about what we’re actually doing here we’re helping to bring a baby into the world. That’s a big deal.” Jungheim says the executive order, depending on how it pans out, could help people at an individual level where insurance doesn’t already cover the cost.
-
TIME
–
Testosterone Therapy Is Trending—for Women. Here’s What to Know
Cisgender women across the internet are touting the anecdotal benefits of testosterone therapy, and some experts say those stories match what they’re hearing in their offices. But can testosterone therapy for women really lead to such profound health improvements? We asked experts to explain its potential benefits—and limitations. More than 30 different testosterone products are approved for men by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), but the agency has never approved testosterone for women. However, doctors can still prescribe it off-label to women they feel would benefit. Historically, testosterone was used in combination with estrogen and progesterone, hormones that decline with age. But these days, it’s also prescribed as a standalone treatment, says Traci A. Kurtzer, MD, a gynecologist at the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause, opening the door to people who can’t or don’t want to take other hormones for various reasons. To determine if a woman is a good candidate for TRT, doctors typically start by checking hormone levels to make sure someone “isn’t already coming in on the high side of normal,” Kurtzer says.
-
Washington Post
–
Trump says there are ‘two sexes.’ Experts and science say it’s not binary.
On the first day of his second administration, President Donald Trump signed an executive order declaring that the United States recognizes “two sexes, male and female” — but according to experts and a significant body of academic research, the definitions he used are oversimplified and inaccurate. Eve Feinberg, MD, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, echoed the sentiment. “It’s scientifically incorrect,” she said of the order. “And I think it’s a disservice to people who don’t fall into one of those two sexes.” Trump’s order also says sex is determined “at conception,” but Feinberg, the Northwestern professor, says that term is religious rather than scientific. If by “conception” the order means “fertilization,” Feinberg notes that “internal reproductive organs don’t form at the time of fertilization. They form much later in the development of the fetus.” In the weeks since the order was issued, the Trump administration has sent notices terminating grants for transgender health services and research, The Washington Post reported. The nation’s premier health agencies also abruptly took offline several webpages that monitor HIV, health risks for youths and assisted reproductive technologies to comply with Trump’s order, though a federal judge ordered last week that they restore them.
-
Yahoo! News
–
Has Your Alcohol Tolerance Changed With Age? Or Could It Actually Be Perimenopause?
Conversations about menopause and alcohol seem to be popping up on social media more lately. But doctors say their patients have been mentioning it for years — saying things like they suddenly feel tipsy after a single drink in their 40s and 50s or that alcohol generally makes them feel lousy. “This is not something new,” said Lauren Streicher, a professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University, and host of Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information: The Menopause Podcast. “I’ve been doing this for decades, and women have often said to me, ‘Boy, I just can’t drink anymore. It makes my hot flashes worse. I’m already sleeping terribly. It makes my sleep worse.’” While Streicher said there’s “probably a connection” between alcohol tolerance and perimenopause and menopause, it hasn’t been well studied.
-
New York Times
–
Heart Failure Deaths Are Increasing. New Treatments Could Help.
Heart failure is a condition that occurs when the heart can’t pump out enough blood and oxygen to meet the body’s needs. Deaths from it have been climbing steadily nationwide since 2012, wiping out earlier declines. Rising rates of metabolic disorders like obesity, diabetes and high blood pressure are likely contributing. There are medications to treat one of the two main types of heart failure, but they aren’t used as much as they should be, doctors said. High blood pressure is a major cause of heart failure, as are blocked arteries. High blood pressure increases the strain on your heart, while blocked arteries prevent the heart muscle from getting the oxygen it needs. Other risk factors are much the same as for heart attack and stroke, including obesity, diabetes and kidney disease. There are some additional risk factors specific to women, including menopause before age 45 and high blood pressure during pregnancy, said Sadiya Khan, MD, MSc, a preventive cardiologist at the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. “We’ve made remarkable advances in how we can treat, but now we have to do the hard part which is make it affordable, accessible and equitable,” Dr. Khan said.
-
US News & World Report
–
Juicing Diets Can Harm Health in Just 3 Days, Study Finds
Juice cleanses are a popular way to kickstart a health journey, but these diets may do more harm than good in as little as three days. A study published recently in the journal Nutrients found that consuming vegetable and fruit juice-only diets for three days triggered detrimental gut and oral bacteria changes linked to inflammation, memory and thinking problems. Exactly how juice-only cleanses trigger such changes is not fully understood, but researchers suggest it may owe to the lack of fiber in juice. “Most people think of juicing as a healthy cleanse, but this study offers a reality check,” said study author Melinda Ring, MD, FACP, ABOIM, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Consuming large amounts of juice with little fiber may lead to microbiome imbalances that could have negative consequences, such as inflammation and reduced gut health,” she said in a news release. When fruits or veggies are juiced, much of the fiber is stripped away. Fiber feeds good bacteria that produce anti-inflammatory compounds. Researchers said the findings point to a need for a deeper look at how juice and other diets affect the microbiome, especially in kids who often drink juice in lieu of eating fruit.
-
NBC 5 Chicago
–
Chicago school closings today: Full list of schools closed, delayed amid extreme cold
As many as seven Chicago-area schools had announced delays, closures or e-learning Tuesday due as a cold weather advisory continues. According to the National Weather Service, wind chills as low as -30 degrees were possible in some parts Tuesday morning, with sub-zero wind chills to continue throughout the day. Dehydration from the cold can also occur, health experts warned, which could take people by surprise. “We usually associate dehydration with hot weather, but cold weather we are often able to get it too because you feel less thirsty and we tend to drink less fluids during that time,” Santina Wheat, MD, MPH with Northwestern Medicine said. “Additionally, when it’s cold outside, we are inside with indoor heating hopefully. That dry air can also increase the water loss that we have through evaporation.” Wheat recommends drinking fluids throughout the day and keeping a clean humidifier near by. If you don’t have a humidifier, she suggests putting a bowl of water near your heat source in your home. Wheat recommends drinking fluids throughout the day and keeping a clean humidifier near by. If you don’t have a humidifier, she suggests putting a bowl of water near your heat source in your home.
-
Fox 32 Chicago
–
Northwestern study reveals high suicide rates among men in violent relationships
A new study from Northwestern Medicine sheds light on the impact of intimate partner violence (IPV) on men, revealing that suicide is a far more common outcome than homicide in Illinois. The study found that 74% of deaths related to intimate partner violence in Illinois were suicides, compared to just 3.7% attributed to homicides. Notably, 81% of the suicides involved men. These findings challenge the long-standing perception that violent deaths related to IPV primarily affect women through homicide. Maryann Mason, PhD, associate professor of Emergency Medicine at Northwestern Medicine, emphasized the importance of support services in volatile relationships. “It’s not uncommon for men in the relationship to control the woman by threatening suicide… I think suicide prevention for men in these volatile relationships could extend to benefit women,” Mason said. Mason suggests that community support and intervention programs are crucial, not only for the individuals directly involved but also for children and family members impacted by the violence.
-
Washington Post
–
How to keep your eyes healthy and your vision sharp
Most people 40 and older should have a comprehensive eye exam and follow-ups (typically, every one to two years). That way, emerging problems can be caught early, when they’re more likely to respond to treatment, says Michelle Andreoli, an ophthalmologist at Northwestern Medicine in Illinois and a clinical spokesperson for the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Your eye doctor will assess your vision and ocular health, but you should also stay attuned to any potential issues in between appointments. To help, here are eight eye problems that often arise as we get older, along with expert advice on how to prevent, spot and handle them. While certain eye problems progress over time, others may be fast-moving and need immediate care.Vision changes that call for fast action include sudden vision loss, blurriness, a shower of floaters, a curtain or shade across your sight, double vision, and severe pain in the eye, especially if it’s accompanied by nausea or headache.
