Media Coverage

Should parents get to control whether teens use social media? It’s already law in one state

After Utah became the first state to require parental consent in order for minors to use social media, parents, teens and experts are sharing their thoughts on government-enforced mandates for social media use. Sara Houston Katsanis, MS, a research assistant professor focusing on pediatric consent and social media at Northwestern University, says the mandates are “quite extreme,” adding that “teenagers will find ways to access what they are interested in, especially if it’s touted as something forbidden.” “I don’t disagree that social media is a problem and tech addiction is a problem among teenagers and among children,” Houston Katsanis tells TODAY.com. “Rather than trying to restrict what children have access to, let’s work with communities to limit the need for phones.” Numerous studies have found links between an increase in social media use and adverse mental health outcomes in teens, including depression, anxiety and low self-esteem.

Health Experts Set the Record Straight on Menopause, From Symptoms to Treatments

Women can spend more than half their life in menopause, but women’s health experts say there are still many misconceptions about menopause care. “A lot of women think hot flashes is menopause. That’s one thing but, really, estrogen affects so many parts of your body – your bones, your brain, your skin,” said Pat Handler MSN, instructor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and a certified menopause provider at the Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause at Northwestern Medicine. Handler explained the different between perimenopause, which can start in your early 40’s, and menopause. “Perimenopuase is when a woman’s hormones begin to fluctuate,” Handler said. “Menopuase is when a woman has completely stopped making estrogen.” Northwestern Medicine created the Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause in 2017 to help women navigate menopause and the various treatment options.

Asthma medication shortage is making some families feel ‘helpless and frustrated.’ Here’s what parents need to know.

Albuterol, a fast-acting medication used to treat breathing problems in children, has been on the FDA’s shortage list since October. But while there’s plenty of chatter on social media about the shortage, doctors say parents shouldn’t panic – and that there are numerous ways to handle it. Dr. Michael Bauer, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says that patients who have used albuterol in a nebulizer should be able to use an inhaler if they can’t find the drug in liquid form. “Almost anyone can use an inhaler, and when used properly, it provides the same delivery of albuterol and relief of symptoms as the aerosolized form,” he says. (However, he says, infants and small children will need to use a spacer device — a holding chamber that makes it easier to breathe in the medicine — and will likely need some coaching.)

A Little Motivation to Take a Walk

“Dr. Streicher’s Inside Information Podcast,” a frequently hilarious and always informative exploration of menopause, hosted by Dr. Lauren Streicher, the medical director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Sexual Medicine and Menopause.

Ozempic prescriptions can be easy to get online. Its popularity for weight loss is hurting those who need it most

Telehealth and social media are playing a significant role in driving demand for Ozempic, a prescription drug that treats Type 2 diabetes, experts told CNN. The current drug shortage has limited access for patients with diabetes who rely on it to control their blood sugar.
Digital health companies make medications like Ozempic easier to get by providing prescriptions online. Many advertise quick and easy — sometimes same-day — access.
“Anecdotally, it’s almost easier to get medication [via digital health companies],” said Dr. Disha Narang, endocrinologist and director of obesity medicine at Northwestern Medicine, Lake Forest Hospital. “But not always the safest.” People who put in average weights on the online intake forms were still offered the antidiabetic drug, Narang told CNN.

Fertility Treatments Pose No Danger to People With MS

“These results are exciting, as MS is common among females of childbearing age, and those with MS are more likely to be diagnosed with infertility but have been less likely to receive fertility treatment than those who do not have MS,” said study co-author Dr. Edith Graham, an assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University in Chicago.

2 non-smokers with advanced lung cancer saved by new double lung transplant technique

“If all the options have been exhausted, only then are we going to consider this,” said Dr. Ankit Bharat, the chief of thoracic surgery and the director of the Northwestern Medicine Canning Thoracic Institute.

Lung transplants for cancer patients have historically involved replacing one lung at a time. The technique comes with some pretty hefty risks: The remaining cancerous lung can contaminate the new lung with cancer and the incisions can cause cancer cells to leak into the bloodstream.

Bharat and his team at Northwestern had a different approach.