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.
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CNN
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Don’t rely on fans to keep you cool in extreme heat. Here’s how to stay safe.
Extreme temperatures can turn deadly, quickly in the United States, killing more than 700 people every year, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. While dehydration is a common concern, “the most worrisome consequence” of high heat is heat stroke, said Dr. Scott Dresden, assistant professor of emergency medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Heat stroke can cause confusion, seizures and even death, he said. Humidity is one of the main things that can affect your body’s ability to cool itself off. The CDC recommends drinking plenty of fluids, taking cool showers or baths, avoid using the oven or other household appliances that could heat up your house and watch for signs of heat stroke. Further, stay in air conditioning – if your power is out identify places in the community you can go, such as libraries, malls or cooling centers.
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ABC News
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Why doctors say the ‘save the mother’s life’ exception of abortion bans is medically risky
In recent months, several strict abortion laws have been passed across the United States, banning the procedure after a certain number of weeks. Most have limited exceptions, such as incest or rape, and some only allow abortion to “save the mother’s life.” However, doctors told ABC News the language of these laws is vague and makes it unclear what qualifies as a mother’s life being in danger. According to Dr. Melissa Simon, vice chair for research in the department of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, “We’ve taken the Hippocratic oath to do no harm, and these types of laws and this type of language actually do harm.” Further, “I do not – nor do my patients want me to – stop what I’m doing and think about what the judge would do.” Simon said if doctors are not allowed to perform abortions because the procedure does not fall within the limits of a save a mother’s life exception, maternal mortality rates in the U.S. will rise.
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New York Times
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Why Your Preferred Tampons May Be Hard to Find
Supply chain issues have hit tampons, and inflation has driven up prices. Manufacturers and major retailers say they are trying to remedy the shortage. Because tampon supplies are low, many women use menstrual pads in conjunction with tampons, said Dr. Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. However, some may experience discomfort and irritation and pads can also keep women from engaging in certain activities, like swimming or intense exercise.
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Yahoo! News
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This Blood Type Puts You at Risk for Dementia
The progressive brain disorder known as dementia is unfortunately becoming more common. That’s simply because the number one risk factor is advancing age, and more of us are living longer. According to a study, people with blood type AB are 82 percent more likely to develop thinking and memory problems that can lead to dementia than people with other blood types. AB blood has also been linked to a higher risk of symptomatic and severe COVID-19. Northwestern medicine advises that if you have type AB blood, you should emphasize cancer-fighting goods, such as fruits and vegetables, in your diet.
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WGN
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Dr. Murphy talks Novavax requesting FDA approval for vaccine, monkeypox cases
Dr. Robert Murphy, professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, dicusses two new variants of COVID 19, BA.4 and BA.5. These variants now account for 13% of all coronavirus cases in the United States. However, hospitalization rates are going down. This is due to Paxlovid, which cuts hospitalization rates by 90%, whether the individual is vaccinated or not, and vaccination rates include 78% of all eligible Americans have had at least one shot, 66% have had two shots and 44% have had a booster. Novavax was approved for use in the US. Because it is not mRNA technology, and utilizes older medicinal technology, some may feel more comfortable receiving this COVID vaccine.
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New York Times
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What is Ramsay Hunt Syndrome
Justin Bieber announced that he has Ramsay Hunt syndrome, a rare condition that has paralyzed half his face. Ramsay Hunt syndrome is a neurological condition caused by varicella zoster virus, the same virus that causes chickenpox in children and shingles in adults. The virus can linger in your body for your entire life, even long after you have recovered from chickenpox. Most people who have Ramsay Hunt make a full recovery, although the duration of the disease can vary, said Dr. Michael Ison, a professor of infectious diseases at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine. “Some people, it takes weeks. Some people, it takes months,” he said. In rare cases though, facial paralysis or hearing loss can be permanent.
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MSN online
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This Music-Powered Digital Drug Could Treat Alzheimer’s
Music has the ability to light up the whole brain. “With Alzheimer’s disease, the areas in the brain that are involved with music processing are the areas that go lost,” Borna Bonakdarpour, associate professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “People lose verbal memory first, visual memory next and really near the end is musical memory.” Over the course of his work, he has found that patients who underwent music-based treatments have had incredibly promising and powerful results. “If you play music for them, it kind of wakes them up,” he said. “The music taps immediately into their motor systems.”
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CNN
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Has the pandemic caused mental illness in kids or made it worse?
According to John Walkup, chief of child and adolescent psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, the pandemic hasn’t increased mental illness in teens, but instead “unmasked symptoms” that may have otherwise been managed. Walkup said that on average, 20% of kids have a mental health problem before they graduate in the US, with only half of them receiving assessment or treatment. Of them, only about 40% of them received clinically meaningful benefits. “Then take away school, family, peer support and sports, and you force them to stay home. You know those kids are not going to do well over time,” he explained.
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CNN
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Meet the researchers revolutionizing micro-scale robots for medical use
John Rogers, PhD, is working to develop tiny robots that will be available for medical use. Rogers leads a team of engineers at Northwestern University that are meeting at the intersection of engineering and medical research. The products they are creating have direct immediate clinical relevance. Such types of technologies, including these micro-scale robots, may enable minimally invasive surgeries and innovations for surgical human health.
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WGN
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Push for normalcy wins out in COVID wars
As Americans start a third summer living amid the specter of the coronavirus, their attitude to the pandemic has shifted. Even as infections rise to levels that are four to five times higher than the same point last year, the push for normalcy is winning out. “People are tired of the changes that they’re had to make to their lives related to COVID-19 and so eager to get back to normal,” said Mercedes Carnethon, an epidemiologist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “And what they’ve seen with increased experience, two-plus years into the pandemic is that, if they know people who’ve had COVID-19, most of them – and this ignores a million people who have died – but most of them have recovered,” Carnethon said.
