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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AP News
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Less alcohol, or none at all, is one path to better health
Moderate drinking was once thought to have benefits for the heart, but better research methods have thrown cold water on that. Guidelines vary a lot from country to country but the overall trend is toward drinking less. “There is a trend towards recommending less and less alcohol that comes with the emerging data that we’re seeing, that a low amount of alcohol can be harmful,” says Amanda Cheung, MD, assistant professor of gastroenterology and hepatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “The degree of alcohol that will cause problems, is still to be determined. We do know for sure that anything that is more than moderate can cause a lot of different diseases.”
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WGN Chicago
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Thinking outside the box to save a life: Chicago doctors repair lungs outside the body
A Kentucky man with Stage 4 cancer was going downhill fast when a set of donor lungs became available. But it turns out those lungs were damaged, not suitable for transplant. Not giving up, Northwestern Medicine doctors decided to repair the lungs outside the body. Once healthy, surgeons breathed a sigh of relief before transplanting the organs and saving a life. Chemotherapy could no longer keep the cancer at bay and the man could barely breathe through his diseased lungs. At Northwestern, doctors offered an idea: Use a set of damaged, donated lungs to cure his disease and give him the ability to breath again. Ankit Bharat is chief if thoracic surgery at the Canning Thoracic Institute. “The donor lungs developed a lot of blood clots and they were not usable. They were not functioning very well,” Bharat said. Thinking outside the box, the team treated the diseased lungs in a box clearing the potentially deadly blood clots outside the body. Young Chae, MD, is with medical oncology at Northwestern Medicine and associate professor of medicine in hematology and oncology. “During surgery, we resected a total of 30 lymph nodes and we haven’t found any lymph nodes that contain cancer cells,” Chae said. “So this tells us that this is a type of cancer that is limited within the lung tissue.”
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New York Times
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Why Are Younger Adults Developing This Common Heart Condition?
Atrial fibrillation, a common cardiac condition that raises the risk of stroke, is increasingly affecting the health of people under the age of 65. For years, experts thought that A-fib, a type of irregular heartbeat, primarily occurred in people age 65 and older, and that younger people with the condition most likely wouldn’t develop other cardiac issues, however new research is proving otherwise. Nearly one in five people in the study who had A-fib also had obstructive sleep apnea, which is a significant risk factor for the condition. People with sleep apnea stop and restart breathing in the night; they struggle to get sufficient rest. The condition, which often goes undiagnosed, is tied to a range of cardiovascular issues. There is also a correlation between how much alcohol people consume and the likelihood they will develop A-fib, said Dr. Bradley Knight, the medical director of electrophysiology at the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute. Smoking cigarettes and vaping are also linked with a greater risk of A-fib, Dr. Barnes said.
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USA Today
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Does at-home laser hair removal work? Yes, but not as well as you might think.
First, it’s important to note that most at-home hair removal devices are not lasers. They are usually intense pulsed light devices or IPL for short. It works exactly like it sounds – intense light is pulsed to the hair follicle, which disrupts hair growth. While the mechanism of action is similar to laser hair removal, it is less powerful and takes more sessions to get the desired result. Dr. Carolyn I. Jacob, MD, FAAD, an associate clinical instructor of dermatology at Northwestern’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago explains that lasers that target blond, red, gray or white hair have not been developed yet, however, strides have been made so that those with darker skin types can successfully undergo the procedure. It depends on the person, but people generally see results within 6-10 treatments. As previously mentioned, the devices available for use at home are not as powerful as the devices you would find in a dermatology office, and therefore more treatments are usually needed.
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NPR
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New guidelines aim to make melatonin safer for kids
A leading trade group is asking companies that make melatonin to voluntarily adopt child-deterrent packaging and other improvements to how their products are packaged and labeled. Melatonin is a hormone that is widely used as a sleep aid. In recent years, approximately 11,000 infants and young children have visited the emergency room after accidentally taking melatonin, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported last month. The guidelines call for packaging that’s harder for young kids to open, specifically for melatonin sold in flavored form. That includes gummies or chewables that might be appealing to kids, especially little ones who might think it’s candy or even vitamins. Nia Heard-Garris, MD, MBA, MSc, is a researcher at Northwestern University and a pediatrician at Lurie Children’s Hospital of Chicago. She says parents should definitely talk to their kids’ pediatricians before giving them melatonin – especially if they’re considering using it in the youngest kids, like preschoolers, because it’s easy to give them too much. She says even in older kids, melatonin use should just be very occasional. But that should also prompt a talk with your kid’s pediatrician, she says, because “occasional” can be subjective. “You tell me that you’re using it three times a week, and I’m like, that’s more than I want you to be using it,” Heard-Garris says. “What’s going on? You know, let’s talk through what’s happening, and then we can kind of get to the root of the problem. If it’s once a year, once every four or five months, maybe that’s less of a red flag.”
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CNN
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Stayed up all night? Here’s how to feel better
Losing sleep can wreak havoc on your mind and body, experts say. In fact, missing out on just one night’s sleep can trigger physical symptoms, such as upper respiratory issues, aches and gastrointestinal problems, studies have shown. However, there are actions you can take after lost sleep to make it through the day in the safest way possible, according to experts. “The strongest reset for the circadian system is bright light,” said Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “Light in the morning changes the oscillation of your circadian clock genes at both a cellular and molecular level,” she told CNN in a prior interview. “You are also training all your rhythms, whether it’s sleep, blood pressure, heart rate or your cortisol rhythm to be earlier.”
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Yahoo! News
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Here are 5 foods and drinks to avoid if you have high blood pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects an estimated 1.28 billion adults around the world, according to the World Health Organization. Roughly 46% of adults suffering from high blood pressure are unaware of their condition. Making simple lifestyle changes, like limiting certain foods, can lower blood pressure. High blood pressure occurs when the pressure of blood against your artery walls is too high — this forces the heart to work harder to pump blood. It is a condition that can increase risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney problems, aneurysm or heart failure, per the Mayo Clinic. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Vanderbilt Medical Center and Northwestern Medicine observed a group of more than 200 individuals between ages 50 to 75, with a variety of blood pressure statuses — participants’ blood pressure ranged from normotension (blood pressure in normal range) to untreated hypertension. “The results reinforce the importance of reduction in dietary sodium intake to help control blood pressure, even among individuals taking medications for hypertension,” said co-principal investigator Norrina Allen, PhD, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It can be challenging but reducing your sodium in any amount will be beneficial.”
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Yahoo! News
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Here are 5 foods and drinks to avoid if you have high blood pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, affects an estimated 1.28 billion adults around the world, according to the World Health Organization. Roughly 46% of adults suffering from high blood pressure are unaware of their condition. Making simple lifestyle changes, like limiting certain foods, can lower blood pressure. Limiting and removing certain foods from your diet can help manage and lower high blood pressure. Here are five foods that are bad for people with high blood pressure. Researchers from the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Vanderbilt Medical Center and Northwestern Medicine observed a group of more than 200 individuals between ages 50 to 75, with a variety of blood pressure statuses — participants’ blood pressure ranged from normotension (blood pressure in normal range) to untreated hypertension. “The results reinforce the importance of reduction in dietary sodium intake to help control blood pressure, even among individuals taking medications for hypertension,” said co-principal investigator Norrina Allen, PhD, professor of preventive medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “It can be challenging but reducing your sodium in any amount will be beneficial.”
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ABC 7 Chicago
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Our Chicago: How To Cope with Stress In America
It’s not a secret – Americans are stressed. A nationwide survey called “Stress in America” for the American Psychological Association provides a picture of just how serious the problem is. On a scale of 1 to 10, where 10 means a great deal of stress – nearly a quarter of adults in the U.S. rated their average stress levels between 8 and 10. Inger Burnett-Zeigler, a clinical psychologist and associate professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, spoke about the impact of stress on people’s health. “Stress is the physical and emotional tension that a person feels when the demands of a situation outweigh the resources,” Dr. Burnett-Zeigler said. “So, it’s what a person feels if they have too many things to do and not enough time. Too many bills to pay and not enough money. Or a problem that’s in front of them that they don’t feel like they have the knowledge or the wherewithal in order to solve.” “Anxiety, on the other hand, is when stress has been mismanaged and internalized. And leads to this global, excessive fear and worry that is out of control,” she said. If you are looking for advice to manage stress, Dr. Burnett-Zeigler says “pay attention, pause, slow down and breathe.”
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CNN
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How to choose a therapist who will be the best fit for you
A survey by the American Psychological Association showed more than half of practitioners (56%) have no openings for new patients. That’s despite nine out of 10 adults saying they believe there’s a mental health crisis in the country, according to a 2022 CNN/KFF poll. Your medical doctors may have good recommendations. Friends and family who have already had therapy may also have names. Sheehan D. Fisher, psychologist and assistant professor at Northwestern University, advised going into these conversations with a list of questions to help you identify who you feel most comfortable with. Examples of questions include if you will be working on concrete and specific goals, the theoretical orientation they may practice – such as mindfulness or cognitive behavioral therapy – and whether their religious beliefs (or the absence of them) make you feel uncomfortable. Other questions to ask include how flexible the sessions will be and if they take insurance. “Chemistry also matters,” Fisher said, as well as being on the same page about the goals you want to accomplish, feeling safe and feeling a connection.
