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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WebMD
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Raise Your Voice About Your Metastatic Breast Cancer
Breast cancer is a common diagnosis for women of all races. But there are differences along racial lines when it comes to early detection, treatment and survival rates. The disease is deadliest for non-Hispanic Black women. They’re more likely than women of other races or ethnicities to get diagnosed with metastatic breast cancer, and they have higher odds of having triple=negative breast cancer, which is a hard-to-treat form of the disease that spreads fast. In order to prevent this it is important for patients to ask about national treatment guidelines. Grace Suh, MD, health system clinician of hematology and oncology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says she understands why people are worried their race or ethnicity might affect their treatment. Studies show people of color often get a lower quality of care compared to other races. “I try to bring in objective treatment guidelines that are accessible to everybody, not just doctors or people who have money,” Suh says, “so they feel comfortable that they’re receiving the proper care that’s expected for their condition.”
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The Washington Post
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Seasonal affective disorder can last for months. Here are the signs.
For millions of Americans, the winter months – when the days get shorter and the nights grow colder – are a time of sadness and struggle. It’s called winter-pattern seasonal affective disorder, or SAD. Signs of SAD include excessive sleep, overeating and avoiding social activities. Sunlight is so important to our brain and body that the retinas in our eyes have specialized photoreceptors that send signals to the brain’s perihabenular nucleus, which regulates mood. These receptors also send signals to our central circadian clock, which regulates our circadian cycles in behavior and physiology, said Phyllis Zee, MD, PhD, a neurologist and director of the Center for Circadian and Sleep Medicine at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine. Scientists do not know for certain why some people are more susceptible to SAD, but one theory is that they may have less-sensitive photoreceptors in their eyes, meaning they are not taking in enough sunlight to keep these clocks aligned
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Chicago Tribune
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New ‘kraken’ mutation is most contagious subvariant of COVID yet. Here’s what the Chicago area needs to know.
Medical experts say the new COVID-19 mutation dubbed “kraken” is the most contagious subvariant of the virus to emerge since the pandemic began – and it’s becoming the dominant strain in the United States. While the so-called kraken subvariant only accounts for about 7% of cases in Chicago, the city’s top doctor forecast that its prevalence will likely be increasing here in the coming weeks. But Dr. Elizabeth McNally, director of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine Center for Genetic Medicine, had a generally optimistic outlook about the COVID landscape, noting that “things look much better this year than they did last year at this same time.” Further she says, “I don’t think we need to be pressing the panic button since case numbers over the last 14 days have been only modestly up or steady,” McNally said. “It’s true we each may know people who got COVID recently, but many of these people had only mild cold symptoms.”
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NBC 5 Chicago
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Dr. Jill Biden Just Had It and Many Others Have Too. So What is Mohs Surgery?
Jill Biden underwent a common outpatient procedure known as Mohs surgery to remove and examine cancerous lesions, but what exactly is the procedure and who needs it? The procedure she underwent is a common one, typically performed on basal or squamous cell carcinomas. “Mohs surgery sounds very complicated, but Mohs surgery is a very simple procedure that is designed to take out small non-melanoma skin cancers, and sometimes melanoma, in a way that will ensure that all of the cancer cells are out, but as much normal skin as possible is preserved,” said Murad Alam, MD, professor of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Basal cell carcinoma is the most common type of skin cancer, but also the most curable form. It’s considered highly treatable, especially when caught early. With six million cases of skin cancer diagnosed every year in the U.S., Alam says it’s important to know that skin cancer is often curable when treated early. “Squamous cell carcinomas absolutely can move to other parts, they can go to other organs cause grave harm,” Alam said. “It’s really important to catch these things when they’re small.”
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NBC 5 Chicago
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Experts, Residents Discuss New Childhood Obesity Treatment Guidelines
After struggling with weight gain in her early teens, a girl underwent a form of bariatric surgery known has gastric sleeve surgery. Now, 21 years old and in nursing school, the woman says she’s been of prediabetes medications since her surgery and hasn’t needed an inhaler for her asthma in years. Dr. Caren Mangarelli is an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. She said it’s possible children who start weight loss medications could need to take them for the rest of their life, but says that such a move would still be medially-prudent. “You wouldn’t question if that a kid developed, you know, high blood pressure, or if they had a seizure disorder,” she said. “I feel like the medical community as a whole is starting to recognize obesity as a chronic disease. Like any chronic disease, there are medications available, but there is a problem with access.” Mangarelli says that those limitations come through spotty insurance coverage of drugs and due to socioeconomic factors, and hopes that the new guidance will help spur changes. “They’re not covered by most insurance plans, even private insurance plans,” she said. “We know obesity disproportionately affects lower socioeconomic patients. They really need to be available to all patients.”
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New York Times
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Gas Stoves Are Tied to Health Concerns. Here’s How to Lower Your Risk.
For the last 50 years or so, researchers have demonstrated that exposure to gas stoves can be harmful to humans. When you use a gas stove, it emits poisonous gases called nitrogen oxides, including nitrogen dioxide, a respiratory irritant thought to trigger asthma. A study published last year found that families who use gas stoves in homes with poor ventilation, or without range hoods, can blow past the national standard for safe hourly outdoor exposure to nitrogen oxides within just a few minutes. It’s important to lower your risk if you have a gas stove by ventilating your kitchen, using the exhaust hood every time you use your stove, using your stove less often or buying an air purifier. An air purifier with a HEPA filter can help reduce the level of nitrogen oxides concentrating in the home, said Ravi Kalhan, MD, MS, a pulmonary medicine specialist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. IF you’re able to purchase one, place it in or near your kitchen he said.
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WBEZ Chicago
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Chicago City Council tackles teen vaping
Chicago lawmakers are considering requiring new licenses for businesses that make more than 20% of their revenue on vaping products. Dr. Maria Rahmander, assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, shares that the health risks of e-cigarettes include lung issues, addiction and exacerbated asthma symptoms. Rahmander says that we need to hit this issue from multiple angles so Alderman Napolitano’s ordinance is a great idea. She shares that e-cigarettes are filled with carcinogens that can go deep into the lungs and can damage lung health. Further, she thinks making sure products are not advertised towards youth is important.
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New York Times
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Is a Spoonful of Sea Moss the Key to Good Health?
They are among a number of people online who have been promoting the health benefits of sea moss — an edible sea vegetable in the algae family that is packed with nutrients like folate, vitamin K, vitamin B, iron, iodine, magnesium, zinc and calcium. Sea moss, in gel or other forms, can be a relatively low-calorie conduit to adding more nutrients to your diet, said Dr. Melinda Ring, the executive director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. The plant is rich in antioxidants, which can break down free radicals that damage our cells, she said. And sea moss gel contains large amounts of potassium, an essential mineral that supports muscle contraction and blood pressure control. But while nutrition experts say that the nutrients in sea moss might offer some health benefits, the hype is probably overblown, Dr. Ring said. “Like all of the superfoods that have come and gone, there’s some truth to it,” she said. “It’s just not a magical thing that everyone should be taking.” But without hard and fast data on sea moss itself, Dr. Ring said, its health effects aren’t totally clear.
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Yahoo! News
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No, those viral face exercises can’t change your face shape experts say
Face exercises, also known as “face yoga,” are one of the latest wellness trends, with plenty of videos demonstrating how to perform them on social media. Many people believe face exercises, which you can easily perform from the comfort of your home, can lift and tone your face, reduce wrinkles, help you look younger and just generally improve your face shape and appearance. To understand how face exercises may work, you should know about the anatomy of the face, which is made up of skin, fat and muscle layered on top of the skull. The outermost layer of skin on your face, what you see and wash every day, is called the epidermis. Underneath that is a thicker layer called the dermis. Underneath that is a layer of subcutaneous fat, explained Murad Alam, MD, vice chair of dermatology at Northwestern University. Beneath the subcutaneous fat is “a series of fat pads, which are plump, fat-containing areas that fit together like a jigsaw puzzle … to create the volume that gives our face shape,” said Alam. “The purpose of the facial exercises seems to be to help to grow muscles under the fat pads such that, as you exercise them, they become larger in size and begin to perform some of the functions the fat pads were performing before to make your face look fuller,” said Alam.
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WBEZ Chicago
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RSV recedes and flu peaks as a new COVID variant shoots ‘up like a rocket’
As the new year begins and the depths of winter approach, U.S. infectious disease experts monitoring the “tripledemic” stew of viruses that have been plaguing the country say they’re good news – and bad. The good news is the worst appears to be over from the RSV surge that has been making life miserable for many children and their parents. Ways to protect yourself from coronavirus subvariant XBB.1.5 include getting vaccinated and boosted, avoiding crowded, poorly ventilated parties, restaurants, bars and other places, and putting the mask back on in risky situations. “It’s not time to let your guard down,” warns Dr. Tina Tan, an infectious disease specialist at Northwestern University. Fortunately, most of the precautions that lower your risk of catching COVID-19 will also help protect you against any resurgence of RSV or the flu.
