Media Coverage

With temperatures rising to dangerous levels, your body may experience signs of illness from excessive heat exposure. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), people who undergo heat exhaustion will experience symptoms including dizziness, excessive thirst, heavy sweating, nausea, and headaches. This can potentially lead to heat stroke. Signs of heat stroke include dizziness and headache. Still, a person will also suffer from confusion, skin being hot to the touch, and becoming unconscious – causing death or permanent disability if not treated immediately. Dr. Javier Guevara, health system clinician of emergency medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said everyone is at risk, especially children and people over 65. “Also, people who usually overexert themselves with regular exercise, or their chronically ill – heart disease, diabetics – are at the highest risk for heat stroke or heat-related illnesses,” he said. Dr. Guevara added he’s expecting more patient visits to the emergency room due to the heat.

It’s not just moms. Dads can develop postpartum depression, too. As a new postpartum pill for women gains national attention, health experts say it’s also important to highlight men’s mental health needs after having a baby, with research showing 1 in 10 fathers experience postpartum depression and anxiety. A new study also suggests addressing paternal mental health is vital for baby’s health after finding children born to dads with depression are at increased risk of developing depression themselves. “Thinking about child outcomes, we thought historically that if mom is better, then the child is safe and well, and they will go through a normal development,” said Sheehan Fisher, PhD, associate professor of psychiatry and behavioral sciences at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, who is not affiliated with the study. “But if we treat the mom and the father is not well, then the child is at risk for mental health issues.”

Those who rely on skin-lightening products are largely unaware of their potential harm and don’t consult a doctor before trying them. Nearly half of the participants said they didn’t know what active ingredients were in the skin-lightening products. That’s of particular concern, the researchers write, because of the risks posed by skin-lightening products, many of which are unregulated and can be adulterated with toxic ingredients such as mercury. In a news release, Roopal Kundu, MD, the founder and director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Ethnic Skin and Hair and one of the study’s authors, said it’s important for dermatologists to understand the cultural factors behind skin lightening, even among patients who lighten their skin for medical reasons. “Cultural mindfulness … allows for the safe, effective, comprehensive and compassionate treatment of dermatological disease across all communities,” said Kundu, who is also a professor of dermatology and medical education at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.

Those who rely on skin-lightening products are largely unaware of their potential harm and don’t consult a doctor before trying them, according to an analysis in the International Journal of Women’s Dermatology. They’re also more likely to exhibit colorist attitudes – beliefs that those with lighter skin are more beautiful and socially advantaged than those with darker skin – than people who don’t use such products. In a news release, Roopal Kundu, MD, the founder and director of the Northwestern Medicine Center for Ethnic Skin and Hair and one of the study’s authors, said it’s important for dermatologists to understand the cultural factors behind skin lightening, even among patients who lighten their skin for medical reasons. “Cultural mindfulness … allows for the safe, effective, comprehensive and compassionate treatment of dermatological disease across all communities,” said Kundu, who is also a professor of dermatology and medical education at Northwestern Feinberg School of Medicine.

Convincing Americans to get their recommended health screenings can be an uphill battle. Data show that lots of people skip suggested cancer screenings even though they’re typically covered by insurance. Some studies have found that full-body scans can catch early signs of cancer and other health problems in some patients. “People [think] that knowing about something is always good,” says Dr. Jeffrey Linder, chief of general internal medicine at the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. But “there’s a reason why doctors don’t test everybody for everything all the time.” Many people have nodules, cysts, or masses in their bodies that could look concerning on a scan, but are actually harmless; similarly, some test results may fall outside the “normal” range without actually being dangerous, Linder says. It’s hard not to get anxious about an abnormal finding, though, so many patients end up scheduling follow-up tests that may be risky, invasive, expensive, and ultimately unnecessary, he says.

If sex is uncomfortable or even painful for you, it’s understandable to wonder if sex is just supposed to hurt. And, if this has been the way sex has always been for you, you may simply think this is the way it should be. Doctors say they see this regularly in patients. “This is a big issue we have as ob-gyns — that there is almost this expectation that sex is supposed to hurt,” Dr. Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, explains. “People who have always had pain just assume that this is normal. It’s not.” Streicher recommends making a specific appointment to talk to your ob-gyn about having pain during sex rather than bringing it up at a well-woman visit. “So many women wait until their annual visit, but there often isn’t enough time to really dive into what’s going on,” she says. “It’s meant to be a well-woman visit, but this isn’t a well woman — it’s a problem.”

Hair loss impacts millions of people in the U.S., and not just aesthetically; it’s linked to a greater risk of developing stress and depression. To add insult to injury, hair loss is complicated and the right solution requires understanding the underlying cause of the thinning and loss. “The most common cause of hair loss is androgenetic alopecia, aka male pattern hair loss or female pattern hair loss,” explains Amy Forman Taub, MD, a board-certified dermatologist and assistant professor at Northwestern University Medical School. “The second most common is called telogen effluvium and can be caused by many things, including severe stress, childbirth, certain drugs and thyroid abnormalities,” Taub says. Thankfully, in most cases, hair thinning and loss can be treated and reversed with great success. “People can also develop hair loss from underlying medical conditions like alopecia areata,” Taub says. And, of course, there’s the genetic role our DNA plays in hair loss. The good news is that regardless of the source of your thinning and balding, there is a treatment to help reverse or reduce the shedding. Products that target hair loss and thinning can include serums, shampoos, oils, foams, prescription medications, and vitamins and supplements.

Menopause used to be a taboo topic that celebrities rarely spoke about. But lately, a slew of famous women have opened up about the life transition. Halle Berry, 56, is the latest celebrity to talk about her experience with menopause. “We’re all going through it. And we learn from one another when we talk about it, when we become curious, and when we share with each other what we’re going through.” But it can be tricky when celebrities — who aren’t doctors — offer medical advice, Dr. Lauren Streicher, a clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine and author of Hot Flash Hell, tells Yahoo Life. “On the one hand, people are paying attention since celebrities, of course, have far more credibility in our society than anyone,” she says. “People are finding it easier to talk about.” She continues, “But the problem is that they’re talking about it, making recommendations and selling products which are often bogus. Those recommendations are not scientifically based, but people are latching onto what they’re selling and doing. The reason that all these celebrities are suddenly speaking out is because there is a lot of money to be made in menopause.”

As more people turn to blockbuster diabetes and obesity drugs such as Wegovy, Ozempic and Mounjaro, some are grappling with an unwelcome trade-off: how to balance uncomfortable, sometimes painful, side effects with the benefits of reduced food cravings and the loss of substantial weight. Most people who take the drugs don’t experience serious side effects, and even minor ones — nausea, diarrhea, vomiting — mostly can be controlled with a careful diet and medical supervision. But patients say some unwelcome and scary effects — including heart palpitations — surprised them, forcing them off the medication. Obesity experts say patients’ experiences with side effects vary. “Some people get very sick, and others have no side effects at all,” said Robert F. Kushner, a professor of medicine (endocrinology) and medical education at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine who conducted pivotal trials involving semaglutide, which were paid for by Novo Nordisk. Kushner also has worked with other health-care companies. Obesity experts say many side effects can be reduced by a cautious approach to two important areas: dosing and diet. To avoid nausea and vomiting, high-fat foods — which take longer to digest — or large amounts of food should be avoided, particularly right after the injections.

Northwestern Medicine on Monday celebrated the health system’s first double-lung transplants for two patients who have a rare genetic condition that alters the normal positions of their organs. These paitents were both born with situs inversus, a genetic condition where the organs in the chest and abdomen develop in a reversed or mirrored image from their normal positions, according to Northwestern. “The right lung is where the left lung should be, and the left lung is on the right side, and then the heart is flipped,” said Dr. Ankit Bharat, chief of thoracic surgery. Northwestern Medicine is a pioneer in double-lung transplants. It performed the procedure for COVID-19 patients who were severely ill, and more recently started giving double-lung transplants to people who have advanced lung cancer. Bharat and pulmonologist Dr. Catherine Myers also encouraged more people to donate their organs, so more lives like Vega’s and Deer’s can be saved. Bharat said fewer than 10% of all organs eligible for donation end up being donated.