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.
-
New York Times
–
Bruce Willis Has Frontotemporal Dementia, His Family Announces
The family of Bruce Willis announced that the actor has frontotemporal dementia, known as FTD, a form of dementia that occurs most commonly when nerve cells in the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain decrease in number. Those with the behavioral variant of FTD may act out of character, said Dr. Ian Grant, an assistant professor of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Families will say that patients “seem like they’ve lost a bit of their filter,” he said. Someone who is typically quiet and reserved may start spewing profanities, for example, or loudly comment on a stranger’s appearance. Dr. Grant described the poor judgment and erratic behavior that can come with personality changes from FTD, such as drinking an entire bottle of maple syrup. “They may be craving instant gratification, without any real ability to put a check on that,” he said.
-
New York Times
–
How a Consistent Sleep Schedule Might Protect Your Heart
There are a few tried and true pieces of advice that sleep doctors always give for battling insomnia: Watch those alcoholic drinks at dinner, cut the afternoon coffee, stop scrolling before bed. And please, they beg: Keep your sleep schedule consistent. Flip-flopping between wake-up times wreaks havoc on our internal body clocks. Sleep experts refer to this as “social jet lag,” said Dr. Sabra Abbott, a sleep medicine specialist at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. Similar to changing time zones, heading to bed at vastly different types from day to night may throw off your circadian rhythm. Light helps regulate our circadian rhythm, Dr. Abbott said, signaling to our bodies that it’s time to wake up. Take (even a brief) working walk, if the weather allows, to expose yourself to sunlight around the same time each day, she recommended.
-
NPR
–
New childhood obesity guidance raises worries over the risk of eating disorders
Eating disorder treatment specialists are sounding the alarm over new guidance from the American Academy of Pediatrics advising doctors to treat obesity earlier and more aggressively, which they say could lead to eating disorders. They say it focuses on weight loss and BMI rather than health, minimizes the risk of disordered eating and could perpetuate deep-rooted, damaging stigmas. Eating disorders among children and adolescents rose dramatically during the pandemic, and the risk of developing an eating disorder is higher among patients who’ve been diagnosed as overweight or obese and patients who’ve engaged in dieting. But for children with severe obesity, bariatric surgery is reliably effective and can reverse the condition’s life-threatening effects: diabetes, hypertension and liver disease, obesity specialists say. “The effective treatments for severe obesity in adolescents are really just one: That is bariatric surgery,” Dr. Thomas Inge, chief of pediatric surgery at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.
-
NBC 5 Chicago
–
Data-tracking necklace helps smokers kick habit
Wearable tech is heating up and now scientists hope to empower smokers with personalized data and a necklace designed to kick a daily habit. Inside the habits lab at Northwestern Medicine, scientists mimic smoking while pondering a burning question: What causes someone to successfully quit smoking? The answer, they believe, is data-driven by tracking real-life actions, not self-reported usage. Nabil Alshurafa, PhD, is an associate professor of behavioral medicine at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “We can tell how long the person placed the cigarette at the mouth,” Alshurafa said. “Things like our body, the cigarette, the lighter – all these things emit heat.” The Smokemon device is worn around the neck and sensors inside the device measure the thermal activity to determine the number of puffs, their duration and the time between each drag on the cigarettes. “All these things could potentially allow us to characterize that smoking behavior in a lot more fine detail,” Alshurafa said. That could mean an even deeper understanding of tobacco exposure and disease. At the same time, the mechanics allow users to navigate their smoking topography – in other words, what causes them to light up, particularly those who relapse.
-
NBC 5 Chicago
–
The 1 Diet Change a Doctor Says Pregnant Women Should Know About to Avoid Impacts on Baby
A woman’s diet during pregnancy can have an impact on not only her health, but her baby’s future health. “What a mother, a pregnant woman, eats during her pregnancy can very much influence her offspring, her child,” said Dr. Linda Van Horn, professor emeritus of preventive medicine and nutrition at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. After studying the diets of pregnant women, Dr. Van Horn advocates for a plant-based diet during pregnancy that continues into early childhood and beyond to help protect your heart. “Let’s remember hypertension is the single biggest contributor to the global burden of disease,” Van Horn said. “High blood pressure, which often goes undetected and results in a much higher risk for stroke, is a problem that has nutritionally-related roots as well.” Further, “The dietary fiber, the vitamins, the minerals, the phytochemicals that are contributed by our plant-based diet, can’t be achieved anywhere else,” Van Horn added.
-
Reuters
–
U.S. FDA staff flag no new safety concerns for OTC opioid overdose drug
Some experts were optimistic that a favorable vote from the committee could make an impact on the overdose crisis. “It’s not sufficient, but it is a piece of the puzzle we need to put in place,” said Maryann Mason, Associate Professor at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine.
-
Yahoo! News
–
What causes childhood constipation – and does it ever go away? Here’s what parents need to know.
Parenthood comes with its own unique challenges, but having a child who can’t poop is up there. If you’ve ever struggled with the experience of having a child who is constipated, know this: You’re not alone. If constipation isn’t treated, it can lead to stomach pain, a decrease in appetite and even vomiting due to a buildup of stool. “In severe cases, a child may develop what appears to be diarrhea – large amounts of loose stool that is leaking around the impacted, harder stool,” said Dr. Michael Bauer, clinical assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. If your child his struggling with regular constipation, Bauer recommends talking to your pediatrician as “understanding the basis for the constipation is key to any treatment plan.”
-
US News & World Report
–
AHA News: To Improve Maternal Health, Report Says to Start Before Pregnancy
A woman’s heart health prior to becoming pregnant greatly affects her risk for pregnancy-related complications and the long-term cardiovascular health of both mother and child, according to a new report that calls for greater attention to the issue. Studies show Black women are disproportionately affected. As pregnancy-related deaths in the U.S. have been rising, Black women face triple the risk of dying from pregnancy-related complications than white women. “This statement looks upstream at what the potential contributors to that rising burden may be,” said Dr. Sadiya Khan, assistant professor of cardiology and epidemiology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. A new AHA report summarizes current evidence linking a woman’s heart risk factors before and between pregnancies to pregnancy-related complications and the subsequent cardiovascular health of mother and child. It calls for investigating more ways to improve women’s health throughout the childbearing years, starting in early childhood. And it emphasizes the need for policy level changes to dismantle structural racism and other adverse social factors that create barriers to better maternal health. “Identifying ways to intervene and equitably promote health is critical,” Khan said.
-
CNBC online
–
Radioligand therapy, a ‘game-changer’ for cancer treatment, forces manufacturers to race against a ticking clock
Dr. Leo I. Gordon, a professor of cancer research at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine, said the hesitation often comes down to finances.
Producing radioligand therapy is expensive, and companies have to be willing to shoulder the costs and navigate a challenging supply chain in the hope that they can eventually make a profit.
“I’m not sure it’s a great message to send that everything is based on profit mode and all,” he said, “but it certainly does exist in medicine, oncology and the world.”
-
ABC News
–
What to know about the symptoms and treatment of norovirus as it spreads across the US
Dr. Karen Krueger, an assistant professor of medicine and infectious diseases at Northwestern University, told ABC News that often people don’t even to be tested for norovirus.
