Media Coverage

Online tool predicts heart risk in young adults

Even so, offering doctors and patients a way to see heart disease risk in relatively healthy and young adults may help people make lifestyle changes while there’s still a chance to significantly reduce their odds of a heart attack or stroke later in life, said Dr. John Wilkins , a researcher at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago who wasn’t involved in the study.

Do You Really Need to Exercise to Lose Weight?

“Fortunately, exercise, particularly resistance exercise, adds muscle to help counteract any potential drop in metabolism,” explains Dr. Micah J. Eimer, co-director of the sports cardiology program at the Northwestern Medicine Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute.

The Lawyer, the Addict

Professional stress also plays a role, said Dr. Daniel Angres, an associate professor of psychiatry at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “Law firms have a culture of keeping things underground, a conspiracy of silence,” he said. “There is a desire not to embarrass people, and as long as they are performing, it’s easier to just avoid it. And there’s a lack of understanding that addiction is a disease.”

Panel backs heart counseling for some healthy people

“Indeed, the guideline also states that adults who adhere to national guidelines for a healthful diet and physical activity have lower rates of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality than those who do not,” write Drs. Philip Greenland Phillip Greenland , of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, and Valentin Fuster, of the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai in New York City.

Health Buzz: Purpose in Life Associated With a Better Night’s Sleep, Study Says

The American College of Physicians recommends non-drug methods for sleep improvement as a first line insomnia treatment, study author Jason Ong , of the Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, said in a statement.

“Helping people cultivate a purpose in life could be an effective drug-free strategy to improve sleep quality, particularly for a population that is facing more insomnia,” Ong added. “Purpose in life is something that can be cultivated and enhanced through mindfulness therapies.”

Eating placenta pills could harm your baby, CDC warns

Crystal Tennille Clark, assistant professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences at Northwestern University, has reviewed existing data on the potential benefits of eating the placenta for a report published in Archives of Women’s Mental Health. Clark, along with her team, wasn’t able to connect any health benefits to the practice and actually cited some dangers. “Bacteria and elements such as mercury and lead have been identified in the post-term placenta,” Clark told CBS News. “So if the theory is that we retain nutrients and hormones such as estrogen and iron that could be beneficial, then the question becomes what harmful substances can also be retained that could harm the mother or the baby if she is breastfeeding.”

Fewer Americans Hospitalized for Heart Failure

“More drugs and implanted devices for heart failure have become available in recent years. And doctors have gotten better at “giving the right therapy, at the right time, to the right patient,” said Dr. Clyde Yancy , a heart association spokesperson and chief of cardiology at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. Yancy said: “The improvement in hospitalizations has not been across the board, and African-Americans are being left behind. We need to figure out: Is this an access to care issue? Is it an adherence [to treatment] issue? Are we not communicating well enough to patients?” The most common causes of heart failure include atherosclerosis — clogged heart arteries — and uncontrolled high blood pressure, Yancy said. “Don’t smoke, eat a heart-healthy diet, be physically active, and maintain a healthy weight and normal blood pressure, cholesterol and blood

#Pride30: Dr. Brian Mustanski Is Bringing LGBTQ Sex Ed to the Masses

In 2008, Brian Mustanski i started IMPACT: The LGBT Health and Development Program, which conducts research that seeks to improve the health of the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender community and increase understanding of the development of sexual orientation and gender identity. The program is part of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University, Mustanksi’s alma mater. Working with the medical students and other graduate students in the labs of Northwestern allows Dr. Mustanski to provide these students the tools they need to treat people of all sexual and gender identities.

The Hidden Dangers of Makeup and Shampoo

“As a dermatologist, we live and breathe cosmetics and personal care products,” says study author Dr. Steve Xu, a resident physician in the department of dermatology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, citing his motivation for the study. “I get asked every day, ‘What is safe to use?’”