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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TODAY
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Her inability to swallow was dismissed as an eating disorder. She had a rare condition
About 14 years ago, when Jessica Herrala, then 34, tried swallowing, it felt as if something was lodged in her throat. “I honestly thought I had a tumor,” Herrala, 48, of Chicago, tells TODAY.com. Worried, she visited a doctor who told her she was fine and sent her home. Then she began “to regurgitate food constantly.” Other doctors had few answers, and one suggested her she had bulimia. Eventually, Herrala was diagnosed with a rare swallowing disorder called achalasia. While rare, achalasia causes devastating symptoms. “The actual word in Latin means failure to relax,” John Pandolfino, MD, chief of gastroenterology at Northwestern Medicine, tells TODAY.com. “The thing that causes most of the problem is that your lower esophageal sphincter … doesn’t open up when you swallow.” Doctors are uncertain why people develop achalasia. While some medications help some people manage their symptoms, others, like Herrala, undergo surgery. “Doctors dissect out the lower esophageal sphincter area and then they cut muscle through the esophagus,” Pandolfino says. “When they’re done, they take part of the stomach, and they flap it over. So it actually protects the area that they cut and also prevents some reflux.”
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HealthDay
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Depression and Anxiety Increasing Steadily in Kids and Teens, Study Warns
Depression and anxiety are increasing steadily among children and teenagers. According to a new study, 10.6% of young people experienced anxiety in 2022, up from 7.1% in 2016. At the same time, depression among children hit 4.6%, up from 3.2%. Lead researcher Marie E. Heffernan, PhD, assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine, says these “findings underscore the critical need to prioritize youth mental health, which continued to worsen even as we emerged from the pandemic.” She says parents and schools need more support to better help children experiencing depression and anxiety. The researchers analyzed data from the National Survey of Children’s Health and found while mood disorders are increasing, some physical conditions are decreasing. Asthma and severe headaches or migraines declined significantly between 2016 and 2022, according to the results. Behavior and conduct problems remained about the same. The authors say continued resources are needed at the national level to determine why anxiety and depression are worsening in children and adolescents.
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US News & World Report
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Conversion Therapy Harms Heart Health
Young adults assigned male at birth were nearly three times as likely to be diagnosed with high blood pressure if they’d been exposed to conversion therapy, a discredited practice that attempts to alter a person’s sexual orientation or gender identity, researchers reported May 6 in JAMA Network Open. These young adults also had higher levels of inflammation and elevated blood pressure levels, both of which are potentially damaging to heart health, researchers report. “This is the first study, to our knowledge, to document elevated blood pressure and systemic inflammation, important factors shaping the risk of adverse cardiovascular health outcomes, among sexual and gender minority people exposed to [conversion therapy],” concluded the research team led by senior author Brian Mustanski, PhD, director of the Institute for Sexual and Gender Minority Health and Wellbeing at Northwestern University in Chicago. “The detrimental psychological effects of (conversion therapy) include heightened risk of depression, anxiety, and suicidality,” researchers added. Researchers tested heart health measures including blood pressure and blood markers for inflammation, and asked participants if they’d been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Results showed that people sent through conversion therapy were nearly 2.9 times as likely to have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, even though their average age was around 27. They also were more likely to have elevated blood pressure at the time of the researchers’ health check, and their blood showed more markers for inflammation.
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US News & World Report
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Seasonal Allergy Symptoms and How to Treat Them
For millions of allergy sufferers, spring and summer mean sneezing, runny noses and itchy eyes. Plumes of pollen from trees, grasses and plants (such as ragweed) get released into the air and trigger seasonal allergies – also referred to as hay fever and allergic rhinitis – for nearly 1 in 4 American adults and nearly 1 in 5 children. Allergies can also cause coughing, shortness of breath and wheezing in people with asthma. “These symptoms are actually very bothersome and can affect not only your nose and your lungs, but they can affect your daily life and quality of living,” says Anju Peters, MD, an allergy and immunology specialist at Northwestern Medicine in Chicago. “It can definitely affect your overall school performance, work performance and mental well-being in general.” Seasonal allergies occur when an allergen – such as pollen from trees, grass and weeds or mold spores – enters the body. In response, the immune system overreacts and produces antibodies, called immunoglobulin E (IgE), that signal to cells to release histamines, a chemical that fights off invaders, causing allergy symptoms. Ultimately, pollen is a fact of life. You can only avoid it for so long, but thankfully, you can nip pesky allergy symptoms in the bud. “You don’t have to suffer,” Peters says. “We have good treatment options, so you can try over-the-counter medications or go see an allergist … to tailor your treatment based on what you’re allergic to.”
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ABC 7 Chicago
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Northwestern study finds benefits of virtual singing for older adults
A new Northwestern University study found group singing virtually has major benefits, especially for adults over 55 including people with conditions like dementia. It looked at the value of virtual group singing during the COVID-19 pandemic, when most older adults were isolating. Borna Bonakdarpour, MD, FAAN, FANA, shares, “One thing about music is that even listening to music, people have done studies, it is, for people, like they are talking to someone. music is so social, that even if you’re doing it by yourself there’s a social benefit to it.” He further explains about the social and emotional connection that the members of the choirs felt after participating in the group singing.
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Chicago Tribune
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Diagnosed with colorectal cancer at age 44, WGN’s Mike Lowe shared his battle with viewers. Now, he’s at a turning point.
About 20% of colorectal cases were in people ages 54 or younger in 2019 — almost double the percentage as in 1995, according to the American Cancer Society. Scientists aren’t sure exactly what’s causing the increase in diagnoses among younger patients, but they’re urging people to see their doctors if they experience unusual symptoms such as abdominal pain, changes in bowel habits, diarrhea, bloody stools or constipation. Colorectal cancer is the fourth-most common type of cancer in the U.S., according to the National Cancer Institute at the National Institutes of Health. John Gaetano, MD, clinical assistant professor of medicine (gastroenterology and hepatology) was one of WGN-TV reporter Mike Lowe’s doctors at Northwestern Medicine Lake Forest Hospital. “It is a public health crisis in this country where younger and younger people are being diagnosed with colorectal cancer,” Lowe said. “I feel like I owe it to anyone who’s dealing with cancer, if I can be the voice, whether it’s for fundraising, awareness or even if it’s just to comfort them, to show them, ‘Hey you can get through this,’ because at the time you get the diagnosis, it doesn’t always seem like that. It seems like a pretty steep hill to climb,” Lowe said.
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New York Post
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Can the minimalist ‘caveman method’ save your skin — or destroy it? Docs weigh in on viral trend
The “caveman method” has gone viral after a woman on TikTok revealed she’s spent more than six weeks not using any products — including water — on her face in a bid to let her skin barrier “rebuild” itself naturally. But so far, her results have hardly been a selling point for other women, and several experts have warned of some serious downsides. The “caveman method” is as minimal as it gets. No cleanser. No moisturizer. Not even a splash of water. The idea is that going back to basics — to ancient times when people didn’t have 10-step nightly skincare routines — can “reset” your skin and return it to its healthiest, most natural state. “Skincare does not have to be a complicated 10-step process, however, washing your face daily is recommended to remove oil, sweat and pollutant buildup,” Jennifer Shastry, MD, a dermatologist at Northwestern Medical Group, told The Post. “The ‘caveman’ routine is most likely contributing to her scaly appearance as the normal skin cell turnover that occurs with gentle washing is not happening,” she said.
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Everyday Health
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Sleep Calculator: How Much Sleep Do You Really Need Each Night?
Too few hours of sleep or poor sleep can pave the way for a myriad of emotional and physical issues, including diabetes, obesity, heart problems, and depression. “Sleep is important for mental function, including alertness, memory consolidation, and mood regulation,” says Phyllis C. Zee, MD, PhD, director of the sleep disorders center for circadian and sleep medicine and chief of sleep medicine in the department of neurology at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. It impacts the body physically, too. “Data shows that with sleep loss, there are changes in the way the body handles glucose, which could lead to a state of insulin resistance (prediabetes),” Dr. Zee says. Short-term studies that link impaired glucose metabolism to nights of short sleep, as well as larger observational studies that link shorter sleepers with higher risk of diabetes, point to this conclusion.
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US News & World Report
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Virtual Singing Programs Boost Mood, Well-Being Of Isolated Seniors
Singing can be a balm for the soul, but does it still soothe if a person is singing alone in a virtual crowd?Yes, says a pandemic-era study that tested whether seniors received any emotional or mental benefit from participating in a virtual choir during COVID-19 lockdowns. Isolated seniors said they felt less anxiety, better social connection, and an emotional and intellectual boost from participating in choir practice conducted over Zoom and Facebook Live, according to results published April 22 in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. “Beyond the pandemic, the study suggests virtual singing could benefit individuals in rural areas, those with mobility limitations or those experiencing social anxiety,” lead researcher Borna Bonakdarpour, PhD, director of the Northwestern University Music and Medicine Program, said in a news release. “We found virtual group singing could provide emotional, cognitive and social support through accessible, engaging music programs for diverse aging populations,” he said. “For people with neurocognitive disorders — who frequently struggle with verbal communication — music and singing can offer alternative ways to express themselves, much like we see in individuals with aphasia,” Bonakdarpour said. “Singing familiar songs can help facilitate communication and create a comfortable, low-pressure environment for interaction and sharing.” Nearly 9 in 10 participants (87%) reported improved well-being as a result of participating in the virtual choir, researchers said.
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WebMD
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Tick Season Is Back, but New Lyme Treatment Is on the Horizon
Tick season is back, and so is the threat of Lyme disease, with cases expected to climb yet again as climate change fuels tick activity. But two new studies point to new treatment options on the horizon: Researchers have identified new strategies that could make it easier to stop infection early and also reduce the risk of developing a long-term complication called Lyme arthritis. Researchers at Northwestern University in Illinois recently tested more than 500 antibiotics and other FDA-approved compounds to see if they could treat the infection in a way that attacks the unique cellular features of Borrelia burgdorferi. The findings were published Wednesday in Science Translational Medicine. In their experiments, an antibiotic from the penicillin family called piperacillin cured mice of Lyme disease using a dose 100 times lower than the current treatment, the antibiotic doxycycline. Doxycycline is known to cause a host of side effects including gut problems because it kills healthy bacteria, too. And it’s ineffective in up to 20% of people. Another limitation is that young children cannot take doxycycline. “Our recent discovery may provide a new treatment option for Lyme disease that could help patients recover quickly,” minus all those side effects, said study author Brandon Jutras, PhD, associate professor in the microbiology-immunology department in the Feinberg School of Medicine at Northwestern University. However, the treatment would still need to be tested in humans, even though piperacillin is already approved for other uses.
