Tag Archives: Northwestern Medicine

January 10, 2022 · 11:35 pm

Don’t try to get COVID – NW Medicine Experts

As omicron spreads across the country, some have wondered if they should just expose themselves to the coronavirus and get it over with.

Don’t do it, say Northwestern Medicine experts.

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“You’d be crazy to try to get infected with this,” said Dr. Robert Murphy, executive director of the Havey Institute for Global Health at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine.

Murphy and other Northwestern Medicine experts explain why that strategy is high risk for you, public health and the economy. They also discuss population immunity, and whether it’s inevitable that you will contract COVID-19.

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Tagged as COVID-19, Northwestern Medicine, omicron

February 19, 2020 · 12:04 am

Hot Cocoa Aids Walking in Peripheral Artery Disease – Study

First of all, what is peripheral artery disease (PAD). I have heard about it, but don’t have any first hand knowledge of it.

PAD affects about 8.5 million people in the U.S.; people with PAD have blockages in their arteries that slow or stop the blood flood flow to their legs. As a result, they have pain and difficulty walking even short distances.

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Drinking flavanol-rich cocoa three times a day improved walking distance in individuals with peripheral artery disease (PAD), reports a new Northwestern Medicine pilot study.

“The degree of improvement from chocolate was significant and meaningful,” said lead author Mary McDermott, MD, the Jeremiah Stamler Professor of Medicine in the Division of General Internal Medicine and Geriatrics and a Northwestern Medicine physician. “Exercise currently is the most effective medical therapy for PAD. In this study, the benefits from chocolate were comparable to the benefits of exercise.”

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Filed under Exercise, exercise benefits, Northwestern Medicine, PAD, peripheral artery disease

Tagged as Exercise, Exercise Benefits, Northwestern Medicine, PAD, peripheral artery disease

February 17, 2020 · 12:10 am

Too many antibiotic prescriptions – Study

A new Northwestern Medicine study has found alarmingly high rates of inappropriate antibiotic prescribing for patients on Medicaid, the public health insurance program for those with lower incomes.

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28% of antibiotics prescribed without evidence of a doctor office visit
Unnecessary antibiotic use increases antibiotic-resistant bacteria, renders drugs ineffective
Study raises questions about effectiveness of efforts to curb inappropriate antibiotic prescribing

Using Medicaid insurance claims between 2004 and 2013, the study evaluated 298 million antibiotic prescriptions filled by 53 million patients on Medicaid, the largest source of health care coverage in the U.S. It found 45% of Medicaid antibiotics were prescribed without any clear rationale: 17% of antibiotics were prescribed at an office visit during which no infection-related diagnosis was made, and 28% of antibiotic prescriptions were not associated with an office visit at all. Continue reading →