Dr. FAQ
Dr. FAQ: Who Pays When Patients Leave Against Medical Advice?
There are ways in which patients who leave the hospital against medical advice wind up paying for that decision. Being saddled with the full cost of their hospital stay, however, is not one of them. Insurance companies know this. Patients who walk out may know this. But many physicians, according to a study published in […]
Dr. FAQ: When Baby, Mom and Doctor Should Wait
By Dianna Douglas A pregnancy is considered at “term” after 37 weeks. But there are critical growth stages that come next–a baby’s lungs, brain, and liver develop in the last few weeks in the womb. Women in the United States are often induced before the baby has fully gestated, which leads to a host of […]
Dr. FAQ: Cold Weather, Cold Hands, Not Necessarily Related
As the weather finally starts to get seriously cold, we thought this would be a good time to revisit our conversation with Dr. Ginard Henry on Cold Hands Syndrome. While it seems like your frozen fingertips could be fixed by simply wearing a good pair of gloves, Cold Hands Syndrome is a real medical condition […]
Dr. FAQ: Stefano Guandalini and Lara Field on Celiac Disease
By Matt Wood Celiac disease is an inherited autoimmune disorder that affects the digestive process of the small intestine. When a person who has celiac disease consumes gluten, a protein found in wheat, rye and barley, the individual’s immune system responds by attacking the small intestine and inhibiting the absorption of important nutrients into the […]
The New Landscape of Hepatitis C
The hepatitis C virus has always been an unusual disease. Largely symptom-free in its early stages, many people are unaware for many years that they have contracted the virus. But if left untreated, hepatitis C can eventually cause severe liver damage that may necessitate an organ transplant. Until recently, physicians have had only limited success […]
Dr. FAQ: Kyle Hogarth on Lung Disease & Bronchoscopy
Endoscopy and colonoscopy are well-known tools of the physician, minimally invasive devices that navigate the channels of the digestive system to spot cancers, ulcers, and other defects once difficult to spot without major surgery. In the shadow of these procedures lies bronchoscopy, which uses similar technology to explore the labyrinth of the lungs. With the […]
Dr. FAQ: Ezra Cohen on HPV-Positive Head & Neck Cancer
The concept of viral cancer has only recently begun to take root in public awareness, predominantly through the disease of cervical cancer. Nearly all cases of cervical cancer are now known to be caused by the human papilloma virus, HPV, which is transmitted through sexual contact. The 2006 approval of Gardasil, a vaccine against HPV, […]
Dr. FAQ: Gary Steinberg on Bladder Cancer
On the grim top 10 list of the most common cancers in the United States, familiar faces sit at the top of the charts. Prostate cancer for men, breast cancer for women, lung and colon cancer for both sexes – all are diseases that have inspired massive awareness and fundraising efforts to inform patients and […]
Dr. FAQ: Ginard Henry on Cold Hands Syndrome
As the weather warms in the Chicago area, it might seem like a strange time to be talking about cold hands. But for some people, uncomfortably cold hands is not just an artifact of the long Midwestern winter, but a medical syndrome that may require treatment. Defined by its primary symptom rather than a single […]
Dr. FAQ: Maria Tsoukas on Skin Cancer
Here in the Upper Midwest, the first sustained period of spring sunshine draws everyone outdoors to stare at that big orange circle in the sky we haven’t seen in months. But as good as it feels to bask in the sun after a long winter of cold rain and snow, that enthusiasm must be tempered […]
