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Illinois Medicaid to Provide Increased Access to Contraception.

Medicaid patients in Illinois (our home state!) could gain increased access to contraception under policy changes proposed August 18 by the Department of Healthcare and Family Services, according to the Chicago Tribune.  Health care providers would receive more money for providing vasectomies to men and birth control to women under the proposal, which also includes a possible new referral requirement for Roman Catholic providers and others that object to contraception.

Original Article

Repercussions of Abortion Clinic Restrictions in Texas

It’s been over a year since the controversial Texas law (House Bill 2) leading to abortion clinic restrictions passed, and the repercussions are starting to be felt throughout the state. The law, which was passed on July 18, 2013, created several new requirements, which abortion clinics need to meet to remain in operation. One requirement, which came into effect November 2013, called for clinic doctors to have admitting privileges at a hospital within a certain radius of the clinic.

Original Article

Women’s Shoes: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly

Podiatrists call stiletto’s “shoe-icide”.  They can lead to sprained ankles, a permanent “pump bump” on the heel, deformity, chronic pain and even hairline fractures.   Certain ballet flats can also cause serious problems.  To learn more about the potential health problems and solutions that allow you to stay fashionable, visit this Web MD Slide Show.  You can also view our Women’s Health Research Institute

Original Article

The Impact of Sex Differences in Musculoskeletal Medicine

Musculoskeletal health is one of the areas of medicine in which differences between males and females are most striking.   Although males have a higher incidence of traumatic injuries, females are disproportionately disabled by musculoskeletal conditions such as adolescent spinal deformities, ACL injuries, osteoarthritis, and osteoporotic fragility fractures. Therapeutic modalities have been based on studies of male populations or young adult male animals, or the studies do not specify the sex of the population. Understanding of these conditions as they occur throughout the human life span thus has been limited with respect to sex.

Original Article

The ALS Ice Bucket Challenge

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), more commonly referred to as Lou Gehrig’s Disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that affects the function of nerves and muscles in the body–and it has been getting a lot of attention lately. ALS is the “progressive degeneration of the motor neurons,” and when the motor neurons die, the “ability of the brain to initiate and control muscle movement is lost,” which eventually leads to paralysis and death. ALS  is 20% more common in men than women, but as one’s age increases, the incidence of ALS equalizes between the sexes.

Original Article

Lighten up at Work for Better Health

Office workers with more light exposure at the office had longer sleep duration, better sleep quality, more physical activity and better quality of life compared to office workers with less light exposure in the workplace, reports a new study from Northwestern Medicine and the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

The study highlights the importance of exposure to natural light to employee health and the priority architectural designs of office environments should place on natural daylight exposure for workers, the study authors said.

Original Article

The Fertility Preservation Society of India Hosting 1st Annual Meeting

The Fertility Preservation Society of India, a global partner of the Oncofertility Consortium, is excited to host their inaugural conference: “Fertility Preservation- Current Concepts” on September 6-7, 2014 in New Delhi, India. The conference is endorsed by the International Society of Fertility Preservation (ISFP) and the Japanese Society for Fertility Preservation (JSFP) and will feature an array of international experts in the field. Congratulations to our partners in India for organizing and hosting this exciting event!!

Original Article

Cyberbullying–a growing public health problem

Cyberbullying happens when one uses online communication to harrass, post disparaging remarks, or threaten someone via the Internet or by texting.    Because it reaches an unlimited audience (unlike face-to-face bullying)  its consequences can be extreme.  Cyberbullying is particularly rampant among adolescents—95% of whom are connected to the Internet.    A new publication in Adolescent Health, Medicine and Therapeutics explores the literature on cyberbullying and suggests that it has become an international public health concern es

Original Article

Dermal fillers for wrinkles, how safe are they?

More and more women (and men) are seeking treatments to fill out those crow’s feet, frown lines and wrinkles as well as puffing up lips.  In response to the growing demand, more options are now available and people are reporting satisfactory results.  Are they safe?  What works best?   How is it different than botox?   The FDA is responsible for monitoring these products and has developed a helpful guide, Filling in Wrinkles Safely that provides important consumer information.

Original Article

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