Public Health
Women Get 'Lacquered Up,' Despite Doctor Warnings
Many women love the long-lasting, no-chip qualities that come with gel nails, but for at least one woman her beauty regimen cost her her nails. LiLi Tan breaks down the chances of this happening to you.
The Lasting Impacts of Childhood Bullying
These dementia patients have trouble remembering, but can't seem to shake one memory: being bullied as children. So they have a message for kids and cyberbullies: stop being mean, as the effects can last a lifetime.
'Environmental racism' charged in wake of coal study
WASHINGTON, Nov. 16 (UPI) -- It's becoming increasingly harder for the poor to breathe due to nearby coal plants, a study released this week states.
Low-income communities are disproportionately affected by health-threatening pollution from coal-fired power plants in Illinois and other Midwestern states, a report by the NAACP says.
People living within 3 miles of a coal plant are more likely to inhale pollutants that cause respiratory problems such as asthma, researchers said. They also said people living within 3 miles of a coal plant are disproportionately low-income and minorities.
How sweet it isn't: Chicago candy maker suffers from type 2 diabetes
A Gold Coast candy legend is facing challenges he never expected. Dominick So has owned Mr. Kite’s chocolate shop for more than 20 years, and he now has type 2 diabetes.
Swimmers dive in for cancer
Cancer survivor Grace Waller embarks on her first open-water swim at the 25th annual Swim Across America. Find out how she almost lost her leg, but never let cancer keep her from the sport she loves.
Gun violence threatens mental health of inner-city youth
CHICAGO, May 30 (Medill News Service) — The mental trauma children suffer when gun violence strikes their families rallied kids, parents and community leaders at the Thompson Center Tuesday evening.
“Do you care?”
Master of ceremonies Mack Julion encouraged the sparse crowd of 50 to chant the phrase at the Youth for Peace rally, organized by The Safety Net Works of Auburn Gresham, a youth mentoring and employment program.
Dozens of kids held up multi-colored T-shirts with the names of loved ones they’ve lost to gun violence and they wore their own matching T-shirts that read, “I care…”
Fewer kids might start smoking, if Quinn’s cigarette-tax hike to help Medicaid passes
CHICAGO, May 10 (Medill News Service) — The way to break a young smoker’s habit, it seems, is through his wallet.
Or at least that’s what a research paper, released last week, found.
An estimated 250,000 American youths did not smoke cigarettes and 170,000 kids snubbed smokeless tobacco in the short term, thanks to the 2009 federal tobacco excise tax, which raised the levy on all tobacco products from 39 cents to $1.01.
However, further tax hikes, such as Gov. Pat Quinn’s proposal last week to increase cigarette prices by $1 to fund a $1.9 billion hole in Medicaid bills may fall short because smuggling and diminishing returns could cut into the tax revenues.
Chicago has 5th worst racial disparity for breast cancer deaths
CHICAGO, May 2 (Austin Weekly News) — Four women — three black, one Hispanic — sat slumped in their powder blue gowns in Mount Sinai Hospital's mammography center recently. Each woman hugged herself with both arms, cradling her breasts in between. They sat low and in a row.
In Chicago, nearly 80 African-American women die of breast cancer every year because of racial differences in access to healthcare, a new study suggests, the worst number of any city in the study.