If you grew up without suffering from seasonal allergies, consider yourself one of the lucky ones.

But if you’ve reached your 40s or 50s and are now feeling miserable during the spring and fall months, welcome to the club. Adult-onset allergies are a real thing. And it happens to a lot of people.

Nearly 1 in 3 adults in the U.S. have seasonal allergies, eczema, or food allergies, according to recent data released by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). Nearly 75% of those are older than 45. Many of those people developed allergies in adulthood or were not diagnosed until they were adults.

Experts are unclear why or how allergies develop in adulthood. Some theories include moving from one geographic region to another, having a reduced immune system or owning a pet for the first time in your life. There is a belief, however, that having one severe allergic reaction or symptoms during childhood can increase your chances of developing allergies as an adult.

Many people who develop allergy symptoms early in life will outgrow their allergies by their 20s or 30s. But, really, it’s possible to develop an allergy to something – whether it’s an animal or pollen – at any point in life.

“People will have them as kids and sometimes grow out of it,” says Breanne Gendron, a nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare. “Then the alternative happens, where something starts bothering you as you age. That’s when we teach you about all the different medications you can use to control your symptoms.”

Gendron says most people are bothered by things that bloom and that includes trees and grass in the spring. Ragweed pollen or other weed pollen are problematic in the fall. Spores from molds and fungi are typically around in warm-weather months. And don’t forget about house dust mite allergens, which tend to be present throughout the year.

Most allergy symptoms, while annoying, are mild. Examples are sneezing, itchy eyes and runny nose. In her practice, Gendron notices more adults suffering from sinus infections with their allergy issues, more so than her younger patients.

“The dilemma about having untreated allergies is that you can get extra congestion in your sinuses, which could lead to a sinus infection,” Gendron says. “When you get pressure in your face, and you generally feel a little rundown, then we want to treat you for that.”

Gendron recommends treating allergies with a combination of oral antihistamines, eye drops and steroid nasal sprays. Allergy shots may be in order as well. But first, talk to your doctor to see if you are a candidate for a skin test to determine your specific allergies. “Once the medication gets your symptoms to calm down, you can generally keep it in check with less medication,” she says.

There are other things you can do to help minimize your symptoms. Gendron recommends things like eliminating carpet in your bedroom and washing your sheets regularly to eliminate dust. Consider taking a shower before bedtime, especially after being outside, and keep the windows closed at night to prevent pollen from entering the home.

This spring, protect yourself from those triggers that you know will make you uncomfortable.

“If you are bothered by something in the environment and you know that it bothers you, such as mowing the grass or raking leaves, do yourself a favor by wearing a mask to prevent yourself from breathing in more allergens,” she adds. “And take your allergy pills before you do those things, to make sure that you're going to have less of a reaction.”

For more information, visit OSF HealthCare.

Interview Clips 

John Bednar, MD, hasn’t been on a snowmobile in years, but he’s seen firsthand what can happen to drivers and passengers if they don’t take proper precautions on the snowmobile trails.

Every year, 14,000 injuries and nearly 200 deaths are the result of snowmobiling accidents, according to the National Institutes of Health (NIH). The main causes are excess speed, alcohol, driver inexperience and poor judgment.

Snowmobile accidents range from ankle sprains to serious injuries such as brain, back and neck injuries, says Dr. Bednar, an emergency room physician with OSF HealthCare. He compares these accidents to the trauma seen in motorcycle mishaps.

“Snowmobile crashes can be absolutely horrendous, life threatening and such a tragedy if you have an unexpected accident, like we see every year,” he adds. “Deaths, severe spinal injuries, pelvic fractures, multiple broken bones that can be devastating, devastating injuries and totally unexpected when you're out there to have fun.”

The biggest danger, without question, is consuming alcohol or drugs while using a snowmobile.

“I've seen very few snowmobile accidents that did not have some sort of intoxication involved or other preventive kind of reckless behavior,” says Dr. Bednar. “Intoxication, number one, by far, seems to be most involved in the crashes I've seen over the decades.”

Dr. Bednar says if it’s not alcohol related, the other common factor in snowmobile accidents is not being familiar with the surroundings. That’s especially the case for snowmobilers who travel away from home to ride in other parts of the Midwest.

“Know your trail and stay on your trail,” Dr. Bednar says. “If it's a well-known, well-marked trail, then you're much less likely to hit a stump, hit a rock, get off course, hit the tree, because that's when we see the crashes. When they don't know their trail, they use excessive speed, or they get off course, that's when they hit the tree or the rock, and those things don't like moving, and our heads don't like sudden stops.”

Whether you’re driving your snowmobile day or night, it’s imperative to watch your speed – especially if you’re inexperienced or driving at night when visibility is limited.

Always wear proper protective gear when riding a snowmobile. That includes a helmet, goggles, gloves, wrist guards, shoulder pads, chest protectors, knee protection and supportive footwear. Your equipment can keep you safe but also serves as protection from frostbite and hypothermia.

“Most snowmobilers have great gear, including their helmets,” says Dr. Bednar. “But if you are going to go on ice, if you think it is safe ice, please consider wearing a life vest underneath your gear. We’ve seen multiple tragedies on thin ice.”

The Michigan Department of Natural Resources offers the following tips:

• Dress for the weather.
• Check the weather forecast and road conditions.
• Carry appropriate equipment for your activity, such as a flashlight, rope, ice picks or ice claws.
• Have spare equipment available in case something breaks.
• Stay hydrated and fueled – bring water and snacks.
• Bring a buddy.
• Tell others where you will be, how long you plan to be gone and schedule check-in times.
• Carry a two-way communication device that receives service in remote areas.
• Take an honest assessment of your health – if you’re not feeling well, don’t go out.

Whether you’re a weekend warrior or a sled head, these tips will ensure a safer trail ride this season.

Interview Clips 

There are few things more embarrassing than halitosis – better known as bad breath. Whether it’s that disturbing look on your significant other’s face when you give them a smooch, or that unpleasant odor coming from that stranger chatting you up at a party, bad breath can cause a little anxiety for everyone involved.

“Bad breath can be a totally benign thing, and you just need to brush more, or it could be a sign that something more serious is going on,” says Breanne Gendron, a nurse practitioner for OSF HealthCare. “If you are someone who has bad breath despite regular like twice daily brushing and flossing, then it would be important for you to see your dentist to make sure everything's healthy on the inside of your mouth.”

Gendron says bad breath is common. One in four adults have had bad breath at some point in their lives. It can also be chronic. And some people, Gendron adds, don’t even know they have bad breath due to a condition called Olfactory fatigue, which is when people lose their sensitivity to odors.

Bad breath can be caused by many things, but it all starts with good dental hygiene. In addition to brushing twice a day, flossing is also extremely important. While some people tend to blow off brushing their teeth before bedtime, Gendron says that’s the most important time of the day. That’s when cavities can form the easiest and we don't make as much saliva when we sleep. When your mouth is dry you wake up with the always dreaded “morning breath.”

Gendron says the first call to make is to your dentist. Ongoing bad breath can be a sign of gum disease, which can be caused by genetics, plaque, or both. If your dentist doesn’t find any problems such as cavities or gum disease — then your primary care physician can determine if another condition is causing the bad breath.

“We need to check the inside of the mouth first, if the dentist says everything looks good, you need to see your doctor to talk about other reasons for those issues,” says Gendron.  Some more serious conditions that can cause bad breath are oral or throat cancer or tonsillitis. People who are diabetic are prone to gingivitis and gum infections.

The most obvious symptom of bad breath is, well, bad breath. But other problems include a white coating on the tongue, a dry mouth, or excess mucus in the back of the throat usually from nasal irritation, allergies, or a bacterial infection.

There are other reasons, of course, for bad breath. Smoking is one. But it’s also the foods we eat.

“When I'm thinking bad breath, I think garlic, onions, spicy food, those types of things. If you have an important afternoon meeting, those are the foods you want to avoid at lunch,” says Gendron, who adds coffee breath isn’t usually a problem. “I think that most of the public drinks coffee for breakfast, and I think that drinking coffee is fine.” 

For many of us who experience bad breath from time to time the old standby is to pop a mint or a piece of gum in your mouth. While that may help rid yourself of the smell, Gendron says that’s just hiding a potential problem.

“I think using gum or mints when you're in a situation where you're going to be talking to somebody in close range, and you want to make sure your breath is good, it's fine, but it isn't something you should use on a regular basis to mask symptoms,” she says.  

So the next time someone tells you that your breath isn't up to snuff, take heed. It just might be the hint you need to get to the root of what's really causing that undesirable odor. 

Interview Clips

Research shows 75% of adults participate in some form of reading. However, another study shows the number of kids between the ages of 9 and 13 reading for fun has dropped in the last decade. 

According to Ashley Pratt, a psychotherapist with OSF HealthCare, most people need just six minutes of reading time a day to see some help benefits. Especially for children.

“It's one of the best things we can do for our mental health and our physical health," Pratt says. "It's been shown to greatly reduce our stress levels, lower our blood pressure, improve our memory and cognition, and it improves our sleep quality.”

Pratt says reading fiction tends to be the most helpful when it comes to increasing skills such as empathy and our ability to learn and understand people. 

She adds that reading has been shown to increase resiliency and an ability to handle difficult emotions, as readers learn about characters and challenges they face. 

Video Version With Chyrons

Video Version Without Chyrons

Five years ago, Kendall Idle’s life turned upside down when he was on his way to work. He suddenly passed out and rolled his car into an empty field.

Idle broke his back, a severe injury which he eventually recovered from. But while he was trapped in his car until help arrived, Idle inhaled some fungal spores which were present in the field. “As I was recovering from my broken back, they just took root in my lungs,” he says. “Right around the time my back was healing up, my lungs started acting up.”

It turns out that Idle developed a serious case of blastomycosis, a disease caused by the fungus, Blastomyces dermatitidis, that lives in the environment, and grows in moist soil and decomposing matter like wood or leaves. Blastomycosis is mostly found in the Midwest and the South, especially around the Ohio and Mississippi Rivers and the Great Lakes. It’s most likely to occur during the fall and early winter months.

A blastomycosis infection settles in the lungs and later spreads to other parts of the body. “You can get it from inhaling the spores of the fungus. It is not spread from person to person. So, if someone has blastomycosis you will not catch it from another person,” says Nicole Pirlot, an infection preventionist with OSF HealthCare. 

Idle’s symptoms started a few months after his car accident. He had trouble sleeping, waking up to a nagging cough and mucus. “That's when I started feeling like I had chest pain. It was getting harder to breathe,” he explains. “I went to a PromptCare and they told me they thought it was a common cold or something like that, and just keep an eye on it. And if it didn't get better to go see my primary care, and of course, it didn’t get better.”

Outbreaks of blastomycosis are rare. But in 2023, health officials in Escanaba, Michigan, saw more than 120 cases of the fungal infection that was linked to a paper mill in town. More than a dozen people were hospitalized, and one death was reported.

Although most people who breathe in the spores don’t get sick, some people will develop symptoms like fever and cough, and the infection can sometimes become serious if not treated. Pirlot says signs and symptoms normally are vague and are often treated first as a respiratory illness or pneumonia before being diagnosed as blastomycosis. Pirlot adds that about 50% of cases are asymptomatic. And of those cases, most of those will resolve without treatment.

“The signs and symptoms are typical respiratory illness, fevers, cough that is dry. As the disease progresses, it will show cavitary lesions on a chest X ray or a CT exam,” she says. “And then you can also get chest pain with your cough. It can spread into other organs or cause skin lesions.”

Symptoms usually appear between three weeks and three months after a person breathes in the fungal spores.

“Individuals who are immunocompromised or have underlying illness, such as diabetes, tend to get severely sicker, and those people may end up needing hospitalization,” Pirlot says. (2:35-2:48) And that’s likely what happened to Kendall Idle during his car accident. Doctors believe his sugar level spiked, causing him to pass out. He was later diagnosed with diabetes.

Most people who have symptoms from blastomycosis are treated with prescription antifungal medication. Depending on the severity of the infection and the patient’s immune system, treatment can last from six months to a year.

Idle had a battery of tests done and was hospitalized for a few days. He says it took nearly a year of antifungal medication for him to recover. Fortunately, he didn’t need surgery to repair his back – he wore a brace that helped the compression fractures heal on their own.

But five years later, he still has some lingering effects from his bout with blastomycosis. “I’ll have some scarring on my lungs for the rest of my life,” he says. “When I do any kind of heavy activity or exercise, I get short of breath quicker than I used to, for sure.”

While contracting blastomycosis is rare, Pirlot says it’s important to know your surroundings.

“When you're camping around areas of water, where there is the wet soil with decomposing leaves and wood, those are the areas that it frequents,” she says. “So, if you're digging or doing outdoor activities, those are your higher risk areas. It's just about being aware.” 

 

Kendall Idle Interview Clips  

Nicole Pirlot Interview Clips 

B-Roll 

The harsh reality of a typical Midwestern winter is upon us. While mounds of snow and brutal temperatures sit outside our door, that’s no excuse to not take care of physical ailments that can benefit from aquatic physical therapy.

Working with an experienced therapist in a pool, patients who require aquatic therapy may experience ease of movement without pain, relaxing muscles, increased strength and better endurance – all of which can help the spine and joints and improve lung performance.

Nicole Bartoszek is a physical therapist assistant with OSF HealthCare. She says therapy in a pool offers more buoyancy, which means less pressure on the joints. And warm water can help when it comes to relaxation and decreasing blood pressure.

“The biggest benefit of water exercise is there's hydrostatic pressure when you're submerged into the water," says Bartoszek. "So, what that does is increase blood flow to the muscles and increases blood flow to the joints which also helps with ease of exercise.”

There are many people who benefit from water therapy including stroke patients, people with balance or gait issues and children experiencing sensory processing disorders.  

Bartoszek sees many people who are dealing with mobility, pain, weakness and cardiovascular function issues. Another benefit to aquatic therapy is patients do not have to worry about getting injured while falling, which can be an issue during land therapy for those with balance issues.

“The people who benefit the most from aquatic therapy have bad arthritis and have a hard time with weight bearing issues on land. In the pool they’re more buoyant and that can take more pressure off their joints,” she says. "Some people with mild COPD or blood pressure, hypertension issues can benefit from increased cardiac output from the hydrostatic pressure on the body. It also can help with swelling and edema. We also work with people who are trying to return to sports using plyometric exercises, which are easier on the joints in the water.”

Among the most common exercises offered in aquatic therapy are gentle stretching and floating exercises, strengthening work, balance training and cardiovascular conditioning.

And people are seeing good results. One study published in JAMA Network Open found patients with low back pain reported better outcomes with aquatic therapy than other modalities when it came to pain relief, better sleep and improved quality of life.

Bartoszek adds that aquatic therapy is a great start for people who want to continue water exercise. Check your local resources for group aquatic classes that are available in your community.

“It's important to do group therapy to have that support system," she says. "People like to communicate and visit and socialize while they're in the pool and have that camaraderie when they're exercising in a relaxing environment.”

The water temperature is also important. To be classified as a licensed therapy pool, the temperature should be at least 90 degrees.

And you don’t have to be a world-class swimmer to take part in aquatic therapy. Licensed therapy programs have CPR trained therapists on hand who are in the pool with patients. 

“It's a good medium to work in and especially with people who are high risk for falls and balance because you have the buoyancy of the water to help with that," says Bartoszek. "And if there's someone who has a really hard time or is in pain, and has a hard time exercising on land, a pool is a good alternative because it's so much easier on the joints and the warm water helps with relaxation and pain.” 

For more information about how aquatic therapy can benefit you, visit OSF HealthCare.

Interview Clips 

B-Roll

If you’ve ever experienced gout, which is the accumulation of uric acid crystals in your body, you know just how horrific the pain can be.  

One person says his foot felt like it was on fire. Just having a bed sheet covering his foot was excruciating. Breanne Gendron, a nurse practitioner with OSF HealthCare, says other symptoms of gout include swelling in the big toe or other affected joints, reddish discoloration and tenderness to the touch.

“When people get an acute gout flare, it typically resolves in one to two weeks, whether you treat it or not," she says. "It's just that it's so painful that people come in and they need help because it's no good when you can't sleep at night and your foot or your ankle is in pain.”

For the past couple of decades, cases of gout have been on the rise in the U.S. and now affects more than 8 million people. It’s more common in men and prevalent in the Black population. The chance of getting gout increases as you age.

Risk factors include high blood pressure, diabetes, abnormal kidney function, alcohol intake and obesity, especially in younger people. Gendron says that leading a sedentary lifestyle also increases the risk of developing gout. There is also a genetic component to gout – if your parents had it you could get it too.

“You can get gout from a multitude of ways," Gendron adds. "Typically, men of an older age who are overweight are the most common people who develop gout. If you're a 70-year-old, overweight male with high blood pressure, diabetes and high cholesterol, you're much more likely to get gout than someone who doesn't have those things.”

The small joint at the bottom of the big toe is the most common site for an attack, but it can also affect ankles, knees, wrists, fingers and elbows. Gout attacks can last from hours to days, with or without medication. Sometimes it can last for weeks and most people who have it will likely have future attacks.

Changing your diet can help reduce the uric acid levels in your blood. Research has shown that consuming too much red meat or seafood can increase gout attacks, while dairy seems to reduce the risk. Losing weight can also help minimize reoccurring problems with gout.  

“There are foods that can contribute to gout flares, and they have purines in them – red meats such as pork and beef, liver and kidney or organ meats, seafood and alcohol," says Gendron. "People who drink alcohol daily and get a gout flare are going to get gout flares more often if they're unwilling to change the amount of alcohol that they're drinking.”

Gendron adds that in addition to minimizing your alcohol intake, staying well hydrated and increasing your Vitamin C intake can help prevent future attacks.

Gout is typically diagnosed during an exam. Blood tests will also determine uric acid levels. Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs will be prescribed, but if that doesn’t help, steroids such as prednisone or a Medrol dose pack, may be ordered to combat inflammation and pain.

Gendron says the bottom line when it comes to dealing with gout: how much pain can you tolerate?

“Gout is not an emergency type of issue. It is a quality-of-life type issue," she adds. "If you did nothing for gout, it would still go away. If you did not change your diet, you would have flares more often. But if you can tolerate the pain, you technically don't have to do anything about it, and it will still go away. Over time, though, you can develop chronic gout where it's just kind of always there and you have a low level of discomfort all the time.”

For more information on gout, visit OSF HealthCare.

Interview Clips 

If you ever feel numbness, tingling, weakness or pain in your wrist or hand, you could have carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS).

CTS is a common neurological disorder that happens when the median nerve, which runs from your forearm into the palm of the hand, is pressed or squeezed at the wrist. The median nerve provides feeling to your thumb and first three fingers and helps you move your thumb.

It's not really known what causes CTS but it typically only happens in adults and women are three times more likely to get it than men because their wrists are smaller. Many times it’s a combination of things that impact the structure of the wrist. It can be an injury to the wrist, or a condition that can affect the nerves, joints and other parts of the wrist, such as: diabetes, rheumatoid arthritis or a cyst or tumor.

According to the Rheumatology Research Foundation, between 4 million and 10 million people are impacted by CTS.

“People who get carpal tunnel – sometimes it's just genetic," says BreAnne Gendron, an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) with OSF HealthCare. "You were born with the trait or predisposition to developing it. Also, if you do a job that requires a lot of repetitive movements with your wrist, or something like where you're holding on to a machine with a lot of vibration that can cause irritation in the carpal tunnel and inflammation in there and lead to it.

Repetitive movement with your hand and wrist such as what happens when you play golf, gardening, knitting or working on an assembly line can also aggravate the injury. Sleeping on a bent wrist can also cause CTS.

Over time, it will get worse," says Gendron. "You'll notice more tingling and numbness, some pain, people will lose the muscle in the base of the thumb. They'll have some muscle atrophy over time and instead of just irritating that nerve, it will cause some nerve damage. And even if they do have treatments to resolve the carpal tunnel issue, those symptoms may never fully resolve.”

Gendron recommends starting treatment as soon as possible. That may mean rest and medicine to reduce swelling and pain.

And if your symptoms are quite severe, surgery may be the best option. According to the Bureau of Labor and Statistics and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH), CTS surgery is the second most common type of surgery – more than 230,000 procedures are performed each year. The surgery is called carpal tunnel release and involves cutting a ligament to prevent damage to the nerve. Recovery typically takes two to three weeks but can take longer.  

“Carpal tunnel can be treated as simply as wearing a wrist brace at night or coming to see me to get a steroid injection into your carpal tunnel," says Gendron. "Your symptoms resolve and you do well for a while. The end-all be-all solution for carpal tunnel is surgery. But surgery isn't the only answer because we can sometimes manage it non-operatively.”

While there’s nothing you can do to prevent carpal tunnel, there are ways to limit the damage –use good posture to keep your wrists in a natural position, and take breaks from work and change up your routine when you can.

And listen to your doctor when it comes to following a treatment plan.

“If it's waking you up at night and it's affecting how well you're sleeping than you should visit your doctor," says Gendron. "The easiest thing we tell people is to try a wrist splint just to keep your hands straight when you sleep. It’s usually when you curl in at night that it causes that tingling to happen so that’s the easiest first step for people. But if it's happening more and more, we want to seek treatment to prevent damage to your nerve.”

For more information on CTS treatment, visit OSF HealthCare.

Interview Clips 

Nick Cannon is a busy man. 

The comedian, TV host and rapper, is also a father of 11, a lupus survivor and now he's battling another illness. Cannon recently posted on social media he was hospitalized with pneumonia. 

Pneumonia is an infection of the lungs that can cause mild to severe illness in people of all ages. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), viruses, bacteria, and fungi can all cause pneumonia.

In the United States, common causes of viral pneumonia are:

• Influenza viruses
• Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV)
• SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19)

“COVID is kind of a wild card," says BreAnne Gendron, an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN), for OSF HealthCare. "It does create symptoms of shortness of breath. People can have fevers, it is a viral illness. It’s seven to 10 days where people will have a day where they start feeling better. If you have shortness of breath, no matter what your diagnosis is, you want to seek treatment. The concern with COVID isn’t so much pneumonia as blood clots in your lungs causing shortness of breath. We would want to make sure that you're safe in regards to that side of it.”

Most of the people affected by pneumonia in the United States are adults. CDC data shows more than 47,000 people died from pneumonia in 2020.

“Pneumonia is an infection that gets the travels through your lungs for one reason or another," says Gendron. "Whether you are prone to infection because your immune system is suppressed. Smokers are more prone to pneumonia, people with COPD or asthma or other lung conditions. If you work in a place where there's lots of people in one place, you're more likely to be sick and that can lead to pneumonia.”

Symptoms of pneumonia include high fever, fatigue, chills, cough, chest pain, shortness of breath and headache. Walking pneumonia is a nonmedical term which refers to a milder case of pneumonia.

“If you have a fever greater than 101, or if you are a person that has any of those high risk factors, you have COPD, you’re immune compromised, any of these things that would make you higher risk for pneumonia, and you should seek treatment," says Gendron.  "It’s better to be safe than sorry; it's easier to treat you when you're less ill than when you're struggling to breathe and we have to send you to the emergency room.”

Gendron says people who have pneumonia are prone to getting it again. Treatment options include antibiotics for bacterial pneumonia and rest and fluids are in order for viral pneumonia.

The CDC recommends children younger than age five and adults 65 and older get the pneumococcal vaccine, along with children and adults who are at a higher risk due to other health conditions.

“Your health care provider may recommend that you get the pneumonia vaccine younger than 65, but everybody over the age of 65 should have a pneumonia vaccine because that’s when people are at high risk for developing it," says Gendron. "As we age our immune systems are generally less effective than they were when we were young. So it’s good to get the vaccine after 65.”

Gendron offers other tips to help stay healthy this winter – avoid people who are sick, wash your hands often, quit smoking and manage conditions like diabetes, asthma and heart disease.

“When you’re wondering if it’s pneumonia or walking pneumonia, it doesn’t really matter which one it is," she adds. "You need to go by your symptoms and if you’re having high fevers, shortness of breath, you’re coughing so much you can’t sleep at night that you feel like you need help. You should be seen so that we can make sure you’re safe.”

For more information on pneumonia, visit OSF HealthCare.

Interview Clips 

While physicals, mammography and other exams can often detect lumps in the breast, they can’t determine whether the growth is benign or cancerous. That’s why a procedure called stereotactic breast biopsy is often called upon. 

Stereotactic breast biopsy is used when a small growth or an area of calcifications is seen on a mammogram. Stereotactic biopsy is an alternative to surgical biopsy. It’s a less invasive way to obtain the tissue samples needed for diagnosis, and the procedure requires less recovery time than a surgical biopsy. Dr.  Stephen Manier, a radiologist with OSF HealthCare, says about 80% of the calcifications he biopsies are benign.

“In the past stereotactic biopsies were done with a special table where the patient's laying on their stomach," says Dr. Manier. "Those tables were usually only in places where they did a lot of those like big cities because they're very expensive and you really can't use those tables for a regular mammogram. So as a result of that, it's hard to get a stereotactic biopsy without traveling. But in in the last several years, there's another technique where you can actually do an add-on computer to a regular mammogram unit. And that's what we do. That's available in almost all hospitals now.”

Your physician may recommend a stereotactic biopsy if a mammogram finds any of the following:

·         A suspicious lump

·         Abnormal changes in breast tissue

·         Irregularities in breast structure

·         Changes in an area where surgery has taken place

“Most of the time these biopsies are done for breast calcifications," says Dr. Manier. "The majority of the time, and it's difficult to get a biopsy that way using anything else. Calcifications are not usually seen on ultrasound or MRI with breast issues. So doing a regular mammographic technique is really important.”

During a stereotactic biopsy a special mammography machine uses an x-ray technique to help guide the radiologist's biopsy equipment to the site of the imaging abnormality. The radiologist uses images of the breast tissue to take a sample of tissue for testing, which is sent to a pathologist.

“There is compression on the breast. It's similar to getting a mammogram," says Dr. Manier. "Usually it's not severe compression, so they're not in pain, but it's going to be firm. And it takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete the test.”

 According to the American Cancer Society, breast cancer is the most common cancer in women in the United States, except for skin cancers. It is about 30% (or 1 in 3) of all new female cancers each year. In 2022, about 287,850 new cases of invasive breast cancer will be diagnosed in women. That’s why the best way to treat cancer is to catch it at the earliest stage possible, and that’s where stereotactic biopsy can help.

“It's a lot to go through for the patient," says Dr. Manier. "But what happens is it's very rewarding when you find that early breast cancer. You may or may not see a soft tissue density like a regular cancer often is seen, it’s often just calcifications but it can be an early tumor. And usually when you find things early, that's a really good sign that you can take care of them. There's a very high rate of cure when you find things early like that.”

For more information, visit OSF HealthCare.

 

Interview Clips 

B-Roll

Often we’ve heard people say, “I meant to get the shingles vaccine, but I just didn’t get around to it.”

About one out of every three people in the United States will develop shingles in their lifetime. Most medical providers agree that taking time for the shingles vaccine should be high on your checklist.

“Shingles is a rash that you develop when a latent virus from chickenpox essentially decides that it's going to make itself known again after being dormant in our body for decades,” says BreAnne Gendron, an advanced practice registered nurse (APRN) for OSF HealthCare. “And it is usually very painful and it's contagious to people who have never had chickenpox, or been vaccinated for it.”

Shingles tends to pop up on one side of the face or body and in one small area. Typical symptoms include chills, fever, headache, sensitive skin and an extremely painful rash. If the rash appears on your face, there is additional risk of it impacting your eye and causing serious vision problems.

According to Gendron, everyone who has had chickenpox is at risk of getting shingles. But those who are at greater risk are older people and people who have trouble fighting infections.

“If our immune system is suppressed, or we're stressed out, or we're sick with something else, that virus can become active again and it presents as pain and some kind of strange sensation in the place where the rash is going to develop," says Gendron. 

Most cases of shingles last between three to five weeks. It starts with burning or tingling pain, followed by a rash. A few days later, the rash turns into blisters before drying up and crusting over about 10 days later. Treatment for shingles includes antiviral medicines and pain medicine. Wet compresses, calamine lotion and oatmeal baths can help relieve itching.

“It is self-limiting and will go away on its own, but it is good to come and seek treatment in the first two or three days of your rash so that we can give you an antiviral because it reduces your risk of post herpetic neuralgia (PHN), which is even after your rash is gone," says Gendron. "The pain sticks around so we want to reduce the risk of that by giving you some treatment.”

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recommends that adults 50 and older get two doses of the shingles vaccine, called Shingrix, between two and six months apart. Potential side effects include arm soreness, fever and headache for a couple of days.

For people between the ages of 50 and 69, the vaccine is about 97 % effective; protection stays above 85% for at least the first four years following vaccination.

Most insurance plans will cover the shingles vaccine, but the coverage varies. Out-of-pocket costs vary by plan and deductible but may be covered as a preventive care benefit. Check with your provider or insurance plan for more details.

For people who are on the fence about getting the vaccine, Gendron offers some advice.

“Shingles is preventable with vaccine," she says. "It's painful and contagious to people who haven't had chickenpox or been vaccinated. And it's an easy thing to get done. Get the vaccine so that you don't have to have a painful couple of weeks and have to keep yourself away from your loved ones who may have suppressed immune systems.”

Gendron recommends talking to your doctor about shingles and the importance of vaccination. For more information on shingles, visit OSF HealthCare.

Interview Clips 

With the school year upon us, chances are good that children will be exposed to both influenza and norovirus over the next several months. It’s easy to confuse the two illnesses, but they are not the same. 

“The biggest difference between the two is that influenza is a respiratory virus, whereas norovirus is more of a virus that presents with stomach-like symptoms,” says Rhian Dalgord, a family practice practitioner for OSF HealthCare.  

There are two types of influenza (flu) viruses – types A and B. The flu is a respiratory illness that impacts the nose, throat and lungs. Symptoms include body aches, fever, chills, cough, sore throat and runny nose and congestion.

Norovirus is commonly known as the stomach flu, but isn’t really a flu at all. It typically spreads quickly from infected people or through contaminated food. Symptoms of stomach flu include nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and abdominal pain.

But it’s not just school-aged children who battle these illnesses this time of the year.

“Everyone can be impacted by both of these because of the transmission rate. So we do see that it is very contagious," says Dalgord. "Oftentimes, we'll see a peak in the community, and then it spreads. For example, a child comes home with it from school; then grandmother watches them on the weekend, the grandmother gets it and then spreads it to her friends.”

Whether it’s influenza or norovirus, Dalgord offers several recommendations for nursing yourself back to good health. But if you see blood in your vomit or stool, experience dehydration, a fever of 100.4 degrees or higher, or vomiting that lasts longer than 48 hours, seek medical help immediately.

“With any illness, things can get serious and scary, but oftentimes influenza and norovirus can be managed comfortably at home., says Dalgord. "Things that you can do for influenza are over-the-counter therapies such as Tylenol and ibuprofen as long as you can tolerate them. Rest and stay well hydrated. For norovirus, frequent sips of room temperature liquids, bland diet, and making sure that you're staying well hydrated are the most important things.” 

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that from October 1, 2021 through June 11, 2022, there have been between eight million and 13 million flu illnesses in the country.

But if the surge in flu cases in Australia is any indication, we could be in for a rough few months. Flu season in Australia began earlier than usual, which is usually an indicator of a bad season in the U.S.

The American flu season takes place in the fall and winter. While influenza viruses spread throughout the year, most flu activity peaks between December and February. Dalgord recommends getting the influenza vaccine several weeks before the start of the peak season. And if you are concerned about COVID, Dalgord suggests taking an at-home test and staying home if you aren’t feeling well.

“When we look at vaccines, we're looking at preventative medicine, which in my opinion is the foundation of health care," says Dalgord. "We really want to prevent disease and not be responsive to when someone is ill. So I encourage everyone to get vaccinated. The science of vaccination is very old, well-studied science, and I think there is value in being immunized for influenza.”

In the meantime, wash your hands frequently, avoid close contact with people with respiratory infections, don’t share drinks or personal items and keep surfaces clean. Dalgord says these few simple steps, in addition to vaccination, can go a long way to staying healthy this fall.

For more information, visit OSF HealthCare.

Video Interview Clips