Do you ever feel like you're moving through your days on autopilot? Are you always thinking ahead to all the chores that need to be done around the farm, instead of focusing on what you're doing at the moment? Do you frequently react strongly to other people or situations instead of thoughtfully responding? These common experiences indicate a lack of awareness, or mindfulness, in your day-to-day life. What does science say about mindfulness that you, as a farmer, can you use to feel healthier and more joyful? What is mindfulness? Researchers and doctors define mindfulness as the state of being

Balance problems that often accompany aging can lead to falls and injury. Research has also shown a strong link between balance disorders such as unsteady gait or vertigo and Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. An SIU Medicine research scientist has been awarded a $3.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to study how cumulative damage to specific hair cells in the inner ear can lead to these troubling balance problems. Her lab will also investigate whether this process is enhanced when there is a predisposition to develop Alzheimer’s disease. Brandon Cox, PhD, and her

Growing up in Chicago, Cynthia Thomas, MD, didn’t always dream of being a doctor, but she wanted a career where she could help others and excelled at math and science in middle school. After hearing about the shortage of doctors in underserved areas of her community, in high school she decided that medicine was where she wanted to be. While life’s twists and turns moved her out of her Chicago community and to Springfield with her husband, her passion for community and family medicine moved with her. After graduating from SIU School of Medicine in 1991 and completing her residency in 1994, Dr

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Dana Crosby, MD, MPH, has been named chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is also the director of rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery, director of otolaryngic allergy and is also the otolaryngology residency program director. The department provides care focused on ears, nose and throat (ENT), with eight subspecialty/fellowship-trained ENT surgeons offering specialized treatments for patients. Crosby now hopes to expand specialty offerings to make SIU Medicine the destination for all

SPRINGFIELD, IL – Dana Crosby, MD, MPH, has been named chair of the Department of Otolaryngology-Head and Neck Surgery at Southern Illinois University School of Medicine. She is also the director of rhinology and endoscopic skull base surgery, director of otolaryngic allergy and is also the otolaryngology residency program director. The department provides care focused on ears, nose and throat (ENT), with eight subspecialty/fellowship-trained ENT surgeons offering specialized treatments for patients. Crosby now hopes to expand specialty offerings to make SIU Medicine the destination for all

What is Alzheimer’s? Alzheimer’s disease is a brain disorder that slowly destroys memory and thinking skills, and, eventually, the ability to carry out the simplest tasks. In most people with Alzheimer’s symptoms first appear later in life. Estimates vary, but experts suggest that more than 6 million Americans, most of them age 65 or older, may have dementia caused by Alzheimer’s. Alzheimer’s disease is currently ranked as the sixth leading cause of death in the United States, but recent estimates indicate the disorder may rank third, just behind heart disease and cancer, as a cause of death

SPRINGFIELD, IL – A new report describes the impact of COVID-19 on the existing rural opioid epidemic and identified opportunities to treat opioid addiction and reduce fatalities in rural Illinois. “The opioid epidemic continues to hurt rural regions in Illinois and the pandemic has worsened the economic and social factors that lead to opioid misuse,” said Dr. Sameer Vohra, Chair, SIU Medicine Department of Population Science and Policy. “We need to invest in new strategies and resources that prevent, treat and build appropriate systems of recovery for those struggling from the opioid epidemic