It remains illegal to claim CBD can ease any other symptoms, according to the FDA, and those who sell CBD products are careful to say their experience may not be replicated in everyone. “There is very little we know for sure” about the effectiveness of CBD, said Dr. Melinda Ring, director of the Osher Center for Integrative Medicine at Northwestern University, who studies CBD. The research on CBD and its effect on a variety of ailments comes mostly from small clinical studies, or ones that don’t include human subjects, Ring said. As scientists continue to the look into CBD, Ring cautions people to pay attention to labels on CBD products and dosing, and to be wary of certain drug interactions, especially for those taking blood thinners or seizure medications.

Even so, the results underscore the importance for young adults of having a parent or doctor they can speak freely to about contraception, said Dr. Kate Lucey, a pediatrics researcher at Northwestern University in Chicago who wasn’t involved in the study. “Ideally, teenagers should have a contraception plan in place before they start having sex, and parents play an important role in this plan,” Lucey said by email. “Parents who don’t believe in, or don’t feel comfortable, discussing contraception options with their teen should view their teen’s doctor as a source of unbiased, confidential information about contraception for their teen.”

Over an average of three years, MS progressed in 34 of 55 patients on medication — meaning their disabilities worsened. That compared with only three of 55 patients given a stem cell transplant. It’s a striking difference, said lead researcher Dr. Richard Burt, adding that the results were even better than his team anticipated. That said, Burt cautioned that only a small minority of MS patients would be possible transplant candidates. And for now, only certain medical centers have the necessary experience and expertise. “Any treatment that is powerful can also be dangerous,” said Burt, who is chief of immunotherapy and autoimmune diseases at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago. “You don’t want to use it too soon, or too late. And you don’t want to overuse it.”

CuddleCot donations provide “a way for families to do something good out of the tragedy that happened to them,” said Dr. Tracy Arghavani, obstetrician-gynecologist at Northwestern Medicine Huntley Hospital. Mrs. Fricker said some 400 to 500 hospitals in this country have CuddleCots available, “most donated by families like ours.” And last August, St. Peter’s Hospital in Albany received a Cuddle Cot donated by Kristin McVeigh-Parente, president, and David Parente, vice president, of the McVeigh Funeral Home in Albany after they were told of the need by the March of Dimes.