Media Coverage

Most child firearm suicides in US are done with parents’ guns, research finds

“Research on firearms and the association with youth injury and death is critically important, and in prior years (it) has been hard to advance the science due to funding barriers,” said Dr. Nia Heard-Garris, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University’s Feinberg School of Medicine in Illinois, via email. She wasn’t involved in the research. “If parents are gun owners, they need to be aware of this data and store their gun appropriately.”

Want to Live Longer? First Find Out How Old You Really Are

Understanding that could help us live longer, healthier lives, many longevity experts believe. Dr. Douglas Vaughan is among them. He is the director of Northwestern University’s Potocsnak Longevity Institute and its Human Longevity Laboratory, where people can go to get their so-called biological age calculated.

Trump’s touting of an unproven autism drug surprised many, including the doctor who proposed it

Many researchers agree the drug warrants additional study, particularly for patients with a deficiency of folate, or vitamin B9, in the brain that may play a role in autism. But for now, they say, it should only be taken in carefully controlled clinical trials.

“We often say our job is to stay between the yellow lines,” said Dr. Lawrence Gray, a pediatric developmental specialist at Northwestern University. “When people just decide to go outside of current guidelines, then they’re outside of that. And nobody knows what’s going to happen out there.”

Is leucovorin an effective treatment for autism? Here’s what research shows

Leucovorin can help folate reach the brain, which in theory might improve verbal communication or reduce autism symptoms like irritability or repetitive behaviors. But there’s no evidence that it eliminates symptoms altogether.

“I still remain hopeful that leucovorin may be a tool in our toolbox that can help a group of patients,” said Dr. Rachel Follmer, an assistant professor of pediatrics at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine. “But I don’t know if we’re at the point yet where we can say that this is definitely going to help all individuals with autism.”

Beauty and health gurus love it. Do claims about sea moss sink or swim?

Despite a long tradition of using sea moss for its alleged beauty and wellness boosting properties, “we still don’t have much research to support the health claims that our celebrities are endorsing,” King says.

Most of the claims are based on cell or animal studies, which don’t always translate to humans. “Even the human trials that we have are small and of short duration,” says Dr. Melinda Ring, the executive director of the Osher Center for Integrative Health at Northwestern University.

Lupus link to arthritis in spotlight amid Selena Gomez’s health battle

Singer and actress Selena Gomez recently revealed that she developed arthritis related to her lupus. She has openly discussed her battle with lupus since 2015.

The process involves several “moving parts,” according to Dr. Irene Blanco, a rheumatologist, professor and director of lupus clinical services at Northwestern University’s Clinical and Translational Sciences Institute in Chicago.

“Lupus patients classically make antibodies that target their own body’s healthy proteins and structures,” she told Fox News Digital.

A retired grandfather’s heartburn was the warning sign of a rare illness

Langevin had the latter form of the disease, said Dr. Gabriel Wallace, the director of vascular surgery at the Bluhm Cardiovascular Institute at Northwestern Medicine Palos Hospital. Langevin’s condition was “pretty extreme,” Wallace said. Patients like Langevin tend to be miserable by the time they are diagnosed, Wallace said.

“They can’t eat, they lose weight, they start becoming malnourished, and there’s a real psychiatric or psychologic detriment,” Wallace said. “The psychological toll of not being able to eat, the disruption of your normal life, the pain, the fear of eating, it totally wrecks people.”

Heart attack in your future? Coronary artery calcium testing via a CT scan shows your risk

The test helps answer a pointed question: To statin or not to statin? If a doctor calculates the 10-year risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at 5% or lower, drugs are unnecessary for now.

Over 20%, “There’s no doubt the risk is sufficiently high to justify medication,” says Dr. Philip Greenland, a Northwestern University preventive cardiologist who coauthored a recent review in JAMA. “It’s the in-between range where it’s more uncertain,” including “borderline” risk of 5% to 7.5% and “intermediate” risk of 7.5% to 20%.