Drug to hold off Alzheimer’s?

WASHINGTON — Look for a fundamental shift in how scientists hunt ways to ward off the devastation of Alzheimer’s disease — by testing possible therapies in people who don’t yet show many symptoms, before too much of the brain is destroyed. The most ambitious attempt: …

Suit: Let disabled athletes go to IHSA state meet

The Illinois High School Association girls state track and field meet will be held this weekend ­— and Fenwick’s Mary Kate Callahan won’t be taking part. But a lawsuit to be filed Wednesday by Illinois Attorney General Lisa Madigan in federal court aims to make it possible for student-athletes with disabilities, like Callahan who is paralyzed from the waist down, to compete in future IHSA state meets.

Men: Oral sex could lead to throat cancer

More than 7,000 new cases of oropharyngeal cancers are diagnosed each year, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. Most are in men, and those who don’t use tobacco often find another common cause: the human papillomavirus, better known as HPV.

Sexual tension simmers in many male-female friendships

DR. LAURA BERMAN: Is there such a thing as friends with no benefits? A recent study suggests not. Researchers surveyed more than 400 individuals from the ages of 18-52 and asked them questions about their friendships with the opposite sex. Their findings were surprising: A large number of survey respondents admitted they felt some level of attraction for their friends.

Post-traumatic stress can hit anyone

DRS. ROIZEN AND OZ: Anyone who has experienced a traumatic event involving the threat of injury or death is a candidate for post-traumatic stress disorder.

New options combat problems of balding for men and women

For 20 of the 30 years she’s been operating a salon in Oak Lawn, Linda Leinweber has specialized in helping clients who suffer from hair loss. In that time, she has watched the industry evolve from slow, primitive methods that resulted in awkward wigs and hair pieces to fast, customized fits with materials that look and feel like real hair, and sometimes are real hair.

Moms urge pregnant women to watch for signs of preeclampsia

After having a stillborn baby girl due to preeclampsia, Laura Meindel went on to have a healthy baby boy. She’s part of The Promise Walk For Preeclampsia, which raises funds for research to find methods to prevent preeclampsia and preeclampsia deaths.

Restorative yoga relaxes and refreshes

When you think of yoga, it’s probably the classic postures that come to mind — sitting cross-legged in the lotus position or bending the back and stretching the arms up to the sky in the salutation posture. But a different yoga is being introduced to …

As boomers age, need for nurses increases

Nurses balance tech skills with tried-and-true patient care

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FDA: Radiation doses from medical scans need child-sizing

The Food and Drug Administration took steps Wednesday to protect children from getting unneeded radiation from X-rays, CT scans and other increasingly common tests.

Obama adopts national strategy against Alzheimer’s

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is declaring Alzheimer’s one of the country’s biggest health challenges. It’s adopting a national strategy that sets the clock ticking toward better treatments by 2025 -- while offering help for suffering families today. A new website will provide families with …

Women’s lifespan edge over men slowing

A new, 20-year research project shows women still outlive men but that their life spans are increasing more slowly than men’s. The Institute for Health Metrics and Evaluation conducted a county-by-county estimate and comparison of U.S. life expectancies from 1989 to 2009. Nationwide, life expectancy …

Flesh-eating germ necrotizing fasciitis threat rare

ATLANTA — Aimee Copeland, a Georgia grad student, is fighting for her life because of the flesh-eating bacteria that infected her after she gashed her leg in a river two weeks ago. One of her legs was amputated and her fingers will be too, her …

Mother hears baby daughter’s heart again — beating in the boy it saved

Hearing the steady, muffled thump of her unborn daughter’s heart for the first time during her pregnancy four years ago remains one of Kara Mellick’s happiest memories. The memory flared brightly this week, as Mellick crouched beside a 3-year-old boy with tousled brown hair outside his home in Hanover Park and again listened to her daughter’s heart — beating inside him.