Lead water pipes created a health disaster in Flint, but replacing them with cheaper plastic — as some cities are doing — carries hidden costs Above image: Plastic water pipes may be cheaper, but they also come with risks. Mark Bernard/iStock/Getty Images Plus   By Rajpreet Grewal, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee; Laodong Guo, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, and Melissa Scanlan, University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee   Flint, Michigan, made headlines in 2015 when tests revealed dangerously high lead levels in its drinking water. The city had switched its water supply to the Flint R ..read more

Little Apothecary plants the seed of ‘people’s medicine’ in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood In the middle of a community garden in Englewood sits a red box, labelled “free medicine.” Inside the box is a treasure trove of herbs and salves: mugwort, beeswax, yaro, and other natural ointments for various conditions. This Free Little Apothecary is the brainchild of Loyola University medical student and community farming advocate Sharmain Siddiqui. She says she hopes that the project showcases a sustainable and preventative model of medicine. Plants have a “deeply medicinal power,” Siddiqui says ..read more

Food is a central issue in climate change mitigation. Our dietary choices and consumption patterns are critical to reduce greenhouse gas emissions, which greatly impact the food supply chain. Every day our climate tells the tale of extremes — whether it’s the hottest summer on record or a polar vortex sweeping the nation. Humans in these situations can feel helpless, out of control. But how you choose to eat and even how you prepare your food can make a big difference on the climate. “Sustainable eating practices, such as reducing food waste and supporting local and seasonal produce, can help ..read more

Chicago police officer undergoes first-ever double-lung transplant due to Covid-19 and cancer The last time Arthur Gillespie spoke to his cousin was on his front porch in Beverly, but he didn’t realize they would never seen each other again. It was February 2020, and his cousin was experiencing Covid-19 symptoms. Within weeks, his cousin had passed away, says Gillespie, a police captain with the University of Chicago Police Department. “It was frightening and at the beginning of the pandemic when we weren’t getting a lot of information. I knew people were going to the hospital and not coming h ..read more

Animals self-medicate with plants − behavior people have observed and emulated for millennia By Adrienne Mayor, Stanford University Main image: A goat with an arrow wound nibbles the medicinal herb dittany. O. Dapper, CC BY When a wild orangutan in Sumatra recently suffered a facial wound, apparently after fighting with another male, he did something that caught the attention of the scientists observing him. The animal chewed the leaves of a liana vine – a plant not normally eaten by apes. Over several days, the orangutan carefully applied the juice to its wound, then covered it with a pa ..read more

Pets give companionship, cuddles and joy – and also unavoidable stresses By Emily Hemendinger, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus Main image: Pets can bring joy and companionship, as well as financial worries, loss and logistical challenges. Dann Tardif/Stone via Getty Images Owning a pet can be a roller coaster. There are the highs, like when your dog greets you with a full-body wiggle when you return home, or when your cat purrs loudly as you cuddle next to one another. Then there are the lows, like stressful trips to urgent care, waking up to that unpleasant vomiting noise, or m ..read more

Most people don’t connect their hearing ability with falling. But what you hear — and don’t hear — directly affects your balance. Research shows that even a small decrease in hearing triples your risk of falling, and the worse your hearing gets, the more likely you are to fall. So how are the two connected, and why is your hearing so important to your balance? First, both our sense of balance and our sense of hearing are contained in the inner ear. They share the same nerve pathway to the brain. Both hearing and balance start to decline in our 40s. More than one-third of Americans over age 40 ..read more

Chicago Health Editor-in-Chief moderates opening panel at the Executives’ Club of Chicago annual Health Equity Summit   In its second annual Health Equity Summit held this past Wednesday, The Executives’ Club of Chicago welcomed thought leaders from throughout the city to shed light on the profound disparities in healthcare services across the Chicago metro area. The core concern that many of the panelists work to address: Residents in poorer neighborhoods have significantly shorter life expectancy compared to those in wealthier areas. “We are at an incredible moment in this country,” sai ..read more

We asked readers on social media and in our weekly newsletter to share their thoughts about their most worrisome health concerns. What is one disease or medical issue for which you would most like to see a cure?   Ovarian cancer. I have lost two friends to this horrible disease. The time between diagnosis and death for my two friends was a total of four weeks. —Elizabeth C. Birch, founder & CEO, Home Care Angels II   Cancer. —Loretta Facchini, Riverwoods, Illinois   Hashimoto’s disease, because it affects so many people, and they have to manage daily symptoms.” —B ..read more

One of the greatest advancements in women’s rights, equality, and healthcare was born in Chicago   ..read more