Your Daily Aspirin May Help Prevent Cancer as Well as Protect Your Heart
This, and a second study published in the Lancet, indicate that patients may see up to a 25% reduction in cancer risk, and as much as a 37% lower death rate from cancers over five years than patients not on an aspirin regimen. It is worth a thought, though it is wise to research a bit before hopping on the aspirin train. First, otherwise healthy people may not see the benefits and in that case the side effects possible may not be worth risking. Second, make sure that your doctor has you on the right aspirin dosage for preventative efficacy. Just like many other meds, aspirin dose for heart and cancer benefits needs to be calculated based on body weight, so an 80 or 85mg child's aspirin may not provide the benefit you are looking for. For many people, 160-170mg. of aspirin per day are required to get the therapeutic benefits associated with low-dose aspirin.
http://www.thelancet.com/journals/lancet/article/PIIS0140-6736(11)61720-0/abstract
Showing posts with label Medical Research. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Medical Research. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 21, 2012
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
New Clues to Low-Calorie Diets and Longer Life
There has been information available for years indicating that lower metabolic rates can extend lifespan - I've taken resveratrol for some years because it appears to mimic in the body the effects of low metabolic rate. This study adds another interesting piece to the picture, and discusses free radical creation as the main culprit of higher metabolic rates.
New Clues to Low-Calorie Diets and Longer Life
Saturday, February 26, 2011
Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Virus Linked to Chronic Fatigue Syndrome
If you have CFS, or suspect it, this article is an excellent one discussing a very possible cause (not Epstein-Barr) for your condition.
Friday, August 27, 2010
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Spondyloarthritis: Abstract and Introduction
This is a good source of information on how MRI technique can be very useful to SA sufferers – in fact, the study claims that MRI and TNF are the two greatest technological improvements in the treatment of Ankylosing Spondylitis.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging in Spondyloarthritis: Abstract and Introduction
Wednesday, August 11, 2010
Scientists find new superbug spreading from India | Reuters
This is a scary little article about a newly identified gene which gives almost untreatable resistance to bacteria. So far just three cases in the US, but the “healthcare tourism” trend, which sees the largest number of patients traveling to India for affordable surgical procedures, could fuel a very rapid expansion.
Thursday, January 14, 2010
Cobra Venom Erases Arthritis Symptoms : Discovery News
This is an interesting article that hints at not only relief from pain for arthritis sufferers, but also at reducing future damage. Worth a read:
Saturday, December 05, 2009
Development of new fiber type may revolutionize bandages and treatment of burn victims
With any trauma, and especially with burns, one of the most difficult and potentially deadly issue that commonly occurs is infection. Researchers have recently developed a new type of fiber which may take a huge step forward in reducing the risks of wounds developing infections.
According to Tel Aviv University Professor Meital Zilberman, he has developed a new fiber which can be used to make bandages which will both biodegrade over time while simultaneously releasing antibiotics into the wound as it heals. In this way, not only does the dressing not need to be replaced, but it actually fights infection in place. Not only do the bandages improve patient outcomes, he says, but they also will reduce costs (as bandages do not need replacement and medical personnel do not need to spend time changing them), reduce waste (forget discarding even one bandage, let alone several or more daily) and even allow environmentally friendly reductions in manufacturing by-products and energy usage.
The only drawback I can think of at the outset is that if all wounds are treated with antibiotics, would the process increase the pace at which bacteria are becoming anti-biotic resistance? I suppose the bandages would only be used in situations where a doctor would otherwise treat the patient with antibiotics, so perhaps that isn’t a significant concern. I’ve never before realized how complicated research into new bandages could be.
Tuesday, November 03, 2009
Mapping Knee Pain Helpful in Diagnosing and Treating Osteoarthritis
From National Institute of Arthritis and Musculoskeletal and Skin Diseases Spotlight on Research, September 2009
Although it is well understood that osteoarthritis causes progressive damage and pain to the knee joint, currently doctors do not have good data concerning which types of damage or location leads to various experiences of pain by patients. According to C. Kent Kwoh, MD, "Right now we don't have a good idea of what causes knee pain, and different people have various types of knee pain. The Knee Pain Map gives us a better way of describing different groups of people in terms of their knee pain and then getting a better understanding of what's causing it and ultimately how to cure it or help people manage it better."
Dr. Kwoh recently conducted a study to evaluate the impact a standardized process using a diagram of the knee allowing the interviewer to map the locations a patient indicates to be the focus of pain. The study included nearly 800 patients, and allowed interviewers to determine if pain in the knee was localized to any of seven areas in the knee, or regionalized to any of four larger (hand sized) areas of the knee, or if the patient was either unable to locate the pain in an area the size of their hand, or if the patient was unable to locate the knee pain it is termed to be diffuse.
The researchers found that participants with knee pain could identify pain locations and patterns and that trained examiners could reliably record the location of knee pain using the Knee Pain Map. "To our knowledge, this is the first study that allowed patients to either point to an area or cover a region that hurt, giving the patient the responsibility of identifying their pain as being in a specific location versus a more general region," Dr. Kwoh and his colleagues wrote in the journal Arthritis & Rheumatism.
“It is likely that there are several different causes and sources of pain, says Dr. Kwoh. While there are no nerve endings in the cartilage itself, the surrounding structures - including bone, joint lining, ligaments, etc. - do have nerve endings that may be sources of painful sensation, he says. Mapping the location of pain may eventually help doctors better understand the causes or sources of pain and how to treat them.
The next step will be to compare findings from patients' reports on the Knee Pain Map with x-ray and MRI findings collected as part of the Osteoarthritis Initiative (OAI), a public-private partnership between the NIH and private industry that seeks to improve diagnosis and monitoring of the progression of OA and foster development of new treatments. Nearly 5,000 people who have OA or are at risk of OA are participating in the OAI at four centers in the United States. In addition to x-ray and MRI scans, participants provide biological specimens (blood, urine, and DNA) and clinical data such as dietary intake, medication use and pain, function, and general health assessments.”
Mapping Knee Pain Is a Reliable Way to Identify Pain Location and Pattern
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Sunshine on Discovery Bay
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