A daily dose of aspirin — for at least five years — can cut the risk of developing or dying from bowel and stomach cancer [1], according to a team of British researchers. The BBC reports [2] that researchers from the Centre for Cancer Prevention at Queen Mary University of London are recommending that people age 50 and older should speak to their doctor about a small, daily preventive dose of aspirin. The study results were published recently in the Annals of Oncology [3], a medical journal.
Experts from Baptist Health — which is breaking ground on the new Miami Cancer Institute — have weighed in on the various health benefits of aspirin:
Researchers had been studying the anti-cancer properties of aspirin for more than 20 years when they discovered its effects on cancer cells by accident during clinical trials in Australia. Today, there is evidence that suggests aspirin may reduce the risk of several types of cancer, with particularly strong evidence for colorectal cancer.
“I do not recommend everyone take an aspirin a day without their doctor’s approval,” said Grace Wang, M.D., [4]a medical oncologist affiliated with Baptist Health. “I suggest that to reduce your risk of being diagnosed with cancer, it is best for you to eat a healthy diet, maintain a normal weight, exercise, limit your alcohol consumption and – most of all – quit smoking.”
For more information, read: Can an Aspirin a Day Prevent Cancer? [5]
Facts About Brain Aneurysms
A ruptured brain aneurysm — sudden and unexpected — claimed the life of Laura Plimpton [6]—the younger sister of Martha Stewart, the decorating and lifestyle guru.
An aneurysm is a bulging, weakened area in the wall of an artery, resulting in an abnormal widening or ballooning. There are lifesaving treatment options for the estimated 1 in 50 people that carry the unruptured form of the condition. From prevention to treatment, Baptist Health has covered this topic in several reports:
Safety Tips for Smartphones
The story of a young teen who burned her pillow and smartphone [10] while charging her gadget overnight went viral. Yahoo news [11] and Consumer Reports [12] have published product safety guides for smartphone users.
Here are a few tips:
Product safety is also a popular topic on this blog. Here are a few stories:
Cleaner Fist Bumps?
Fist bumps may be safer than a handshake, according to researchers. A fist bump — the knuckle-to-knuckle greeting — transmits fewer germs than the traditional palm-to-palm handshake, according to a study recently published in the American Journal of Infection Control, a medical journal.
“The shakes transmitted about 10 times more bacteria than the fist bumps and about two times more than the high fives,” USA Today reported [16].
This blog has written about germs and infection control:
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