OUR FAVOURITE DRUG! Aspirin May Reduce Female Skin Cancer Rates

An American study has found that women who take regular doses of aspirin may be less likely to develop melanoma. Researchers followed almost 60,000 women aged 50 to 79 for an average of 12 years.

Overall, women who took regular doses of aspirin had a 21 per cent lower risk of developing melanoma than non-users. The longer the women used aspirin, the lower the risk.

Alecia Brooks from the Cancer Institute of New South Wales says Australia has the highest melanoma rates in the world. She says while it is interesting research, covering up from the sun remains the best way to protect yourself.

“With the highest rates of melanoma in the world, we’re still obviously a little bit concerned that people may feel that if they take aspirin then they can be less vigilant about staying out in the sun,” she said.

The research is published in the journal Cancer.

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Can we say, ASPIRIN THE WONDER DRUG… yet?

It’s NO secret that aspirin is my favourite drug! - Australian Scientists Probe Aspirins Role in Cancer Treatment + www.cankler.com.au/wiki-aspirin - since it’s discovery by Arthur Eichengrün in the 1880s, this wonder of nature has been a cure-all. Aspirin has been in and out of vogue since the early 20th century, now thankfully, it’s back in.

Back in February we looked at new work by researchers from Melbourne’s Peter MacCallum Cancer Institute, who said that they had made an important discovery about how cancer spreads. A 2010 article published in the Journal of Clinical Oncology had previously suggested that aspirin may reduce the risk of death from breast cancer.

Scientists have known for years that common drugs like aspirin can help cancer patients, but they weren’t sure why. Peter Mac researchers have now found a link between drugs like aspirin and the ability for cancer tumours to spread in the body.

More anecdotael evidence of this wonder drugs fight against cancer has surfaced via a survey undertaken by Eric Jacobs at the American Cancer Society. The study of more than 100,000 healthy people found that those who took a dose of aspirin every day were much less likely to develop and die from a  broad range of cancers :: Read the full article »»»»

Science Now Webinar: Is Nanotechnology the Future of Medicine?

Nanotechnology – the science of manipulating the very, very tiny – could revolutionize medicine. Nanomagnets could fry tumors, for example, and an army of nanosensors within the body could detect the onset of life-threatening infections and diseases. Some of these ideas are already in clinical trials. But how far are they from becoming reality? What are the potential side effects? And what will nanotechnology mean for personalized medicine? :: Read the full article »»»»

AUSTRALIA: World First Doctor Only Clinic

ABC.nets Tom Nightingale Reports: Many GPs do not have GPs themselves, but that is about to change in South Australia where a clinic specifically for doctors is being set up. It is also hoped the clinic will help overcome problems which arose from a law that requires doctors to report colleagues who are sick.

Dr Roger Sexton will be one of 15 doctors who will work at the clinic, on the southern fringe of Adelaide’s CBD, when the doors open in a fortnight. He has been driving the world-first project for years.

“There are doctors who are quite happy seeing other doctors, and other doctors who may be a little bit uncomfortable about it,” he said. ”Those doctors who don’t have their own doctor clearly need something more than just their own treatment.”

The clinic is being fitted out in what was a neurologist’s office.It will open for four hours, two nights a week and all day on Saturdays to fit around normal working hours for doctors seeking a check-up. Read the full article »»»»

Chinese Tree Offers Hope For Alcoholics

Researchers at the University of California – UCLA –  are investigating a 500-year-old Chinese hangover cure in the hope they can put its properties into a pill to help alcoholics and stave off hangovers. Alcoholism is a huge problem globally, killing 2.5 million people each year according to the World Health Organization. There has been serious research recently looking for drugs that stop people drinking, or at least encourage them to drink less.

In an article published in the latest issue of the Journal of Neuroscience, they describe how dihydromyricetin blocks the action of alcohol on the brain and neurons and also reduces voluntary alcohol consumption, with no major side effects, in an early study with rats. Only an estimated 13 percent of people identified as having an alcohol use disorder receive medical treatment, partly due to a lack of effective medications without major side effects. Read the full article »»»»

COUCH-POTATOES! Each Hour of TV Cuts 22 Minutes OFF Your Life

If estimates are correct, then TV viewing is in the same league as smoking and obesity! In a new study into the healthy habits of couch potatoes, a University of Queensland study has compared watching television to smoking and similar unhealthy habits.

This comes on the back of a study last year with similar findings, do we sense a theme? Dr Veerman from Queensland Universitys School of Population Health says that the small proportion of people who watch six – or more – hours of television a day would reduce their lifespan by almost 5 years.

Each hour of TV you watch could cut 22 minutes from your lifespan,Veerman’s study has found.

Dr Lennert Veerman, from the School of Population Health at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, and colleagues, report their findings today in the British Journal of Sports Medicine :: Read the full article »»»»

Smoking Offers Protection Against Osteoarthritis

In a new study undertaken by the University of Adelaide, researchers have found men who smoke are less likely to need hip and knee replacements as they get older. While smoking is linked to a plethora of serious health problems, the study found long-term male smokers were less vulnerable to osteoarthritis.

Researchers from the University of Adelaide studied the health records of 11,000 men aged between 65 and 83. The researchers found men who had smoked for more than 48 years were 51 per cent less likely to have total joint replacements such as hip or knee than men who had never smoked. Principal investigator Professor Philip Ryan and PhD student George Mnatzaganian said the findings do not endorse smoking as it is linked to a range of serious diseases which cause premature death.

“This study shows that further research is needed to understand why smoking appears to offer protection against osteoarthritis,other studies have drawn links between smoking and increases in cartilage volume, and more work needs to be done in this area.” said Ryan Read the full article »»»»