| Aspirin scores again
It reduces risk of heart attack, may protect
against bowel cancer. Now, a daily low-dosage of aspirin looks as if it can guard against
breast cancer.
When over 80,000 women in the US were given an aspirin a couple of times a week over a
period of 5 to 9 years, they showed a dramatic reduction in instances of breast cancer,
reducing risk by 21 per cent against statistics in the general population.
Doctors are not yet saying that all women over 40 should take an aspirin a day. To back
up results, a large long-term test needs to compare those on aspirin and those on a
placebo, or dummy pill.
But for any woman at high risk of developing breast cancer, through family
history, for instance, it's worth a visit to the GP, to discuss the pros and cons.
Remember, aspirin can cause stomach bleeding or allergic reaction in some people.
What’s the risk?
A new Women's Institute survey shows that the majority of women
surveyed are unaware of the risk of developing osteoporosis. Despite a high level of knowledge about women's
health issues, 73% of respondents believed that they were not likely, or did not know if
they were likely to develop osteoporosis.
Of the 5045 women who responded, 97% were 50 years or
over. Osteoporosis (thinning of the bones) is a painful and debilitating disease affecting
one in three women over the age of 50 in the UK.
The social and
economic cost of osteoporosis has been recognised in many European countries, however much
more needs to be done in order to make real progress. Only one in ten WI members thought
that the UK Government had made progress in the management of the disease.
For information about osteoporosis, contact the
National Osteoporosis Society website:
www.nos.org.uk or email info@nos.org.uk
. The Women’s Nutritional Advisory
Service offers advice on complementary supplements, email
wnas@wnas.org.uk.
The National Federation of Women’s Institutes can be contacted at telephone number
0171 371 9300.
Replacement for warfarin
The
standard treatment for many heart disease symptoms is warfarin, especially for prevention
of stroke in cases of atrial fibrillation (accelerated heartbeat) and blood clots. This drug can cause bad interaction with other
drugs and needs careful monitoring, so a convenient alternative has been long awaited.
A new study, announced by the American College of Cardiology in Chicago, shows
that there is now a viable alternative. The drug is called Exanta (ximelagatran), the first in a new class of
blood clot inhibitors. It compares well with
warfarin in trials, and physicians are hailing it a breakthrough. “Exanta is less
complex as there is no need for coagulation monitoring or dietary restrictions and it is
not associated with serious side effects”, says Professor Bertil Olsson, professor of
cardiology, University Hospital, Lund, Sweden, who has run trials on the treatment.
Stroke is the third
leading cause of death in adults worldwide, with five million fatal events per year. Atrial fibrillation has been found to increase the
risk of stroke fivefold. Yet only one in two patients with permanent atrial
fibrillation currently receive appropriate anticoagulation treatment for stroke
prevention, says Professor Olsson. Exanta is
not yet be available on the NHS, but check it out with your GP as licensing will be
applied for later this year.
 Maximise your memory
This work provides detailed instructions, illustrations and sample
exercises that show the reader how to build a system of personalized frameworks for
storing and recalling information on demand.
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Top supplements
for a healthy heart
Prevention
being better than cure, which vitamins and other supplements can help protect against
heart disease? The journal What Doctors Don’t Tell You has rounded up the
evidence and named a list of seven best.
They are vitamins C, E and B, and minerals selenium and
magnesium which between them can help maintain healthy blood vessels, protect against
blood clots and help rid the body of potentially damaging chemicals. Co-enzyme Q 10, an
antioxidant, may help protect against heart conditions and L-Carnitine, an amino acid, is
said to improve exercise tolerance in angina patients as well as being an anti-ageing
supplement.
Remember also, that
less red meat, more fish, less salt, more oats, less dairy foods, more wholegrains, less
weight, more exercise are good protectors. And also those five pieces of fruit and veg, plus
skimmed instead of whole milk, garlic and tomatoes are all on the healthy list.
De-stress with essential oil
Aromatherapist Eve Taylor sells her products world wide, and has added a new
one to her range. It's called Active Rub, an essential oil containing aloe vera, as well
as peppermint, thyme, clove and other ingredients more at home in a saucepan. And it is
designed to relax muscles and joints for up to eight hours, according to the blurb.
Active Rub costs £5.49, and if you want to know (including how to give
yourself a 'clothes-on' one-minute-massage) go to the website: www.eve-taylor.com.
Websites that
make sense
You’re
online now, so take a look at the following:
If
in any doubt about any of the information covered in healthwise articles and it's
relevance for you, consult your GP.
In edition 37:-
Hayfever without antihistamine
A new range of supplements might be worth a try
A spoonful of peanut butter
This might be a way to prevent adult-onset diabetes
Summer foot hazards
The worst and best types of shoes for your feet
Less irritable
Another remedy that can rebalance the gut`s natural bacteria
Food/health connections
A few contacts to add to your address book.
Index to
all previous Healthwise editions
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