FitSugar

An Aspirin a Day Reduces Your Risk of Cancer

Leta Shy — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 14:37:00 PDT

In people with risk factors for developing heart disease, taking an aspirin a day can prevent heart attacks. Now three new studies have found that a daily dose of aspirin can also decrease your risk of getting cancer.

All studies were published in The Lancet, a leading peer-reviewed medical journal. The first found that patients had a 25 percent lower risk of developing cancer if they took daily aspirin for three years, and a 37 percent lower risk if they took aspirin for five years. The other studies found that daily aspirin helped prevent the growth and spread of cancers, and that taking aspirin regularly reduces your risk of dying from solid cancers like lung, colon, and prostate (vs blood cancers like leukemia) by 35 percent. Researchers think that the same reason aspirin helps your heart - by thinning your blood so that it doesn't clot at already clogged arteries - also helps prevent platelets from spreading cancerous cells throughout your body.

Not everyone should start a daily aspirin regimen, and there are certain risks associated with taking daily aspirin, so be sure to talk to your doctor. But it's good news that a simple step like a daily aspirin pill can help prevent diseases that affect us as we age.

Medical Groups Disagree on HPV vs. Pap Tests For Cervical Cancer Prevention

Tara Block — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 14:05:00 PDT

Today several medical groups have released proposals on cervical cancer prevention, and while they agree on the current guidelines that recommend women 21 to 29 get Pap tests every three years instead of yearly, they disagree on HPV screenings.

The US Preventative Services Task Force says that women under 30 should not be using HPV tests alone or in combination with a Pap to screen for cervical cancer. Even though the HPV virus can lead to cervical cancer, in younger women it usually clears out on its own. And the government-run task force notes that "screening for HPV causes more false positive cancer results than the Pap smear alone."

While the task force isn't for HPV testing, the guidelines issued by the American Cancer Society, the American Society for Colposcopy and Cervical Pathology, and the American Society for Clinical Pathology say routine HPV tests should be an option along with Pap tests.

"The main difference is that, dating back to 2002, the American Cancer Society and several other organizations recommended that HPV testing, along with the Pap test, is a good option for screening women starting at age 30," says Debbie Saslow, the American Cancer Society's director of breast and gynecologic cancer.

Luckily, the groups are taking public comment before coming together with a final set of consistent guidelines in the next couple months. Let's hope they are less confusing than these initial proposals!

What do you think about the every-three-year Pap for cervical cancer? (Not to be confused with a yearly breast and pelvic checkup.) Doctors have and continue to push the yearly Pap, sometimes making it mandatory before getting a yearly birth control prescription. But whether it's gyno-suggested or not, are you still getting a yearly Pap test, or do you spread it out over every few years like the new recommendations say?

Studies Confirm Exercise's Disease-Fighting Benefits

Leta Shy — Thu, 25 Aug 2011 11:38:28 PDT

More reasons to exercise for your health! A few recent studies have found just how much adopting a regular exercise routine can help prevent and treat certain diseases.

A new report has found that there's a definite link to inactivity and Type 2 diabetes, even if you're otherwise healthy. The study, from the journal Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, looked at 50 healthy and moderately active adults and found that once they reduced their activity level by half (without any other changes to diet or lifestyle) they had increased levels of blood glucose after eating, which meant they could be at risk for developing diabetes and heart disease. "Even in the short term, reducing daily activity and ceasing regular exercise causes acute changes in the body associated with diabetes that can occur before weight gain and the development of obesity," the lead researcher said.

Read on for more about just how important staying active is.

DrSugar on Cancer Myths: Nonstick Pans and Microwaving Plastic

DrSugar — Mon, 20 Jun 2011 15:34:15 PDT

DrSugar is in the house! This week she's debunking a couple of cancer myths centered in the kitchen.

Based on a few questions we have received, I will be discussing two popular myths about cancer risks in the kitchen, the first regarding cooking with nonstick pans and, the second, microwaving plastic containers. I must admit, doing the research for this week’s column was a real eye-opener for me and hopefully the findings will be informative for you! To learn more about these cancer "myths," keep reading!

Cell Phones to Be "Possibly Carcinogenic," Experts Say

Heather Dale — Wed, 01 Jun 2011 17:17:13 PDT

As someone who is regularly glued to her cell phone, this isn't the greatest news of the day: the International Agency for Research on Cancer (IARC) warns that cell phones may increase the risk of cancer. Panel chairman Jonathan Samet, MD, chair of preventive medicine at the USC Keck School of Medicine says:

"After reviewing all the evidence available, the IARC working group classified radiofrequency electromagnetic fields as possibly carcinogenic to humans . . . We reached this conclusion based on a review of human evidence showing increased risk of glioma, a malignant type of brain cancer, in association with wireless phone use."

Scary stuff. The cell phone industry responded to these findings by saying that it "does not mean cell phones cause cancer." While this study doesn't prove that the radiation from cell phones cause cancer, it does show that there is certainly a correlation, but that more studies need to be conducted to further prove or disprove these conclusions. In the meantime, here are some ways to minimize exposure to cell phone radiation.

Group Therapy: Boyfriend's Father Has Cancer

Tres Community — Fri, 22 Apr 2011 03:05:00 PDT

This question is from a Group Therapy post in our TrèsSugar Community. Add your advice in the comments!

Hi everyone,

I need some advice on how to best help him. We're both 24, so it's not really something expected. We've been together about two years, and are moving to another state in a few weeks for my boyfriend's job. Since he just found out about the diagnosis, we don't know how bad it is. If it hasn't spread, it will be a simple surgery and that's it, but if it's spread, that will obviously be a different matter.

Has anyone been through this? It's killing me to watch him, he's so worried and so down about it, and I don't know how to be there for him. The thing is, he told me he doesn't want to talk about it, but then he'll just say to me "I'm scared about my dad!" with these puppy dog eyes. I've just been telling him how sorry I am, to tell me if there's anything I can do to make this easier on him, and holding him. But frankly, it all just feels f*cking pathetic. He and his dad aren't very close, so I think he's going to experience some feelings of guilt at some point too, because he's expressed that to me once before. I should also mention that his parents are on the other side of the country from us, and the state we're moving to isn't going to be any closer.

Thanks in advance.

Have a dilemma of your own? Post it anonymously to Group Therapy for advice, and check out what else is happening in the TrèsSugar Community.

A Strawberry a Day May Keep the Doctor Away

Susannah Chen — Thu, 07 Apr 2011 11:30:59 PDT

Strawberries aren't just delicious; they may also help fight certain kinds of cancer. A preliminary study suggests that strawberries could potentially prevent esophageal cancer.

Oncologists at Ohio State University showed that freeze-dried strawberries, when dissolved in a glass of water twice a day for six months, slowed the growth of precancerous lesions among subjects. Although the study employed the use of freeze-dried strawberries, researchers suggested people can still benefit from eating fresh strawberries on a daily basis.

These findings challenge a European study that shows higher fruit intake doesn't change cancer risk. Still, I'll take an excuse to eat more strawberries; they're delicious and in season. Would added health benefits inspire you to eat more fruit?

Creating the Future: Should Doctors Be Concerned With Child's Fertility?

Heather Maddan — Tue, 08 Mar 2011 04:30:00 PST

When a baby is born, parents dream of their tot's future. They envision the child talking, walking, graduating, getting married, and having offspring of their own. They assume their healthy kid will be able to reproduce, but that isn't the case for the mom and dad of a youngster fighting cancer. A recent report talked about the medical advancements that are being tested (and the lengths that doctors will go to) to preserve a prepubescent patient's fertility. It said:

With childhood cancer survival reaching 80 percent, there's a growing need to find ways to preserve these youngsters' fertility - and patients like Dylan are on the front edge of research that's banking testicular cells and ovarian tissue to try.

I'm Asking: Do Your Doctors Talk Money With You?

Emily Co — Wed, 08 Dec 2010 13:45:48 PST

The sad passing of Elizabeth Edwards reminds us again of the sobering fact that the cost of cancer is no easy price to pay - emotionally, physically, and financially.

But here's a shocking statistic: over half of cancer professionals refrain from mentioning finances when discussing the topic with their patients, according to a report released this year by the Journal of the American Medical Association. This is slightly alarming as patients should be equipped with proper financial guidance during this draining time.

What have your experiences at the doctor been like - do they address money matters with you?

Study Links Swimming Pool Chemicals to Cancer

FitSugar — Tue, 14 Sep 2010 03:00:25 PDT

I'm not gonna lie, but this piece of news has me kind of sad: a small study is linking swimming in chlorinated pools to cancer. In the first of three studies, Spanish researchers looked at the effects of 49 healthy adults who spent 40 minutes swimming in an indoor chlorinated pool. Genetic indicators from blood and urine samples from the participants pointed to an increase in cancer risk and respiratory effects like asthma.

What's a gal to do, especially since cooler temps mean more indoor swim sessions? First off, researchers are not suggesting that we stop swimming. It's a new study in its beginning stages, so the long-term effects - if any - of swimming in chlorinated waters is still unknown. Chlorine is still the common chemical used to disinfect pools, but many fitness centers are starting to disinfect their pools with a low chlorination system. Also, be sure to shower with soap and water immediately after exiting the pool; this will wash off any residual effects that may be on your body.