Aspirin and other household drugs may inhibit the spread of cancer because they help shut down the chemical "highways" which feed tumours, Australian researchers said Tuesday. Scientists at Melbourne's Peter MacCallum Cancer Centre said they have made a biological breakthrough helping explain how lymphatic vessels - key to the transmission of tumours throughout the body - respond to cancer. "We've shown that molecules like the aspirin could effectively … full story

Seniors who take aspirin daily are twice as likely to have late stage macular degeneration, an age-related loss of vision, than people who never take the pain reliever, a new European study reports. The data do not show that aspirin causes vision loss. But the findings are of concern if aspirin somehow exacerbates the eye disorder, researchers say, given how many seniors take it daily for heart disease. (Reuters) full story

Women who use common painkillers like ibuprofen and naproxen early in pregnancy may have an increased risk of miscarriage, a study published Tuesday suggests. Researchers found that of nearly 52,000 Quebec women who had been pregnant, those who'd used a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID) after conceiving were more than twice as likely to suffer a miscarriage. The researchers looked at NSAIDs other than aspirin -- which includes such common … full story

Most backaches come from strained muscles in the lower back. Other causes include back injuries such as a slipped or herniated disc, arthritis, osteoporosis and urinary tract infection. The goals of treatment are to treat the cause of the backache, relieve the pain, promote healing and avoid re-injury. How to Avoid Back Pain: Lifting causes a lot of backaches. Here are some lifting Do's and Don'ts to help you avoid straining your back. Do's: * … full story

How many ways can you use salt? According to the Salt Institute, about 14,000! The salt website has tons of handy tips for using salt around the house, and the best of the bunch -- plus my additions -- are listed below. I can't think of another more versatile mineral. Salt is the most common and readily available nonmetallic mineral in the world. In fact, the supply of salt is inexhaustible. For thousands of years, salt (sodium chloride) has been … full story

Gout is a painful disease of the joints, which usually affects the big toe first in most people. It is caused by too much uric acid in the blood. Uric acid is formed by the breakdown of chemicals called purines, which can lead to high levels of uric acid and cause many problems such as joint swelling and kidney stones. Normally the uric acid is dissolved in the blood and passes out via the kidneys into the urine but if this does not occur it can … full story

It is New Year’s Eve. You have one drink, then another, then a third. You used to be able to chug down 6 drinks without consequences. But lately, you’ve noticed that things are a bit different. Before dinner is over, you are wobbly; your speech slurs. Before the night is over, you are spread out on the floor. You’ve only had 3 drinks. What happened? Research shows alcohol has a much stronger effect in the senior population than in younger people. … full story

We have long known that yogurt, a fermented milk product with live bacteria, is a healthy food with plenty of calcium, protein, and other nutrients like probiotics that we need for health. Now, human clinical studies have confirmed that a new yogurt fights the bacteria that cause gastritis and stomach ulcers, caused by Helicobacter. Pylori. The new yogurt, out of Japan, is a unique approach to fighting ulcers, which affect 25 million people in … full story