Lawrence W. Gold's Blog

Huge study from China shows substantial reduction in GI cancers and some others. Here's the quote from the authors: The findings demonstrate that the long-term use of aspirin can reduce the risk of developing many major cancers [...] What should be noted is the significance of the results for cancers within the digestive tract, where the reductions in cancer incidence were all very substantial, especially for liver and esophageal cancer." For those wha can't take aspirin, similar results were obtained with Non=steroidal anti-inflammatory agents. GASTOINTESTINAL CANCER REDUCTION FROM LOW-DOSE ASPIRIN

I've done this one some time ago, but as the evidence improves, it's worthwhile passing this on again. Living in the modern world with virtually unlimited sources of information, it's smart to see the best information available from time to time. That common, everyday things might cause cancer frightens us all. Moreover, in a world where we increasingly distrust government and its institutions, paranoia runs rampant. Advocacy groups (non-scientific) may make a particular exposure a cause célébre, muddying the waters further. Beware of much you see on the Internet, except of course, my missives. THE MOT COMMON QUESTIONS

A mere 15 minutes per week can reduce the incidence of depression. This looks like a worthy study. Large numbers of participants. The conclusion re. those who don't exercise being more depressed is suspect in my mind as those with depression are not likely to endure even the mild discomfort of exercise. MY WIFE'S PROZAC

Out of Darkness This is one of the novels of which I'm most proud. While the novel has had excellent reviews, sales have been disappointing. After a long haul, the novel is now available as an audiobook with an outstanding performance by Leigh Townes who brings the main character to life as a thirteen-year-old girl and a mature woman. From a FIVE STAR review. Above excellent medical and legal mystery drama Many topics are covered including hospital staff frictions, life and death decisions and hospital dynamics. Terrific character portrayals and ongoing suspense as well as surprises make this book hard to put down. It describes how a young girl was able to escape a horrible dysfunctional background and somewhat overcome the numerous residual traumatic memories. Relationships between men and women are thoroughly explored. Even after finishing it, the plot remained in my mind for a lengthy time. The ending was truly outstanding and amazing.

My wife goes a little crazy adding color to what we consume. She's big on salads with 5 or 6 colors. I don't really care as long as it tasted good, but here's some information that suggests that color is, in fact, important. COLON CANCER "PREVENTION."

Chocolate's been getting a good rep for years. Now another study worth a look. My father who died 2 months short of his 100th birthday attributed his longevity to dark chocolate. I alway knew that he was ahead of his time. DR. HERSHEY'S REMEDY

Maybe it's the aging population or aging scientists, but I see increasing interest on the means to improve and maintain cognitive function. Let me share the quote at the end of the article: "This gives us evidence of the mechanisms by which nutrition affects intelligence and motivates promising new directions for future research in nutritional cognitive neuroscience." FOOD AND COGNITION

Maybe it's because I'm not getting any younger, but this study caught my attention. For a severe problem that we all fear, this study may be onto something. DEMENTIA/ LIFE EXPECTANCY

While I'm a big fan of WebMD, the title of this slide show makes me wonder about their ethics and sensitivity to people. Are people with a headache, fairly common, to wonder if that means they have a life threatening aneurysm. That's a risk of 0.001%. The slide show is excellent, but like most medical students, we eventually learn that it's just a headache and not an aneurysm. BRAIN ANEURYSM

Good study re. exercise and the aging brain. The message: exercise that forces you to learn something is best. CAN'T ARGUE WITH THE STUDY