Alcohol and Breast Cancer
IARC (International Agency for Research on Cancer), an agency of the World Health Organization (WHO), listed cancers of the oral cavity, pharynx, larynx, oesophagus, and liver as being “causally related to the consumption of alcoholic beverages.”A new study published in the journal, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research, by Kevin Shield and colleagues at IARC has shown that breast cancer and alcohol are very closely related. Even small amount of alcohol intake had shown a significant relation to the incidence of breast cancer. Dr Shield and colleagues have this to say in their article: “All levels of evidence showed a risk relationship between alcohol consumption and the risk of breast cancer, even at low levels of consumption. Due to this strong relationship and to the amount of alcohol consumed globally, the incidence of and mortality from alcohol-attributable breast cancer is large.”
Can Opioids Worsen Pain?
A new study has questioned the use of opioids, such as codeine, oxycodone, morphine and fentanyl, in treating pain. Professor Peter Grace is the lead author of the study published in the recent Proceedings of the National Academy of Science. All the previous studies that showed opioids to be the best pain-killers were all short-term studies. This is the first study that looked at chronic pain and opioid use for treating them. “We are showing for the first time that even a brief exposure to opioids can have long-term negative effects on pain,” says Prof Grace. “We found the treatment was contributing to the problem.”
Another ‘ugly side’ to opioids is this. Professor Linda Watkins, a co-author from the University of California in Boulder opines: “The implications for people taking opioids like morphine, oxycodone and methadone are great; since we show the short-term decision to take such opioids can have devastating consequences of making pain worse and longer lasting. This is a very ugly side to opioids that had not been recognized before.”
While on the topic, it is interesting to show that a large and detailed study of the role of opioids in pain relief was shown to be just a placebo effect in an earlier study done in four Universities, viz., Oxford, Cambridge, Hamburg and Munich led by Professor Bingel of Oxford in the journal Science Translational Medicine(2011; 3: 70)
Near Death Experiences
ADutch study published in The Lancet some time ago has shown that far from being a fantasy near death experiences (NDEs) need further scientific studies. While there is a particular sequence that al people who have gone through NDE describe their cultural background does cloud their thinking. David Wiebers, professor of neurology at The Mayo Clinic in his book Theory of Reality has a chapter on NDE where he summarises the present scientific data on NDEs to show that they are anything but fantasy. He showed that they are facts.
The terminology, NDE, conjures thoughts of out-of-body episodes and bright light. “Although such experiences may be repudiated as illusory, researchers of the world’s largest study to assess mental awareness during resuscitation say they have found evidence that near-death experiences may be real. Common reports of near-death experiences include encountering a bright light, meeting deceased loved ones, and seeing and hearing ‘real’ events from another perspective—often known as an out-of-body experience.” Sam Parnia, the lead author of this study was an honorary research fellow at the University of Southampton in the UK. Their data are published in the journal called Resuscitation.
Yoga and Meditation Could Preserve Cognitive Functions in the Elderly
“Just 3-months of yoga and meditation course may reduce older adults’ risk of mild cognitive impairment—considered a precursor for development of Alzheimer’s disease and other forms of dementia.” This is the conclusion of a new study published in the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. Yoga and meditation were found to improve verbal and visual-spatial memory for older adults. The study was led by researchers from the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), including senior author Dr Helen Lavretsky, of the department of psychiatry.
