This Pill Could Save Your Life

If you are driving along Interstate 376 from downtown Pittsburgh to Pittsburgh International Airport, you will pass a building on the left side of the highway with a large round, white object atop one of the buildings alongside  the higway.  It looks like some sort of enormous pill.  In fact, that is exactly what it is: an aspirin tablet The pill is the symbol of the Bayer company which manufactures the world-famous Bayer aspirin. It is a fitting symbol of a drug that for many years has been known to be effective in helping to prevent various medical conditions such as colon cancer.  Its effectiveness in staving off a heart attack is well-documented and many physicians advise their patients at risk of a heart attack to take a small aspirin a day for that very purpose.

What was not known until recently is that aspirin may also be effective in preventing the most deadly form of skin cancer, melanoma. The very name, melanoma, strikes fear in the hearts of anyone who knows even a little bit about the potentially damaging effects of over exposure to the sun's rays.In a recent study, researchers at Stanford University found that post-menopausal women who took aspirin at least twice a week were 30% less likely to develop melanoma.

While not yet definitive, according to the study's author, Dr. Jean Tang, "aspirin may have a chemo-preventive effect against the development of melanoma."

Although aspirin appears to have many beneficial effects, it also is known to cause gastrointestinal bleeding in some people. So, before starting any aspirin regimen, consult your own physician.

Are Organic Foods Really Better for You?

We all have seen the growth of the organics food section at the supermarket. Each day it seems like a new product is added to the shelves, particularly in the produce section.  For the most part, those products cost more--and in some cases, considerably more--than the non-organic variety of the same fruit or vegetable.  Most shoppers who buy the organic product justify the additional cost because of the belief that organic means healthier.  In other words, people believe that the organic product is better for you than its non-organic cousin.  A new study reported on by ABC News this morning suggests otherwise and people may just be wasting their money.

In a report on Good Morning America, it was revealed that as a result of a study conducted by Stanford University, it was concluded that organic foods were no more nutritious than the same non-organic food.  In addition, the study also showed that the chances of bacterial contamination of the foods are virtually the same, with some difference with regard to antibiotic resistant germs.

In an article reported by Lauran Neergaard for the Associated Press, she quotes Dr. Dena Bravata, a senior research affiliate at Stanford as saying that when it comes down to questions of individual health, "there isn't much difference" between organic and non-organic foods.

Of course, as with any food product, it is always a matter of taste.  But it appears from this study that organic foods are no more nutritious and only slightly safer from contamination than the same non-organic food. So, keep that in mind as you are shopping and maybe you will want pass by that organic aisle.

For more information on health and food related issues, including a yummy recipe for blueberry cobbler, see other blog, www.notjustaboomer.blogspot.com.