The Medical Advisor

Cataracts are a condition that makes the lens of the eye cloudy, causing blurred vision, much like looking through a foggy window or a smudged camera lens. This occurs due to protein buildup in the eye's lens. Without treatment, cataracts gradually worsen, leading to more vision loss and, eventually, blindness. (1) Cataracts usually develop with age, and they're very common among older adults. Statistics show that more than half of Americans aged 80 or older either have a cataract or have undergone cataract surgery. Besides aging, other risk factors include heavy alcohol use, smoking, diabetes, exposure to harmful substances, certain medications and eye injuries. (2) Currently, about 24.4 million Americans over age 40 are affected by cataracts, and this number is expected to double to about 50 million by 2050 (3). In response to this growing challenge, researchers at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, explored new strategies for cataract treatment by minimizing oxidativ...

Aspirin is a staple in medicine cabinets worldwide, known primarily for its pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties. However, recent research is shedding light on a potentially game-changing role for this common medication: cancer prevention and treatment. (1) While aspirin's anticancer properties have been hinted at in various studies over the years (2), this function has largely been overlooked in favor of newer, more expensive drugs. Now, groundbreaking experiments are not only reaffirming aspirin's potential in fighting cancer but also uncovering a more potent analog that could revolutionize our approach to cancer treatment. This forgotten function of aspirin, and its even more powerful cousin, may offer new hope in the battle against one of humanity's most persistent health challenges. Let's explore the exciting developments that are causing researchers to take a fresh look at this familiar drug. Aspirin and Cancer: Introducing 2,6-Di...

Business Insider - Five years ago, Tim Cannon, a cancer doctor in Virginia, saw that his colon cancer patients were getting younger and their cancer was more aggressive. He had just diagnosed three people in their 30s with late-stage colon cancer. More perplexing, all three were athletes who competed in long-distance, endurance sports. "Within a six-month period, I saw three extreme athletes in their 30s with metastatic, very advanced, incurable colon cancer," Cannon told Business Insider. All three patients died. Cannon had a hunch that this pattern wasn't an anomaly. He examined 100 more long-distance runners between 35 and 50 years old and found that 39 had developed precancerous tumors in their colons. Fifteen of those cases were advanced — far more than the expected 1.2%. Nearly one-sixth of all the runners were at risk of developing colon cancer. It was startling. Cannon's research, which is still in its early stages, points to broader questions that have confo...