Healthy Habits that Prevent Disease

The June issue of the American Journal of Medicine had articles on disease prevention.
1. Eating fish is associated with a lower risk for colorectal cancer. This Chinese study showed that regular consumption of fish reduces the risk for colon cancer by 4%, but reduces the risk for rectal cancer by a whopping 21%. Colon cancers are more diverse on a molecular level than are rectal cancers, and this may explain the difference.
2. Smokers who used hypnotherapy to help them quit smoking were 4.55 times more likely to quit than those who didn't. Smokers who underwent acupuncture were 3.53 times more likely to quit.
3. Regular tooth scaling (deep cleaning) is a associated with a decreased risk for future cardiovascular events.
4. Physicians can be as effective as weight loss centers in getting patients to lose weight. The physicians  in this study done at East Carolina University found that physicians using behavioral modification sessions and a diet plan partially or fully supplemented by meal replacements were as successful as weight loss clinics, and were more successful at reducing body fat.
5. Low dose aspirin has been associated with reducing cancer deaths. It would be interesting to see how low dose aspirin compares with an anti-inflammatory diet and a control group. An anti-inflammatory diet would not have the adverse effect of increasing the risk for major bleeds, including hemorrhagic stroke.

Please visit my web site at www.drjessicaseaton.com