Aspirin helps prevent colon cancer: study



Types of cancer that were detected



     Study has shown that taking a low dose of aspirin may be beneficial to the prevention of stroke, heart attack and colon cancer. This research was a result of a 20 year process in which over 14,000 people had participated in the study; the study was on the use of ASA(acetylsalicylic acid). In the study, professor Rothwell identified that there is no benefit in taking more than a baby-sized dose(75 miligrams). Prof. Rothwell also recommends the use of aspirin if they have a family history of colon cancer or if they are at risk of developing colon cancer. The study also showed that for every 100 people who took the low-dose ASA daily, one case of colorectal cancer was prevented, and one in 70 deaths was avoided. What the researchers found interesting is that the types of cancer that were prevented were those that occured higher up in the colon; ones that could not be detected by screening tests.

     This is yet another example of how fast advancements are made in the field of medicine; the reason that people are able to live longer and healthier lives than those in the past. Cancer was a disease without cure just years ago and now, the type that can not even be detected by technology can be prevented. However, success in the field of medicine is not the discovery of the cure, but how successful the treatment is to curing the disease. While a 1% prevention rate is better than 0%, to fully achieve; the percentages and numbers must be raised. In addition, the discovery is quite recent and will not receive much publicity;however, as more research are conducted, the percentages will raise and that is when the success of the discovery is achieved.  

Britain to cut troops, military bases

Britain's prime minister, David Cameron, addressing the
issue regarding Britain's military 

    The Prime Minister of Britain, David Cameron has annouced that Britain will be reducing its troops and to delay a program to upgrade its nuclear defense. While the size of Britains army may decrease, it will specialize in special forces and cyber threats to maintain its status as a major global power. There will also be cuts to the amount of money that the military department may spend in the future; this will help the country put the money in other areas that may be of importance. Finally, many military bases will also be closed down because they will no longer be used. However, there are many viewpoints on the cut of military bases because it provides many jobs and its absence can send many in the community jobless. Furthermore, there are communities that rely on the bases in order to make buisness because the hotels and hospitals in specific area are only used by military personnel when the visist the base.

     I think that this is a very solid and logical decision for Britain because numbers no longer determine how strong a country is military-wise; it is all about weaponery in the present day. Not only does this decision save alot of money, it also saves alot of lives by not risking people out on the battefield. Ultimately, there is no need for a huge army because the present world is in a rather peaceful state with very friendly connections between nations.

Should you be eliminating wheat from your child's diet?

     Recent studies at the University of Maryland show that children are becoming more and more intolerant to gluten and celiac acids over the past 30 years. The study shows that people are losing their tolerance to gluten, gluey protein, barley and rye as they grow older. This inability to digest gluten has been found in some child when they were born, a genetic disorder. This is now recognized as a common problem in the health of children, often causing problems such as bloating, diarrhea and constipation. However, the people unable to digest gluten will suffer from more serious health issues later on in life, as scientists have pointed out. This inability of absorb the nutrients, protein and fibre will lead to a unhealthy lifestyle. Many parents; however, are skeptical of putting their children on a gluten-free diet because gluten-free foods are very high in calories and sugar; such as cookies.

     While more increasing numbers of people are becoming intolerant to gluten in wheat, it is still a necessity to a good diet and a healthy lifestyle. A possible solution to this upcoming diet problem can be to release a product to the public that contains the nutrients, vitamins and protein that is present in wheat but to extract out the gluten, celiac acids and barley out. This will be similar to milk and lactose-free milk; as some people are lactose-intolerant and are unable to consume normal milk. I don't think parents should get too concerned with this issue if their child is not affected, do not restrict certain products from their diet as this can cause even more serious problems due to a lack of nutrition. On the other hand, if your child is affected by this problem, close monitoring of his diet may be of help. Furthermore, replacing wheat products with alternatives that provide the same nutritions are another solution. 

"Father" of IVF wins Nobel Prize for medicine



Dr.Edwards, winner of the Nobel Prize for the medicines



     British physiologist Robert Edwards, the father of in-vitro fertilisation, won the 2010 Nobel Prize for medicine or physiology. Dr.Edwards received US$1.5 million for his work which lead to the advancement of modern science. There been over 4 million babies born using this technology ever since the first IVF baby was born in 1978; Dr.Edward's contributions have solved a medical condition that affects over 10% of the world's couples. When the first IVF baby, Louise Brown, was born, there were many conerns with whether she would grow normally; additionally, there were many religious and ethnic concerns. However, as Louise grew up, she turned out to be as healthy as other children. In addition, Louise has one son who was conceived naturally. 1-2% of babies in the Western World are conceived through IVF methods, stated by Christer Hoog. The downside to IVF; however, is its cost, it can cost patients up to 12 grande in the States, but in some countries, this method is funded by the health care system. Dr.Edwards motivation towards achieving this goal was because he wanted to help families, to give everyone a chance to have children because they were the most important and precise thing in the world to parents.

     This is another huge step towards technology and reveals the potential we have as humans to achieve great goals. However, this also poses a conflict with religion; if IVF can already be achieved, how far down the road will we be able to clone? The capabilities of technology in modern society is as rewarding as it is scary, while it can used to help create a better society, it can also destory balance in the wrong hands. With this practise, it may be possible that parents will no longer have the same values for a child; IVF takes the human values away from a child, making them more lab experiments than people.