cancer

Norwegian researchers just reported that the anticoagulant drug warfarin may have another important health benefit in addition to its traditional role— reducing the risk of cancer.

Using a Twitter post, actress of Seinfeld and VEEP fame, Julia Louis-Dreyfus, announced she was recently diagnosed with breast cancer:

Yes, it's well-known that you can't make a horse drink if he or she doesn't want to, and apparently you can't get a man to stop taking a dangerous supplement — say one that produces cyanide when ingested — even when you tell him that it does so.

My heart sank when I received the news. Nearly two years ago, my friend and colleague, Sam Chi, called to tell me that he had pancreatic cancer. I knew that was a death sentence.

In the rich world, cancer therapy is expensive. In the developing world, it may not be available at all. Not only is cutting-edge technology in short supply, but so are things like electricity and medical personnel.

Imagine a world where it is as easy to check for cancer as it is high cholesterol. New research out of Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine may lead to just that.

Cancer is most easily "cured" when it's caught early. That's the rationale behind Pap tests for cervical cancer, PSA tests for prostate cancer, and mammograms for breast cancer.

Given modern medical advances extending survival rates for chronic diseases like cancer along with the population aging at an exponential rate, companies are seeing opportunities for niche markets.

Apricot seeds are all over the internet - marketed as cancer fighters. But the seeds contain a chemical compound that, when ingested in high quantities (and by high we mean several seeds), can cause cyanide poisoning. 

The “superfood” craze is premised upon the dubious notion that some foods are so great, that eating them will bring good health and long life. For Popeye, spinach was a superfood.