Answer (Published 05/08/2003)

T Analysis of data from the Women's Health Initiative, a big National Institutes of Health study, showed that long term use of ibuprofen or aspirin reduced the risk of breast cancer - in some cases by as much as half. Researchers who analyzed data from almost 81,000 women ages 50 to 79 found that almost one third of the women took non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDS) such as ibuprofen or aspirin regularly and that 10 percent took them routinely for 10 years or more. NSAIDS are painkillers that work by blocking an enzyme that influences inflammation, and which may also play a role in cancer cell proliferation.

Results showed that the women who took ibuprofen at least three times a week for a decade reduced their breast cancer risk by half; those who took aspirin routinely for a decade or more cut their risk by 28 percent. In addition, this study found that the NSAIDS cut cancer incidence even among women considered at higher-than-normal risk of breast cancer because of a family history of the disease or because they are overweight.

Based on the results, the study's lead author recommended that, beginning at age 40, women advertisement take a daily tablet of aspirin or ibuprofen after consulting with their physicians. However, other breast cancer experts have been more cautious and have called for a more rigorous study to ensure that the women being compared really have similar risks at the outset. For example, one expert suggested that some of the women in this study may have been taking NSAIDS for pain due to bone problems stemming from lower-than-normal estrogen exposure, which could have the dual effect of weakening bones and reducing breast cancer risk.

Long term, regular use of NSAIDS is not risk-free ? these drugs can cause gastrointestinal problems and blood thinning. Because of these risks and because chronic use of these drugs can also have damaging effects on the liver and kidneys, I wouldn't recommend taking NSAIDS regularly for breast cancer prevention at this time. However, you might try taking natural anti-inflammatory agents such as ginger and turmeric which aren't as toxic as synthetics. I would suggest taking New Chapter's Turmericforce, one capsule twice a day. You can easily add ginger to your diet by frequently eating crystallized ginger or the pickled ginger that comes with sushi.

Andrew Weil, M.D. Link Uncovered Between Enlarged Prostate And Common OTC Drugs

Choose To Be Healthy, recommends a product from New Chapter, called "Prostate 5LX" Excellent product ! I use it myself every day. (CEW).

Men with slow urine flow from enlargement of the prostate gland (known as benign prostatic hyperplasia or BPH) should avoid anything that makes the situation worse and that includes some medications. The most common offenders are over the counter cold and allergy remedies. Now, some research suggests that nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), such as ibuprofen and naproxen, may also affect the prostate's function, reports the September 2007 issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch.

Researchers in the Netherlands found that the risk of acute urinary retention (severe difficulty urinating) was twice as high in men taking NSAIDs as in men who were not using them. By contrast, though, researchers in America evaluating the long-term effects of NSAIDs on the prostate found that daily NSAID use was linked to a reduced risk of developing BPH symptoms and slow urinary flow rates.

At first glance the studies seem contradictory, but a closer look suggests that NSAIDs may be both friend and foe, depending on the stage of BPH and the part of the urinary tract that's vulnerable.

The American study evaluated the onset of BPH symptoms. There is emerging evidence that inflammation may play a role in development of BPH. If that's the case, regular NSAID use might delay the onset of symptoms. The Dutch study, which evaluated established cases of acute urinary retention, found that men who had recently begun taking NSAIDs were at the highest risk. These men may already have been developing BPH for years before taking the NSAIDs. And the NSAIDs may have caused trouble by acting on the bladder, not the prostate.

Harvard Men's Health Watch suggests that if men notice an increase in BPH symptoms while taking an NSAID, they should inform their doctors and reduce or avoid NSAIDs.

Harvard Health Publications http://www.hsph.harvard.edu

Source: www.medicalnewstoday.com