Small doses of aspirin, often taken to cut the risk of a heart attack, also reduce the probability of developing colon [The part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum as a long hollow tube that serves to remove water from digested food and let the remaining material, solid waste called stool, move through it to the rectum and leave the body through the anus. ] cancer [abnormal cells that divide without control, which can invade nearby tissues or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. ] , British researchers reported on Thursday.

Low doses of aspirin, a Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), can cut down the risk of colorectal cancer [abnormal cells that divide without control, which can invade nearby tissues or spread through the bloodstream and lymphatic system to other parts of the body. ] by a quarter while that of colon [The part of the large intestine that runs from the cecum to the rectum as a long hollow tube that serves to remove water from digested food and let the remaining material, solid waste called stool, move through it to the rectum and leave the body through the anus. ] cancer deaths by a third.

"Our study shows NSAIDs target stem cells that have accumulated mutations that could lead to cancer development, and initiate a biochemical pathway that makes those cells undergo programmed cell death, a process called apoptosis," Dr. Zhang, Ph.D., associate professor, Department of Pharmacology and Chemical Biology, Pitt School of Medicine, and UPCI, said.

Earlier studies have revealed that high doses of the drug can highly decline the risk of developing colon cancer as well as polyps, minor growths that might later turn into cancer.

However, high doses might act dangerous for some, leading to fatal bleeding in the stomach area.

The study details
The study conducted by Peter Rothwell of John Radcliffe Hospital in Oxford and colleagues analyzed 4 different studies from UK and Sweden involving 14000 people.

Half of the participants were taking low-dose aspirin for heart disease on a regular basis.

The researchers then followed the study group for a period of 18 years.

Revelations of the study
By the end of the research, 2.8 percent of the participants had developed colon cancer, the study claims.

Aspirin consumption lead to a 24 percent decline in the 20-year risk of colon cancer and a 35 percent reduction in colon cancer deaths.

"This interesting study would incite clinicians to turn to primary prevention of colorectal cancer by aspirin at least in high risk-populations. Specific guidelines for aspirin chemoprevention would be the next logical step," Dr. Robert Benamouzig and Dr. Bernard Uzzan of Avicenne Hospital in Bobigny, France, wrote in a commentary.

Other medicines like ibuprofen too can reduce the risk of suffering from colon cancer in people taking them on a regular basis.

Patients are advised to get themselves detected for colon cancer using instruments that can detect the disease from inside in some developed nations like United States and Britain.

Advanced procedures like sigmoidoscopy and colonoscopy are applied for a highly comprehensive screening which can produce better accurate results.

The findings have been published in 'The Lancet' medical journal.

Anesthetic drug Ketamine will no longer be available 'over the counter' in India and can be obtained only with a prescription in duplicate. Chemists will have to reta1in the duplicate prescription for two years.

In a drug consultative committee meeting last week, the Drug Controller General of India (DCGI) shifted Ketamine from Schedule H to Schedule X, for which special control measures will have to be taken.

The decision was taken following complaints of its misuse.

"India has become a major Ketamine source for South East Asian countries. The shifting of Ketamine from H to X will help bring this down," said Dr Surinder Singh, DCGI.

Shifting Ketamine would mean an extensive documentation for chemists, including two sets of prescription. Chemists would need a licence from the State Food and Drug Administration to sell it or face punishment.

A panel formed by the insurance council will probably recommend that domestic healthcare systems such as ayurveda , unani and siddha should be treated on par with allopathy when it comes to medical insurance, said a person familiar with the committee's thinking.

"The department of Ayush has approached the General Insurance Council for looking at the possibility of accepting claims under the non-allopathic means of treatment," said a person familiar with the development at the Council. "They made a presentation to council members, who in turn, have formed a three-member committee to look into the matter."

The committee comprises chief executive officers from Star Health, Max Bupa and Apollo, the person said. It would examine the merits and demerits of the proposal and recommend processes to implement if it is convinced that these types of medicines should also be covered under health insurance. The Insurance Regulatory & Development Authority will take a call on the issue.

A large section of India's more than a hundred crore population takes alternative means of treatment which is recognised by the government, but not so far by the insurance industry. Insurers where most of them are in a joint venture with a global company, say there is not an established way to verify these claims and no data to rely on.

"Under allopathic means of treatment, there are scientific studies and we know how long a treatment will take, how much will it cost," said TA Ramalingam, head of underwriting, Bajaj Allianz General Life Insurance.

"But under the alternative means like homeopathy, we do not have enough data to cover them. For example, curing an ailment under homeopathy may take years, we would not have a structured way of looking at data. But under allopathic means of treatment, it's more immediate, and hence, easily manageable."

There is no registration for practitioners of alternate means of treatment either. There is no one body that recognises the institutes/hospitals that treat patients.

But the health and family welfare ministry is pushing hard for it as it is affordable and the majority of the population makes use of the domestic expertise in these areas. Allopathic medicines are expensive even for those who are in urban centres.

The Department of Indian Systems of Medicine and Homeopathy was created in March 1995 and re-named as Department of Ayurveda, Yoga & Naturopathy, Unani, Siddha and Homoeopathy, or Ayush, in November 2003 to develop education & research in those fields.

The number of swine flu cases in India in the past week dropped almost to half the previous count, the health ministry said here Monday.

A total of 46 cases were reported from acros the country during the week ended Oct 24 as against 98 recorded in the previous week, a ministry spokesperson said.

Ten swine flu deaths were reported during the week that ended Oct 24. Rajasthan reported four deaths while Haryana reported three, followed by two in Maharashtra and one in Gujarat.

Tamil Nadu recorded the highest number of 14 new cases, followed by 13 in Karnataka and five in Delhi, the spokesperson said.

A total of 2,633 swine flu deaths have been recorded since May 2009 when the disease broke out in India. At least 45,033 confirmed cases have been reported in the country since then.

Anorexia, orthorexia, and now we have another eating disorder: drunkorexia, which focuses on forgoing food in favor of alcohol.

Drunorexia is a combination of alcoholism, bulimia, and anorexia, all under the guise of a glamorous party lifestyle.

It is especially prevalent among young college women who skip meals to save up on calories during the day so they can get drunk at night.

"Abuse counselors
are putting the word 'drunkorexia' in line with other eating disorders because the patient uses the same type of methods as anorexia and bulimia- they just mix it with alcohol too," said Dr. Kevin Prince, Alcohol & Other Drug Education Program Coordinator at the University Health Services in Austin, Texas, U.S.

A dangerous new trend
According to a recent study conducted by the University of Texas School of Public Health and the University of North Texas Health Science Center, binge drinking is a growing problem among college students.

Excessive drinking can really pack on the pounds, and this is unacceptable in most, particularly young women.

Women who refuse to give up on binging because it is considered cool, but also crave for a thin body, are combining eating disorder and alcohol abuse into one dangerous package which lets them get drunk at night and still maintain weight.

Savannah, a 22-year-old University of Texas graduate disclosed, "I've always watched my weight and skipped meals to account for the high calorie count of alcohol.

"It was just something I always did while in college as a normal part of my diet so that I could stay skinny but still go out and drink."

She added, "I do know a lot of people who skip meals to drink, drink heavily, and don't gain any weight. Obviously their success in this way encourages others to try it.

"I've done [drunkorexia] for years and I'm still healthy. And I'm skinny. That's the best of both worlds to me, so it's not likely that I'll stop doing it any time soon."

Men too affected by drunkorexia
According to the National Eating Disorder Association of U.S., the disorder is more common in the fairer sex, but there are more than a million men and boys who are equally affected by the problem.

Rodney, 20-year-old public relations major at University of Texas, said drunkorexia in men is to speed up intoxication.

"When you consume on an empty stomach, you feel the effect quicker," Rodney said.

A little about drunkorexia
Drunkorexia is a term coined by dietitians for patients who have eating disorders and indulge in binge drinking.

Substituting drink calories for food calories is not necessarily a major problem in itself. However, when drunkorexics take the extreme step of curtailing food intake to compensate for the calories consumed in a binge drinking session at night, it becomes a lethal combination of alcohol abuse and an eating disorder.

According to health experts, the balancing act is not worth the risks because it is a serious medical condition and can wreak havoc on the body.

Another dangerous practice among women with the disorder is that after drinking large amounts of alcohol, they often overeat, and then purge.

Drunkorexia is a dangerous combination of an eating disorder and binge drinking that needs to be addressed by health professionals.

According to the National Institute of Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism, "alcoholism and eating disorders frequently co-occur and often co-occur in the presence of other psychiatric and personality disorders."