Sunless tanning: Teens learn benefits

Sunless tanning lotions are growing in popularity among teens and could encourage sun safety, according to a new study.

Researchers at the American Cancer Society in Atlanta say about one in every ten teens use sunless tanning products. However, these adolescents were also more likely to frequent tanning beds, not wear sunscreen and get more sunburns.

When researchers at the University of Massachusetts educated a group of sunbathers on the dangers of UV exposure, as well as the benefits of sunless tanning products, their habits changed. Two months later, participants said they sunbathed less often and had fewer sunburns. They also used sunless tanning products more often.

Researchers say promoting these products as a part of a health message, rather than just for cosmetic purposes, could have an important impact on skin cancer.

Sunless tanners up skin cancer risk

Despite the increase reported in the use of sunless tanning products, teenagers still get sunburns and engage in other skin-damaging behaviors such as indoor tanning.


"Many people find a tanned appearance to be physically attractive and combating that with a health message is difficult," said study co-author Sherry Pagoto of the University of Massachusetts Medical School in Worchester.

Previous studies, however, have linked too much sun ultraviolet radiation with melanoma, the deadliest type of skin cancer and the second leading cause of malignancy among young women.

According to the study published in the Archives of Dermatology, the higher use of sunless tanning products does not necessarily mean using more sunscreen or limiting the UV exposure.

"Our findings are that in adolescents, use of sunless tanning products appears independently correlated with risky UVR exposure behaviors [indoor tanning and having sunburns in the previous summer] but not with routine use of sunscreen," said lead researcher Vilma E. Cokkinides of the American Cancer Society.

"People who really want to be tan should strongly consider using sunless tanning instead of tanning booths or sunbathing," said Pagoto, stressing that having a fake tan instead of sunbathing can lower the women's risk of developing skin malignancies.

Scientists believe offering sunbathing women with free samples of tanning lotion and sunscreen can not only improve their awareness about the harms of sun exposure but also can protect them against the related malignancies.

"Instead of trying to talk people out of wanting to be tan, we decided to encourage them to use sunless tanning as a healthier alternative," Pagoto added.

Most sunless tanning lotions and sprays contain a chemical called dihydroxyacetone, a compound approved by the US Food and Drug Administration which combines with amino acids in the skin to produce a tanned color.

Via : presstv.ir

IV Aspirin Found to Be Safe, Effective in Severe Headache

Intravenous (IV) aspirin appears to be effective and safe in the treatment of patients hospitalized for the management of severe headache, according to research published in the Sept. 21 issue of Neurology.

Mark W. Weatherall, Ph.D., of the National Hospital for Neurology and Neurosurgery in London, and colleagues reviewed the records of 168 severe headache patients who received IV aspirin (lysine acetylsalicylic acid), most of whom had overused and were withdrawing from other pain medications.

The researchers found that, on more than a quarter of the occasions on which IV aspirin was administered, there was at least a three-point decrease on a 10-point visual analog pain scale. There was an overall adverse effect rate of 5.9 percent, with no serious adverse events reported. Two patients discontinued aspirin treatment: one asthma patient who had a decrease in vital capacity and a second patient who became needle phobic. The most common adverse events were nausea and cannula pain, experienced by four and three patients, respectively.

"In summary, IV lysine acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin) is effective and well-tolerated in the management of severe rebound headache in patients undergoing medication withdrawal," the authors write.

Several authors disclosed financial ties to pharmaceutical and/or medical device companies. One author estimates that 5 percent of his practice involves administering IV aspirin to headache patients.

Via : modernmedicine.com

A New Campaign to Fight Lung Cancer Gets £100,000

With aim of combating lung cancer, as much as £100,000 amount has been granted to South Lakeland.

NHS Cumbria is ready to come up with a new campaign, aiming to alert people about the early signs of lung cancer and convincing them to go for check up with their doctors.

The Department of Health has awarded the money to this noteworthy campaign, which will come into action in January. The NHS North East Cancer Network has also given £25,000 to support the campaign.

The last recorded figures of cancer deaths were revealed in 2007, according to the data, lung cancer killed 321 people in Cumbria.

Lung cancer falls into the category of most serious and common form of cancer. Coughing persistently for several weeks, chest pain, sudden weight loss and shortness of breath are some of the common symptoms of lung cancer.

Most of the people have lung cancer because of smoking as this habit is the biggest reason of developing this serious type of cancer. It has been estimated that smoking 20 cigarettes in a day results in increasing the chances of developing lung cancer by 20 times, as compared to the ones who do not smoke.

Via : topnews.co.uk