More possible benefits of aspirin

On an episode of “Friends,” Phoebe thanks Monica for the pills that cured her headache and asks to see the package. “Oh my God,” Phoebe says as she reads the warning label. “Dizziness, nervousness, drowsiness ... headache ... headache?” She pauses, letting the irony sink in. “Stomach bleeding! Liver damage!” She turns to Monica. “I don’t recall any of this coming up when you gave me these little death capsules!”

With many medications, possible side effects (many extremely uncommon) can be scary, but often the benefits far outweigh the risks. One of the most common meds for which this is true is the mighty aspirin — shown to help prevent a wide spectrum of woes from cardiovascular disease to some cancers. And now research has found another impressive benefit: It lowers the risk of breast cancer in women with Type 2 diabetes — in whom it’s about 20 per cent higher than in women without diabetes. (It also lowers the risk in women without Type 2 diabetes.)

Researchers tracked over 148,000 women with diabetes for 14 years; those who took a daily low-dose aspirin were 18 per cent less likely to get breast cancer during that time, while those who took a high cumulative amount (88,900 mg or more) over that 14-year time period had a 47 per cent lower risk of breast cancer!

So, if you have diabetes, talk to your doctor and see if twicedaily baby aspirin is right for you.

BEWARE SUN POISONING

In the 2007 movie “The Heartbreak Kid,” Ben Stiller plays Eddie, a 40-year-old who marries seemingly perfect Lila after dating for only six weeks. On their honeymoon, he discovers that she’s impossible to live with. At the beach, as she rubs mineral oil on herself, Eddie tells her she needs sunscreen. “The sun is really different down here,” he says. “The sun is the sun, Eddie,” Lila retorts. That night Lila is a brutal shade of red.

Sun poisoning is no joke. It starts with a seemingly allergic reaction caused by extended exposure of the skin to strong UV light. That exposure triggers blistering, hives, swelling of the face, fever and chills, nausea, headache, even confusion — and raises your risk of skin cancer. If you have a sunburn and are also having those symptoms, get medical care immediately. Acute sun poisoning (which may be accompanied by heatstroke) can be treated by keeping open blisters and wounds clean and covered and through light therapy (ironic) if needed and medications.

To prevent sun poisoning, use an SPF 30 sunscreen with micronized zinc oxide and limit sun exposure, especially between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. Also find out if any of your meds, such as certain acne drugs, antibiotics, antidepressants, heart meds and some birth control, make your skin more sensitive to UV rays.

REFLECTIONS ON IMPROVING MEALTIMES

One of the most enduring staged magical illusions, “Pepper’s Ghost,” makes figures seem to suddenly appear in a room. The illusion was first performed by John Pepper during a performance of Charles Dickens’ “The Haunted Man” on Christmas Eve 1862. In the original trick, a piece of glass onstage conceals a second, identical room set farther back. When the back room is illuminated, the reflection that had concealed it disappears and figures in it suddenly appear as though in the front room.

Mirrors have been used to entertain people with illusion for centuries. But now, research shows there’s a new mirror trick that could help make eating more enjoyable for lone diners.

In a new study published in Physiology & Behavior, researchers had 16 elderly adults eat popcorn in front of a mirror and then in front of a wall. Participants eating in front of the mirror ate more, thought the popcorn tasted better and enjoyed the experience more than when eating facing the wall. Researchers then repeated the mirror experiment with 16 young adults and found that they, too, had more positive experiences eating in front of a mirror.

So, yet again, a mirror has produced a delightful surprise. If you know an older person who often eats alone (which can lead to eating less), try putting a mirror at his or her table. It may stimulate the social feeling that causes people to eat more and enjoy the experience. The benefits are real, even if it is an illusion.

CARING EMPATHY IMPROVES YOUR OUTLOOK ON LIFE

Deanna Troi, the empath counsellor on “Star Trek: The Next Generation,” felt distress when her powers of empathy were taken over by aliens. But when she could use her powers of empathy to help others overcome problems, she glowed with joy.

Funny thing, that is precisely what a new study in the journal Neuron found when researchers from the University of Colorado, Boulder used functional MRIs to track brain activity in response to alarming events. They saw empathic distress and empathetic care trigger distinct brain patterns.

Empathy-with-distress — you feel terrible for the person(s) going through a negative experience — makes you want to avoid dealing with the situation. Empathy-with-care, on the other hand, is evoked when you act to help the person or situation. In short, no use crying over spilled milk; just help clean it up. You’ll feel better, and so will the person in crisis.