Health Digest
January 21, 2003
There’s good news for peanut lovers. Eating lots of nuts or peanut butter may help ward off diabetes. Women who eat the equivalent of a handful of nuts, or a tablespoon of peanut butter at least five times a week, were more than 20 per cent less likely to develop type-2 diabetes than those who rarely or never ate nuts. Although nuts are fattening, they generally contain good kinds of fat as well as other nutrients than help keep cholesterol at healthy levels. Nuts also contain fibre and magnesium, which help balance insulin and glucose levels.
A new robotic procedure for treating prostate cancer is showing better results than current surgical procedures. The operation is done through tiny incisions in the stomach. Using a high resolution, 3 –D computer system, doctors insert computer controlled robotic arms through tiny incisions in the patient's abdomen. The arms can rotate 360 degrees, allowing the surgeon greater precision and flexibility. That reduces pain, blood loss and recovery time for patient.
Austrian researchers are developing a new cancer treatment which involves "vaccinating" patients against their own tumor by stimulating the immune system. In a three-year study in Vienna, 20 children in the final stages of cancer underwent treatment with the new approach. Results were promising enough to prompt a larger study and the second phase of trials will include adults. Although the preliminary study was not designed to look at the effectiveness of the treatment, researchers found that in some cases, the disease stabilized and tumor growth slowed.
 |
||
|
© TVOntario, 2003 Disclaimer |
||
|
This
website contains general information on the stories featured on Your Health.
Although it’s our goal to provide comprehensive information on health
and medical issues, please be advised that we cannot provide individual
medical advice on specific health problems.
|
© TVOntario, 2002