Common painkillers can lead to hearing loss

Loud music or noise isn't the onlything that can damage your hearing.
A new study in men hints that popping over-the-counter painkillers
regularly can also lead to hearing loss, especially in younger men.
In the study, researchers found that men younger than age 50 who
regularly took acetaminophen more than two times a week had roughly
doublethe risk of hearing loss comparedto men who did not take
acetaminophen regularly. Acetaminophen is the active ingredient in
Tylenol and certain other pain relievers.
The researchers also found that men younger than age 50 who regularly
took ibuprofen (the main ingredient in Advil) or othernon-steroidal
anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAID) at least twice a week had a nearly
two-thirds higher risk of hearing loss than men who took NSAIDs less
often. Men who took aspirin twice a week had a one-third higher risk.
So should middle-aged men empty the medicine cabinet of these pain
relievers? Not necessarily, because each individual's actual, or
absolute, risk of hearing loss with these medicines is likely fairly
small.
The overall absolute risk of hearing loss in the population is 1
percent per year. Those who take an analgesic have an increased risk
beyond the 1 percent, Dr. Sharon G. Curhan, of Channing Laboratory and
Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston explained in an email to Reuters
Health.
"But if you consider that people continue to take the analgesic
foryears, then after 10 years the risk would be 10 percent in the
overall population and the risk in those taking an analgesic would be
proportionately higher," Curhan said.
"Even though these analgesics are available in the drugstore without a
prescription, they are still medications and there are potential side
effects," Curhan said.
"If individuals find a need to take these types of medications
regularly, they should consult with their health care professional in
order to discuss the risks and benefits and to explore possible
alternatives," she advised.
The findings, published in the American Journal of Medicine thismonth,
stem from nearly 27,000 men enrolled since 1986 in the Health
Professionals' Follow-Up Study. As part of the study, the men, who
were between 40 and 74 years old at the outset, provided information
on analgesic use, hearing loss and other relevant factors every 2
years for 18 years, during which time 3,488 men were diagnosed with
hearing loss.
In the group as a whole, the risk of hearing loss, after factoring out
relevant risk factors, was 12 percent higher in men who used aspirin
at least twice a week relative to men who used aspirin less than twice
a week. The risk was about 21 percent higher in those who used NSAIDs
or acetaminophen at least twice a week.
Among men younger than 50, therisk of hearing loss was higher by33
percent, 61 percent and 99 percent with twice weekly use of aspirin,
NSAIDs, and acetaminophen, respectively, compared to risks in men of
the same age who used these painkillers less often. For NSAIDs and
acetaminophen, the risk of hearing loss increased with longer duration
of use.
In contrast to the findings in younger men, regular aspirin use did
not increase the risk of hearing loss in men aged 60 and older, and
the ties between hearing loss and regular use of NSAIDs and
acetaminophen were weaker in the older men.
Curhan's team points out that very high doses of aspirin are well
known to have toxic effects on the ear. These effects include
reversible hearing loss and tinnitus (ringing in the ears). On the
other hand, low-dose aspirin has been reported to protect against
hearing loss caused by certain antibiotics and excessive noise.
Very high doses of NSAIDs are toxic to the ears of animals, and there
have been a few reports of very high doses of NSAIDs causinghearing
loss in humans.
In their study, the researchers didnot have information on dosages
taken by the men or why they were regularly using these medicines --
only how often they took them. They also did not have information on
lifetime exposure to loud noise, a common cause of hearing loss.
"Hearing loss is the most common sensory disorder in the US and
factors other than age and noise might influence the risk," the
researchers note in their report. Aspirin, acetaminophen and ibuprofen
are the three most commonly used drugs in the US and they could be
"one of the few preventable causes of hearing

Study shows spanking boosts odds of mental illness

People who were hit or spanked as children face higher odds of mental
ailments as adults, including mood and anxiety disorders and problems
with alcohol and drug abuse, researchers said Monday.
The study, led by Canadian researchers, is the first to examine the
link between psychological problems and spanking, while excluding more
severe physical or sexual abuse inorder to better gauge the effect of
corporal punishment alone.
Those who were spanked or hit as kids were between two and seven
percent more likely to encounter mental issues later, said the
research in the US journal Pediatrics, based on a retrospective survey
of more than600 US adults.
That figure may seem low, particularly since about half of the US
population recalls being spanked in childhood, but nevertheless shows
that physical punishment can raise the risk of problems later on,
experts said.
"The study is valuable because it opens the conversation about
parenting," said Victor Fornari, director of the division of child and
adolescent psychiatry at North Shore-Long Island Jewish Health System
in New York.
The rate "is not dramatically higher, but it is higher, just to
suggest that physical punishment is a risk factor for developing more
mental disturbances as an adult," said Fornari, who was not involved
in the study.
Previous research has repeatedly shown that children who were
physically abused as youngsters suffer from more mental disturbances
as adults, and are more likely to engage in aggressive behavior than
kids who were not hit.
But these studies have typically included more serious abuse.
The current study excludes both sexual abuse and physical abuse that
left bruises, marks or causedinjury.
Instead it focuses on "harsh physical punishment," defined as pushing,
grabbing, shoving, slapping or hitting as a form of punishment from
elders.
While 32 nations around the world have banned corporal punishment of
kids, the United States and Canada are not amongthem.
Using a nationally representative survey sample of 653 Americans, they
found that those who recalled experiencing harsh punishment as
children faced higher odds of a range of mental problems.
Between two and five percent of disorders like depression, anxiety,
bipolar, anorexia or bulimia were attributable to physical punishment
as a child, the study said.
From four to seven percent of more serious problems including
personality disorders, obsessive-compulsive disorder and intellectual
disabilities were associated with such punishments in childhood.
Researchers stressed that the study could not establish that spanking
had actually caused these disorders in certain adults, only that there
was a link between memories of such punishment and a higher incidence
of mental problems.
The survey data came from the National Epidemiologic Survey on Alcohol
and Related Conditions collected between 2004 and 2005,and included
adults over age 20.
Participants were asked: "As a child how often were you ever pushed,
grabbed, shoved, slapped or hit by your parents or any adult living in
your house?" Those who answered"sometimes" or greater were included in
the analysis.
Roya Samuels, a pediatrician at Cohen Children's Medical Center inNew
York, said the parents' genes may influence both their response to
raising an unruly child as well as their likelihood ofpassing down
certain ailments.
"Parents who are resorting to mechanisms of corporal punishment might
themselves beat risk for depression and mental disorders; therefore,
there might be a hereditary factor going on inthese families," she
told AFP.
Future research could shed more light on the issue. In the meantime,
the study offers a reminder that other disciplinary options such as
positive reinforcement and removing rewards are viewed more favorably
by doctors.
"The reality is, if 50 percent of thepopulation has experienced being
spanked in the past year, most kids are resilient. It is just that
there are better ways for parents to discipline kids than spanking,"
Fornari said.
"And for some vulnerable kids, the spanking may increase their risk
for the development of mental disturbances. So for thosereasons it is
important to really minimize or extinguish physical punishment."
The American Academy of Pediatrics opposes striking children for any
cause and the Canadian Pediatric Society recommends that doctors
strongly discourage the use of

'cuts cancer risk'

A small daily dose of aspirin - 75mg - substantially reduces death
rates from a range of common cancers, a study suggests.
Research at Oxford University andother centers found that it cut
overall cancer deaths by at least afifth.
The study, published in the Lancet, covered some 25,000 patients,
mostly from the UK.
Experts say the findings show aspirin's benefits often outweighed its
associated risk of causing bleeding.
Aspirin is already known to cut the risk of heart attack and stroke
among those at increased risk. But the protective effects against
cardiovascular disease are thought to be small for healthy adults, and
aspirin increases the risks of stomach and gut bleeds.
However, this latest research shows that when weighing up the risks
and benefits of taking aspirin, experts should also consider its
protective effect against cancer.
Those patients who were given aspirin had a 25% lower risk of death
from cancer during the trial period and a 10% reduction in death from
any cause compared to patients who were not given the drug.
Lasting protection
The treatment with aspirin lastedfor between four and eight years,but
long term-follow-up of around 12,500 patients showed the protective
effect continued for 20 years in both men and women.
Lead researcher Professor Peter Rothwell said the findings might well
underestimate the reductionin deaths that would result from
longer-term treatment with aspirin.
The risk of cancer death was reduced by 20% over 20 years.
Forindividual cancers the reduction was about 40% for bowel cancer,
30% for lung cancer, 10% for prostate cancer and 60% for oesophageal
cancer.
The reductions in pancreas, stomach and brain cancers were difficult
to quantify because of smaller numbers of deaths.
There was also not enough data to show an effect on breast or ovarian
cancer and the authors suggest this is because there were not enough
women in the trials. Large-scale studies investigating the effects on
thesecancers are under way.
Professor Rothwell said he was not urging healthy middle-aged adults
to immediately start taking aspirin, but said the evidence on cancer
"tips things towards it being well worth it". The benefit in cancer
reduction were found from a low daily doseof 75mg.
Professor Rothwell said the annual risk of major internal bleeding was
about 1 in 1,000 and aspirin roughly doubled that risk. But he said
the danger of major bleeding was "very low" in middle age but
increased dramatically after 75.
Sensible time to consider startingdaily aspirin use would be between
45-50, continuing for around 25 years, he said.
Cancer Research UK described theresults as "promising". But Ed Yong,
head of health information and evidence, said: "We encourage anyone
interested in taking aspirin on a regular basis to talk to their GP
first."
Professor Peter Elwood, an epidemiologist from Cardiff University, who
carried out some of the first studies into the effects of aspirin on
health, said individuals should make up their own minds:
"Aspirin should be thought of in the same context as lifestyle changes
such as diet and exercisewhich can help to preserve health."
Professor Elwood said taking aspirin at night and with calcium seemed
to enhance its effects. Hesuggested taking it with a glass of milk as
this could also reduce

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DARWINISM HAS COLLAPSED
Reports of the collapse of Darwinism are coming in from all over the world!
'Truth has come and falsehood has vanished. Falsehood is always bound
to vanish.' (Surat Al-Isra , 81)
Public opinion polls in 34 leading countries show an avalanche of
belief in creation across the world and that the theory of evolution
has begun to disappear. Oneof these countries in which the number of
believers in evolution is the smallest is "Turkey".
Ever since it was first putforward, people have been indoctrinated
with the theory of evolution by means of a wide range of propaganda
techniques, as a result ofwhich it has been widelyaccepted by sections
of society lacking the means to research it. However, the theory of
evolution has now lost all its foundations in the face of present-day
scientific developments.
Anyone who follows scientific publications can clearly see that the
theory of evolution is facing a major predicament. All the research
carried out has totally discredited claimsthat living things came into
existence by chance.Indeed, many evolutionists now openly admit that
it is impossible for Darwinism to explain theorigin of life.
Evolutionists used the primitive level of technology in the past
todeceive people – literallyby casting a spell over them – for
decades. However, there has beena comprehensive intellectual struggle
against Darwinism all over the world in the last 20 years,
particularlyin Turkey. The Turkish public has been made aware of
evolutionist deceptions by means of this struggle and of the Creation
surrounding us.This intellectual struggle has also had an impact all
over the world. Indeed, when one brings together recent developments
we can see that a number of very significant changes have taken place
in the world.
In particular, a number of successive reports in the Turkish and
foreign press have made this change crystal clear. The results of a
number of public opinion polls have revealed that thereis a very
powerful general trend towards Creationism and that thishas caused
great consternation among evolutionists. The statistics obtained show
that many people no longer believe in evolution. In addition, the way
that many well-known scientists have turned to God by admitting that
living things were created is a striking development showing that the
theory of evolution has reachedthe end of the road and that the number
of its adherents is decreasing day by day. The commonfactor among the
factorsleading to this change noted by experts is the quality, variety
and spread of the studies revealing the invalidity of the theory of
evolution. Some striking reports recently published regarding the
strengthening of belief in creation, which has for some time now
occupied an important place in the world press, and the way that
people are turning in the direction of religious moral values are
collected below:
A number of significant developments in recent years have accelerated
the great collapse of materialism, which has in turn led to the end of
the theory of evolution. Some of these developments are:
• Scientists conducting experiments aimed at exceeding the speed of
light made a finding thatoverturned all scientific assumptions. They
witnessed that in an experimental environment in which the speed of
light was exceeded many times the result of the experiment actually
occurred before its cause. This meant the demolition of the claim of
"causality," proposed in the 19th century on the basis of materialist
foundations. The subjectwas summarized in the words "it has been
proved that an effect without a cause is possible, and that the end of
an event can occur before its beginning" in one newspaper headline.
Indeed, the effect of a phenomenon occurring prior to the one seen as
its cause is scientific proof that all events are created separately
and completely overturn materialist dogma.
• The Human Genome Project conducted in order to unravel the genetic
structure of manhas been brought to a conclusion and the details of
"genetic data" revealing that Allah has brought living things into
being with a Sublime Creation have been made clear for all to see.
Anyone today who examines the results of this project and learns that
a single human cell contains sufficient information tofill thousands
of encyclopaedia pages willunderstand just what a great creation this
truly is.
REPORTS OF THE COLLAPSE OF DARWINISM
Opponents Of Evolution In Europe Are Growing In Numbers
A special report in the major scientific journal Nature noted that
Turkey was the country with the strongest creationist movement.
Nature, 23 November, 2006.
In its 23 rd November, 2006, edition the world-renowned scientific
magazine Nature carrieda special report titled "Anti-evolutionists
raise their profile in Europe" . The report discussed the places
occupied by evolution and creation in school curricula in such
European countries as Italy, Germany, Poland, France and GreatBritain.
It also referred to the work of the Science Research Foundation in
Turkey:
"The movement is by far the strongest in Turkey, however, which is in
negotiations to join the European Union. The main Muslim creationist
organization [is] the Turkish Bilim ve Arastirma Vakfi… Prominent US
creationists are also frequently invited by thegroup to give talks.
Additionally, the report discussed the debate stemming from the
teaching of the fact of creation in certain schools in Germany and the
removal of the theory of evolution fromthe middle school curriculum at
the wish ofItalian Minister of Education Letizia Moratti. It also
cited examples of research carried out by groups in Russia espousing
the factof creation and stated that there was a rapid rise in the
number of people supporting creation in Great Britain in particular:
Steve Jones, a geneticist at University College London who has
lectured widely about evolution, is one of those concerned by the
growing influence of creationist groups. 'I have talked about
evolution in front of more than 100,000 British schoolchildren in the
past 20 years – during most of that time I was never asked questions
about creationism,' he says. 'But in the past couple ofyears, wherever
I go I am asked about it.'"
At the end of the report, Jones said that he believed that the theory
of evolution would never be weakened in European countries as it had
been in the USA, andthat evolution would always remain powerful,but
that he had concernswhen it came to Turkey.
In reference of the state of Darwinism in Turkey the Darwinist
geneticist Steve Jones describes how evolution has collapsed: "I am
not very hopeful for Turkey…"
Creation Museums and the Rise of Global Creationism
Harvard University, one of the world's leading scientific centres, has
also determined that "creationism is growing increasingly stronger in
the world and that it is the work of the Science Research Foundation
(SRF) that represents the global centre of this." In the latest
edition of the book The Creationists, from Scientific Creationism to
Intelligent Design, a special section has been set aside for the SRF's
work setting out the factof creation. A report headed Creation Museums
and the Rise of Global Creationism on a web site belonging to the
university summarised the section in question as follows:
An unusual phenomenonthat seems to be popping up a lot lately--the
creation museum. America's first one is set to open this spring in
Petersburg, Kentucky. The $26.4 million facility boasts animatronic
dinosaurs and a state-of-the-art SFX theater, alldesigned to convince
visitors that God created the world exactly as it's described in the
Holy Book.
And it's not just in the US. Like everything thesedays, creationism is
going global, as evidenced by a campaign to open small creation
museums acrossTurkey (a typical one, located in an Istanbul kebab
shop, greets visitors with a portrait ofCharles Darwin framed in
dripping blood). Matt Mossman reports in this month's issue of SEED
Magazine :
In its latest campaign, BAV [Bilim Arastirma Vakfi, or "Scientific
Research Foundation" has opened more than 80 "museums" in restaurants,
malls, and city halls across Turkey, each stocked with fossils,
posters, and eager volunteers. Oktar'sdisciples use tactics cribbed
from US organizations like California's Institute for Creation
Research, instructing passersby that evolution cannot explain
biology's complexity and is against the word of God.
BAV runs quite a sophisticated operation, as evidenced by its website,
which, according to Mossman, offers downloadable Power Point
presentations and questions with which students can challenge their
evolution-loving science teachers (we'll have to take Mossman's word
for it--the website in Turkish). And the affinity with US creationists
isn't mere coincidence--a BAV spokesman travelled to the US last year
to testify in the Kansas Board of Education's intelligent design
hearings. Beyondthe US and Turkey, creationist movements in Britain
and Australia (where they seem to be particularly strong) suggest a
growing global trend.
"The Atlas of Creation"
The Creation Atlas affords readers the opportunity to obtain a close
familiarity with fossils that say "We did not evolve, but were
created."
The British news agency Reuters, one of the largest in the world,
carried an analysis by Tom Heneghan on 22 November, 2006. (Reuters
reports reach some 1 billion people every day.) The report, headed
Creation vs. Darwin Takes Muslim Twist in Turkey , discussed the works
by the author Harun Yahya on the subject of evolution and the extentto
which belief in evolution had contracted in Turkey in recent years.
This analysis provoked a verywide reaction in various newspapers,
including the Washington Post, themost important daily in the USA, and
on some of the world's most frequently visited news portals such as
MSNBC, YahooNews and AolNews. Some of the comments in the report read:
"A lavishly illustrated Atlas of Creation is mysteriously turning up
at schools and libraries in Turkey, proclaiming that Charles Darwin's
theory of evolution is the real root of terrorism.
Arriving unsolicited by post, the large-format tome offers 768 glossy
pages of photographs and easy-to-read text to prove that God created
the world with all its species.
At first sight, it looks like it could be the work of United States
creationists, the Christian fundamentalists who believe the world was
created in six days as told in the Bible.
But the author's name, Harun Yahya, reveals the surprise inside. This
is Islamic creationism, a richly funded movement based in
predominantly Muslim Turkey which hasan influence U.S. creationists
could only dream of.
Creationism is so widely accepted here that Turkey placed last in a
recent survey of public acceptance of evolution in 34 countries—just
behind the United States."
The latest of Harun Yahya's works revealing the "Fact of Creation,"
The Atlas of Creation" consists of a total of seven volumes and 5600
pages. In terms of its content and appearance this work, which reveals
all aspects of the invalidity of the theory of evolution is said to
have no equal anywherein the world.
The Extent of the Effect of Religion
Like the Bible, the Koran says God made the worldin six days and
fashioned the first man, Adam, from dust. Other details vary but the
idea is roughly the same.
But unlike in the West, evolution theory has notundermined the
traditional creation storyfor many Muslims.
Science is hardly an issuein Turkey, therefore evolution could hardly
have been an issue, said Celal Sengor, a geology professor at Istanbul
Technical University.
Darwinism did become an issue during the left-versus-right
politicalturmoil before a 1980 military coup because Communist
bookshops touted Darwin's works as a complement to Karl Marx.
It looked like Marx and Darwin were together, two long-bearded guys
spreading ideas that make people lose their faith, said Istanbul
journalist Mustafa Akyol.
After the coup, the conservative government thought a dose of religion
could bolster the fight against the extreme left.
In 1985, a paragraph on creationism as an alternative to evolution was
added to high school science textbooksand a U.S. book
ScientificCreationism was translated into Turkish.
In the early 1990s, leading U.S. creationists came to speak at several
anti-evolution conferences in Turkey.
Darwin and Terror
Since then, a home-grown strain of anti-Darwinist books hasdeveloped
with a clearly political message.
Atlas of Creation offers over 500 pages of splendid images comparing
fossils with present-day animals to argue that Allah created all life
as it is and evolution never took place.
Then comes a book-length essay arguing that Darwinism, by stressing
the "survivalof the fittest", has inspired racism, Nazism, communism
and terrorism.
The root of the terrorismthat plagues our planet is not any of the
divine religions, but atheism, and the expression of atheism in our
times [is] Darwinism and materialism, it says.
One Istanbul school unexpectedly received three copies recently.
It'svery well done, with magnificent photos—a very stylish tool of
creationist propaganda, said the headmaster, who asked not to be