This week in the dos and don'ts of health headlines

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Every week, new studies emerge proving the health benefits of adding or removing foods, medications and exercises from your daily routine; this week focused on over-the-counter pain relievers, sleep and marijuana.

1) Do use aspirin if you have breast cancer

Aspirin, a generic over-the-counter pain reliever, often recommended in low doses to ward off heart attacks and strokes was "associated  with a decreased risk of breast cancer death" by a team of researchers at Harvard during a 30-year study. The study was published February 16 in the Journal of Clinical Oncology: http://jco.ascopubs.org/cgi/content/abstract/JCO.2009.22.7918v1

2) Do take ibuprofen to help prevent Parkinson's disease

Another study from Harvard has found that, "ibuprofen was the only NSAID linked to a lower risk of Parkinson's," said Xiang Gao, MD, with Harvard School of Public Health in Boston. "Other NSAIDs and analgesics, including aspirin and acetaminophen, did not appear to have any effect on lowering a person's risk of developing Parkinson's." The study will be presented at the American Academy of Neurology's 62nd Annual Meeting in Toronto April 10 to April 17.

3) Don't smoke pot if you are trying to procreate

Cell, a peer-reviewed scientific journal, published "Acid Extrusion from Human Spermatozoa Is Mediated by Flagellar Voltage-Gated Proton Channel." This breakthrough study found new insight into how the male reproductive system functions. Yuriy Kirichok, PhD, lead researcher for the study at UCSF Department of Physiology, also proposed that these findings explain how marijuana use causes male infertility. Essentially the cannabis raises the pH level in the semen, causing the sperm to swim but without the endurance to make it all the way to the egg. PDF of full study in  Cell: http://download.cell.com/pdf/PIIS0092867409016808.pdf?intermediate=true

4) Don't miss your ZZZZs

Ellemarijie Altena, lead author of the study from the Netherlands Institute for Neuroscience, told DiscoveryNews, the research findings "predict that chronic insomnia sufferers may have compromised capacities to evaluate the affective value of stimuli. This could have consequences for other cognitive processes, notably decision-making." http://news.discovery.com/human/insomnia-brain-sleep.html