Health aNd Fitness Guide

Using vinegar and a halogen lamp to screen for cervical cancer is almost as effective as the more expensive methods used in the developed world, says a study by the Institute of Medical Sciences, Tamil Nadu, and the International Agency for Research on Cancer, France. Screening is done by wiping a woman’s cervix with acetic acid (a chemical compound in vinegar) and guaze. In one minute, pre-cancerous lesions, if any, turn white, and can be seen with the naked eye under a halogen lamp. The study found that the screening method reduced cervical cancer cases by 25 per cent, and the number of deaths from the disease by over 35 per cent.