Cardiovascular, Medicine, Miscellaneous
New Zona Plus Device To Treat Hypertension
Why would patients choose to endure the side-effects of blood pressure pills when a new Zona Plus exercise can ease hypertension? Before you say "it's too good to be true", let me tell you about F-16 fighter pilots. These pilots have to withstand huge G-forces in combat to prevent them from blacking out. This presented a major dilemma for flight researchers. It turned out researchers solved two diverse problems at the same time. Studies showed that exercises to strengthen abdominal muscles decreased the effect of gravitational force. But they also discovered that hand gripping exercises could lower blood pressure. This has lead to the development of the Zona Plus device. A recent article in the Journal of Hypertension analyzed several clinical...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin C and Lysine Powder Help Prevent Heart Attack
Why is heart attack the number one killer in this country? 99 percent of doctors say it's due to atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) and that cholesterol lowering drugs are the primary way to treat it. But I say it's because cardiologists have closed minds and are ignoring facts that could save thousands of North Americans from coronary attack. History shows mankind is not kind to new ideas. In 1847 one maternity patient in six who entered the University Hospital in Vienna left in a coffin. Why? Because esteemed professors ridiculed Dr. Semmelweiss, a colleague, for showing that by simply washing hands after doing an autopsy, deaths were prevented. Years later Dr. Linus Pauling, two-time Noble Prize winner, is ignored for reporting that...Read More
Cardiovascular, Obesity, Pediatrics
Niagara’s Grass Roots Approach Targets Childhood Obesity
What will it take to eliminate the current obesity epidemic in children? There’s no easy answer and every year children are putting on more pounds. So why not try a new approach? The one veteran politicians use to get elected, the grass roots approach? This is what Dr. Stafford Dobbin, a wily Irishman and family physician, decided to try in the Niagara Region. It should set a standard for the nation. Dr. Dobbin, graduate of Queen’s University in Belfast, and a family doctor, has a hero. He’s Professor Frank Pantridge, a cardiologist in Belfast, who invented the cardiac ambulance. Pantridge was the first to realize that if ambulances carried defibrillators, countless lives of coronary victims would be saved in Northern Ireland...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Genitourinary, Infection, Nutrition
How NEO40 Fights Multiple Health Problems
Feeling tired? Falling asleep in the afternoon? Losing your keys or interest in sex? Are you concerned about cardiovascular disease, hypertension, osteoporosis, high cholesterol, diabetes and its complications? Or want to limit the pain and swelling of arthritis, calm the inflammation of asthma and assist the immune system in fighting infection? If so, you may need a new revolutionary natural remedy NEO40 to increase your level of nitric oxide (N0). My initial reaction to this news was, “It’s too good to be true!”. But three researchers received the prestigious Nobel Prize for this discovery. Louise J. Ignarro, one of the prize winners, says, “There may be no disease process where this miracle molecule does not have a protective role.” Dr. Nathan S....Read More
Cardiovascular
Surgery for Swinging-Door Heart Valves
What do the swinging doors of a western movie have to do with mitral valve surgery? They’re the easiest way to describe what’s wrong with the heart’s valves and what surgical procedure is needed to correct mitral valve prolapse (MVP). To get a first-hand look I watched Dr. Tirone David, one the world’s great cardiac surgeons, perform this operation at the Toronto General Hospital. The mitral valve separates the two left chambers of the heart. Each time the heart beats the valves open, like the swinging doors of a western saloon. But after opening they firmly close while the heart pumps blood to the body. The problem is that swinging doors of saloons often develop loose rusty hinges which don’t close well....Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle
Decrease Sugar to Sweeten Blood Cholesterol
Think you know everything on how to lower blood cholesterol? I’m sure it’s no news that excessive amounts of sugar can cause obesity, diabetes and more visits to the dentist. But a report from Tufts University School of Nutrition says this is the first study to show that too much sugar is also bad news for blood cholesterol. It appears they’ve forgotten the work of Dr. John Yudkin. North Americans love sugar because it tastes good and food companies know it. Studies show that they get 16 percent of their total calories from sugar added to foods during manufacturing. Thirty five years ago it was 10.6 percent. It’s the “silent sugar” hidden in a variety of everyday foods such as...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle
More Natural Ways to Decrease Blood Cholesterol
“Should I stop taking my cholesterol-lowering drug (CLD) and switch to the natural product Sytrinol?” “Can I take this remedy along with a CLD? “Are there other natural ways to lower blood cholesterol?” These and other responses to my column about Sytrinol indicate that large numbers of people on CLDs are worried about their potential side effects, and would prefer a natural product. To recapitulate, Sytrinol consists of citrus and palm fruit extract. This is why these products are often called plant sterols as they’re found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals and vegetable oils. Sytrinol has been available for several years and passed the test of time by lowering total cholesterol 30 percent, LDL bad cholesterol 27percent, triglycerides 34 percent,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Former President Clinton’s Restenosis
BEST COLUMN OF 2010 Five years ago I wrote in this column, "Former President Clinton has joined 400,000 Americans who required coronary bypass surgery in the last year". Clinton had high blood cholesterol and took cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs). But in spite of these drugs, along with superb medical care, they failed to prevent a blocked artery. Again, recently the insertion of two stents (tiny structures like scaffolding) were required to reopen one coronary artery after he experienced chest pain. Five years ago, following his bypass, I wrote to the former President. I suggested he should discuss with his cardiologists the merit of high doses of vitamin C and lysine to prevent a recurrent blockage (restenosis) of his coronary arteries. I did not...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition
Will Your Child Die Before You?
What is the greatest tragedy that can befall parents? It’s that a child will die before they do. It’s tragic when this happens and we may see it more often. Many years ago I attended a service in Westminster Abbey in London, England. I can’t recall the sermon. But I do remember seeing chubby choir boys. I realized then how obesity was starting to affect children. Since then several studies have shown the growing extent of childhood obesity. One study involved 5,517 grade 5 students in 291 public schools in Nova Scotia. Of these students 32.9 percent were overweight and 9.9 percent obese. One in 10 is a frightening figure. We don’t...Read More
Cardiovascular
A Cholesterol-Lowering Drug For Healthy people?
Should healthy people with no heart symptoms take a cholesterol-lowering drug (CLD) to prevent heart disease? Federal regulators in the U.S. have recently given the green light to allow Crestor, one of the CLDs, to be sold for this purpose. So is this decision a scientific breakthrough or medical madness? Why should millions of healthy people be added to the millions already prescribed CLDs? The reason is a study of 17,800 people who had no heart disease, but did have high amounts of c-reactive protein (CRP) in the blood, which is linked to an inflammatory process in arteries. Those who took Crestor showed a decrease in the level of bad cholesterol and CRP, and fewer deaths...Read More
Cardiovascular
Cardiologists Say This Research is “Hog Wash” – Vitamin C
What are the pleasures and frustrations of writing a medical column? The best reward is the response from readers whose health has been helped by a column. The greatest frustration is when a new medical topic triggers a negative response from doctors. But who provide no scientific explanation for their opinion. Several weeks ago I presented evidence that vitamin C in large doses, along with amino acids, could prevent heart attack. The response from one of the leading cardiologists in this country, "It's hog wash". And not one cardiologist has urged that a study be done to prove this theory right or wrong. The Canadian Medical Association Journal, having published previously my opinion on controversial matters, refused to publish this article. Their...Read More
Cardiovascular
CRP Predicts Heart Disease Better Than Cholesterol
How much trust would you put in a test when it's results are 50 percent wrong? It would do little to ease the psyche. Yet for years millions of people have shown blind faith in the cholesterol blood test as the prime predictor of heart disease. This year another one-and-a-half million North Americans will experience the crushing chest pain of coronary attack. But half of these patients will show normal blood cholesterol levels. Now a study from The Harvard Medical School may make another blood test a household word. Dr. Paul Ridker has followed the fate of 28,000 women for eight years. He found that women with high levels of C- Reactive Protein (CRP) were twice as likely to have a...Read More
Cardiovascular
Excess Salt: It’s Like a Commuter Jet Crashing Every Day
Suppose you were given this choice, early death from heart attack or stroke or decreasing the amount of salt in your diet. It would be an easy decision for most people. But decreasing the amount of salt is easier said than done. Today, most packaged foods are loaded with salt. This situation won't change as long as companies believe consumers are dumb bunnies and can't read labels. Why do North Americans consume so much salt? Food manufacturers recently told a government committee the public is to blame. They claim we crave salt and won't compromise on taste by accepting lesser amounts. But this is nonsense. In 2004 The English Standards Agency launched a major health campaign, called "Know Your Numbers". It was...Read More
Cardiovascular
Vitamin C Fights Heart Attack
Several years ago I interviewed Linus Pauling, two-time Noble Prize winner. He told me there was one major difference between humans and animals. Humans, in the process of evolution, had developed a genetic defect and lost the enzyme 1-gulonolactone oxidase required to manufacture vitamin C. This is why in earlier centuries the cat lived while sailors died of scurvy during long sea voyages. But it's ironic that doctors accept the fact that other genetic defects such as pernicious anemia can be controlled by diet and supplements, yet refuse to agree that Vitamin C is needed for this genetic loss. For years Pauling stressed that it was this lack of vitamin C that caused coronary attack. But why is vitamin C so...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin C Prevents Hypertension?
"Is my blood pressure OK, doctor?" is a question asked day after day by patients. They worry their pressure is too high or too low. So this week, Course 101 in hypertension. And why is it that doctors do not prescribe vitamin C to prevent this silent killer? What is normal blood pressure? Normal is 120/80. The first number represents the force of the blood when the heart contracts. The second figure is the pressure between beats. What causes hypertension or high blood pressure? Often doctors are unable to pinpoint any specific cause for this condition. But high blood pressure is usually associated with patients who are obese with resulting Type 2 diabetes. This disease causes atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) which increases...Read More
Cardiovascular
Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and Muscle Damage
Today millions of people are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs) known as statins. But how safe is this medication, particularly if patients are complaining of muscle pain? Doctors often reassure patients that if blood tests are normal there's no need to worry. But a recent report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that blood tests cannot guarantee that muscle injury is not occurring. Dr. Annette Draeger of the University of Berne, Switzerland, and her colleagues obtained biopsy samples from 83 patients. Of the 44 patients complaining of muscle pain 29 were talking a CLD and 15 had discontinued it for at least three weeks before biopsies were done. The study also included 19 patients who were taking A CLD and were...Read More
Cardiovascular
Who Should Take a Baby Aspirin?
A reader writes, "I've been taking a baby aspirin daily for years to prevent a heart attack. Now, I've read that not everyone should take this pill." She then added, "Is there a natural way to decrease the risk of coronary attack?" Acetylsalicyclic acid (ASA), commonly known as aspirin, has been extolled for years (also by this journalist), as a way to prevent heart attack. But new research suggests that this common practice needs to be reexamined. Dr. Colin Baigent, at Oxford University, recently reported their findings of a study in the British journal "Lancet", involving 95,000 patients. The authors concluded that, for apparently healthy individuals, there is questionable benefit from taking ASA. But that patients who had already had a heart...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin C Prevents Heart Attack
Why would I travel to snowy England in January? I had the chance to spend a week studying with Dr. Sydney Bush, a distinguished English professor of optometry. This week why I believe his research on the cause of coronary artery disease deserves a Nobel Prize and how you can benefit from his research. What causes coronary attack? Authorities say it's due to increased blood cholesterol. But I've always questioned this theory since interviewing Dr. Linus Pauling (the only person to receive two Nobel Prizes). Years ago Pauling told me animals manufacture vitamin C, but humans do not. For instance, goats produce 13,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily! Humans lost this ability during the course of evolution. That's why cats survived voyages...Read More
Cardiovascular
How Fruit Juices Affect Medication
What would you think of somebody who poured himself a vodka Martini for breakfast every day? No doubt you would believe he was on a rocky road to medical hell. But how many readers are aware that a large glass of grapefruit juice in the morning is also a health hazard? Studies show that downing a glass of fruit juice can have a powerful effect on medication. In 1991 Dr. David Bailey, an expert on clinical pharmacology at the University of Western Ontario, was the first scientist in the world to discover that grapefruit juice had the ability to increase the level of certain drugs in the blood. At the time it was considered a mere academic curiosity. But what Dr....Read More
Cardiovascular, Medicine
Rx For The Heart: Marry A Smart Woman
Thank God I married a smart woman. And one who majored in English. Commas, colons and semicolons are a puzzle to me. I'd still be, were it not for her, wondering whether to use "a" or "an", "affect" or "effect", "escapee" or "escaper". I'll die before I know the meaning of a compound noun. This column wouldn't have lasted one year if I'd married a not-so-literate wife. But, just as important, I might have died long ago from heart disease. A new study shows that marrying smart is good for the heart. Investigators from the Institute of Nutrition Research at the University of Oslo analyzed 20,000 married men over a 14 year period. The men, ages 35 to 56 years were...Read More
Cardiovascular
Campbell Soup With 32 Percent Less Sodium
Why would any company want to change a product that's stood the test of time for 112 years? After all, in this fast moving world most products either change every few years or perish. But Campbell soup, first produced in 1897, has finally made a healthy change in its ingredients. Each serving will now have 32 percent less sodium which will help tame one of the big killers, hypertension. High blood pressure is the leading cause of death in the world. It's estimated that 25 percent of North Americans have hypertension and five million Canadians suffer from it. But this disease is a silent killer as you're unable to see or feel its presence. Sir William Osler, Professor of Medicine at McGill,...Read More
Cardiovascular
PAD Prelude to Heart Attack
"Have you ever heard of Matthew's Law?" I asked a journalism student who recently interviewed me. Her assignment was to find out what young people could do to prevent health problems. The timing of the interview was good because at the time I was writing a column about peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a prime example of Matthew's Law. And did she, or readers, know about the ABI test? A report from the Mayo Clinic says that 10 million Americans have PAD. Another study from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, claims that five percent of men and two percent of women over the age of 50 have PAD. This increases the risk of heart attack six times. Mayo Clinic says 80 percent...Read More
Cardiovascular
Zona Plus : A Hand Held Device To Treat Hypertension
Could experiments on F-16 fighter pilots help to decrease the need of blood pressure pills? In the 1960s an Air Force study was conducted in an endeavour to increase a pilot's ability to withstand the huge G-forces and prevent him from them from blacking out during aerial combat. Researchers discovered that exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles could decrease the effect of gravitational forces. They also demonstrated that hand gripping exercises could fight hypertension. Now, because of this research a hand-held computer device called "Zona Plus" is available to lower blood pressure. The Harvard Medical School initially thought the Zona device was a hoax and carried out research to prove it was fraudulent treatment. But to its embarrassment and amazement it discovered...Read More
Alcohol, Cardiovascular, Nutrition, Vitamins
The Red Wine Pill
How do the French differ from North Americans? They're noted for enjoying fat-rich, calorie-packed baked goodies which are not heart healthy. Yet they're less likely to die from cardiovascular disease than North Americans. It's called "The French Paradox", believed to be linked to resveratrol, a substance found in red wine. Now, a study shows that a red wine pill provides more health benefits than drinking hundreds of glasses of the sweet nectar of the gods. Dr. David Sinclair, a researcher at The Harvard Medical School, has developed a concentrated form of resveratrol. He's tested the effects on mice and believes it will help to offset the effect of high fat diets, decrease the chance of diabetes and slow down aging in...Read More
Cardiovascular
Canadian Institute of CardioRetinometry
Why Should You Consider Retinal Photography? To analyze the current status of your retinal arteries and diagnose whether arterial blockages will lead to coronary artery attack. And to initiate therapy with vitamin C and Lysine to cause a regression of these lesions. Why Did I Become Involved in This Project? Read More
