Infection, Vitamins
How To Protect Your Family From Ebola Infection
If it wasn’t happening I wouldn’t believe it! But night after night I’ve seen Wolf Blitzer on CNN and Peter Mansbridge on CBC news talking about Ebola, interviewing infectious disease experts about it. Yet, to my knowledge, no one in medical circles nor in the media has discussed the fact that there’s a proven way to treat viral diseases successfully, such as Ebola. What astounds me is that intelligent people are totally ignorant of medical history. Their lack of knowledge has doomed Ebola victims in West Africa and may kill others if this disease hits North America with a vengeance. 64 years ago Dr. Frederick Klenner, a small town family doctor treated 60 polio patients with large doses of...Read More
Infection, Surgery
How to Stay Safe in Hospital
Luckily, I've only been admitted to hospital for surgery on two occasions. But when it happened I had serious concerns. The big one was, will I develop a complication during my hospital stay that I didn't have on arrival? So, what can be done to prevent this from occurring? First, I choose my surgeon like porcupines make love, very, very carefully. This choice can have a major impact on outcome. I realize the best of surgeons can encounter a problem that is largely "an act of God". But chances are slim that an unforeseen event will occur with a first class technical surgeon. So the surgery is the least of my worries. I know some may say, "Yes, but you have the...Read More
Gastroenterology, Infection, Medicine, Miscellaneous
How Many Would Agree To a Fecal Enema?
John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber, was once asked why he robbed banks. He replied, "That's where the money is." Today, if you asked infectious disease experts where Clostridium difficile resides, they would reply, "It's in hospitals. It's dangerous and can be lethal." Other experts might warn that many C difficile infections could be avoided if North Americans would stop looking for pills to treat every human complaint. Rather than seeking pills they should be following a healthy dietary lifestyle. In fact, getting smart could even save 40 bowel movements a day, and, at times, a life. We have millions of bacteria living in our large bowels, usually not making war with one another. Studies show that about 3 percent of adults...Read More
Infection, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Vitamins
Death by Measles??
How would you react if your unvaccinated child or grandchild died from measles? No doubt your response would be one of agonizing grief. What you wouldn't know is that this personal tragedy did not have to happen in 2014. Unfortunately, I bet not one doctor in a thousand knows how Dr. Frederick Klenner successfully treated this viral infection over 60 years ago. Doctors are not the only ones unaware of Dr. Klenner. One of Canada's leading newspapers recently reported that there was no specific antiviral treatment for this highly infectious disease. It was wrong. This newspaper editor committed a major error by not reading history. Worldwide measles has been, in the past, one of the major causes of death among young children....Read More
Infection
The Airplane Cold: Fact or Fiction?
"Did I catch this infection on the plane?" I wondered. I'm sure, like me, you have often asked yourself this same question, particularly if you've landed in a tropical paradise and a cold is the last thing you need. So what is the risk of picking up a bug on a plane and how can you avoid it? And should airlines add something to a certain door? Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, studied 1,100 passengers travelling between San Francisco and Denver, Colorado, on planes that had newer air recirculating systems and those that use fresh air for ventilation. 21 percent of passengers aboard fresh air planes reported colds within one week, compared to...Read More
Infection, Vitamins
Don’t Ignore This Amazing Video
[gp_video_center image_path="https://www.docgiff.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/01/Capture-1.png" youtube_id="pHhLYqF85EA"] I've just sent an e-mail to my children urging them to watch an amazing, informative video and telling them to never, never forget what they've seen. The video was produced in New Zealand for 60 Minutes, the TV show. It demonstrates the incompetence and sheer arrogance of some physicians. A man's life was at stake and close to ending. But fortunately, his son knew more than his doctors. Allan Smith, a 57 year old New Zealand farmer, was stricken with a severe form of the swine flu virus. He was desperately ill, unconscious and near death. His doctors wanted to remove life-support technology. But his son refused. He pleaded that his father be given large amounts of intravenous vitamin...Read More
Infection, Sex
New Facts About Genital Herpes
"How could this happen to me?" Or "How can I tell my partner I have genital herpes?" I have too often heard these questions, and the despair, guilt, remorse and fear of patients when told they have genital herpes. Now, a report in the journal, "Nature", may help to decrease the spread of this disease and result in an effective treatment for what is called "herpes simples virus Type 2 (HSV-2)" Today, it's estimated that 20 percent of the population is infected with HSV-2. But of this group 80 percent are unaware they have this infection. This means that 50 million North Americans have genital herpes and that every year another 500,000 are diagnosed with it. And once people are infected, no...Read More
Gastroenterology, Infection
The Worm, a Sight You Will Never Forget
"Would you like ice in your drink?" To this, I normally say "yes". But there are times when I say an emphatic "no". I know, when travelling in the less affluent parts of the world, having an icy drink may result in the "Hong Kong Trots" or "Montezuma's Revenge". On an unlucky day, even hepatitis B infection. Even in some North American locations, I sometimes decline ice. Why? Because I never want to see Ascaris lumbricoides in the toilet bowel. If it ever happens to you, it's a sight you will never forget. During my time as a family doctor, a family arrived with their young frightened son. Following a bowel movement he had noticed what he described as a "garden...Read More
Genitourinary, Infection, Miscellaneous
What You Should Know About Toilet Seats and Pigs
Was Mother right when she advised to never sit on a public toilet seat? Vancouver believed it had solved this "pottie" fear by installing automated toilets. But they proved we still need to teach humans to behave as well as pigs. "How well do you know Toronto?", I once asked a new-comer to the city. "Well" she replied, "I now know the location of the pubic toilets". This topic will not win the Noble Prize in Medicine, but it's vital knowledge if you suffer from urinary or bowel problems. Vancouver believed it had solved pottie paranoia by installing hi-tech potties. Touch a button and the door slides open, followed by voice instructions. Then, after each use, the facility is automatically cleaned and...Read More
Dermatology, Infection
This Fall Think About Lyme Disease
Do you believe you must be in an infected area to get Lyme disease? If you do, think again. A 10 year study reports that you can catch this malady in your own backyard. And since spring and fall are prime times for this disease, being forewarned is forearmed. Particularly since a bite of the deer tick can have far-reaching health consequences. Lyme disease was first suspected in North America in 1975. In Lyme, Connecticut, an unusual number of children were developing what was initially thought to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. So a team of scientists from Yale University were sent to study this cluster of patients. These children all exhibited a "bull's–eye" rash. In addition, they also suffered from muscular,...Read More
Gynecology, Infection
The Many Different Faces of Infection
For centuries infection has been a major killer. Then several years ago it appeared that antibiotics had largely eradicated this menace. But unexpectedly the AIDS virus struck with a vengeance. Now scientists are linking infection to peptic ulcers, heart attack and cancer. So how can you protect yourself and your family from these serious illnesses? In 1984 an Australian physician, Barry Marshall, decided to prove that his theory of infection was right. He drank a bacteria laced concoction to show that it was bacteria, not stress, that caused peptic ulcers. Subsequent studies confirmed that most ulcers are infected with a bacterium called H. pylori. But here’s a problem. About half the people over 60 years of age have H. pylori in their...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
Infection
How Safe is Double-Dipping?
How many times will you see this happen during the holiday season? I’d predict several times unless you’ve decided to say “no” to parties. My bet is that someone will walk up to the table, pick up a shrimp, dip it into the sauce, enjoy the taste, then dip again. And when I see this I wonder, “How safe is it to share the sauce in the communal bowl with them?” And “Why didn’t their Mother tell them not to do it?” Since research on double dipping won’t win anyone the Noble Prize, there’s not much science on this topic. But the question did catch the attention of Paul L. Dawson, Professor of Food Chemistry at Clemson University, South Carolina....Read More
Infection
Cholesterol Drugs and Antidepressants in Drinking Water?
What was in our drinking water? Our home at the time was supplied by a well along the Niagara River. The only protection was a dash of chlorine. Now, years later, I’m happy I didn’t know the contents. A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal has some shocking news about water. For centuries it was always safer to drink beer than water. Contaminated water killed millions. It’s still a major threat as every year in the U.S. 20 million people suffer from water-borne illnesses. One reason is that 45 million people drink water from domestic wells. Domestic wells are not prime water. A 12- year U.S. study showed that 76 percent of documented outbreaks of illness occurred from groundwater. In England...Read More
Infection
Don’t Read This Column With Your Morning Coffee
Would you consent to have another person's fecal matter inserted into your body? It's a repugnant thought, particularly if you've decided to read this column at breakfast. But this procedure is being done and it's curing patients who suffer from Clostridium difficile infection, a troublesome recurrent bowel problem. So where do you pick up this infection and how is fecal material transplanted? John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber, was once asked why he robbed banks. He replied, "It's where the money is." Today if I asked infectious disease specialists where C. difficile is they would reply, "It's in the hospitals." So don't forget this fact if you need hospital care. C difficile is not a rare problem. A report in the Journal...Read More
Infection, Vitamins
The Case Of The Dilated Pupil
What causes the most problems for patients? Ask Dr.Jerome Groopman, Chief of Experimental Medicine at Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center in Boston. He's author of the book "How Doctors Think" which outlines a study of 100 incorrect diagnoses. Dr. Groupman was interviewed by Dialogue, a publication of The College of Physicians and Surgeons of Ontario. He says that the wrong diagnosis isn't usually due to the doctors' ignorance, but by failing to ask the right questions. For instance, Dr. Groopman relates the story of a 80 year old man who had been seen by four specialists. The man had only one complaint? He said he suffered from "poor stamina". During several months specialists carried out cardiovascular, pulmonary function tests along with an...Read More
Infection
They Said I Was Dreaming
"I'm sure something is flying around my room" I complained to my parents one night many years ago. But when bedroom nights went on, neither I nor my parents could find any flying monster. They told me I had been dreaming and to go back to sleep. Two nights later, my Mother switched on a lamp in the living room and screamed as a bat flew out of it. I felt vindicated. But now the task was to catch the bat, and it was not easy. How many people have the questionable privilege of sleeping with a bat? Dr's Bryna Warshawsky and Shalini Desai report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal that such encounters occur to about 10 per 10,000 people each...Read More
Infection, Vitamins
Why Has This Treatment (Vitamin C) For H1N1 Collected Dust?
A recent newspaper headline read, "Researchers look to common, cheap medications to help H1N1 patients". Viral experts are wondering whether cholesterol-lowering drugs and steroids could help to save the sickest H1N1patients. If these researchers studied history, they would learn how Dr. Frederick R. Klenner saved an important patient, and many others, from life-threatening viral infections. In, "The Clinical Guide to the use of Vitamin C", Dr. Lendon Smith details the clinical experiences of Frederick R. Klenner. Dr. Klenner had cured case after case of viral disease by massive doses of vitamin C. And when you read these cases, it boggles the mind why this research has collected so much dust. 56 years ago, a seven year old boy had been ill for...Read More
Infection
Soap Off Poo or Eat It Later
Have you heard of the "Golden Poo Award"? It's not as prestigious as the Nobel Prize. But now that the virus season is here, it's time to think about influenza and the H1N1 virus. But remember there's more to infection than these two diseases. That's why the Golden Poo Award was recently presented to contestants who made outstanding contributions to hygiene and sanitation. But can you guess what winners of this peculiar contest won? The Golden Poo Award sponsored by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), had one main message. People often don't wash their hands after using the toilet. The goal of the contest was to find motivation for them to do so. LSHTM had good reason to...Read More
Infection
What was The Diagnosis?
This week, how about letting me relax, and you play doctor? I'll just pass along pertinent facts about a patient. Then you can see how smart you are in making a diagnosis. First, a couple of clues. The final diagnosis was made by common sense, not by fancy hospital tests. And it's also possible that any of us could arrive home from vacation with this distressful problem. Drs. Jane Pritchard and Stephen Hwang report in The Canadian Medical Association Journal the interesting case of a 62 year old man who complained of generalized fatigue. It was apparent from looking at this man's medical history that you didn't have to be a graduate of The Harvard Medical School to know there were...Read More
Infection
Super Mushrooms Fight Swine Flu Virus
"What's the best natural way to boost immunity against the swine flu virus (SFV)?" a reader from Winnipeg inquires. It's a good question, as currently this virus is killing small numbers of people. But some researchers believe 1N1that H1N1 will return in a few weeks with a vengeance, killing thousands of North Americans. If this happens, can it be possible that a group of powerful medicinal mushrooms can decrease the risk of succumbing to this virus? But first, during an epidemic, never forget these basic precautions. Bow like the Japanese rather than shaking hands, which has always been an unhealthy habit. Handshaking is a prime way to spread infection whether or not there's an epidemic of SFV. Get further protection by...Read More
Infection, Surgery
Surgery Without Any Complications
Would jump at the chance of back surgery that has zero risk of post-operative complications, is free of pain and provides relief of all your symptoms? Or do you choose a back operation that provides the same result, but has none of these guarantees? This first choice may sound like being sold swamp land in Florida. But a recent study shows this is not science fiction. Dr. Rachelle Buchbinder of Monash University in Malvern, Australia, recently reported in The New England Journal of Medicine an operation called vertebroplasty. During this surgery medical "cement" was injected into a fractured spinal bone to provide extra strength to it. The surgeons hoped that this approach would relieve back pain as compression fractures of the...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Infection
Myths About Herpes
"How could it happen to me I'm often asked?" My answer? Genital herpes can infect anyone very easily. Especially if they fail to make love like the porcupine, very, very carefully. Today it's estimated that 50 million North Americans have genital herpes and each year another 500,000 are diagnosed with this infection. But there are many misconceptions about this common and worrying problem. Myth # 1- You can't get herpes from sitting on a toilet seat. Doctors have said for years that the herpes virus dies quickly on exposure to air. But Dr. Trudy Larsen, a researcher at the University of California, startled the medical world several years ago. She had a patient with an active herpes lesion sit on a toilet...Read More
Infection
Suppose You Passed A Worm One Foot Long!
It was once written that, "That for want of a nail the shoe was lost, for want of a shoe the horse was lost, for want of a horse the rider was lost, and for want of a rider the war was lost". And Julius Cesar said much the same, "In war trivial causes produce momentous events". It might also be said, that in medicine, trivial decisions can cause needless deaths. The Canadian Medical Association Journal reports that a 22 year old woman who had been in good health, was examined due to a four day history of hemorrhagic lesions on both legs. During that time the lesions had been increasing in number. She stated that neither she nor her family had...Read More
Dermatology, Infection
Kiss Me But Please Don’t Shake My Hand
I've heard the question asked, "How many angels can dance on the head of a pin?" I have no idea. But I know that one million bacteria can fit on the point of a needle. So you don't have to be a genius at math to know that tens of millions can be present on door knobs, telephones and the hand you shake. Health authorities recently announced a crackdown on hand washing in hospitals to prevent fatal hospital infections. But will a snooping campaign work? And what is the greatest misconception about contracting infection? One hundred and fifty years ago, Semmelweiss, a doctor in Vienna, noticed that one in six women died of infection following childbirth. He decided it was because...Read More
