Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity, Philosophy
An Excess of Stupidity Is Still the Problem
At a breakneck pace, today’s world threatens to leave us gasping for breath. You name it – climate change and pollution, the global demographic explosion, autocratic rulers trampling civil society, or the threat of AI’s unintended consequences. But for all the things where meaningful influence is out of the hands of most of us, why are these still so many things well within our control that we do so little to change? Consumers have a lot of power, for example, but too infrequently use it. If you don’t like the microplastics in the ocean, stop buying food sold in excessive packaging. When affordable public transportation is available, we spend far more to drive our own vehicles. We buy enough clothing to...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Philosophy
Unsung Sentinels of Home Healthcare
The British author and playwright, B.G. Stern, wrote, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” It’s apropos to home healthcare workers, who have been acknowledged as essential, but that’s where the appreciation seems to stop. Personal support workers (PSWs) as they are called in Canada, Home Health Aides (HHAs) or other titles in the U.S., don’t get the spotlight as do doctors, nurses, and other specialists. And they certainly don’t get the pay. Yet, in the vast realm of healthcare, there exists this group of workers who quietly care for the most vulnerable – the elderly, disabled, sufferers of chronic disease, and people with health issues who can live at home or in long-term care but only with assistance. The profile...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Diabetes, Infection, Lifestyle, Vitamins
Preventing Diabetes Risk Due to COVID-19 Infection
Will COVID-19 and the complications associated with this disease ever vanish? Never bet on it. Virus experts say COVID-19 will rise its ugly head again this fall. With it, they add, the complication of both types of diabetes will increase. It’s the last thing we need when obesity is already causing a worldwide pandemic of type 2 diabetes. So, how can you reduce the risk? It’s easier than you think. First, type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin. Lifelong replacement and management of this hormone is the only option. With the more common type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond normally to insulin. We call this “Lifestyle Diabetes”. Why? Because it is preventable by avoiding...Read More
Lifestyle, Philosophy
More Fire and Smoke to Come
Fires are a natural part of life in the forests that extend across Canada and the northern US. But it is not normal for these forest fires to consume entire communities, take lives of unsuspecting citizens in a surreal panic, and leave thousands of people and animals displaced. Tragedies happen sometimes. Now however, experts tell us, we can anticipate more monstrous fires on a more frequent basis. Just when you think the great Canadian outdoors might offer a safe escape from all the maladies in the world, the lakeside campsite has become another danger zone. Climate trends are making northern summers hotter, drier, and longer. That means we can expect plenty more fires, more smoke, and more forced evacuations of campsites...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Neurology, Nutrition, Obesity, Philosophy
Starving the Gut Feeds the Brain
If our bodies could speak to our brains, many would hear this: “Dear brain, please know the difference between being hungry and bored. Sincerely, I’m getting fat!” Who doesn’t turn to food when the doldrums set in? The smart brains would offer their hosts three pieces of advice. One, eat nutritional food. Two, limit portion sizes. And three, now and again, engage in fasting. Why fasting? Because studies show that for obese and skinny people alike, after prolonged reduction of food intake, the body’s defences improve against stresses. Cardiovascular risks decline. And the brain functions better. Temporary cessation of eating provokes chemical changes throughout the body. Ketones are a type of chemical the liver produces when it breaks down fats. The body...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins
Potassium by the Doctrine of the Golden Mean
Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean lauds the middle ground of two extremes: excess and deficiency. But not everyone follows this sage advice. And not all vitamins and minerals send clear signals of absence or excess. This week, a look at potassium, the third most abundant mineral in the body. People, animals, and plants all depend on potassium for essential functions. Depleted soil requires potassium to be replaced with fertilizer. Young animals lacking potassium will quickly die. In people, there’s danger in either too much or too little potassium. But a healthy diet, including healthy drinks, is the best approach. The American Heart Association recommends 3,400 milligrams (mg) of potassium per day for men and 2,600 mg per day for women. A...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle, Medicine, Nutrition, Philosophy, Vitamins
Government’s Good Intentions Gone Bad
Everyone wants a safe, effective, and accessible supply of the products that keep us healthy. Doctors and patients need proven drugs. People seeking to prevent illness with natural remedies also need good products. But governments trying to ensure quality are putting measures in place that will limit the variety of supplements, make them more expensive, and make it harder for smaller companies with innovative products to compete. Natural products like vitamin C, fish oil, magnesium, calcium, and many other supplements are ingredients to good health. For the cost of a cup or coffee, daily supplementation can address deficiencies in the diet, add antioxidants, reduce inflammation, support the immune system, build bone, etc. For example, vitamin C and lysine in high doses help...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle
Safe and Effective Responses to Stress
What is the world coming to? Recent news has artificial intelligence (AI) researchers and CEOS warning of an “extinction risk” from the technology running wild. Forest fires are literally running wild too. Nuclear war might us out. Or economic collapse. If these things don’t get you stressed, then how about the rest of the pressures of everyday life? Stress is, according to the World Health Organization, “a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives.” What a gentle way to put it. Scientific experiments attempting to identify the health impacts of stress suggest this natural response may be taking off years of life expectancy. In one study, Stanford and University of California cell biologists, biochemists, and...Read More
Infection, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
The Health Consequences of Cats
Dog lovers may want to skip this week’s commentary. For cat lovers too, this column may prove a disappointment. A health risk assessment of household cats might be all you need to recommit to a dog. Cats are the darlings of the Internet. And that may be the safest way to enjoy them. There can be no doubt that cats provide crucial companionship for many people. Their entertainment powers rival dogs. But here are a few thoughts on the ways cats can have an impact on human health. First, the killer instinct of cats has a startling effect on biodiversity. About a decade ago, the journal Nature published a study that estimated domestic cats kill 1.3–4.0 billion birds and 6.3–22.3 billion mammals annually!...Read More
Dental, Lifestyle
Good Oral Health Demands Manual Labour
Mickey Mantle, former star of the New York Yankees baseball team, often remarked, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” He was only 63 when he died. Now, with many of us getting a good chance to live beyond 100, what’s one of the best investments in maintaining good health? It’s cheap, easy, and right inside your mouth. Tooth decay affects 96 percent of North American people 50-64 years old. The statistics for tooth decay are almost as high for people aged 20-49. One in five North Americans over age 19 have lost teeth. One in four over 75 years of age have no teeth. Last year, the World Health Organization...Read More
Cardiovascular, Infection, Lifestyle, Neurology, Pain
Are Canadians Better at Preventing Lyme Disease?
It’s tick season and the little pests are out with a vengeance. Tiny as they are, ticks are a huge nuisance and a hazardous vector of disease. Their ability to latch onto unsuspecting hosts has made them one of the most successful blood-sucking parasites on the planet. Ticks are the primary carriers of Lyme disease, infecting people with their bite. But do ticks or people account for the sizable difference in the number of reported cases in the US and Canada? Every year, in the United States, about half a million people are diagnosed with Lyme disease. Based on population, all other things equal, one would expect about 50,000 cases annually in Canada. Other things, however, must not be equal. Because...Read More
Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Nutrition
Don’t Let Food Safety in the Kitchen Lapse
It’s an age-old problem, but not one that should come with age. Yet, compared to younger culinary novices, elderly people may be more prone to making mistakes in food preparation that can lead to food poisoning. Kitchens can be a dangerous place. So no harm in having a refresher to make sure food safety in the kitchen doesn’t lapse. You know why. Recall that occasion when it seemed like a good meal – until later, when cramps, nausea and diarrhea had you vowing never to eat again. Unless you’ve been visiting uncared for places or you are victim to an outbreak of foodborne illness, there’s no excuse for food poisoning other than an unfortunate mistake. Unfortunately, mistakes happen, and with some frequency...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Neurology
Fire the Canons! It’s Daylight Savings Time!
In a letter to the editor of the Journal of Paris in 1784, Benjamin Franklin wrote, "Early to bed, and early to rise, makes a man healthy, wealthy and wise." In his advocacy for people to wake up and leverage the day, Franklin joked there should be a tax on window shutters, candles should be rationed, and canons should be fired at sunrise! But it was the small town of Port Arthur in northern Ontario that first changed the clocks by enactment on July 1, 1908. In recent times, one of the main arguments for shifting the time to align with the sun focuses on energy savings during evening hours. But dozens of studies have shown the effect to be negligible. Now, the...Read More
Lifestyle, Vitamins
100th Trip Around the Sun
People often ask me, what’s my secret to a long and healthy life? This week, I start my 100th trip around the sun. So I must acknowledge that Lady Luck has been on my side. But it’s not just good luck, or good genes. As a medical doctor, I learned early that the best way to stay healthy is to avoid getting sick. Doctors can occasionally work miracles. But these are rare, and you should not count on them as a strategy for a long and healthy life. Your physical body is your only vehicle on this journey of life. It’s been said, “If you don’t take care of your body, where are you going to live?” So take this to heart. Rule...Read More
Lifestyle, Philosophy
Millennials Opting Out of Having Children
A Moroccan proverb claims, “If a man leaves little children behind him, it is as if he did not die.” A Sanskrit saying translates as, “A house without children is only a cemetery.” Having children may be central to sustained human life. But over the past several years, there has been a crescendo of voices arguing for restraint. The most fervent views are expressed by women concerned about climate change. We know some couples decide on a childless marriage in exchange for personal freedom. Others worry about the risk of a difficult child or the effect of a child on an unhappy marriage. And there are other reasons people opt out of parenthood. As Napoleon Bonaparte concluded while in exile on...Read More
Lifestyle
Aging Well at Home
It’s been said that parents should be nice to their children. “After all, they are going to choose your nursing home.” So it is punishment or reward when children choose to help their parents stay living in their own homes? Some lifestyle choices are clear as night and day. Don’t smoke. Do exercise. Don’t lose sleep. Do eat a nutritious diet. But there is no clear answer to the question of where it is best to live out the senior years of life, with significant consequences for everyone in the family. Factors affecting in the decision are plentiful. Healthcare needs and cost of care. Housing suitability and safety considerations. Family location and friend groups. Availability of transportation and other services. And there’s...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
A Fast for the Holidays
As 2022 comes to a close, grave existential questions loom. Is the doomsday clock ticking louder? Have we harmed our planetary home beyond repair? Is the global economy headed for collapse, or will a reckless war end all things? These are some of the debates that friends and families will have when they gather in groups around the dinner table. This year, those holiday meals themselves may be the source of despair. The higher costs for food make entertaining large groups an expensive proposition. It may not be practical to suggest fasting as an alternative. But it’s good food for thought. And research findings suggest ample benefits. As a new year’s resolution, fasting could have personal health and economic benefits. A global...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Sports
Sarcopenia, Not Cancer, But a Deadly Word
Can you improve muscle mass even as you age? As Mickey Mantle, star player of the New York Yankees, remarked, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” Such is my worry in my 99th year. I was recently having more difficulty getting up from chairs and recalling patients who admitted they could no longer stand up from the toilet seat. They had slowly developed “sarcopenia”, weakened muscles from aging that robs one’s independence. Sarcopenia begins at about age 45 and causes skeletal muscle mass and strength decline at a rate of about one percent a year. By age 65, people who spend most of their time inactive on the sofa watching television...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Neurology
Poor Sleep Can Lead to Inflammatory Problems
An old Irish proverb says, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” But research suggests it would be wiser to think of good sleep as an ingredient of wellbeing – a starting point for health, not a fixer-upper. Sleep is an essential building block of good health, along with quality nutrition, moderate exercise, socioeconomic connectivity, mindfulness, and ample good luck. Guidelines recommend “7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep for adults aged 18 to 64, on a regular basis, with consistent sleep and wake times for health benefits.” For adults aged 65 and older, a slightly modified “7 to 8 hours of sleep” is advised. But sleep is too often neglected – insufficient in both...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle
Loneliness Among Men
Loneliness is worse for health than obesity – as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It can increase the risk of death by 26 percent and of cognitive decline on the way. But a recent story on the Good News Network offered a heart-warming take on loneliness among older men. At 67 years of age, “Phillip Jackson moved back to England from Australia,” the story reads, “and immediately felt like a stray dog in his native town.” He may have felt out of place, but he should not have felt alone. There is an abundance of people who feel isolated, even when they are living in vibrant communities. Age UK’s report All the Lonely People forecast the number of people over...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Have a Little Laugh When Angry
The iconic Marvin The Martian from Looney Tunes, frustrated by Bugs Bunny in his efforts to blow up Earth, would quickly walk away declaring, “You make me very, very angry.” He offered kids an entertaining lesson in how to handle heated confrontations. A refresher course for adults would be a good prescription. How people manage anger can make a big difference for personal health and much more. Anger, itself, is not always a negative thing. Anger can be a natural and useful emotional response to perceived wrongs. For example, getting angry can be highly motivational. Individuals can deploy anger to break a bad habit and groups can work together in the same way. The #MeToo movement rallied collective anger against injustice to...Read More
Cardiovascular, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Rake Up the Leaves this Fall
What’s the most absurd image of healthy living? It’s a picture of a young woman using a leaf blower to clean up leaves in her yard while wearing ear protection, eye protection, and a mask covering her nose and mouth. The only thing that makes good sense is the mask. It’s the leaf blower that is most offensive. The first offense is the condoning of laziness. A leaf blower nearly eliminates the physical effort needed to clean up the leaves. In the past, we may have looked upon this as a good thing. Less work equals better life. False! Raking up those leaves offers a wonderful cardio workout, in the lovely outdoors, resulting in the satisfaction of a job well done. It’s exercise...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cancer, Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity, Vitamins
A Windfall of Science on Apples
We write about natural remedies we believe are good for human health. Why this focus? It’s not to encourage avoidance of pharmaceutical drugs when medical care is an imperative. To the contrary, Canadians and Americans have the luxury of the world’s best doctors, medicinal drugs, and healthcare facilities. But health systems are overwhelmed. To ease the crush, people who are not yet ill should take up responsibility to stay healthy. Good health is not achieved through inaction. Live a poor lifestyle and illness will come as sure as night follows day. But the talents of doctors and the cure of drugs are best reserved for the unlucky who lose the health lottery. For young people and the healthy aging population, a proactive,...Read More
Alcohol, Lifestyle
Is Now the Time to Quit Alcohol?
Alcohol in moderation can be good for your health. We have written dozens of articles on the topic and an entire section of our website is dedicated to the topic. In short, there are plenty of good reasons to enjoy a drink at the cocktail hour. But is there a time for quitting altogether? Some people think so. And the idea seems to be catching on. You may have heard about the “sober curious” movement. Coined by writer, Ruby Warrington, being sober curious is about enjoying the benefits of an alcohol-free lifestyle. It has nothing to do with achieving sobriety after problems with alcoholism. Some efforts are short-term, like “Dry January” and “Sober October”. These trendy campaigns are often paired with charitable causes. But...Read More
Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity
Online Grocery Shopping a Cause for Concern
Food products in stores are changing. Shoppers easily find more processed, attractively packaged, and conveniently prepared meals. With online shopping, the way these products are now selected and put in the cart has changed too. For that, consumers may be paying more than just the price of inflation. Online food shopping has become the norm for many people. Home delivery of groceries may be a convenience, but consumers are losing their moment of discernment. Even if online customers take the time to click through product pages checking nutritional information, in-store shopping assistants frequently turn to substitute products and don’t take notice when ingredients in products have changed. Food deliveries arrive with frequent surprises. “That’s not what I ordered,” must be among the...Read More
