Gynecology, Medicine
Canadian Cancer Society Wrong Again
Why would The Canadian Cancer Society (CCS) make such an asinine statement? And why wait nearly two years to worry women once again about hormone replacement therapy (HRT)? The logic escapes me, but doesn't surprise me. Years ago, when I fought for the legalization of heroin to fight terminal cancer pain, CCS publicly fought me and continually made illogical statements. CCS has now urged women not to take HRT for menopausal symptoms except in rare instances, because it says, the health risks outweigh the benefits. Dr. Andre Lalonde, vice-president of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada (SOGC), on reading the report remarked, "What's this nonsense? This isn't based on science. They are leaving women with the impression that if...Read More
Medicine
The Night The Cat Died
How many readers can make this diagnosis? A dentist and his wife became ill after eating at a restaurant and at 2 a.m. they were in the hospital's emergency department. A doctor diagnosed food poisoning and sent them home on anti-nausea medication. Arriving home, the dentist's wife soon developed a headache and increased nausea. Then she became hysterical when she found the cat had suddenly died. At this point the worried dentist called Dr. Marvin Lipman, now Clinical Professor of Medicine Emeritus at New York Medical College. His speedy diagnosis saved their lives. Even at 4 a.m. awakened from his sleep, Dr. Lipman's analytical mind realized what had occurred. The cat was dead from carbon monoxide poisoning (CO). He reported this...Read More
Medicine, Orthopedics
Fighting Arthritis With Exercise And Pennsaid
"Why are you using, Celebrex a oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), to treat arthritis of your knee when a safer medication Pennsaid is available? There's also a report from Boston that will also help to ease your pain." It's advice I recently gave to my tennis partner. Several years ago in my book, "The Healthy Barmaid" I told the story of a patient whose arthritic fingers were improved by playing the piano. For years I've been convinced that many people would not require hip and knee replacements if they used their legs more. But a report from Boston claims that once arthritis sets in, walking isn't the entire answer. Dr. Ronenn Roubenoff, a rheumatologist at Tuft's University, says it also depends on...Read More
Cancer, Medicine
Potassium Iodide For A Nuclear Disaster?
What would happen if terrorists attacked a nuclear power plant? Or an accident caused fallout of radioactive iodine? If you were driving in the opposite direction your first reaction would be to step on the gas. But for those trapped in a large city there would be absolute chaos on roadways as people tried to escape. So is it time to provide potassium iodide (KI) to Canadians to protect the thyroid gland from cancer? A terrorist attack would expose thousands to thyroid cancer as a result of the fallout of radioactive iodine (I-131). And today there are over 400 nuclear power plants in the world. Some countries such as France derive 70 percent of their power from nuclear energyUnder current conditions...Read More
Medicine
Feeling Tired And No One Knows Why? – Hemochromatosis
I'm so tired. Could it be that my blood is low? I can't count the number of times I've been asked this question. Sometimes the query is right on and iron is needed for anemia. But for patients suffering from "hemochromatosis" (iron overload), a prescription for iron is a death sentence. Now a genetic test identifies those with this disease. Trosseau, a French physician, first described a patient with iron overload in 1865. At that time hemochromatosis was considered a rare disease. Now one and a half million North Americans carry this abnormal gene, about one in 250 people. Hemochromatosis is most commonly seen in people of North European descent. Males are five times more likely to develop it than women. And men...Read More
Medicine, Nutrition, Orthopedics
Eating Your Way Out of Arthritis
Could the thousands of recent knee and hip replacements have been prevented by the right diet? And could millions of people suffer less arthritic pain by following more nutritious food consumption? Arthritis has been called the "chronic-care challenge of the 21 century century." It's estimated that 30 million North Americans suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). And that 70 percent of hip replacements are due to this disease. Osteoarthritis is the "wear and tear " form of arthritis. Like an aging car that starts to squeak, human joints begin to grate and scrape as we get older. But research at Tufts University in Boston shows that there's more to arthritis than the stresses associated with aging. They say, inadequate nutrition also sets the stage...Read More
Gynecology, Lifestyle, Medicine
The Checkup, Too Much or Too Little?
What constitutes a good checkup examination? Good sense dictates that young children don't need a Pap smear for cervical cancer, a PSA test for prostate malignancy or X-ray studies to measure bone density. So what's done depends on the patient's age and it can save a life or prevent serious diseases. Today many hi-tech diagnostic tests are available, but the stethoscope is all that's needed to spot a big killer. Since 60 million North Americans have hypertension a blood pressure check must be a part of every annual examination. It's the second leading cause of kidney failure. Routine blood tests help to pinpoint problems such as anemia. But today the one test everyone wants done is blood cholesterol. What's debatable is when...Read More
Archive, Medicine
Consumers Beware
Is it possible to believe what the doctor tells them? Or are there too many "Water-gate-type physicians" around, who too frequently lead patients up the primrose path? It is a question more and more North Americans are asking these days and ending up with incomplete answers. A few people still have implicit, faith in the medical profession. Just look at their track record. Antibiotics save untold thousands from dying of pneumonia and a host of other diseases. Cortisone enables other thousands to be free of wheelchairs. Cardiac pacemakers add years to the lives of heart patients. Surgeons are transplanting hearts and kidneys. But others feel doctors have fallen from their exalted perch, that you simply can't and shouldn't believe them. How much truth...Read More
