Lifestyle, Nutrition
How does my Diet compare with The Mayo Clinic’s?
“What diet do you follow?” is a question I’m often asked when writing about cardiovascular disease. So I was interested to read a report from The Mayo Clinic recommending ways to have a heart-healthy diet. How did mine stack up? Sometimes I threaten the waiter! I couldn’t agree more with Mayo’s. For years I’ve stressed that calories do count and the larger the portion on the plate the greater the number of calories. But our eyes are often larger than our stomachs and we ignore portion size. Moreover, in some restaurants the only way to obtain a small portion is to threaten the waiter! Remember, you can have the most nutritious heart healthy meal available on the plate, but if it’s a...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity
Will a Tax On Sugar Cure Obesity?
35 years ago I warned readers about the dangers of excessive sugar consumption and labelled sugar the “white devil”. The sugar industry was not amused, and complained to the College of Physicians and Surgeons that I should be disciplined. I won, after a trying, difficult battle. How things change! Five countries currently have a sugar tax. Now the British are debating the merits of a 20 per cent tax on high sugar products to help fight the epidemic of obesity and Type 2 diabetes. Why this change of heart? Dr Simon Capewell, UK vice-president of health policy, says, “public opinion on a sugar tax is shifting. The majority of parents are angry that their children are being made fat”. He adds, “It’s...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
Potassium Is Like Sex and Money
Can you have too much of anything these days? Surely, by now, you know that you can get too much sugar, too much salt and too many calories, to name a few things. But you can also get into trouble by getting too little of some nutrients. So this week, here’s why potassium is so like sex and money. Paul Whelton, Professor of Epidemiology at Tulane School of Public Health in New Orleans, is an expert on hypertension. He reports good news in the Nutrition Action Health Letter for those who love to add salt to their food. He claims good evidence shows that consuming enough potassium may counter the effect of excess salt on blood...Read More
Nutrition
Protein: What Don’t You Know
Fads in clothing come and go. Women’s skirts go up and then get longer. Men’s pants get wide and then narrower. Fads also occur in medicine. In the 1980’s it was “low fat” for packaged foods and weight loss diets. Later on the buzz word was “low carb”. Now, walk down the aisle in supermarkets or health food stores and it’s hard to miss the protein content in foods, or protein added to cereals, granola bars or shakes. So today “P” is popping up everywhere. But what is so special about protein? In the past it was recommended for athletes who only wanted larger muscles. Now, it’s also for those who want to lose weight. But a report from the University...Read More
Nutrition
No More Prime Rib and Mashed Potatoes?
Why is it that so many things are bad for you these days? We know that too much sugar, salt and calories are a bad combination for longevity. Now, the health publication, Nutrition Action, says red meat increases the risk of several major diseases. Horrendous news for me as roast beef and mashed potatoes are my favourite meal. So how risky is it to eat meat? Dr. Walter Willett at Harvard’s School of Public Health is a top nutritional guru. He says that 9 percent of deaths in the Harvard study could have been saved if people ate less red meat daily. In effect, the consumption of red meat was related to a higher risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke, Type 2...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins
Martin Luther King Had a Great Dream: What’s Mine on My 40th?
To dream of what might be is a good thing. Martin Luther King had a great dream but only some of his dream has been realized. The U.S. now has a black President, Jackie Robinson became a great baseball star and a friend of mine became Professor of Medicine at The Harvard Medical School. So, this week marks the 40th year I’ve written this column and I too have a dream. But it’s far from reality. For 40 years I’ve hoped that by passing along medical information I’ve helped people live a healthier lifestyle and longer life. I believe one of my most important messages is that high doses of vitamin C and lysine can prevent and reverse atherosclerosis (hardening of...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
What Would I Want For My Final Meal?
In Thunder Bay, Ontario, recently, while giving a talk, I suddenly found my mouth watering. I mentioned that I was just 150 miles away from Quetico Park where I had spent two months alone years ago doing fish research. I said that the highest priced meal in the world could not compete with a yellow pickerel cooked over a camp fire. Which now brings me to the health benefits of eating fish today. We are often told we should eat fish as they’re a good choice for lean protein. People in Iceland eat a whopping 220 pounds of fish a year. The average North American eats a paltry 16 pounds annually, including fish sticks! This difference is in part due to the...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition, Sports, Women's Health
Sarcopenia: A Needless Path to a Wheelchair
What’s the worst health problem that can happen to you? I’m sure many readers would say cancer, stroke or Alzheimer’s Disease. I agree these are all frightful diseases. But there’s another one that occurs gradually as we age. It’s called Sarcopenia ( the loss of muscle mass), and this creeping frailty forces many elderly into nursing homes because their muscles are so weak they can no longer get off the toilet. A recent report from Tufts University in Boston says, sarcopenia robs people of their independence and often leads to the risk of falls, resulting in serious injury. Visit any nursing home and you’ll see multiple examples of sarcopenia. Studies show that sarcopenia begins around age 45 and increases at the rate...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Nutrition, Surgery, Vitamins
Do I Need Cataract Surgery?
Do I get a lot of E-mail? Yes, tons of it. Do I get letters? Practically never, particularly those without a return address. So I was surprised by a recent one. All I know is the writer lives in Lethbridge, Alberta, and is elderly. She has written that she wants to be an informed patient, so is asking for my stand on cataract surgery. “Ms. X” simply believed she needed reading glasses, but was told by an optometrist that she required cataract surgery. She remarks, “I hesitated, so he sent me to an ophthalmologist for a second opinion. He also agreed that surgery was needed, suggested I simply sign on the dotted line, then called, “Next patient, please”. But the writer asked...Read More
Nutrition, Vitamins
The Darkness Hormone
"Do you think melatonin is of any value?" a doctor recently asked me. So if a doctor is wondering about this natural remedy, there must be many patients who are asking the same question. So what do we know about it? Melatonin has been labeled "the darkness hormone" because it's produced at night in contrast to vitamin D, "the sunshine hormone", that's manufactured during sunlight hours. Melatonin is found in some plants such as bananas, cherries and grapes. A report in the Journal of Medicinal Food showed that tart cherry juice, compared to a placebo drink, helped some older people sleep better. But it required 16 ounces a day, (the equivalent of 100 cherries) to have this modest effect. It also added...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
Want to Be a Millionaire?
What would I do if I wanted to be rich? I'd start a class action suit against food companies for their role in creating "the perfect storm", the three major epidemics in this country. After all, a judge has recently created the "perfect guidelines" for a win/win situation. He ruled that smokers can be rewarded for ill health or death. Of course, it's not their fault they ignored health warnings for 50 years about smoking! But since obesity causes more deaths than smoking, why shouldn't food companies also reward us for our ill health? Faced with a class action suit, food companies wouldn't have a leg to stand on in court. Consider the junk they've been selling unsuspecting customers for years....Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
Picky Eaters: The Terror of Being Invited To Dinner
What’s the worst fear for some people? It’s not standing before a crowd and giving a major speech. Nor is it the apprehension of being crushed in a crowded elevator, or flying. It’s the terror of having no control of what’s in food. Now, British researchers report there is a way for parents to prevent children from becoming picky eaters. So how picky can you get? The next time you’re at a dinner party do a little detective work and see if you can spot which guest suffers from this phobia. You don’t have to be Sherlock Holmes to spot picky eaters. One clue is to keep your eye on the guest’s dinner plate. For instance,...Read More
Cancer, Gastroenterology, Genitourinary, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
Do You Need a CT Scan?
How many people will die from excessive radiation exposure? Today, more patients get CT scans for a variety of problems. So how can patients decrease the risk of excessive exposure? “Consumer Reports on Health” says the number of CT scans in the U.S. in 1980 was under 3 million. Now in 2015 it’s 80 million. Experts claim that about one-third of the scans have little medical value. And the report adds that some doctors and technicians don’t take measures to reduce radiation exposure. In the past it’s been said that the radiation threat is greatest in children. But some research now suggests that certain radiation induced cancers place adults at risk as well, more than previously realized by doctors. So when is a...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition
How to Fight The Deadly Trio
What kills more North Americans than anything else? It’s the deadly trio of obesity, diabetes and heart attack. Each is a huge problem by itself. But when lumped together they constitute three raging epidemics completely out of control with catastrophic consequences for patients and our health care system. But there are ways for smart medical consumers to avoid becoming victims of the deadly trio. Consider what’s happened in the last 60 years. When I was a medical student 5 percent of Type 2 diabetes, better labeled as lifestyle diabetes, was due to obesity. Now, numbers have reached a shocking 95 percent. The deadly trio kills by atherosclerosis (narrowing of arteries). The resulting decreased blood supply sends patients on their way to the...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins
Waiter, Make Sure My Steak Moos only Once!
I’ve been told it many times, “One of these days you’re going to push your luck too far”. It’s because I stress to waiters I want my steak “blue”. The worst that can happen is it arrives rare. But what is the risk of a blue steak? And can well done steak be bad for the heart? No waiter has ever said to me, “You dummy, didn’t you learn in medical school that ordering a steak rare may cause toxoplasmosis? Go back and read about parasitology.” Toxoplasmosis is not a common household term such as measles. But if the parasite is contacted, it can cause enlarged glands in the neck, fatigue, fever, and an enlarged spleen. In rare...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins
Do You Want a Shock? High Cholesterol for a Longer Life?
A recent medical tip to readers sparked a quick reaction. It reported a study that those with higher blood cholesterol lived longer! This is contradictory to everything we’ve been told for years. The Scandinavian Journal of Primary Health Care reported research that will shock millions of North Americans who ingest, faithfully, cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs). Scientists analyzed the cholesterol level of 120,000 Danish adults residing in Denmark. They discovered men age 60 to 70 with high levels of blood cholesterol showed a 32 percent decreased risk of death. Women fared better with a 41 percent reduced risk of death. To add more injury to the cholesterol theory, these researchers also discovered that higher levels of LDL cholesterol, the bad cholesterol, was also associated...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition, Vitamins
Magnesium: Protection from Undertakers
In 1979 Dr. David Chipperfield reported a finding in the British Medical Journal, Lancet. He had discovered that patients suffering from angina pain had low blood levels of magnesium. Equally important, he found that by prescribing this mineral, often referred to as “nature’s natural dilator”, the spasm of the coronary artery could be relieved, preventing a fatal heart attack and ultimately, the need to call an undertaker. Today, doctors are often asked, “Am I taking enough or too much calcium?” But in my days of practicing medicine, I can’t recall a single patient who asked me the same question about magnesium. It’s ironic because studies show that many North Americans are not obtaining sufficient amounts of this vital mineral. This can...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition, Women's Health
Weight Gain Is Contagious? And Snacking Fights it?
How many people in mid-life can fit into their wedding clothes? Not too many, because predictably, most have exchanged muscle tissue for body fat and more pounds. Now, a report from Johns Hopkins University claims there are proven ways to limit and even reverse weight gain in both sexes. Women, as they start into menopause along with decreased activity, develop what’s been labelled the “Menopot”. With lowered estrogen, testosterone begins to transfer fat from the hips and other areas to the belly. It’s not just a cosmetic problem, but one that can increase the risk of Type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular problems. The Women’s Healthy Lifestyle Project studied 535 women between the ages 44 to 55 for five years. One group received...Read More
Nutrition, Vitamins
The Vitamin D Bandwagon: Is it Ahead of the Science?
Here are some of the 100 medical conditions that have been associated with decreased blood levels of vitamin D; arthritis, asthma, colon cancer, emphysema, dementia, depression, diabetes, coronary heart disease, fibromyalgia, hypertension, infections, multiple sclerosis, muscle weakness, obesity, Parkinson’s Disease and psoriasis. But how many of these links have been proven by scientific studies? A report from the University of California says most of them are the result of “observational studies”. This means that over a period of years patients have been followed to see whether low levels of vitamin D are associated with a particular disease. Many researchers now say the bandwagon of “associations” of vitamin D should be slowed down. The Institute of Medicine echoes this warning. It states the...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
An Experiment that should get everyone’s Attention
Why would any sane person drink 10 cokes a day for one month? I recently asked George Prior, a Los Angeles resident and father of two children, this question. His straight-forward answer, “I want to increase the awareness of my children and the public about the dangers of sugar”. But how is Prior proving that all these colas are bad for your health? His experiment got my attention because I’ve stressed for years that soft drinks are a devil in disguise. The thing that bothered me was seeing obese children guzzling cans of liquid candy. Years ago I was having dinner with a former Minister of Health. During our conversation I mentioned that a 10 ounce cola drink contains eight teaspoons of...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition
Expert Says, “It’s The Worst Dirty Trick of Aging”
In 2014, how much progress did we make in the search for sound lifestyle? Many of us know it’s better to ask for low fat milk or eat more chicken than fatty meat. Some of us see the nutritional folly of soft drinks loaded with sugar, and that we should eat more fruits and vegetables. But a report in Nutrition Action Health Letter says some messages have not shown up on our radar. One - More of us now know obesity is associated with heart disease and diabetes. But many of us have not learned that extra pounds increase the risk of cancer. The Canadian Cancer Society claims 35 percent of malignancies are related to poor eating habits, inactivity and overweight....Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Medicine, Nutrition
Coenzyme Q10 Needed For 100 Trillion Cells
Heart failure is the fastest growing cause of heart disease in North America. What’s ironic is that the medication prescribed to prevent heart problems may in fact be causing weakened hearts and sapping energy from our 100 trillion cells. Today, with an aging population, old hearts, like old cars, can only travel so many miles before they wear out. But before this happens a car without gas comes to a sudden halt. Similarly, if the heart lacks coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10), the gas that delivers energy to the heart’s muscle, it eventually develops congestive heart failure. For years doctors and the public have been told that cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs) are the be-all-and-end-all to prevent heart attack. But one vital point has not hit...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Vitamins
EP = a2 Has Killed More People than E=mc2
It’s been said Einstein’s E=mc2 (energy=mass x C speed of light squared) is the world’s most important scientific equation. Unfortunately it created the atomic bomb that killed thousands in World War II. But I believe my equation EP = a2 (extra pounds = atherosclerosis squared) is the world’s important medical equation. Regrettably, it’s killing more millions every year than E=mc2.Think again if you believe this is exaggerated. Consider human obesity. Nothing, including the thousands of books on weight loss and diet, has been able to stop the epidemic of obesity which gets worse world-wide every year. Nor does anyone have the solution to the problem of increasing numbers of people developing Type 2 diabetes. The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Genetics, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Pain, Vitamins
BioSil: A Natural Remedy Fights Arthritis and Osteoporosis
What brings millions of North Americans to their knees late in life? Today, with an aging population many people now end their lives in wheelchairs due to brittle bones (osteoporosis) or are crippled by the pain of osteoarthritis, the wear and tear type. Osteoarthritis, a degenerative joint disease, is an inflammatory condition involving the destruction of cartilage. Its gel-like nature normally acts as a shock absorber. Without cartilage, bones rub on bones causing daily pain. Studies show that one in two people will develop osteoarthritis in their latter years, and two in three obese people will suffer from it at some time during their life. Now, studies done at the Netherlands Institute of Rheumatology and other European centers found that a natural remedy,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition
What’s Red and Protects Cardiovascular Health?
For years we've been told that the Mediterranean diet, full of vegetables, is the way to guard against heart attack and stroke. But George H.W. Bush, former president of the U.S., admitted he didn't like broccoli. And angry farmers dumped a load of it on the White House lawn. I share his view. So I'm grateful now that the red tomato is believed to be the main vegetable for decreasing the risk of cardiovascular disease. So what is the magic ingredient in tomatoes that fights heart attack and stroke? Researchers at Cambridge University say that the lycopene in red tomatoes keeps the endothelial lining of the human artery (the inner part) healthy, decreasing the risk of blockage. We all know what...Read More
