Philosophy
Sir Isaac Newton’s Boob Lifter
How do I remember Niagara Falls? I'm standing at the brink of the falls on a cold, snowy, night with no one else around. Years ago when I practiced medicine in that city I often stopped on my way home to see this awe-inspiring sight. For others its image is the "Honeymoon Capital of the World". But I hope it won't be soon known as "Boob City". And I imagine how his law is being used wouldn't impress the great English physicist Sir Isaac Newton. Botulism toxin , historically one of the world's deadly killers, has been approved by Canada and the U.S. to treat cosmetic conditions. The result? Thousands of aging baby boomers, TV stars and others have lined up...Read More
Gynecology, Philosophy
A Cesarean Section On A Lucky Day?
Should pregnant women have the right to demand a Cesarean section even if there's no bone-fide reason for the operation? Or be allowed to have the C-section on a lucky day? Today more women are asking for this right. But is this request utter madness? Years ago it would have been sheer folly to perform a C-section unless there was a serious emergency. Women would have died from either uncontrollable bleeding or infection. Now it's a different story with improved surgical techniques and antibiotics. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics claims that since there's no evidence that a patient choice Cesarean has no benefits it's not ethically justified. The World Health Organization adds that a Cesarean section rate above 15 per cent...Read More
Philosophy
Readers Want a Singapore Solution for Canada
It wasn't the usual Christmas column, I agree. But I was tired of reading about brain damaged babies born to mothers on crack cocaine, safe injection sites for addicts, gun deaths in shopping malls and drug traffickers flaunting the law in broad daylight. How the billions of dollars it costs this country could be better used to treat patients. So I asked readers what they thought about Singapore's tough laws for criminals. I've received a ton of letters and E-mails, many asking for a summary of the response. From Halifax; "Any person with a half-brain could see that their law is not as harsh as a law that allows drug dealers to continue to destroy human beings. It was good to...Read More
Philosophy
Medical Madness Christmas 2003
It's often said that 'Lunatics are in charge of the asylum". Now I'm convinced they're also in charge of medical care. This holiday season I wish I had a good medical news for readers. But there are times when I wonder how politicians, lawyers and medical ethicists can be so void of common sense. Case # 1 Horacio Alberto Reyes-Camarena, a convicted murderer, is currently on Oregon's death row. His crime? He's convicted of stabbing an 18 year old girl to death and leaving her older sister scarred for life. So when will he go to the great beyond? Not soon. Appeals by lawyers against the death penalty can take up to 10 years in Oregon. In the meantime Reyes-Camarena has developed...Read More
Philosophy
Could Genetically Designed Humans Be Any Worse?
How would you like to live in a world where there was no dishonesty? No more devious Enron accountants. No need to lock your doors. No more headlines that a police officer was shot to death for no reason. No more drug pushers. No more September 11's. But judging from past history none of this is going to happen. So faced with such a lousy track record wouldn't genetically designed humans free of corrupt and lethal genes be an improvement? I'm tired of seeing night after night Israel's and Palestinians killing each other. And what irony it's in the Holy Land! It's appalling that after two thousand years they still refuse to shake hands. Then there's the continuing battle in Northern Ireland....Read More
Philosophy
Many Reservations For Thorupgaarden Nursing Home!
Some columns strike a particular note with readers. The one I wrote about Copenhagen's Thorupgaarden nursing home, struck high C. Every Saturday night pornographic videos are shown on the home's internal channel. If residents remain depressed after this therapy they can request that a prostitute be allowed to visit. The Danish medical community decided this treatment was superior to Prozac. I've received a response from readers, second only to the column on the fractured male organ. From Lethbridge a reader writes, "Go Danes go! Be prepared for the immigration of Canadian seniors. Our young people believe that our brain is dead when we our hair turns white. I may even become a Danish Lady-of- the-Night." A woman associated with the Alzheimer association...Read More
Philosophy
My E-Mail Nightmare
My daughter said, "Dad don't do it. You don't need the headaches. Just write your column". My three sons cautioned, "You have no conception of what you're getting into. There will be loads of technical problems. Stick to your column" Well I didn't take their counsel and they were right. Agreeing to provide readers with free medical updates by E-mail has given me E-mailitis. The response was massive, a bloody nightmare. And I keep hearing voices "don't do it". So what happened? I realized I might encounter some problems. But was I asking the computer an unreasonable request? After all, I wasn't demanding it to perform thousands of complicated tasks. I didn't need to know readers age, sex , address or...Read More
Philosophy
Why Don’t You Publish Your E-mail Address?
How the years fly by. Years ago I started typing on a manual typewriter, then graduated to an electric one. Eventually I was shoved, kicking and screaming, to a word processor. Again reluctant, I accepted a more sophisticated computer with more bells and whistles than I would ever need. And unless you're a teenager, many of you know it isn't easy learning all the gizmos that go along with it. Some days I would have gladly shot the beast. Now I'm reasonably computerized and so are many others. That's why more and more letters from readers ask me, "Why don't you put your E-mail address at the end of your column?" The short answer is "fear". One week a newspaper in...Read More
Philosophy
The Prescription, Singapore, Not Safe Injection Sites
Aha! Inspiration for a Christmas column. At breakfast this morning I read the morning newspaper. Page after page of it was devoted to increasing urban crime, young people killed in gun fights in broad daylight and drug problems in Vancouver. But what made me dream of Prozac was how authorities intend to counteract all this. Publicly funded injection sites for illegal drug users, a committee to investigate the police and the right to vote for murderers. Am I dreaming? Of course proponents of safe injection sites point to the Swiss experiment. They argue that 10 years ago Platzspitz park in Zurich was better known as needle park. Hundreds of addicts came to buy heroin and inject it in broad daylight. Swiss police...Read More
Philosophy
Doctors Should Not Dress Like Used-Car Salesmen
"Thank God it's Friday." That's an expression we often hear in the workplace. Friday was once "dress down" day and everybody loved the relaxed dress code at the end of the week. Now it's relaxed clothing every day of the week. I have no idea how this casualness has affected the efficiency of the business community. But dressing-down has had an effect on how patients judge their doctors. Dr. Matt Kanzler and his colleagues recently reported a study in the Archives of Dermatology. They conducted a survey on 84 patients from a private practice setting along with 191 patients attending a county hospital clinic. And there were some surprising findings. Studies show that racial discrimination still occurs in many segments of our...Read More
Cardiovascular, Philosophy
How About A Laugh This Week?
"Why do people instantly dislike to me when they find out I'm a lawyer?" a man asked. His friend replied, "It just saves time". Another story tells of the client who, on asking his lawyer what contingency fees meant, was told. "If I lose your law suit I don't get anything. If I win you don't get anything". Then there was the drunk in a cemetery who found himself in front of an impressive tomb. The inscription read, "here lies a lawyer and an honest man." My God" the drunk stammered. "Can you believe it? Now they're putting two men in the same grave". By this time you've probably decided I should stick to writing a medical column. Or you might have laughed...Read More
Philosophy
Snufffing Out Medicinal Marijuana is The Wrong Move
How would you feel if you were suffering the terrible symptoms of cancer, Aids and other serious diseases? If you knew that smoking marijuana provided some relief, but then be told that Anne McLellan, the new Federal Minister of Health, had vetoed the plan to supply pot. I don't believe anyone without such agonizing symptoms knows how disappointed and frustrated these patients must be. What she has done is unbelievable hypocrisy. What's worse the Canadian Medical Association in its infinite wisdom has agreed with her. Mclellan claims she cannot agree to marijuana when she's also dedicated to fighting tobacco use. What rubbish! It's a ridiculous argument. These patients need pot for medicinal purposes which has nothing to do with cigarette use. Then...Read More
Philosophy
Will I get Another “Tin Cup” Award?
Some things I understand. That some people with religious, moral or ethical beliefs can denounce abortion and euthanasia. What I cannot understand is how people, organizations, social workers and government can throw common sense to the wind on other social issues. Their failure to realize that the old adage "Mother knows best" is often true. So this year, will I again win the disabled organization's "Tin Cup" award? I recently learned of the problems facing a 25 year old mentally disabled man and his mother. He has a mental age of four with limited speech and cannot shave himself. His mother Sandra Crockett, believed that sooner or later he might end in jail for committing a sexual offense. So she did...Read More
Lifestyle, Philosophy, Sex
Pornography at Nursing Homes?
This week I ran into the same problem I've encountered many times before. Many writers will understand. I was bored, weary of my computer and barren of ideas. I've written 1400 columns during the last 28 years. And I desperately needed a new topic to keep me from falling asleep. Suddenly I discovered it in Denmark. Then I couldn't wait to get back to my computer. Why? Because this story could never happen in "Canada, The Good". A unique event has happened at the Thorupgaarden nursing home in Copenhagen. Don't ask me how it started. But the staff must have had a few fascinating discussions before making their earth-shaking pronouncement. They decided, in their infinite wisdom, that pornography has a greater...Read More
Cancer, Philosophy
Do Support Groups Extend Life?
Does the power of positive thinking extend life when patients face serious life-threatening disease? Will joining support groups add months or years to life? Will they provide psychological benefit and ease the pain? Or is holding hands with strangers just a lot of hokus pocus? Numerous studies have shown that focussing the mind on the fight against disease dies work. That it not only improves life, but also extends it. In 1989 the medical journal, Lancet, reported a study conducted by Dr David Spiegel, a psychiatrist at Stanford University. Patients with advanced breast cancer were randomly treated with standard care or standard care along with a support group. Dr. Spiegel believed those in the support group would enjoy an increased quality of life....Read More
Philosophy
Botox – The New Wrinkle-Free Cosmetic Boom
What a paradox! Botulism toxin, historically one of the world's deadly killers, has now been approved by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as "Botox", a new cosmetic treatment. The result? Thousands of aging baby boomers, TV stars and others are lining up to have this well-known poison injected into their skin to bring back their youth. And in ditzy California they're even organizing "Botox parties"! Botox is not a new drug. The FDA approved its use years ago to treat certain medical conditions such as facial spasms and crossed-eyes. Now it's being used to treat migraine headaches and chronic low back pain. But the idea that Botox had cosmetic use started 15 years ago. A...Read More
Philosophy
Doctors Should Prescribe Marijuana for Those Who Need It
I've been a medical journalist for 27 years. It's made me a terrible skeptic. But for good reason. I've seen too many distortions of the truth in medicine. I've seen too many colleagues sit-on-the-fence rather than take a stand on controversial issues. I've seen too many fight the use of painkillers when they could ease the agony of dying cancer patients. Above all else I've seen too often a complete void of common sense. Now I'm seeing it again, patients who need marijuana to ease their suffering but can't obtain it. In July 2001 the Federal Government legalized the use of marijuana for terminally ill patients. And for patients suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, AIDS, severe forms of...Read More
Philosophy
95 Percent OK Prescription Farm Work
I recently reported that many women in hostels were spending government cheques on crack cocaine. That they refused to clean their rooms claiming they had "rights". My medical prescription was "farm work for a year" and I applauded Singapore's method of dealing with drug pushers. I asked readers for their opinion. A social worker writes," I've spent 30 years with these problems and nothing has changed about substance abuse. And I've seen the terrible effect of crack-cocaine on babies first hand. There should be harsh penalties starting at the bottom of the drug hierarchy. The top people can't be touched due to smart lawyers." A school-teacher says "I see drugs and welfare rampant in our schools. Time and time again authorities back...Read More
Philosophy, Psychiatry
Can You Pass This Test?
I've often wondered who the most interesting person was of all those I've interviewed over the last 27 years? It's a tough decision. After all, how do you eliminate a two-time Nobel Prize winner like Linus Pauling? Or the discoverer of the Aids virus? Or The Queen of England's personal physician. But in these recent black days my mind has returned repeatedly to Dr. Thomas Hackett, a professor of psychiatry at The Harvard Medical School. In these post-Bin Laden times, see if you flunk or pass this quiz. We all have various hobbies. But I would have liked to have accompanied Dr. Hackett as he relentlessly pursued his interest year after year. His passion? Tracking down World War I fighter pilots. Why...Read More
