Surgery
Informed Consent: Are You Really Informed?
If I were a patient, what would I want to know about the risk of treatment? Since I’ve been one a few times, let me tell you what I worried about before past medical procedures. And will there ever be truly informed patients? Let’s start with the major fear, death. Never forget that death lurks in the background, ready to strike. Surely, anyone who is scheduled for coronary bypass surgery realizes there’s a greater risk of dying in this case than when treated for an ingrown toenail. But never underestimate the hazard of even minor surgery. There’s always the possibility, though rare, of death from anesthesia. It’s usually what we call an “Act of God”, in which neither the surgeon nor anesthetist...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Are Your Eyes Mismatched?
Leo Durocher, the fiery win-at-all-costs baseball player, and later manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, once remarked, “I never question the integrity of umpires. Their eyesight? Yes!” Durocher would have questioned their eyesight more if he had known they were suffering from aniseikonia. So, should anyone care about this condition? And why do so many suffer this visual problem when it can be corrected? To find out about aniseikonia I interviewed Dr. Peter Shaw who has been researching this condition for over 25 years. He mentioned one thing we know, that we are all born with a number of anatomical mismatches. For instance, one ear may be larger than the other. Or, one foot longer than its counterpart. But shouldn’t...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin K2: How It Helps Heart and Bone
Ask people what they know about vitamin C and some will reply it’s good for preventing common colds. Maybe they’d add heart attack, if they’ve read my column. But ask the same question about K2 and most people will give you a blank stare. Now, Dr. Dennis Goodman, cardiologist and Director of Integrative Medicine at New York University, says ignoring vitamin K2 is dangerous. In 1929 Danish scientist, Dr. Henrik Dam, discovered vitamin K. Since then researchers have discovered two types of K, K1 and K2. Leafy green vegetables are rich in K1. It plays a vital role in blood clotting. But K2 isn’t easy to obtain in the diet, placing many at risk of being deficient of this vitamin. Goodman, in...Read More
Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins
There’s more to Constipation than Grunting.
You think constipation isn’t important? If so, an article in the American Journal of Gastroenterology suggests you’d better think again. Annually, in the U.S., 700,000 people are seen in hospital emergency wards for this problem. Since 2006 there’s been a shocking 42 percent increase in constipation, costing 1.6 billion dollars. So what’s gone wrong, and what are the medical consequences other than grunting? Constipation can be merely a chronic annoyance affecting quality of life. But Dr. John R. Hyatt, gastroenterologist at the Baylor Regional Medical Center at Plano in Texas, says, “It can also result in hemorrhoids, anal tears, fissures, rectal prolapse and fecal impaction”. Fecal impaction is no fun. It occurs when a large fecal mass cannot be passed. This can...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Miscellaneous
Fidgeting, And Magic Underwear
“Stop tapping your pencil!” my teacher called out. I didn’t. And one day he walked to my desk, threw me to the front of the class, then tossed me out of the classroom. Now, a study at the University of Missouri, shows that fidgeting has health benefits! And have you heard of “magic underwear”? Being immobile is unhealthy. For instance, sitting too long on a plane can result in a blood clot in the leg that travels to the lungs causing death. So walking 10,000 steps a day is sound preventive medicine. But what can you do if you have a physical or work condition that makes this impossible? Jaume Padilla, Assistant Professor of Physiology at The University of Missouri, conducted a study...Read More
Cancer, Surgery
Have you ever wanted To Say, “I Told You So”?
This week, a big thanks to Dr. Freddie Hamdy, Professor of surgery, Oxford University, England. Why? Because, for many years, I’ve advised readers, diagnosed with early prostate cancer, to take their time when deciding which treatment is best for them. Some authorities have disagreed with me. Now, I can legitimately say, “I told you so”. Does this mean I’m smart? No. I was just lucky years ago to interview Dr. Willet Whitmore, a world authority on prostate cancer at Memorial Hospital in New York City. At the time Whitmore remarked, “The survival rate of this cancer has little to do with the type of treatment. Rather, it’s related to the biological nature of the cancer.” In other words, how malignant is...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Pain
“Dying, I Don’t Want To Be There When It Happens.”
Woody Allen, when asked for his opinion about death, replied, “I don’t worry about dying, I just don’t want to be there when it happens!” Unfortunately, Allen will be there and so will the rest of us. This week, why I have a personal interest in the end of life. And what can we all do to provide the best of care to loved ones near death? Years ago I conducted a five year battle to legalize heroin to ease the agony of dying cancer patients. Readers, at that time, sent me funds to help with costs. Finally, when heroin was legalized in 1998, $450,000 was left in the kitty which I donated to the University of Toronto, Faculty of Medicine,...Read More
Miscellaneous
Thank You for Being Our Voice
Last week, I wrote that unless we use Singapore’s solution to hang drug pushers, we will never defeat the opioid epidemic in North America. This week, a strong response from readers. A police officer in a major Canadian city writes, “Thank you for the temerity to write this column. I wonder why we have a law that says a drug is illegal, yet the law supervises injection sites to consume illegal drugs!” He adds, “Unfortunately our law makers do not have the gonads to protect citizens against flagrant abuses. Thanks for your valued columns.” A reader of the Victoria Colonist says, “I too have been in Singapore. I recently talked with a medical student who was horrified I supported hanging drug dealers....Read More
Lifestyle
Increased Activity = Greater Brain Power
What would get more people walking? This activity shows tons of health benefits. And today one person in three over the age of 85 develops Alzheimer’s disease. This statistic should get everyone out of his or her chair and walking because a report from Tufts University in Boston shows that the most active people have the largest volume of gray matter in parts of the brain typically affected by Alzheimer’s disease. Dr. Tammy Scott, at Tufts’ Neuroscience and Aging Laboratory, says, “Physical activity has consistently shown to be beneficial to brain health.” She adds, “There is increasing evidence that regular exercise lowers the risk of dementia.” Researchers report in the journal Neurology what happened to 876 people enrolled in the Northern Manhattan...Read More
Infection, Vitamins
Do I Get a Flu Shot?
Sir William Osler, one of the world’s great doctors, suggested a treatment for the common cold. He said, “Hang your hat on the bedpost, go to bed, start sipping whisky, and stop when you see two hats!” He was stressing humorously that there wasn’t any sure treatment for the common cold. Now, during the flu season, I’m often asked if I get a flu shot. But there’s a big difference between a cold and the flu. So read this column with reservation, and remember I am not your doctor. Albert Szent-Gyorgyi received the Nobel Prize in 1937 for his research on vitamin C. At the time vitamin C could only be extracted from adrenal glands and massive amounts of orange juice. Life...Read More
Nutrition
LeafSource : A Natural Remedy 100 Years in the Making
Can the fossilized remains of an ancient, organic forest treat many modern medical problems? Like Ripley, you might say, “It’s too good to be true”. But unlike today’s medicines, LeafSource has been 100 million years in the making! The Cretaceous Age started 145 million years ago. It was the golden age of giant tree ferns, fresh marsh vegetation and rich food sources. But, unhappily, all ages end. Nevertheless, this period has been preserved in a seabed deposit in New Mexico, U.S.A. Now, its nutritious content is available in a capsule called LeafSource, It’s been said that “Humans are starving to death on full stomachs.” This is because optimum health and longevity of the body depend on the absorption of enough raw material...Read More
Miscellaneous
What Did You Learn in 2016?
Mahatma Gandhi counselled, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow. Learn as if you were to live forever”. One never stops learning. So let’s see from this quiz how much you learned this past year. 20 studies show that moderate drinkers live longer than teetotalers or alcoholics. North Americans with low levels of potassium are more likely to suffer a stroke due to a blood clot. UTI E Drops is an effective natural remedy to treat common E.coli urinary infections without the side-effects of antibiotics. Bypass surgery is more technically more difficult in women since they have smaller coronary arteries than men. Colonoscopy is superior to preventing colon cancer than checking the stool for blood. Medical care is the main cause of death in North...Read More
Alcohol, Lifestyle, Nutrition
Why Would God Have Made Wine So Good?
Why do I like Cardinal Amand Richelieu? I’m not an expert theologian. But I remember the Cardinal was a leading character in The Three Musketeers, a ruler more powerful than the King and known as “The Red Eminence” due to his red robe. But he also enjoyed red wine. He once remarked, “If God forbade drinking, would he have made wine so good?” It appears that Jesus supported the use of alcohol. After all, he transformed water into wine. So why would a mortal like me ignore such sage teachings? Particularly, when there are more old wine drinkers than old doctors! For years I’ve told patients that if they’ve never consumed alcohol, don’t start. We know the terrible social consequences of excessive...Read More
Sports
LILT, A New RX for Concussions
If my children wanted to play a sport that involved head contact, would I be concerned? You bet I would. And I’d encourage them to think twice about their decision. But concussions can also occur after a car accident and in unusual circumstances. To date, taking time off to smell the roses for months, has been the usual medical treatment. Now, a study shows that Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT), is producing amazing results. To learn more about this procedure I interviewed Dr. Fred Kahn, an international authority on LILT, in Toronto. Dr. Kahn’s clinic has been using LILT for years to treat arthritis, sport injuries, wounds and dermatological diseases. This year he will also treat 500 cases of acute and...Read More
Cardiovascular, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Miscellaneous, Surgery
A Miner Will Save Millions from Blindness
Would I, as a doctor, ever expect to meet a miner? As Mark Twain remarked, “A mine is a hole in the ground with a liar at the top”. Luckily, I accepted an invitation to do just that, and discovered there is something new under the sun. This week, how “DIAGNOS”, a Canadian company in Montreal, has developed what’s called “computer assisted retinal analysis (CARA)”. This computer software will save millions of people around the world from blindness due to Type 2 diabetes. So, did a miner become a retinal expert? The slogan of DIAGNOS is “Beat it in a blink”. Patients simply look into a camera and a photo is taken of their retina, the back part of...Read More
Miscellaneous
Readers Response to Insulin Pill Discovery
Recently in a column I confessed to buying the penny stock of Eastgate Biotech Corp. After writing about Type 2 diabetes for 50 years, I was interested to see what would happen to the company’s momentous discovery, an oral insulin pill, instead of injections, to treat diabetes. Eastgate needs10 million dollars for a final study to satisfy Health Canada. I believed Sir Frederick Banting, who discovered insulin at the University of Toronto in 1922, would roll over in his grave as the company struggled to find financing. So, how did readers respond? R.F. from Toronto says, “It’s tragic that this company has to seek funds from U.S. venture capitalists. Banting would wonder why the U of T which has spent hundreds...Read More
Nutrition, Vitamins
Surviving a Toxic World
How many of us would like to live like a hermit? I doubt that many would decide to give up the comfort and pleasures of civilization. But we pay an increasing price for comfort. Today, it’s impossible to escape fumes from cars, radiation from computers, earth’s depleted ozone layer, foods that have been over-processed, pesticides sprayed onto crops, to mention a few. It’s no wonder that so many North Americans suffer from toxic inflammatory diseases. But there’s a natural way to boost the immune system to decrease the risk. Dr. John Wilkinson, Senior Herbal Medicine Lecturer at Middlesex University, London, England, says the answer is plant sterols which, like vitamin C, cannot be made by the human body. Studies show that...Read More
Diabetes
Why Would I Ever Buy a Penny Stock?
This week, I mean not to be a financial advisor for penny stocks. For years I’ve followed Warren Buffet’s advice to purchase stock of quality companies. But if Sir Frederick Banting, the Canadian discoverer of insulin, knew what was happening in Canada, he’d roll over in his grave. So I purchased penny shares in a company to combat the loss of a momentous Canadian discovery into foreign hands. I also hope it will make a charity richer. How luck plays a momentous role in our lives! In this case, just by chance, I met the President of Eastgate Biotech Corp. I learned this small company had been involved in an attempt to do what researchers around the world had failed to...Read More
Cardiovascular
Cruising With Cardiologists to Alaska, and What I Learned
I have a passion for ships so I’ve travelled and seen much of the world this way. But I’d never been to Alaska. So I recently joined a group of cardiologists on an educational cruise to a U.S. State blessed with magnificent scenery. It was a good learning experience, with one glaring omission. Towards the end of the conference I asked a specific question. For several days all the speakers had discussed the value of Cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs) to prevent heart attack. They had also discussed drugs to treat heart failure. But none had mentioned the vital importance of coenzyme Q10 (CoQ10) to either prevent or treat a failing heart. Studies show that CLDs decrease the amount of this enzyme, and...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Miscellaneous, Pain
How Can Hospitals and Doctors Be So Cruel?
Years ago I wrote that “The problems of the world are caused by supposedly intelligent people who are largely fools.” I haven’t changed my mind as I look at the problems surrounding the new law that allows Medical Aid in Dying (MAID). I will never understand how some hospitals and doctors can be so cruel to those who cry out for mercy. Recently, an 84 year old man, a patient in a Vancouver hospital, was afflicted with failing kidneys, heart disease and spinal stenosis, a narrowing of the spinal canal causing pressure on sensitive cord tissue. Aware of his agonizing future, he asked his doctor to apply for MAID. But Catholic hospitals and some non-Catholic facilities do not allow doctors or...Read More
Genitourinary, Women's Health
Mother’s Rx for Recurrent Urinary Infections
Is Mother sometimes right about medical treatment? This week a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that, at times, her batting average is better than that of doctors. Drs. Blayne Welk and Duane Hicklings report the case of a 35 year old woman with a 24 hour history of urinary frequency. She had experienced two previous urinary tract infections (UTIs) due to a common bladder infection caused by a bacteria called E coli. Doctors advised the usual recommendations, such as increased fluid intake and voiding after sex. But Welk and Hicklings say a large study showed these precautions had little effect on recurrent UTIs. Rather, it was the use of spermicidal jelly that was interfering with normal vaginal flora. The...Read More
Neurology, Pain
Why I’ve Never Forgotten a Japanese Girl
58 years ago I made an unfortunate decision. I was in the wrong place at the wrong time with the wrong Japanese girl. But the problem was not what you’re thinking! Rather, I was in Tokyo, travelling with my wife and her parents. My father-in-law and I decided to experience a Japanese massage at the Imperial Hotel. During the event a petite masseuse suddenly struck the side of my head with a hard blow. I swear to High Heaven I did not pinch her, and will never know why she acted this way. The following day I developed symptoms of injury to the ulnar nerve in my arm, and later neck pain. In recent years the neck pain has increased and...Read More
Lifestyle, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
Losing Weight the Asinine Way
Has the medical world gone completely insane? A new medical device called “AspireAssist” to treat obesity has been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S. Its approval is being studied by Health Canada. The British Medical Journal agrees with my reaction when it reported, “AspireAssist surely marks the end of civilization as we know it”. This remark sounds ominous, but it’s not about a nuclear threat. Rather, about obese people who thoroughly chow down a meal, then half an hour later physically remove one third of it! Not by inserting a tube down their throat. Instead, by an endoscopic surgical procedure in which doctors insert a pencil-sized tube into the stomach. Following the meal a pump...Read More
Philosophy
It’s Madness Not to Have a Living Will, Legal or Not
"It was the best of times and the worst of times." This is the first sentence in Dicken’s book, "A Tale of Two Cities" about the French revolution. The same could be said today. Never has there been a greater exodus of people escaping wars and poverty. And never before has there been a greater need for an updated Living Will, whether you live in Canada or the U.S. One that pulls no punches on how we wish to end our lives. I have a personal interest in this column. Consequently, it’s a hard one to write, as no one wants to discuss their demise. But as a physician in my 93rd year I have no delusions about my mortality. So...Read More
Lungs, Medicine, Vitamins
Hillary Clinton: Did She Receive the Best RX?
Do famous people always receive superior medical care? If this were a Trivial Pursuit question, the answer would be a big “Yes”. After all, they’re famous and have the money to demand the best medical treatment. But has fame and fortune guaranteed that Clinton has been given the best advice to treat pneumonia? This week I encountered several surprises. The first surprise was that Hillary Clinton, at age 68, hadn’t collapsed earlier from this disease. Or that Donald Trump, age 70 and overweight, hasn’t as yet collapsed from coronary attack. The grueling U.S. election campaign is not designed for seniors, so something medical is bound to happen eventually. It occurred this past week. What else amazed me? Everything I read...Read More
