Alternate Treatments
Does Your Doctor Always Know Best?
Faced with a medical decision, patients normally allow their doctor to decide on treatment, assuming he or she “always knows best”. But “Consumer Report on Health” claims that this approach rarely works anymore. Doctors simply are unable to keep up with the flood of new information on medical therapy. Consequently, some medical decisions must consider the patient’s priorities, not just the doctor’s. This process might even decrease the cost of medical care. Often the problem is communication. For instance, a study of 1,057 doctor/ patient visits, including 3,552 clinical decisions, found that only 9 percent provided the patient with enough information to make an informed choice! So how do you figure out what is best for you? Potential traps are the now...Read More
Pain, Surgery
Wrong Site, Wrong Procedure, Wrong Patient Surgery
Are you scheduled for surgery? If so, there are ways to circumvent horrendous surgical errors. We’ve all heard stories about surgeons amputating the wrong leg. Or fixing a hernia on the side that didn’t need it. If you think this is past history, you had better think again as it happens every year in North America. During a 10 year period in Canada, wrong-site surgery happened 106 times. Each year, 6.3 cases involved a lower extremity and in 4.3 cases, an upper limb. The most common error was the use of arthroscopy (looking into the joint with an optical instrument) on the wrong joint. This misfortune happened to 24 patients. And in one case a total knee replacement was performed on...Read More
Genitourinary, Infection
In Europe, Nobody Chides “We Know Where You’re Going”
Have you ever heard of UTI (urinary tract infection) Drops? I doubt it, as these natural herbal drops have just recently been imported from Europe to treat troublesome, acute and chronic E Coli urinary tract infection. UTI Drops have been used successfully in Europe for over 20 years and have now been approved by Health Canada. So why are these natural herbs so effective in combating E Coli, the bacteria that’s responsible for most cases of bladder infection (cystitis)? Every year 30 to 50 million North Americans, mostly women, the elderly, and those with compromised immune systems, suffer from cystitis. Few ever forget the first attack of severe pain on urination, fever and the constant rushing to the bathroom, or the...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, Sex, Women's Health
A Pink Pill for Female Sexual Equality?????
George Carlin, the American comedian, when referring to God, once remarked, “He, and if there is a God, I am convinced he is a he, because no woman could or would screw things up this badly”. I agree that if more women were in charge, this world would be a safer planet. But a recent medical announcement about female sexuality makes me wonder if women should be careful of what they wish for, like the pink pill, Addyi (flibanserin). It’s just been approved in the U.S., but not yet in Canada. We know that the blue pill has had a major impact on male sexuality. It’s been 17 years since Viagra was approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED). Since then...Read More
Lifestyle, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Pain
Cutting Back On Drugs Cured a Retired Minister
What’s the response that shocks me most during my many speaking tours? It’s the huge combination of drugs swallowed by many North Americans. Equally amazing, most people have no idea why they’re taking them. Over-medication is dangerous. It also results in staggering costs for the health care system. So can North Americans cut back on drugs? And what non-medication cured an ailing retired minister? The first question to ask your doctor is why you are taking so many drugs. This seems so logical it hardly needs mentioning. After all, these same people wouldn’t think twice about asking the car mechanic what was done to correct the noise in their car’s engine. So never accept a drug without asking why the...Read More
Cancer, Gastroenterology
Colonoscopy: If Good for the Queen, It’s Good For You
How foolish some people are. Even when it means dying from a large bowel cancer at an early age. I've seen it happen many times over the years. So here are 10 points that can prevent this needless tragedy. One - About 90 percent of colon cancer occurs in people over 50 years of age. This provides ample time to detect and treat this malignancy. But there is one big hurdle, and I've heard friends and patients react to it over and over again. They casually respond, "Yes, I'm going to have a colonoscopy one of these days." 99 percent of the time this means none of these days. And I've seen some of these people die horrible deaths from this...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Pain
Supreme Court Beheaded By Boneheaded Politicians
How can you learn to become a hypocrite? It’s easy. Take a course in Politics 101, then get elected to parliament. This will make it easy to postpone matters that demand instant attention. There’s no better example of hypocrisy than parliament’s move to delay implementation of the Supreme Court’s decision on Assisted Death until after the election. The Harper government has added insult to injury by stacking the consultation panel with those opposed to assisted death. It’s like putting the fox in charge of the hens, an inhumane despicable act for those crying out for help to end their suffering. In February, The Supreme Court of Canada ruled that assisted death should be an option for those grievously and irremediably ill, and...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
Orthopedics
Sarcopenia: The Path To A Needless 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 of...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
So You Know How to Detect Poison Mushrooms?
“Are you sure you know how to identify poisonous mushrooms?” I asked my neighbour. He assured me he had studied differences in this fungus and had been picking them for years. But one night I received a call from his wife saying her husband was desperately ill. I found him lying on the bathroom floor, ghostly white, breathing heavily and in agony. I discovered he had been picking mushrooms and they had been a part of his dinner. He was rushed to the Emergency and nearly died. Now a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal says that foraging and eating wild mushrooms can result in liver failure and even death. And that mistaking toxic mushrooms for edible varieties is...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
Miscellaneous
Readers’ Reaction to Self-Inflicted Disease
Recently I asked readers to respond to the column, “Want to be a Millionaire?” I received a ton of mail. A Quebec judge had ruled that smokers could be rewarded for ill health and death even though they knew smoking had been a health hazard for 50 years. So I proposed getting rich similarly by starting a class action suit against food companies for creating the perfect storm of obesity, Type 2 diabetes, and heart disease. After all, this is a monumental crisis compared to smoking. L.P. from West Kelowna, British Columbia, writes, “I totally agree with your every word. These poor saps didn’t know that tobacco was harmful to their health? What a society we live in. The next...Read More
Cardiovascular, Surgery
Surgery for Swinging-Door Heart Valves
Mitral valve surgery can best be described by comparison to the swinging saloon door in old western movies. It demonstrates what can go wrong with the heart’s valves. And what surgical procedure is needed to correct mitral valve prolapse (MVP). To get a first-hand view of this procedure, I watched Dr. Tirone David, one the world’s great cardiac surgeons, perform the operation at Toronto General Hospital. The mitral valve separates the two left chambers of the heart. Each time the heart beats the valves swing open, like the doors of a western saloon. But after opening they close firmly again while the heart pumps blood to the body. The problem is that swinging doors of saloons often develop loose rusty hinges that...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
Dental, Pediatrics, Radiation
How Necessary Are Dental X-Rays?
What should you do the next time the dentist tells you he or she is going to take full dental X-rays? A new study shows that just as porcupines make love very, very carefully, you should also take care to limit the amount of radiation exposure during your lifetime, particularly the amount children receive. Dr. Elizabeth Claus of Yale University reports in the American Cancer Society Journal Cancer, that there's a link between dental x-rays and the risk of developing a brain tumour called a meningioma. These tumours grow from the meninges, the layers of tissue that cover the brain. Fortunately, most meningiomas are benign. Others are slow growing, but they can become life-threatening when they become as large as a baseball...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Burnout 101 for Caregivers
Here's a possible Trivial Pursuit question, "What's the fastest growing unpaid profession in North America?" I admit I wouldn't have known the answer. But, according to the "Family Caregiver Alliance", more than 65.7 million Americans, that's 29 percent of the population, provide care to a family member, loved one or friend who is ill disabled or aged. But when does such labour of love trigger burnout anger in the caregiver? A report from Johns Hopkins University states, "The average unpaid, or informal, caregiver is a 46 year old female with a full or part-time job who spends about 20 hours a week catering for her mother". But for those caring for a loved one older than 65 the average age is...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, Miscellaneous, Vitamins
Are Calcium Pills Killing us?
Is there anything sacred anymore? For years researchers have stressed that people are not getting sufficient calcium to build strong bones and prevent osteoporosis (brittle bones). But now a research report claims that calcium supplements increase the risk of cardiovascular disease. Nevertheless, a largely unknown vitamin can prevent this tragedy. Dr. Ian Reid and his colleagues at the University of Auckland, New Zealand, studied 14,000 women who were taking 1,000 mg (milligrams) of calcium daily. They report in the British Medical Journal that these women showed a 31 percent increased risk of coronary attack, stroke and death. This means 14 extra heart attacks, 10 more strokes and 13 more deaths over a two to five year period than women not taking...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
Dental
A Small Hole Can Sink a Big Ship
A proverb states that, “For want of a nail, the horseshoe was lost. For want of a horseshoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider. the battle was lost.” All this due to the want of a nail! Napoleon Bonaparte once remarked that trivial things often decide the outcome of a battle. They can also decide the outcome of your health. It’s tragic that one in five North Americans have no teeth after the age of 65. It’s also unfortunate that many people naively believe that poor dental hygiene simply means loss of teeth. Think again, because being toothless could end your life. Mother’s advice was right, that teeth should be brushed...Read More
Philosophy
There’s A Sucker Born Every Minute
It’s been said, “There’s a sucker born every minute.” I often think of this remark while watching TV medical commercials, the ones that promote drugs to treat common ailments, then show pictures of someone riding a horse, climbing a hill or hugging their partner. But then the commercial adds, “See your doctor if you notice a rash, skin sores, sudden pain, dizziness, abdominal bloating, fever, chills or coughing up blood. Drug X can be associated with changes in blood pressure, nausea, visual problems, numbness of legs, an increased risk of blood clots and cancer.” The list of hazards continues as long as your arm. My question? Why would any reasonable human consider taking the risks of this medication unless they’re taking their...Read More
Cholesterol
Put Them in Prison to Find Out about Blood Cholesterol
Benjamin Disraeli, the distinguished British Prime Minister, once ridiculed an opposition member of parliament by saying, “He is distinguished by his ignorance for he only had one idea and that was wrong”. Today 99 percent of doctors have one idea that cholesterol-lowering drugs are the be-all-and-end-all to lower blood cholesterol. I believe history will prove them wrong. This week, an old prisoner experiment tells a story, along with a natural remedy to lower blood cholesterol. Dr John Judkin, formerly Emeritus Professor of Physiology at London University, London, England, made headlines years ago when he reported that a high dietary intake of animal fat and the eating of foods containing cholesterol were not the cause of coronary heart disease. Of course he was...Read More
Cancer, Miscellaneous
What Oscar Knows That Doctors Don’t Know
Years ago the family cat, usually aloof, suddenly decided to spend time on my father-in-law’s lap months before he died of pancreatic cancer. Why? Another family reports in a Toronto newspaper that their pet feline recently began a vigil on a loved one’s lap just before he died. So what did the cat know that wasn’t taught to me at The Harvard Medical School? The New England Journal of Medicine, not noted for publishing trivia, surprised doctors several years ago by publishing a photo of Oscar, the cat. This male feline had become famous for his uncanny ability to predict death. Oscar did not have a noble background. Rather, he had been saved as a young kitten, by staff members of a...Read More
