Surgery
Robotic-Surgery Still Requires Skilled Human Hands
Dr. Harvey Cushing, one of Harvard's great neurosurgeons, once remarked, "There is no such thing as minor surgery, but there are a lot of minor surgeons". He wanted to drive home the point that you should always be careful about who does your operation. But when Cushing made this remark, he had never heard of Robotic-Surgery. So what would he say now? A report in the Journal for Healthcare Quality analyzes complications that occurred during one type of robotic-surgery between the years 2000 and 2012. During that time there were 174 injuries and 71 deaths. Another study at Johns Hopkins University revealed what has long been suspected, that surgical complications are not always reported...Read More
Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Vitamins
Did Jim Flaherty Have To Die?
Could the life of one of Canada's great Ministers of Finance have been saved by medical treatment? You did not have to be a doctor to see the change in his facial appearance and realize he was not well. But when he apparently died from a massive heart attack, was he denied a natural remedy that might have saved his life? And could his son, who suffered from a disability, have been saved by the same treatment? Jim Flaherty developed a rare skin disease called Bullous pemphigoid. It's an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system produces antibodies that attack the body. In effect, it's as if soldiers suddenly decided to turn their guns on each other, rather than on...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle
Potassium: Like Sex and Money, Just the Right Amount
"Why would anyone be so foolish to carry on this asinine habit for so long?" This was my immediate reaction to an article, published by LiveScience and reported at the European Heart Rhythm Association. In effect, the article shows how a most innocent habit, carried out for a long period, can send you to hospital. A woman living in Monaco was admitted to emergency following a fainting episode. She had no family history of heart problems. Doctors quickly discovered that she had an irregular heart rate. When results of the blood study were reported they were shocked to find her blood potassium was in the hazardous range. But why would it be so low? A detailed questioning revealed that she had consumed...Read More
Infection, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Vitamins
Death by Measles??
How would you react if your unvaccinated child or grandchild died from measles? No doubt your response would be one of agonizing grief. What you wouldn't know is that this personal tragedy did not have to happen in 2014. Unfortunately, I bet not one doctor in a thousand knows how Dr. Frederick Klenner successfully treated this viral infection over 60 years ago. Doctors are not the only ones unaware of Dr. Klenner. One of Canada's leading newspapers recently reported that there was no specific antiviral treatment for this highly infectious disease. It was wrong. This newspaper editor committed a major error by not reading history. Worldwide measles has been, in the past, one of the major causes of death among young children....Read More
Medicine
How Safe Are Your Drugs?
Have you ever wondered about the safety of drugs that you've purchased? Are you concerned that they have in the bottle what's indicated on the package? Or worried that they contain dangerous substances that shouldn't be present? So is there any way to be sure we're getting what we pay for? My interest started a few years ago when I read a report from the University of California expressing this worry. It stated that the majority of drugs were being imported from China, South Korea and other Asian countries. The report suggested that there were too few inspectors in these countries to ensure the quality of material exported. Nor were there sufficient inspectors in North America to catch ineffective drugs or...Read More
Lungs
A Scientific Way To Stop Killing Yourself with Cigarettes
How can the war in Vietnam now be saving lives? During the Vietnam conflict U.S. soldiers were given free cheap cigarettes, but they were harsh to smoke. To decrease the harshness, soldiers applied glycerine gel to one end of the cigarette which trapped harmful tar. This has pioneered a life-saving idea called "NicoBloc". Every year tobacco kills three million people worldwide. Today 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, 30 percent of all cancers, 80 percent of chronic bronchitis and emphysema and 25 percent of heart disease and stroke are due to tobacco. Given the choice, mouth to mouth resuscitation of Dracula is safer than lighting up a cigarette. If tobacco was introduced to North Americans today, health authorities would ban it as...Read More
Genetics
Forget Cholesterol Numbers. How’s Your Mitochondria?
"You're so like your mother, you have so much energy!" friends have said to me. I admit energy-wise they're right. My father preferred to sit in his chair analyzing mathematical problems, while mother was high octane gas. She never stopped running around. But I didn't know why I inherited her energy until I read a report in the Nutrition Action Health Letter about mitochondria. So, here's how you can increase your energy level. It's said that precious things come in small packages, and there's no better example than mitochondria. Each cell in our body contains up to 2,000 mitochondria and, although tiny, they make up to 60 percent of the volume of muscle cells and 40 percent of heart cells. Simon Melov,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition
They Tried To Hang Me In 1981
What had I done so wrong 33 years ago? I had written a column about the health hazards of excessive amounts of sugar. The Canadian Sugar Institute asked The College of Physicians and Surgeons to discipline me for making false charges. It was only after many hours of testimony that democracy prevailed. The College decided that, as a journalist, I had the right to a personal opinion. So is the linking of sugar to heart disease a new idea? A report in the journal, JAMA Internal Medicine, claims that those who consume 25 percent of more of their daily calories from added sugar are three times more likely to die of heart disease. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Vitamins
This Week, Monumental Photos to Save Your Life
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, had the misfortune of losing her head. Fortunately, the rest of us still have ours. That's fortunate because doctors are increasingly using the eye to diagnose generalized diseases. In fact, early detection of problems through the eye can prevent heart attack, stroke and save legs from amputation. Today, dramatic photos, just posted on my website, may save millions of lives. The human body has 60,000 miles of arteries and veins, the same length as walking twice around the world. But there's only one place where we can see blood vessels, in the retina, at the back of the eye, just a square centimeter in size. Dr. David Ingvoldstad, a U.S. ophthalmologist and authority on...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
My Number Is 18924
Why am I mad as hell? This week I finally joined "Dignitas", the Swiss organization that allows freedom of choice in death. Now I'm Registered Member 18924. I hope I don't get a chance to use it soon or ever. But if I develop a debilitating illness, Dignitas will be available. Many share my view. We want to cry out "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore." Let's first get mad as hell at gutless politicians, such as any Prime Minister who claims our Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects us all from injustice, yet denies freedom from the agony of terminal cancer pain, Lou Gehrig's disease and other degenerative diseases. Some justice! Then let's get...Read More
Longevity
Longevity: Do I Have The Secret?
This month of my 90th birthday, a reader asks, "I like your way of speaking and getting the message across. You sure are witty and energetic. It does not sound like you're in a nursing home. So what's the secret of your longevity? I'm sure other readers wouldn't mind knowing." It's been said it's better to be lucky than good. I was lucky to inherit the longevity gene. This is the best start any parent can give. And I was lucky to have parents who taught me not to spend it foolishly. I've been lucky to like what I do. At an early age I had a single-minded passion to be a doctor. Hell would have had to freeze over to stop...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition, Sex
Beetrootburgers, To Lower Blood Pressure and Boost Amour
Why would I want to eat beets? Because my mother happened to like beets and said they were good for me. You did not say "No" to my mother. Besides, I thought they might be better than spinach. Now it appears my mother made an excellent choice as research shows the lowly beet packs a powerful punch. Beets are a traditional vegetable in Eastern and Central Europe and India. Fortunately, beets are easily grown most of the year, have long storability and adapt to a wide variety of climates. The medicinal value of beets dates back to early times. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, recommended beets for binding wounds, blood cleansing and digestive problems. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, believed her romantic...Read More
Cardiovascular, Sex
Sex? The Day after Heart Attack?
Being shot by a jealous lover at 95 years of age is my idea of the best way to leave this planet. But suppose you're younger and have survived a coronary attack or bypass surgery? Is a little romp in the bed safe? Or is it time to switch to backgammon? A study published in The Journal of the American Heart Association about this reports a major problem. Women who asked their doctors questions about sex received vague answers. In fact, some patients simply gave up sex following a coronary as they were too embarrassed to ask their doctors about it. Another problem is depression. It's hard not to be a bit uptight when you have survived a brush with death. This...Read More
Lifestyle, Vitamins
Can Vitamin C Stop an Aging Brain?
"I want to die with my boots on!" is an oft-heard expression. But it poses a problem. Today, many are living and dying not even knowing their boots are on. So does Alzheimer's disease have to happen? Are cholesterol deposits in arteries starving our brain cells of oxygen? And can we do anything about it? A report in the journal Dementia and Geriatric Disorders claims there's a link between heart attack and Alzheimer's disease. The link is atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) due to cholesterol. Sir William Osler, Professor of Medicine at both McGill and Johns Hopkins University, once remarked that "It's lucky to be born with good rubber." Namely, it's best to have flexible, open arteries that carry sufficient amounts of oxygenated...Read More
Cancer, Lifestyle, Women's Health
The Worst Place to Carry A Cell Phone
Could smart phones be slowly killing us? Some experts feel we're living in an Alice-in-Wonderland world if we ignore radiation from these electronic devices. So today, here's an example of what can go wrong. The Environmental Health Trust's Newsletter reports an unusual case. A young woman, with no predisposing risk factors for cancer, made a practical decision. She decided to carry her cell phone in her bra. Today with so many cell phones being snatched from people, I give her top marks for ingenuity and increased security. Unfortunately, she developed breast cancer. But what shocked doctors was that the pattern of the cancer lined up perfectly with the shape of the cell phone. This single case does not prove that radiation...Read More
Infection
The Airplane Cold: Fact or Fiction?
"Did I catch this infection on the plane?" I wondered. I'm sure, like me, you have often asked yourself this same question, particularly if you've landed in a tropical paradise and a cold is the last thing you need. So what is the risk of picking up a bug on a plane and how can you avoid it? And should airlines add something to a certain door? Dr. Jessica Nutik Zitter, a researcher at the University of California, San Francisco, studied 1,100 passengers travelling between San Francisco and Denver, Colorado, on planes that had newer air recirculating systems and those that use fresh air for ventilation. 21 percent of passengers aboard fresh air planes reported colds within one week, compared to...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
A New Year’s Resolution That Makes Sense
Where do I get ideas for this column? Normally, from reliable medical sources. But this New Year's resolution comes from The Daily Reckoning, a financial publication. Its advice is sound for all of us as we start 2014. Its topic is "The Parable of Taganga". A U.S. investment adviser was visiting a small fishing village in Colombia called Taganga. As he strolled along the pier, a fisherman appeared with his daily catch. The basket contained four tilapia. When the American was told the fish had been caught quickly he said, "So why didn't you catch more fish?" The fisherman replied, "This is all I need to feed my family." So the American asked, "How do you spend the rest of the day?" The...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Vitamins
The Darkness Hormone
"Do you think melatonin is of any value?" a doctor recently asked me. And if a doctor is wondering about this natural remedy, many people must be 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 a modest effect. It also added 250 calories to...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle
Overweight and Fit?
"How much do you think this weighs?", I occasionally ask patients. What I've handed them is a large, fatty, yellow, glob of fake tissue, similar to human tissue. But what surprises patients is that it feels quite heavy, yet only weighs one pound. Suddenly they realize the significance of the 20 pounds they've gained since their last checkup. But can they be overweight and fit at the same time? Dr. Jean-Pierre Despres of Laval Research Centre in Quebec City reports in the Archives of Internal Medicine what is good news for some men, and what should be a wakeup call for others. Despres and his colleagues studied 169 healthy men by comparing their cardiovascular fitness to the amount of belly fat they...Read More
Miscellaneous
How Much Have You Learned?
Am I a good teacher or do I get an F for effort during the last year? The best way to find out is to see how much you have learned from this column. Good luck in the Q and A test. Q- 95 percent of patients with Type 2 diabetes are obese. Obesity, diabetes and the complications of these diseases will eventually cripple this nation's health care system. Q- Today 85 percent of seafood used in North America is imported and much of it is farm-raised. Small fish contain the least contaminates. Q – Zona Plus is a computerized device that helps to lower blood pressure without medication. The idea resulted from research on fighter pilots and the medical problems that result...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Medicine, Nutrition
Stein’s Law and Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
Stein's Law says that if something can't go on forever, it has to stop. It's just a matter of when. Stein's Law always wins. But when will this Law stop the increasing number of North Americans taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs)? Surely enough is enough. Recently the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology issued new broader guidelines that in one fell swoop have added millions of healthy people to the list of those who will be prescribed CLDs. Dr. John Abramson at the Harvard Medical School and Dr. Rita F. Redberg, cardiologist at the University of California, report that these guidelines will primarily benefit the pharmaceutical industry, not patients. Abramson and Redberg state this decision would be good news for patients...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
Be Careful How Many Friends You Invite For Dinner
Who doesn't like the feast of the holiday season? For most it's a time of laughter, revelry and the bounty of food and drink. It's also a time when will-power takes a holiday. Much too much eggnog and other calories are consumed. So do you just give up, or do you decide to be a smart eater? Here's Menu 101 for smart holiday eating. Dr. Susan B. Roberts, Director of Tuft's University Energy Metabolism Laboratory, says, "Faced with a six week never ending onslaught of fattening foods, you know you can't win, so you resign yourself in advance and let yourself go." But what happens to the calorie count on holidays is shocking. For instance, Roberts says between U.S. Thanksgiving and the...Read More
Miscellaneous
What I Learned as a Medical Journalist
"Have you ever thought you'd like to be a journalist?" Well, here's the good and the bad. First, I was well trained at the Harvard Medical School, but as a journalist I've had an unprecedented learning experience searching for information I would never have sought before, on all sorts of topics. The bad? The profession requires responsibility, discipline, thick skin and recurring deadlines. So I've written about the experience in a book titled, "What I Learned as a Medical Journalist." I quickly learned that hypocrisy and distortion of the truth can affect doctors and humanitarian organizations. Years ago I urged the government to legalize heroin to ease the agony of terminal cancer patients. I won the battle with great difficulty but...Read More
Vitamins
Vitamin C : What You Don’t Know About Its Multiple Benefits
I've previously written about high concentration of vitamin C and lysine powder, and how it can prevent and reverse atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. The combination is a revolutionary discovery. But vitamin C has many other amazing virtues. Years ago, on long sea voyages up to 90 percent of sailors died from scurvy due to a lack of fruit and its vitamin C content. This vitamin is needed for the production of collagen, the glue that holds cells together. Without C the body disintegrates, blood vessels rupture causing massive hemorrhage and death. Just 10 milligrams (mgs) of C prevents scurvy. But we need several thousand daily for other medical problems. For instance, millions of North Americans suffer from osteoarthritis. Without sufficient vitamin C...Read More
Cancer, Medicine
How Many Readers Know The Right Number?
Editors obviously pay me to pass along medical advice to you. But this week I can't answer a fundamental health question. So let's switch roles to see if any reader with the Wisdom of Solomon knows the right number to this dilemma. I'll publish the results, as it's vital that a figure be found. After all, it's going to affect how long you live. Stephen S. Hall writes a fascinating article in the magazine "New York" about the escalating cost of cancer drugs. New cancer medication now costs tens of thousands of dollars, but may extend lives of patients only a matter of days. Dr. Leonard Saltz, a cancer specialist at Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York, is an outspoken advocate for...Read More
