Dental, Surgery
Antibiotics for Cleaning Teeth after Hip Replacement?
What should you do if a dentist or dental hygienist says, "I won't clean your teeth unless you agree to take antibiotics following surgical hip or knee replacement?" Today, over one million hip and knee replacements are done every year in North America. It's estimated that by the year 2030 this number will escalate to four million annually. But should dentists paint every joint implant patient with the same brush? The American Academy of Orthopedic Surgeons (ACOS) is adamant about this question. They claim that during the last 20 years the number of post-operative hip and knee infections has markedly decreased due to the use of antibiotics during surgery and the immediate post-operative period. Anyone scheduled for these procedures can shout "hallelujah"...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Vitamins
Adrenal Exhaustion The 21st Century Disease
Are you tired for no reason? Having a hard time getting out of bed? Or feel run-down and stressed all the time? If so, you may have the first symptoms of adrenal exhaustion and must learn to "adapt" before it becomes a steady habit that causes more than heartburn. As Charles Darwin, the British scientist remarked. "It's not the fittest that survive, nor the most intelligent, but those who can adapt to their environment." Or, as is often said, "It's not the work that kills, it's the worry". The thumb-sized adrenal glands are situated on the top of both kidneys and have been called the body's primary "shock absorbers". They produce a number of hormones such as adrenaline, cortisol and DHEA....Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary, Surgery
Cooking the Prostate Gland
How many angels can dance on the head of a pin? No one knows. Nor has anyone, to this point, found the answer to treating prostate cancer. Now, a treatment called high-intensity focused ultrasound (HIFU) is available. So could this procedure be the ultimate way to cure prostate malignancy? In North America, every three minutes, a man is diagnosed with prostate cancer and every 15 minutes a man dies from it. The major problem has always been, which men should be treated, and when should doctors follow a wait-and-see policy? Waiting to see what will happen has never been a logical move anytime cancer is diagnosed. The result is normally the spreading of the malignancy and eventually death. But prostate malignancy, unlike...Read More
Medicine, Vitamins
Health Canada : Where Are The Dead Bodies?
Do you know that every day 290 North American citizens are killed by prescription drugs? To kill the same number of people a jumbo jet would have to crash every day. So why are natural remedies being removed from health food stores while drugs that kill remain available? Dr. Zoltan Rona, an expert on natural remedies, recently told me that, "Health Canada has been raiding health food stores, terrorizing proprietors and confiscating natural food supplements." He asked, "Could you help to stop it?" Rona described a New York Times report that the government's primary suspect in 542 deaths was Pradax, a blood thinning agent. Moreover, when this drug causes bleeding there is no antidote to stop it. Yet Health Canada has done...Read More
Cardiovascular, Gastroenterology, Medicine, Pain
How to Decrease the Risk of Pain Relievers
"Remember, you never get anything for nothing". That's a caution I've repeated over and over to patients. Why? Because some people naively believe it's possible to get health benefit without risk. Today, millions are popping a variety of over-the-counter pain relievers while ignoring important red flags warning they may result in death. Heart and Stroke Risk The American Heart Association reports that, with the exception of acetylsalicylate acid (Aspirin) and possibly naproxen (Aleve), non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as ibuprofen (Motrin and Advil) increase the risk of heart attack and stroke. This is particularly true for those who have already suffered heart attack or are at high risk of cardiovascular disease. Now, a report in the Journal "Circulation" has more disturbing news. Dr....Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Peewee Amounts of Vitamin C Won’t Stop Heart Attacks
How can the Harvard Medical School, my alma mater, be so backward about heart attack? It's apparent its researchers never heard Linus Pauling when he countered critics with, "It's the dosage, idiots," Fortunately, a new remedy allows readers to benefit from Harvard's error. The Harvard study involved 15,000 healthy male doctors. Half were given a multivitamin pill, the others a placebo. Dr. Howard Sesso of Boston's Brigham and Women's Hospital reports that after 11 years of study, there was no difference between the two groups in rate of heart attack, stroke, heart failure or chest pain. What amazes me about the Harvard study is how researchers could waste 11 years studying a project doomed to failure. The multivitamin used contained only 75...Read More
Cardiovascular, Medicine, Miscellaneous
New Zona Plus Device To Treat Hypertension
Why would patients choose to endure the side-effects of blood pressure pills when a new Zona Plus exercise can ease hypertension? Before you say "it's too good to be true", let me tell you about F-16 fighter pilots. These pilots have to withstand huge G-forces in combat to prevent them from blacking out. This presented a major dilemma for flight researchers. It turned out researchers solved two diverse problems at the same time. Studies showed that exercises to strengthen abdominal muscles decreased the effect of gravitational force. But they also discovered that hand gripping exercises could lower blood pressure. This has lead to the development of the Zona Plus device. A recent article in the Journal of Hypertension analyzed several clinical...Read More
Miscellaneous, Nutrition
How Safe Is Your Seafood?
"You should eat more fish" is a remark I often make to patients. But I find that recently more patients reply, "But are fish safe to eat?" They worry about the amount of mercury and PCBs that may be in fish. So today when it appears that everything has a touch of contamination, how safe are fish to eat? A report from the Johns Hopkins Center for a Livable Future, published in Environmental Science and Technology, analyzed seafood inspection data from the U.S., Canada, Europe and Japan. It states that today 85 percent of seafood used in North America is imported and much of it is farm-raised (a practice called aquaculture) in Asia and elsewhere in the developing world. One negative is that...Read More
Genitourinary
A New Treatment to Increase Urinary Flow In Men
In March 1958 The Journal of the Maine Medical Association reported, "A successful non-surgical treatment for enlarged prostate gland is cause for rejoicing among the thousands of mature men who yearly face the possibility of becoming a victim of this painful and dangerous affliction." Since that time there have been major advances in the non-surgical treatment of enlarged prostate glands (benign prostatic hypertrophy). Normally, during male urination, the size of the urinary stream is about one-quarter of an inch. But as men age the prostate gland enlarges, squeezes the urethra (urinary tube), and may reduce its size to one-sixteenth of an inch. And if it reaches zero, emergency surgery is required. Benign prostatic hypertrophy (BPH) is almost like getting gray hair. In...Read More
Lungs
New Drug To Treat a Desperate Disease
Several months ago I wrote about a tennis partner who was slowly dying of idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF). We both knew there was no cure for this disease. Nor could I foresee any help for many years. I was wrong on that point. But I was right about my message of hope. I always tell seriously ill patients the story of the man sentenced to death by the King. Because the King was a lover of horses, the man received a reprieve by promising he'd teach the King's horse to fly within one year. His friends laughed at him, but he explained, "Within a year the King may die, I may die or the horse may die. Besides, within a year...Read More
Genitourinary, Sex
A Mighty Fighter’s Worst Sexual Nightmare
What does a mixed martial arts fighter (MMA) worry about before a fight? I've interviewed boxers, never an MMA fighter, but I suspect losing the match is the first concern. Or possibly breaking an arm, leg or sustaining other serious injuries. But I'd bet one MMA fighter, even in his wildest dreams, never envisioned he'd encounter this sexual nightmare. Ray Elbe, an Ultimate Fighter Season 9, was on a training tour in Southeast Asia. Like any other testosterone driven male he too realized there's more than just training all the time. So why not arrange for a little "amour"? But although his sport is dangerous, vigor in the ring provides the win. The bed has different hazards. In this case, the...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Vitamins
Don’t Become A Diabetes Statistic In 2013
When a man applied for a job at the railway station, he was asked, "Suppose you saw a train coming from the east at 100 miles an hour. Then, you noticed a train coming from the west at 100 mph. The trains are both on the same track and just a quarter of a mile apart. What would you do?" The man replied, "I'd run and get my brother". "Why would you ever do that at such a critical time?" he was asked. The man replied, "Because my brother's never seen a train wreck". Today, diabetes and its complications make a perfect medical train wreck. According to The World Health Organization every 40 seconds a new diabetic is diagnosed in North...Read More
Alcohol, Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Sports
The Perfect Pass, Self Destruction, then Recovery
What would it be like to be the highest paid athlete in the world, the toast of Boston, the winner of two Stanley Cups, the rich devil-may-care playboy? Then to find yourself broke, alcoholic, drug addicted and sleeping under bridges? In the space of 12 years this all happened to Derek "Turk" Sanderson. I recently interviewed Derek Sanderson, the NHL hockey player, in Toronto during a dinner sponsored by Healthy Minds Canada. I was interested in his story as I had attended the same school, lived on the same street and watched Sanderson as he started his hockey career with the Niagara Falls Flyers. I knew his loving parents, who tried to instill the right virtues in their son. Multiple...Read More
Alcohol, Lifestyle, Nutrition
Preventing Sugar Bellies at Christmas and 2013
"Look at that beer belly!" is an often heard remark. But are beer drinkers getting a bad rap? There's good evidence that may be the case as some beers contain a mere 60 calories. This is why a recent study from the Harvard Medical School says it's about time we renamed this problem, the "Sugar Belly". So can you fight this universal problem during the holidays? Vasanti Malik, a researcher at The Harvard School of Public Health in Boston, reports in Nutrition Action Health Letter that the average North American consumes at least 15 teaspoons of sugar daily. This is mostly from sucrose (table sugar), fructose and glucose. Malik says these calories are contributing to the sugar belly. It's not just...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
The Hazards of a Well-Made Bed
What do you sleep on? Of course, the normal reply is the mattress. But few people realize they're also resting on millions of Dermatophagoides pteronyssinuscan (dust mites). So how can you decrease the risk of these crawly creatures in your bed? And why should you also think twice before quickly making up the bed. Dust mites are related to spiders and will never win a beauty contest. They're ugly, menacing, microscopic in size, have eight legs and you can put either 1,000 mites or 250,000 of their fecal pellets in half a teaspoon. Hardly exciting bed mates! Dust mites accumulate in rugs, fabrics, and furniture. But they prefer warm beds, pillows and blankets where they live along with vast amounts...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Gastroenterology, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
A Unique Way to Stop Bean Flatus
Do you suffer from chronic abdominal pain, bloating, gas, stomach cramps, diarrhea and constipation? If so, there's a good chance the diagnosis is "irritable bowel syndrome" (IBS). This condition is one of the most commonly diagnosed problems in this country. However, most people are treating it the wrong way, destroying their bowels with laxatives. It's smarter to use natural therapy. Dr. Linda Lee, Professor of Gastroenterology at Johns Hopkins University, says that when patients complain of IBS symptoms she first rules out serious disease such as stomach ulcers, ulcerative colitis and bowel malignancies. These more serious problems are more likely to be present if patients also complain of weight loss, being wakened by pain, or seeing blood in the stool. Dr. Lee...Read More
Nutrition, Vitamins
Hell Will Freeze Over Before I Stop Eating Steak
"Are you sure you want your steak blue?", waiters often ask. I've learned the word "blue" is the best way of ensuring a rare steak. But lately I've noticed I'm the only one eating meat. Friends are ordering either chicken or a vegetarian diet. They claim this is the way to better health. But I'm a cocktail- before- dinner guy, and hell will freeze over before I give up steak. Now, I've found an ally in Professor Duo Li, Professor of Nutrition at Zhejiang University, Hangahou, China. Li reports, in The Journal of Agriculture and Food Chemistry, that my veggie friends may be lacking in iron, zinc, vitamin B-12 and essential Omega-3 fatty acids. These nutrients are needed for cardiovascular health. So how...Read More
Genetics, Medicine, Miscellaneous
Nature’s “Immunologic Scalpel” For Our Toxic World
"Today it's impossible to escape the endless list of toxins and chemicals that enter our environment day after day. Fumes from cars, radiation from computers, the earth's depleted ozone layer, packaged 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 is a natural way to boost the immune system." Fortunately, our own immunity works 24/7 against toxins that enter the body and trigger allergic reactions. Without this natural defense our bodies would decompose in a few days due to microbes, parasites and toxins. "Every year North Americans, on average, suffer six common colds due to weakened immune systems. But infections become more dangerous...Read More
Medicine, Vitamins
What Will I Do If I Get Influenza Or Step On A Rattlesnake?
"Dr. Gifford-Jones, should I agree to a flu shot this year?" Fear of this vaccine has been triggered by recent newspaper accounts of impurities found in some products. Although they are unfounded, every year some people still refuse the shot. When that's the case, they should learn how Dr. Frederick R. Klenner saved many patients from life-threatening viral infections, and the bite of a rattlesnake. Why Dr. Klenner was never given the Nobel Prize in Medicine is hard to understand. He was a family doctor in North Carolina. Unfortunately he wasn't my doctor when I awakened one morning with the worst headache I'd ever experienced. I was in my final year at the Harvard Medical School and later that day I...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Sports
A Tough Marine Engineer Was Screaming From Pain
Do you remember the headlines in September, 2000, when the Philadelphia Eagles beat the Dallas Cowboys in the 100 degree Texas heat? Rick Burkholder, the Eagles head trainer, said his players remained cramp-free because of his secret weapon, pickle juice! The benefit of pickles goes back to antiquity. For instance, cucumbers are mentioned twice in the Bible and history records their use in Asia, Egypt and Greece. Cucumbers were brought to the New World by Christopher Columbus and were grown on the island of Haiti. And U.S presidents George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, were pickle enthusiasts. What triggered my interest in pickle juice was a report published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. Researchers at Brigham Young University asked volunteer...Read More
Vitamins
Why The Bear Had The Last Laugh
How much vitamin A are you taking? Not sure? If so, it's prudent to know more about this important vitamin. A report from Tuft's University shows that those who take too much of this vitamin will get more than they bargained for. That's why the bear had the last laugh over arctic hunters. Long before researchers discovered vitamins, ancient Egyptians knew that the liver could cure night blindness, the inability to see in low light. Later, Hippocrates prescribed liver soaked in honey for blindness in malnourished children. It's tragic that even today one million children world-wide are blind due to a lack of vitamin A. So adequate amounts of A are needed to prevent this problem, and for reproductive health and...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Neurology
Using the Marshmallow Test to Predict Jail Time
When was the last time you said, "Let's roast some marshmallows"? Since I'm not sweet sixteen it was a lot of moons ago for me. Now, a report from Stanford University shows marshmallows are good for more than enjoying them around a fire. It seems how you handle a marshmallow can tell how you handle other things later in life. In fact, it may even decide if you end up in jail. Walter Mischel, professor of Psychology at Stanford University, carried out a number of interesting experiments on marshmallows. He tested 653 young children four years of age who all loved marshmallows. The four year olds were placed one at a time in a single room containing only a desk and chair....Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin C and Lysine Powder Help Prevent Heart Attack
Why is heart attack the number one killer in this country? 99 percent of doctors say it's due to atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) and that cholesterol lowering drugs are the primary way to treat it. But I say it's because cardiologists have closed minds and are ignoring facts that could save thousands of North Americans from coronary attack. History shows mankind is not kind to new ideas. In 1847 one maternity patient in six who entered the University Hospital in Vienna left in a coffin. Why? Because esteemed professors ridiculed Dr. Semmelweiss, a colleague, for showing that by simply washing hands after doing an autopsy, deaths were prevented. Years later Dr. Linus Pauling, two-time Noble Prize winner, is ignored for reporting that...Read More
Genitourinary, Infection, Miscellaneous
What You Should Know About Toilet Seats and Pigs
Was Mother right when she advised to never sit on a public toilet seat? Vancouver believed it had solved this "pottie" fear by installing automated toilets. But they proved we still need to teach humans to behave as well as pigs. "How well do you know Toronto?", I once asked a new-comer to the city. "Well" she replied, "I now know the location of the pubic toilets". This topic will not win the Noble Prize in Medicine, but it's vital knowledge if you suffer from urinary or bowel problems. Vancouver believed it had solved pottie paranoia by installing hi-tech potties. Touch a button and the door slides open, followed by voice instructions. Then, after each use, the facility is automatically cleaned and...Read More
Genitourinary, Pediatrics
Male Circumcision : What Would Newborns Say?
Why are so many male circumcisions still performed when we all agree that female circumcision is a barbarous act? Now, the American Academy of Pediatrics says the benefits of male circumcision outweigh the risks. But, if newborns had a say in the matter, they would use the following reasons to shout a big "NO" to this mutilating procedure, unless religious or cultural reasons require it. One Circumcision doesn't just snip off a small piece of skin. Rather, it removes a large surface of foreskin measuring three to five inches in length, about half of the total skin of the penis! Also, inside the foreskin there's a band of tissue that acts like an accordion. Its gliding motion is needed to trigger sexual...Read More
