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
Dental, Pediatrics
Water Fluoridation Affects Children’s IQ
Why, in 1974, didn't authorities learn from this terrible tragedy? A three year old Brooklyn boy, during his first dental checkup, had fluoride paste applied to his teeth. He was then handed a glass of water, but the hygienist failed to inform him to swish the solution around in his mouth, and then spit it out. Instead, he drank the water, and a few hours later he was dead from fluoride poisoning. Fluoride is an acute toxin with a rating higher than lead. I was severely criticized by dentists when I issued a warning about fluoride five years ago. Now, a report from the Harvard School of Public Health (HSPH), says that the use of fluoride causes a decrease in children's...Read More
Nutrition, Obesity
PGX Fights Constipation, Cholesterol and Obesity
W. C. Fields, the comedian with the bulbous, red alcoholic nose, when asked if he would like a glass of water, always replied, "Water is for flowing under bridges." But Fields didn't know about "The Ultimate Volumetrics Diet", or PGX. Dr. Barbara Rolls, Professor of Nutritional Sciences at Penn State University in Pennsylvania, reports in the publication "Nutrition Action" that, when she was studying the effects of fats, carbohydrates and proteins in food intake, she had a "Eureka moment". People, she concluded, were not regulating their calories. Rather, they were regularly eating the same weight or volume of food. Her next "Eureka moment" came with the observation that it's possible to eat a large volume of food and still lose weight if...Read More
Orthopedics, Vitamins
Natural Ways To Prevent And Treat Bone Loss
A reader asks, "Is it necessary to take drugs to prevent broken bones, or are there natural ways to treat this problem? A test shows I have osteopenia and I'm afraid this will lead to osteoporosis (brittle bones)". Today, with doctors ordering more tests to determine bone mineral density (BMD), it's prudent to know what it means when a doctor says, "You have osteopenia." One wise sage remarked, "Getting older is invariably fatal". But before this happens you also get gray hair, wrinkles, fatigue, varicose veins, difficulty reading fine print and, just as night follows day, some bone loss. But there's no need to go into a major funk if a BMD test shows this diagnosis. This x-ray procedure measures the amount of...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Medicine, Miscellaneous
Neo40: Is It A Miracle Supplement?
Several months ago I reported on a unique drug, Neo40, which has now been approved by Health Canada. To find out more about Neo40, now available in health food stores, I interviewed Dr. Nathan Bryan, Professor of Molecular Medicine at the University of Texas Health Center in Houston and creator of the formula. G-J - What is Neo40? NB - Neo40 is a lozenge that contains L-Citrulline, an amino acid derived from protein, vitamin C, beet root and hawthorn, a potent combination that produces nitric oxide. Early in life our bodies manufacture large amounts of nitric oxide (NO). But after age 40 production of NO decreases. This sets the stage for hypertension, kidney dysfunction, diabetes, heart attack or stroke, just to name...Read More
Dermatology, Infection
This Fall Think About Lyme Disease
Do you believe you must be in an infected area to get Lyme disease? If you do, think again. A 10 year study reports that you can catch this malady in your own backyard. And since spring and fall are prime times for this disease, being forewarned is forearmed. Particularly since a bite of the deer tick can have far-reaching health consequences. Lyme disease was first suspected in North America in 1975. In Lyme, Connecticut, an unusual number of children were developing what was initially thought to be juvenile rheumatoid arthritis. So a team of scientists from Yale University were sent to study this cluster of patients. These children all exhibited a "bull's–eye" rash. In addition, they also suffered from muscular,...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
What I Learned From Sitting in a Bar
Where do I get ideas for this column? It's usually from long hours of reading medical reports, talking to researchers, searching the net and various sources. It's tedious and tiring. But this week I got lucky. I was having a drink at my favourite watering hole when a friend said to me, "You should write about a problem I know that kills people. It also makes them ill and they don't realize the cause of their poor health". He then told me some tragic stories. He went on to say, "A child vomited and appeared to be having a seizure. No one knew why. In another case, two women, swimming in a cluster of boats, suddenly lost consciousness and nearly drowned....Read More
Cancer, Lungs
The Mortality Rate is Staggering for Lung Cancer
My patients always give me the wrong answer when I ask them, "What cancer ills women more than any other malignancy?" Most say, "Breast cancer." But lung cancer kills more women than breast and colon/rectal cancer combined. But there's hope for both sexes. Unfortunately, there's an interesting, recurrent, yet depressing, reaction, particularly for non-smokers, who develop lung cancer. When told that someone has breast cancer there's always a sympathetic ear. But when informed a person has lung cancer, sure as night follows day, the first, quick response is "Was he or she a smoker?" It's a remark that puts an unfair stigma on non-smokers. It happened to the widow of Christopher Reeves (Superman). She developed lung cancer but never smoked. It was...Read More
Cancer, Dental
Dental X-Rays Linked To Meningiomas
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 your 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...Read More
Cancer, Miscellaneous
I Did Not Expect To Live In Diapers
What should men do if the doctor says, "You have prostate cancer"? This is a difficult question to answer because doctors cannot agree on the right treatment. Now, a report in The New England Journal of Medicine challenges the benefits of surgery. Its basic message to doctors is to follow the first principle of medicine, "First, do no harm". The lifetime risk for men of developing prostate cancer is about 16 percent, and the risk of dying from it only 3 percent. This indicates that many prostate cancers are not dangerous and that no treatment is the prudent option. The U.S. study involved 731 males with localized prostate cancer who were given the option of either surgery or watchful waiting. They were...Read More
