Cancer, Lifestyle, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Women's Health
Sorry, But What We Told You Is Wrong
Winston Churchill, Britain's wartime Prime Minister, once remarked, "To every question there is a clear, concise, coherent answer that is wrong". In medicine there are also many questions, and all too often the answers from experts are found years later to be wrong, sometimes with devastating consequences. A report in the Archives of Internal Medicine found that 13 percent of research articles published in the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine in 2009 reported reversals in medical findings involving drugs, screening tests and invasive procedures! For example, for years we've been told that increasing good cholesterol is a prudent move. But new research shows it does nothing to protect against heart attack, strokes and early death. Here's another hummer. Doctors have urged...Read More
Neurology
A Sick Brain and a Great Naval Disaster
It was June 27, 1942, during World War II and Russia was in desperate need of tanks, planes, ammunition, food and other war necessities. The Soviet army was involved in a fearsome battle against Hitler's panzer divisions that were advancing deeper and deeper into Russian territory and winning on all fronts. It appeared that without supplies the future course of World War II in the east was in doubt. And no one knew that a dreadful naval decision was about to be made to further the conquests of Nazi Germany. To aid the Russian army, allied commanders decided to assemble a huge convoy of British and American ships with the final destination, Archangel, in northern Russia. It was a perilous journey...Read More
Lungs
It’s Like Being Trapped under Water
A man sentenced to death by the King was granted a reprieve of one year. He discovered that the King was a lover of horses and promised that within a year he would teach the King's horse to fly. His friends laughed at him. But the man explained, "Within a year the King may die, or the horse may die, or I may die. Besides, who knows? The King's horse may learn to fly." I recently told this story of hope to a friend who was becoming increasingly incapacitated by idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), a disease with no known cure. IPF is the most common interstitial lung disease (ILD), a group of diseases affecting the tissue and space around the air...Read More
Medicine
What Did I Learn This Week at the Harvard Medical School?
What's the most beautiful sight in the world? Some say its India's Taj Mahal. To me it's what greeted me years ago, the night I arrived in Boston. It was the glistening white marble buildings of The Harvard Medical School on a moonlight night. This past week its grandeur impressed me again when I attended a reunion. But soon my classmates and I were distressed by what has happened over the years to its idea of medical care, too much cold technology, too little common sense and too little "care". It's appalling that the U.S. consumes 40 percent of all the drugs produced in the world today. Yet it ranks forty-second in...Read More
Sex, Women's Health
Testosterone for Sexually Frustrated Women
Several weeks ago my column, "Do you want better sex?" struck a resounding note with female readers. But also with many husbands who want their wives to have fewer headaches! The general response was, "Please write more about testosterone and how it can increase female libido". Testosterone, the male hormone, has been called "the hormone of desire". In males the "Big T" builds muscle for boys and ultimately turns boys into sexually well-functioning men. Women also produce testosterone during puberty, but only about one-tenth as much as males. Later in life they produce less, and this is why some authorities believe women lose interest in sex. How do women know if they have less testosterone and therefore less "tiger in the tank"?...Read More
Gastroenterology
Do You Really Need a Colonoscopy?
Is there any way that you can avoid having a colonoscopy? A survey showed that many believed the test isn't needed until symptoms occur. Others said their doctor never suggested one, or they were too embarrassed to discuss it. Still others said it was too painful. If you're thinking this way, think again, it may cost you your life. But there is some good news about colonoscopy. A report from the University of California says it's time to stop offering this procedure as the only way to diagnose large bowel cancer. Instead, doctors should also be suggesting sigmidoscopy and the fecal occult blood test (FOBT). So why this change in thinking? One prime reason is that colonoscopy is always a hard sell....Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Immuno-Care To Fight Seasonal Allergies
Why do so many people suffer from seasonal allergies? Some cough and wheeze, others fight joint pain and stiffness. Is it due to just too much pollen in the air? Or is it also the result of a badly stressed and depleted immune system? Studies show that a natural remedy, Immuno-Care, that contains plant sterols, can be the answer to seasonal allergies and other disorders when the immune system is running out of gas. Years ago, in my teens, I knew the exact day that watery itchy eyes, runny nose, and fatigue of hay fever would plague me. It was also the time that my summer job of picking peaches started. I had no idea at the time that my immune...Read More
Cancer
10 Ways to Reduce the Risk of Cancer
Here’s the bad news! Nearly half of today’s North American men and one-third of women will develop cancer, making it the second leading cause of death after heart disease. To some people, fate deals a bad hand when they inherit genes that increase the risk of cancer. But here’s the good news. Drs. John Swartzberg and Jeffery Wolf at the University of California say that lifestyle changes can help people reduce the risk of at least 65 percent of cancers. One – Use Alcohol Moderately Cancers of the esophagus (stomach tube), mouth, throat and larynx are linked to alcohol. The more you drink the greater the risk. For women who know they have a higher risk of breast cancer or have had...Read More
Miscellaneous
What is The Diagnosis?
How would you like to save a life this week? After all, it’s not only doctors who are involved in life or death situations. So all you have to do is remember this column. A report in the Canadian Medical Protective Association (CMPA) bulletin shows that one of the best ways to diagnose a problem is to think about its possibility. One of the best ways to miss the diagnosis is to ignore it. This sounds like a simple rule, but doctors are not robots. They can and do miss important diagnoses that may result in either severe disability or death. For instance, a 61 year old male, a smoker with a history of high blood pressure, was punched on the...Read More
Gynecology, Sex
Do You Want Better Sex?
"How is your sex life," I often ask patients. It's amazing how often I get the reaction, "Finally, someone I can trust will discuss this matter with me". And often there's a problem. So what can be done to make the bedroom a happier place for both sexes? It's an important issue as sex may be only five percent of a relationship. But it's the first five percent! And it can also affect physical health. Dr. Leonard DeRogatis, Director of Sexual Medicine at Johns Hopkins University points out a major difference between men and women. He says that men have the desire but as they age can't get aroused. They're the lucky sex. Erectile dysfunction (ED) drugs solve the problem in...Read More
Surgery
I Could Hear The Sawing and Hammering!
When does a doctor fully realize the nature of a disease? Sir William Osler, distinguished Professor of Medicine at McGill, Johns Hopkins and Oxford University, remarked that a doctor only fully understood a disease when he suffered from it himself. Having just recovered from a hip replacement operation, I couldn’t agree more with Osler. So what did I learn and what did I fear? W. C. Fields, the comedian, when asked what he wanted inscribed on his tombstone, replied, “I’d rather be in Philadelphia”. I felt the same way as I was wheeled into the operating room. But at least I had the satisfaction of knowing I had first used every medical therapy I knew to prevent this from happening. Nine...Read More
Endocrine, Miscellaneous
Can a Fart Kill ?
Ig Nobel prizes are prestigious awards given each year at Harvard University to those engaged in strange scientific research. For instance, Canadian researchers received the award for showing that small farts, known as fast repetitive ticks (FRTs), can be lethal. But why would the Vatican receive one? Rectal gas (flatus) happens to kings and the rest of us, and is a constant reminder that we’re all human. And when the urge to pass flatus happens in delicate situations, we would all prefer to be in the middle of the Sahara Desert. It’s never been easy to obtain medical information on flatus. After all, what doctor wants to be known as a specialist on farts? But my research reveals that most people pass...Read More
Alternate Treatments
TA-65, Ponce de Leon’s Anti-Aging Pill
Would Albert Einstein’s genius have discovered the secret of life if he hadn’t died at 76 years of age? We will never know. But for years, in an endeavour to extend life, scientists have searched for Ponce de Leon’s “fountain of youth”. Now, their discovery of a unique molecule, TA-65, which is not science fiction, has opened new doors to this goal. In October 2009, Elizabeth Blackburn and Jack Szistak, received the prestigious Nobel Prize for their discovery of an enzyme, telomerase, a critically important enzyme that protects cells from chromosomal damage. Human cells divide indefinitely and become immortal if telomerase is activated. Then, in November 2011, the Journal, Nature, reported that a team of researchers at The Harvard Medical School had...Read More
Miscellaneous
Financial Justice For All Disabled Canadians
"Do you know there’s financial help for your child?” I recently asked a friend. Like many new parents he and his wife had expected a healthy child. But the fickle finger of fate had ordained otherwise. Now, several years later, they were struggling with the medical, financial and emotional burdens of caring for a child with cerebral palsy, a lifetime disability. Unfortunately, many families are unaware of the new government project providing financial security for all disabled Canadians. Cerebral palsy is one of the most common congenital disorders of childhood. In Canada and the U.S there are over 500,000 children and adults who suffer from this tragic problem. The way cerebral palsy affects children varies. Some children suffer involuntary and uncontrolled movements,...Read More
Miscellaneous
Re Chopping Wood In Northern Canada
I recently suggested the best treatment for OxyContin addicts was Course 101, Chopping Wood in Northern Canada. I asked for a reaction and got it, a ton of e-mails! ML writes, “The things I love about Canada, our compassion and understanding, are also the things I dislike. The back of the hand approach is surely needed. I totally agree with everything you said in the column. I hope others in powerful positions take notice.” GT responds, “I’m a corrections officer. I’ve also seen inmates joking about how they’ve fooled doctors to get large supplies of methadone. I agree with your idea of chopping trees or have them suffer withdrawal in a segregation cell.” From Oshawa, “The methadone clinic here is...Read More
Alcohol, Lifestyle
Will I Get My Wish on The Second Post-Operative Day?
What do I do when I arrive home after seeing patients all day? I have a pre-dinner drink with my wife. This week I’ll wish I could still do it. But on March 22 I’m scheduled for a hip replacement at The Toronto Western Hospital. So today, a column dealing with alcohol is appropriate. And will my surgeon recall Sir William Osler’s wise remark? A report in the Journal of the American Medical Association claims alcohol causes cancer. The prestigious Nurses Health Study followed 106,000 women for more than 25 years. This revealed that women who routinely consume three to six drinks a week are 15 percent more likely to develop breast cancer than non-drinkers, regardless of the type...Read More
Lifestyle, Medicine, Miscellaneous
Rx For OxyContin Addicts:
What will happen to the 200,000 or more Canadian OxyContin addicts now that this opioid narcotic is no longer available? For years these people have embarked on a willful act of self-destruction. Isn’t it about time for society to get its priorities straight? To care more for those who have lived a good lifestyle, paid their taxes and when dying of cancer, suffer needless agony because there’s no money for more palliative centers in this country. Those who are rallying to help OxyContin addicts are making a series of illogical errors. Purdue Pharma, makers of OxyContin, also made a blunder. It spent needless money producing OxyNEO, an opioid version of OxyContin that resists crushing or liquefying so addicts can’t snort or...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Why Couldn’t This Woman Go To Church?
Several years ago I landed at Nairobi airport in Kenya after many hours in the air. It was an uneventful flight, but one elderly traveller had encountered an embarrassing problem. On arrival, she could not put on her shoes due to swelling (edema) of her feet. So why do legs and feet swell in flight, and when is it dangerous? Also what prevented one woman from going to church? Nearly everyone encounters swollen legs and feet following a long car or plane trip. It’s also more likely to occur on a hot day and to surgeons when standing for prolonged surgical procedures. Normally edema is prevented because our bodies maintain a delicate balancing act between the pressure inside and outside...Read More
Sex
Neo40; Another Way to Treat Sexual Dysfunction
Who hasn’t heard by now of the prescription drugs, Viagra and Cialis for erectile dysfunction (ED)? Huge numbers of males are now happier campers than in days bygone when this medication was not available. This week, a unique approach for those who are not quite ready to admit they need ED drugs. Several months ago I wrote about a new product Neo40. I thought this remedy was too good to be true when I first read about it. Researchers reported that it helped those who fall asleep in the afternoon, decreased the risk of hypertension, osteoporosis and diabetes complications, lowered high cholesterol, eased the pain of arthritis, and assisted the immune system in fighting infection. But it was hard to label this...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Try the Kitchen Experiment to Protect Your Vision
It’s been said that, “In the land of the blind, the one-eyed man is king”. But wherever you are, good eyes are a priceless possession. Today, tens of thousands of North Americans are struggling to read fine print, worrying about driving at night, or suffering from dry eyes or eye fatigue. Now, there’s a natural remedy “Vision Essentials” to help prevent these degenerative problems of aging. Growing older is inevitable, but many of the adverse effects of aging are preventable. Dr. Denham Harman, at the University of Nebraska, College of Medicine, believes that free radicals are responsible for aging. Free radicals are formed when oxygen is burned in our cells for energy. To understand the importance of free radicals, Dr....Read More
Lifestyle, Medicine, Nutrition
Which Do You Prefer, Heart Attack or Diabetes?
Is it getting easier for patients to make the right health decision today, compared to 50 years ago? It should be, considering the huge advances in medical knowledge since that time. But unless you’re blessed with the Wisdom of Solomon, these advances may merely help you exchange one disease for another. Or, as one wise sage remarked, “Life would be easier if there were no ‘buts’.” For instance, a study reported in the Annals of Internal Medicine has depressing news for those taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs). Researchers studied thousands of middle-aged and older women for seven years, who were taking CLDs. Their discovery? Compared to those who were not taking this medication...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
A Pool Table Or a Natural Remedy For Sleep and Snoring?
How much Tiger is in your tank as you start the day? Not much, if you’ve been tossing and turning at night due to sleep apnea. Or if your partner has shaken the foundation with his or her snoring. Insomnia and snoring affect millions of North Americans and can be associated with serious health problems. Now, a natural remedy, “Bell Sound Sleep”, helps this troubling dilemma. You’re in excellent company if you suffer from insomnia. Napoleon, Sir Isaac Newton, Winston Churchill and Thomas Edison all tried to count sheep without success. Others, such as Marilyn Monroe, used increasing amounts of prescription sleeping pills, with tragic results. Sleep deprivation can also have far-reaching consequences for our environment. It’s believed to have been a...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Women's Health
Do Not Teach Your Dog This Trick
Why did this patient and her partner repeatedly suffer yeast infection in spite of treatment? It’s often said there is nothing new under the sun. But just when you believe you’ve seen everything, something new and surprising turns up. So please don’t teach your dog her specific trick! It can give you more than you bargained for. Studies show that 75 percent of women suffer at least one yeast infection during their lifetime and up to 50 percent face repeated episodes. Anti-fungal vaginal medicine used to be available only by doctor’s prescription. But in the mid 1990’s common medications such as Monistat and Canesten cream became over-the-counter items (OTC). This resulted in huge sales. But millions of dollars may as well have been...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition
Was I Wrong About Losing Weight?
Was my suggestion several years ago of ways to fight the obesity epidemic provocative? Since nothing was working, I proposed using money as an incentive, and tax the obese. After all, for centuries money has been a great motivator. In fact, those with millions sometimes cheat, steal and lie to get more. But no one thought I should be awarded the Nobel Prize for this idea. Some readers said I should go back to medical school and learn something about eating disorders. Or they wondered if I had even graduated. Others denounced me as obesophobic, and said I should get the stupidity award for suggesting such a demeaning tax. But was I a dunce, or just a trifle ahead of the times?...Read More
Cancer
Aspirin Decreases the Risk of Several Common Cancers
Is there anything more to be said about the multiple benefits of Aspirin? After all, it's been a star for over 100 years and stars are supposed to eventually burn out. But in spite of its longevity researchers keep findings new ways that Aspirin fights common diseases. It truly is the miracle drug of the last century. Dr. Alfred I Neugut, Professor of Medicine at Columbia University in New York City, reports in the Journal of the American Medical Association that Aspirin decreases the risk of breast cancer. In particular, breast malignancies that are stimulated by the female hormone, estrogen. For this study researchers conducted interviews with 1,442 women with breast cancer and equal number of women without this disease. They discovered...Read More
