Alternate Treatments, Infection, Neurology, Orthopedics, Pain, Psychiatry, Surgery
Alternative Medicine Makes a Good Gift
What’s the gift we’d like to have in stock for our readers this holiday season? It would be a healthy dose of common sense, and a reminder that not every health problem needs a medical solution. Unfortunately, few people open their minds when confronted with a swollen joint, an injury to the skin, back pain, broken bones, or even brain injuries. Yet, instead of costly, dangerous drugs that come with side effects, or surgical treatments that involve other risks, these are examples of problems that respond well to alternative forms of therapy. We have written in the past about low-intensity laser therapy (LILT). It’s now known as photobiomodulation (PBM), which involves the application of light to instigate a natural healing process....Read More
Alcohol, Cardiovascular, Cholesterol, Diabetes, Lifestyle, Philosophy
Think Before you Drink Alcohol
The festive season is a time for social gatherings and alcohol often aides the merrymaking. Yet recent headlines advise to avoid alcohol at any time of year. The claim is that there is no safe level of alcohol consumption. But the truth about alcohol is more nuanced, and recommendations for abstinence can be misleading. The recent research concluded that even moderate alcohol consumption – about one drink a day – is dangerous for your health. But the study took a narrow look. Many studies of alcohol use neglect to consider the healthy benefits of socializing. But when people are socially connected, they make healthier choices, have better physical and mental health, and cope better with everyday pressures, meaning less anxiety and...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Medicine, Philosophy, Surgery
Have Faith in the Doctor, with Limitations
Is it wise to believe what the doctor tells you? Or are there misleading types, not entirely honest with their patients? Does the medical system place the patient’s best interests first, as commonly stated on health center posters? Or do other factors, like pressure to ease wait times for a high-demand treatments, mean that some people aren’t informed of their best options. The truth is, having implicit faith in the medical profession is risky business. There are ample reasons to place your faith in doctors and medicines. Antibiotics save people from dying of pneumonia and a host of other diseases. Cortisone enables people to be free of wheelchairs. Cardiac pacemakers add years to the lives of heart patients. Surgeons (and organ...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Philosophy
Beware of Falling, It May Kill You
What a sad way to lose a friend. Not from a heart attack or cancer. Rather, a slip and backwards fall caused a strike of the head on a hard unforgiving surface. The traumatic injury resulted in death a few days later. As Aristotle wrote centuries ago, “To have a good friend you must partake a peck of salt together.” Losing such friends as you get older is very disturbing, often leaving a void in life never refilled. Recent figures from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show the immense costs of falls. In North America there are over five and half million incidents yearly costing more than $45 billion! The average cost of a fall that results in injury is...Read More
Pain, Surgery
The Pros and Cons of Surgery for Osteoarthritis
When osteoarthritis in the knee is causing you pain, how do you know whether to hang in there and take it or to accept the risks of going under the knife in hopes of bouncing back stronger? It’s not an easy question. Many factors need to be part of the decision. Osteoarthritis (OA) is the most common form of arthritis, often described as a “wear and tear” problem, and usually found in the knees, hips and hands. Symptoms are usually mild initially – stiff joints and reduced flexibility. It gradually progresses to more noticeable swelling and aching caused by the breakdown of joint cartilage and the underlying bone. According to the Centres of Disease Control and Prevention, over 32 million Americans have...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Philosophy
Giving Away a Lifetime Is Bittersweet Medicine
We find ourselves in the midst of change. During this 100th trip around the sun, it’s finally time for a move to a retirement residence. While the comforts and care of an elegant assisted-living community are welcome, the upheaval is overwhelming! It’s hard to say goodbye to the family home of nearly 50 years. When children and grandchildren visit to savour the memories together, they just as eagerly eye the furniture and appliances! The truth is, being able to give away a lifetime of treasured possessions is a luxury we are grateful to enjoy. Looking around the world, a lot of people would give an arm and a leg to have what we have. For anyone though, there is something universal...Read More
Infection, Vitamins
Missing Messages in Infection Prevention
Influenza, or the flu, is on the rise this time of year. That’s because the virus spreads easily when people are indoors in close contact and when the air is less humid and colder. So, it makes sense that International Infection Prevention Week takes place in October. But what doesn’t make sense is the absence of an important message. Public health officials offer a standard list of best practices to reduce the risk of infections. Hand hygiene is top of the list. It’s a fact that many people don’t wash their hands after using the toilet. But they will clutch their mobile phones, which never get washed, before during and after trips to the toilet. Hands and phones are both common...Read More
Dental
Oral Probiotics Offer Another Path to Wellness
“The mouth is the door of evil.” So said Euripides, the ancient Greek playwright of tragedy. If he were a modern-day nutritionist, it could be an observation on the very bad stuff people put in their mouths as food. Mother Teresa, however, acknowledged the mouth’s ability to do good. "Kind words can be short and easy to speak,” she said, “but their echoes are truly endless." So, is your mouth a place of good or evil? Nourishment and communication are two functions of the mouth. On the outside, a smile is a beautiful signal of happiness. But inside the mouth, there exists a complex ecosystem of friends and enemies. The mouth is home to an extraordinary community of more than 700 species...Read More
Diabetes, Gastroenterology, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity, Philosophy
An Excess of Stupidity Is Still the Problem
At a breakneck pace, today’s world threatens to leave us gasping for breath. You name it – climate change and pollution, the global demographic explosion, autocratic rulers trampling civil society, or the threat of AI’s unintended consequences. But for all the things where meaningful influence is out of the hands of most of us, why are these still so many things well within our control that we do so little to change? Consumers have a lot of power, for example, but too infrequently use it. If you don’t like the microplastics in the ocean, stop buying food sold in excessive packaging. When affordable public transportation is available, we spend far more to drive our own vehicles. We buy enough clothing to...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Philosophy
Unsung Sentinels of Home Healthcare
The British author and playwright, B.G. Stern, wrote, “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” It’s apropos to home healthcare workers, who have been acknowledged as essential, but that’s where the appreciation seems to stop. Personal support workers (PSWs) as they are called in Canada, Home Health Aides (HHAs) or other titles in the U.S., don’t get the spotlight as do doctors, nurses, and other specialists. And they certainly don’t get the pay. Yet, in the vast realm of healthcare, there exists this group of workers who quietly care for the most vulnerable – the elderly, disabled, sufferers of chronic disease, and people with health issues who can live at home or in long-term care but only with assistance. The profile...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Infection, Philosophy, Sex
More Amore for Good Health
Have you had enough of the daily news about endless epic failures of humankind to get things right? What if everyone just made love a little more? Would we all be in a better place? The fact is, having sex – or more to the point, making love – is downright good for you. We’ve said it before, and it bears repeating. Good sex is good exercise. Interesting acrobatics between two people involve a little stretching to limber up the muscles. Vigorous aerobic activity consumes calories. Good exercise, no matter how you get it, will help fight off the demon of obesity. If couch potatoes traded watching TV with chips for a regular romp with their partners, there would be a...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Philosophy, Radiation
Let the Buyer Beware of Needless Radiation
There’s a Gifford-Jones Law that says, “Never accept radiation you don’t need.” But a dangerous new medical trend is breaking this law. What’s the worry? Across North America, some private clinics are now promoting the promise of early detection of disease to healthy people. In return for a fee, buyers get whole-body screening using a variety of diagnostic imaging equipment. These promoters don’t have to be marketing stars. People naturally fret about their mortality and become receptive listeners. It’s wrong to profit on those fears. But the trend is catching hold. The sell is easy when the hope is early detection of a small cancer. “You may not have any symptoms as yet,” they’ll pitch, “and an early catch means high likelihood...Read More
Miscellaneous, Philosophy
Who Has the Most Dangerous Job?
We often advise readers not to be foolish – not with your health, money, relationships, or other vital aspects of life. Some risks are unavoidable, like crossing a busy intersection. Yet there’s little sense in choosing a career as a test pilot if you want to live to 100. Now, new research suggests we might have that wrong. Dangerous jobs with a high safety conscious may be the better bet! What are some of the most dangerous jobs? Ambulance workers are near the top of the list. People working at skiing facilities and correctional institutions are in the top ten. So are couriers and people in water transportation jobs. Leave it to personal injury lawyers to know the facts. What does one...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Diabetes, Infection, Lifestyle, Vitamins
Preventing Diabetes Risk Due to COVID-19 Infection
Will COVID-19 and the complications associated with this disease ever vanish? Never bet on it. Virus experts say COVID-19 will rise its ugly head again this fall. With it, they add, the complication of both types of diabetes will increase. It’s the last thing we need when obesity is already causing a worldwide pandemic of type 2 diabetes. So, how can you reduce the risk? It’s easier than you think. First, type 1 diabetes occurs when the pancreas does not make enough insulin. Lifelong replacement and management of this hormone is the only option. With the more common type 2 diabetes, the body does not respond normally to insulin. We call this “Lifestyle Diabetes”. Why? Because it is preventable by avoiding...Read More
Lifestyle, Philosophy
More Fire and Smoke to Come
Fires are a natural part of life in the forests that extend across Canada and the northern US. But it is not normal for these forest fires to consume entire communities, take lives of unsuspecting citizens in a surreal panic, and leave thousands of people and animals displaced. Tragedies happen sometimes. Now however, experts tell us, we can anticipate more monstrous fires on a more frequent basis. Just when you think the great Canadian outdoors might offer a safe escape from all the maladies in the world, the lakeside campsite has become another danger zone. Climate trends are making northern summers hotter, drier, and longer. That means we can expect plenty more fires, more smoke, and more forced evacuations of campsites...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Neurology, Nutrition, Obesity, Philosophy
Starving the Gut Feeds the Brain
If our bodies could speak to our brains, many would hear this: “Dear brain, please know the difference between being hungry and bored. Sincerely, I’m getting fat!” Who doesn’t turn to food when the doldrums set in? The smart brains would offer their hosts three pieces of advice. One, eat nutritional food. Two, limit portion sizes. And three, now and again, engage in fasting. Why fasting? Because studies show that for obese and skinny people alike, after prolonged reduction of food intake, the body’s defences improve against stresses. Cardiovascular risks decline. And the brain functions better. Temporary cessation of eating provokes chemical changes throughout the body. Ketones are a type of chemical the liver produces when it breaks down fats. The body...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
What’s the Rub of Dry Eyes?
If having recurring headaches, most people go see a doctor. Or, for severe chest pain, it’s a rush to the emergency room. But when people are constantly rubbing their eyes, there’s no trigger of alarm. It’s just itchy eyes! But Dr. Clara Chan, Associate Professor of Ophthalmology at the University of Toronto, says it could be a problem called dry eye syndrome. Neither lethal nor curable, sufferers simply need to keep the annoyance under control. Dr. Chan reports the sooner you see a doctor and start treatment the better the result. It’s surprising that an estimated 1 in 5 adults have personal experience with dry eye syndrome. Dry eye syndrome is more common in women, but aging is a cause in both...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition, Vitamins
Potassium by the Doctrine of the Golden Mean
Aristotle’s doctrine of the golden mean lauds the middle ground of two extremes: excess and deficiency. But not everyone follows this sage advice. And not all vitamins and minerals send clear signals of absence or excess. This week, a look at potassium, the third most abundant mineral in the body. People, animals, and plants all depend on potassium for essential functions. Depleted soil requires potassium to be replaced with fertilizer. Young animals lacking potassium will quickly die. In people, there’s danger in either too much or too little potassium. But a healthy diet, including healthy drinks, is the best approach. The American Heart Association recommends 3,400 milligrams (mg) of potassium per day for men and 2,600 mg per day for women. A...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cancer, Pain, Philosophy
A Veterinarian for Assessing Weakness
Readers of a great age face a common problem. It’s called frailty or general weakness. The frail elderly are at risk of falls that require hospitalization, often leading to palliative care. As the condition progresses, independent living at home can become impossible. For people who have reached the end of their desire to continue, frailty presents a medical dilemma for doctors. How much frailty is needed before the doctor allows, “There’s reason enough to end life by Medical Assistance in Dying (MAID)”? And would a veterinarian be the better professional to make this decision? One of the conditions that doctors must decide at the end of life is whether weakness is reversible. This obviously makes sense when considering life or death...Read More
Medicine
Are You Making Medication Errors
Winston Churchill said, “The only statistics you can trust are those you falsified yourself.” Unreliable statistics make it hard to know how many people die each year due to medication errors. How many more are taking harmful drug combinations or the wrong doses? The numbers are elusive because medical professionals don’t want to showcase errors and consumers may not realize their mistakes. Yet, errors happen many ways and at different points. It’s like the telephone game where people take turns whispering a message into the ear of the next person in line. When the last person speaks the message out loud, it has changed along the way. It’s a game that teaches how important details get altered when passed from person to...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle, Medicine, Nutrition, Philosophy, Vitamins
Government’s Good Intentions Gone Bad
Everyone wants a safe, effective, and accessible supply of the products that keep us healthy. Doctors and patients need proven drugs. People seeking to prevent illness with natural remedies also need good products. But governments trying to ensure quality are putting measures in place that will limit the variety of supplements, make them more expensive, and make it harder for smaller companies with innovative products to compete. Natural products like vitamin C, fish oil, magnesium, calcium, and many other supplements are ingredients to good health. For the cost of a cup or coffee, daily supplementation can address deficiencies in the diet, add antioxidants, reduce inflammation, support the immune system, build bone, etc. For example, vitamin C and lysine in high doses help...Read More
Medicine, Pain
Not Every Pain Needs a Pill
How we wish there were better ways to treat pain. But scientists are struggling to find them. The very nature of pain remains illusive too. Determining if pain is mild, moderate, or severe is a personal perception. Doctors and nurses ask patients to rate their pain from zero to ten. Whether the patient says 2 or 15, there’s more judgement than science in decisions about pain management. But one thing is certain, people managing pain at home are taking too many pills. Pain, at best, is an annoyance. At worst, it is all consuming. It’s been said pain can collapse the universe and concentrate the soul until only the hurt is left. Elaine Scarry, a Harvard professor and author of “The...Read More
Lungs
Coughing Again? Could it be COPD?
Ask any singer what they detest the most and they will say, “People who cough at concerts.” So how do you tell if your annoying cough is due to getting older or being a little out of shape? Is it a common cold? Or could it be a life-threating condition, such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD)? It’s estimated that one in four people globally over the age of 35 will develop COPD. Worldwide, it’s the third leading cause of death. It’s worrying that the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute reports that over 15 million Americans have been diagnosed with COPD and another 12 million don’t know they have the disease. What causes COPD? It’s almost entirely due to smoking. Older women...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle
Safe and Effective Responses to Stress
What is the world coming to? Recent news has artificial intelligence (AI) researchers and CEOS warning of an “extinction risk” from the technology running wild. Forest fires are literally running wild too. Nuclear war might us out. Or economic collapse. If these things don’t get you stressed, then how about the rest of the pressures of everyday life? Stress is, according to the World Health Organization, “a natural human response that prompts us to address challenges and threats in our lives.” What a gentle way to put it. Scientific experiments attempting to identify the health impacts of stress suggest this natural response may be taking off years of life expectancy. In one study, Stanford and University of California cell biologists, biochemists, and...Read More
Cardiovascular, Diabetes, Medicine, Obesity
New Drugs for Type 2 Diabetes
Albert Einstein wrote, “Everything is a miracle.” Is it possible that a new class of drugs is finally providing a miracle in the fight against diabetes? Ozempic and Trulicity, produced by Novo Nordisk and Ely Lilly, are examples of the brand-name prescription drugs gaining attention for fighting type 2 diabetes and showing success. Type 2 diabetes is among the leading killers globally. But information about these drugs is running wild. The hoped-for miracle needs a measure of grounding. Consider Ozempic, a prescription drug, injected weekly by pen. It’s approved in Canada and the U.S. to treat type 2 diabetes, a lifestyle disease linked with obesity and a major risk factor for heart attack, blindness, kidney failure, and gangrene of the legs...Read More
