Dermatology, Gynecology, Women's Health
The Lies And Truths Of Mammography
Never before have women been more confused about breast mammography. A U.S panel of experts now reports that women under 40 years of age do not need mammograms, and those over 50 require them only every two years. So here are eight points women should know about mammography. One - During this debate no expert has mentioned one vital fact. Mammography is a "lump" diagnosis. This means that years have gone by before a cancer lump is large enough to be detected by X-rays. This provides time for a malignancy to spread. I've stressed for years it's a lie to tell women mammography diagnoses early cancer. It does not. Rather it diagnoses breast cancer as early as it can be diagnosed....Read More
Infection, Vitamins
Why Has This Treatment (Vitamin C) For H1N1 Collected Dust?
A recent newspaper headline read, "Researchers look to common, cheap medications to help H1N1 patients". Viral experts are wondering whether cholesterol-lowering drugs and steroids could help to save the sickest H1N1patients. If these researchers studied history, they would learn how Dr. Frederick R. Klenner saved an important patient, and many others, from life-threatening viral infections. In, "The Clinical Guide to the use of Vitamin C", Dr. Lendon Smith details the clinical experiences of Frederick R. Klenner. Dr. Klenner had cured case after case of viral disease by massive doses of vitamin C. And when you read these cases, it boggles the mind why this research has collected so much dust. 56 years ago, a seven year old boy had been ill for...Read More
Medicine, Psychiatry
Fatigue – Is it the Prelude to Serious Disease?
Who isn't tired now and then? Ask any doctor and he will tell you not many people, as day after day patients complain of this common problem. But how often is the feeling of being tired associated with bona fide medical disease? A report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal helps to answer this question. So what should you know about the TATT syndrome? Dr. Henk de Vries and his colleagues in Holland studied 571 patients for two years who complained of fatigue, exhaustion or malaise. They report that 10 percent of patients consulting Dutch physicians complained of fatigue. Of this number 46.9 percent were given more than one diagnosis that could be associated with this complaint. The diseases were quite diverse,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin C Prevents Hypertension?
"Is my blood pressure OK, doctor?" is a question asked day after day by patients. They worry their pressure is too high or too low. So this week, Course 101 in hypertension. And why is it that doctors do not prescribe vitamin C to prevent this silent killer? What is normal blood pressure? Normal is 120/80. The first number represents the force of the blood when the heart contracts. The second figure is the pressure between beats. What causes hypertension or high blood pressure? Often doctors are unable to pinpoint any specific cause for this condition. But high blood pressure is usually associated with patients who are obese with resulting Type 2 diabetes. This disease causes atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) which increases...Read More
Women's Health
Oprah, Now She’s Become a Hormone Specialist!
Oprah is rich, immensely popular, internationally known, and very, very media smart. But is she a legitimate doctor dispensing hormonal advice to women? Two internationally known endocrinologists claim she gets an E for misinforming women on this important matter. Oprah stated publicly that menopause caught her "off guard" so she now takes natural bio-identical hormones. This is a hormone supplement identical to the ones produced by her own body. Oprah claims they've made a big difference in how she feels. But are natural hormones any better or safer than other hormone therapy? Dr. Robert Reid, an endocrinologist at Queen's University in Kingston, Ontario, posed this question at the annual meeting of the Society of Obstetricians and Gynecologists of Canada in Halifax. Reid reported...Read More
Radiation
Can Radiated Patients Spread Radiation to Others?
How careful do patients have to be following nuclear diagnostic tests, or after radiation for the treatment of cancer? How long do these nuclear materials remain in the body? And how long will this radiation remain detectable and transmissible to others around you? A report from Johns Hopkins University says that patients following radiation must be made aware that they can pass along radiation to others. But, unlike cholesterol, this subject is rarely, if ever, discussed at the dinner table. The problem is that nuclear diagnostic tests are not going to go away or decrease. Rather, unless we develop other means of diagnosis, these tests will increase in the years ahead. During scans to detect thyroid disease, coronary troubles and cancer, radioactive...Read More
Cardiovascular
Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs and Muscle Damage
Today millions of people are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs) known as statins. But how safe is this medication, particularly if patients are complaining of muscle pain? Doctors often reassure patients that if blood tests are normal there's no need to worry. But a recent report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows that blood tests cannot guarantee that muscle injury is not occurring. Dr. Annette Draeger of the University of Berne, Switzerland, and her colleagues obtained biopsy samples from 83 patients. Of the 44 patients complaining of muscle pain 29 were talking a CLD and 15 had discontinued it for at least three weeks before biopsies were done. The study also included 19 patients who were taking A CLD and were...Read More
Infection
Soap Off Poo or Eat It Later
Have you heard of the "Golden Poo Award"? It's not as prestigious as the Nobel Prize. But now that the virus season is here, it's time to think about influenza and the H1N1 virus. But remember there's more to infection than these two diseases. That's why the Golden Poo Award was recently presented to contestants who made outstanding contributions to hygiene and sanitation. But can you guess what winners of this peculiar contest won? The Golden Poo Award sponsored by the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM), had one main message. People often don't wash their hands after using the toilet. The goal of the contest was to find motivation for them to do so. LSHTM had good reason to...Read More
Nutrition
Salmon, To Eat Or Not To Eat?
Will the hazards ever end? Mad Cow Disease has made consumers cast an anxious eye at meat. Trans fats are everywhere in our food and harming us all. Now, a report warns us that farm-raised salmon contain excessive amounts of hazardous PCBs. So how polluted are the salmon and how dangerous? PCBs were used in the 1950s in plastics and several other substances. They were banned in 1977 due to the fear that they might cause cancer. But PCBs linger in water supplies, soil and food long after being used. The Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), a U.S. organization, reports that 70 per cent of the salmon examined were contaminated with PCBs. But how contaminated? The Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in the U.S....Read More
Cancer, Gastroenterology
Laws of Physics Cause Esophageal Cancer
Do you suffer from a hot fire beneath the breastbone following a heavy meal? One that's often accompanied by belching and regurgitation of bitter fluid? If so, you're most likely suffering from heartburn. This common problem can be the forerunner of serious disease. But there are several ways to decrease the risk of developing one of the deadliest cancers. Heartburn is triggered by several factors. Like other muscles, the lower esophageal sphincter muscle (LES) at the lower end of the food pipe (esophagus), can become weak and inefficient. And if you eat "the whole thing" the laws of physics cause heartburn. Large meals trigger more gas and something has to give. Then the LES opens and gas, along with the stomach's...Read More
Cardiovascular
Who Should Take a Baby Aspirin?
A reader writes, "I've been taking a baby aspirin daily for years to prevent a heart attack. Now, I've read that not everyone should take this pill." She then added, "Is there a natural way to decrease the risk of coronary attack?" Acetylsalicyclic acid (ASA), commonly known as aspirin, has been extolled for years (also by this journalist), as a way to prevent heart attack. But new research suggests that this common practice needs to be reexamined. Dr. Colin Baigent, at Oxford University, recently reported their findings of a study in the British journal "Lancet", involving 95,000 patients. The authors concluded that, for apparently healthy individuals, there is questionable benefit from taking ASA. But that patients who had already had a heart...Read More
Cardiovascular, Vitamins
Vitamin C Prevents Heart Attack
Why would I travel to snowy England in January? I had the chance to spend a week studying with Dr. Sydney Bush, a distinguished English professor of optometry. This week why I believe his research on the cause of coronary artery disease deserves a Nobel Prize and how you can benefit from his research. What causes coronary attack? Authorities say it's due to increased blood cholesterol. But I've always questioned this theory since interviewing Dr. Linus Pauling (the only person to receive two Nobel Prizes). Years ago Pauling told me animals manufacture vitamin C, but humans do not. For instance, goats produce 13,000 milligrams of vitamin C daily! Humans lost this ability during the course of evolution. That's why cats survived voyages...Read More
Cardiovascular
How Fruit Juices Affect Medication
What would you think of somebody who poured himself a vodka Martini for breakfast every day? No doubt you would believe he was on a rocky road to medical hell. But how many readers are aware that a large glass of grapefruit juice in the morning is also a health hazard? Studies show that downing a glass of fruit juice can have a powerful effect on medication. In 1991 Dr. David Bailey, an expert on clinical pharmacology at the University of Western Ontario, was the first scientist in the world to discover that grapefruit juice had the ability to increase the level of certain drugs in the blood. At the time it was considered a mere academic curiosity. But what Dr....Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Trained Monkeys Should Attend Hockey Games
Do you know what I'd do if I owned a trained monkey? I'd give him my season tickets to hockey games at the Air Canada Center (ACC) in Toronto. It would save me from incessant, ear-splitting noise. Besides, it would also save me from repeatedly asking, "What did you say?" To combat noise and prevent deafness, the European Union recently announced it's capping the volume of iPods and other portable music players. The top level is to be 80 decibels. So how does 80 decibels compare with other routine levels of noise? Studies show normal talk is about 40, city traffic 80, subways emit 100 and rock concerts assault the ear with 130. I'm a long-standing hockey fan. But if anything were...Read More
Neurology
What You Should Know About TBIs
What would I worry about if my children were playing hockey and football? In two words, brain injury. Earlier, this year actress Natasha Richardson fell and struck her head while skiing on a beginners slope at Mont Tremblant in Quebec. She walked away apparently without injury. But what shocked the world was the headline news 24 hours later. She had died following this accident. What had happened? Our brains arn't firmly attached by screws inside the head. So a sudden hit to the head throws the brain against the skull. But Richardson's death shows that, if we have an unlucky day, this impact may cause rupture of blood vessels that surround the brain. When bleeding begins, continues and is not diagnosed,...Read More
Surgery
Head Injuries Sustained In Sports
"Do you know of anyone who could help my child?" a long-standing friend of mine recently asked me" Their young child had sustained a head injury while playing hockey had been left with severe headaches and various medications had failed to relieve his suffering. Today, head injuries can occur in a variety of sporting activities. So what should about even minor blows to the head? Earlier this year actress Natasha Richardson fell and struck her head while skiing on a beginners slope at Mont Tremblant in Quebec. She walked away apparently without injury. But what shocked the world was the headline news 24 hours later that she had died from this trivial injury. After all, she was not racing down a...Read More
Infection
What was The Diagnosis?
This week, how about letting me relax, and you play doctor? I'll just pass along pertinent facts about a patient. Then you can see how smart you are in making a diagnosis. First, a couple of clues. The final diagnosis was made by common sense, not by fancy hospital tests. And it's also possible that any of us could arrive home from vacation with this distressful problem. Drs. Jane Pritchard and Stephen Hwang report in The Canadian Medical Association Journal the interesting case of a 62 year old man who complained of generalized fatigue. It was apparent from looking at this man's medical history that you didn't have to be a graduate of The Harvard Medical School to know there were...Read More
Sex, Women's Health
Testosterone for Sexually Frustrated Women
Three 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, 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 learn whether they have less testosterone and therefore "less tiger in the tank"? There's a...Read More
Diabetes
Don’t Become A Diabetes Statistic
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 noticed a train coming from the west at 100 mph. The trains were 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 said simply, "Because my brother's never seen a train wreck." Today, diabetes and its complications make the perfect medical train wreck. It's destroying tens of thousands of lives and will eventually decimate our health care system. Every...Read More
Orthopedics
Why Would I Write About a Lame Racehorse?
How would you like to own a racehorse who won hundreds of thousands of dollars? I'm sure we'd crack open the champagne after each race. But how would you feel when the horse develops arthritis and chip fractures in the knee? Then, four veterinarians and two trainers say, "This horse could not and should not run again". This is when we start crying in our champagne. But what has a racehorse to do with our aches and pains? In one word, plenty. Dr. Fred Kahn, Founder of MediTech Laser and Rehabilitation Clinic in Toronto, told me he inherited this horse in an "exchange ownership" in lieu of paying an outstanding account. But when the horse became lame he decided to see...Read More
Dermatology
Reversa :A New Eco-Friendly Skin Cream
What's the latest eco-friendly product? It's not a new discovery to run your car or get rid of your garbage. Rather, it's an eco-friendly skin cream that contains green tea extract. I thought green tea was for drinking. But a report in the American Academy of Dermatology claims that 150 studies prove green tree is beneficial to skin in several ways. Dr. Stephen Hsu at The Medical College of Georgia, says a five year study was sponsored by the U.S. Department of Health. The purpose was to find a non-toxic method to prevent the increasing number of people developing skin cancer. Every year one million Americans are diagnosed with this disease. A shocking report from the U.S. National Cancer Institute indicates a...Read More
Neurology
Vitamin C and Alzheimer’s Disease
What causes Alzheimer's Disease? No one knows the answer. But a recent report in the journal, Dementia and Geriatric Cognitive Disorders, claims there is an important link between heart disease and Alzheimer's Disease. The link is atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries). What amazes me is that since it's been shown that vitamin C can reverse atherosclerosis in coronary arteries, why isn't any one advocating its use in trying to prevent Alzheimer's Disease? Researchers at the Kaiser Permanente Center in Oakland, California, and the University of Kuopio in Finland, tracked 10,000 people for 40 years. They found that high blood cholesterol was associated with a 66 percent higher risk of Alzheimer's Disease. More worrying was that those with borderline levels of blood cholesterol...Read More
Infection
Super Mushrooms Fight Swine Flu Virus
"What's the best natural way to boost immunity against the swine flu virus (SFV)?" a reader from Winnipeg inquires. It's a good question, as currently this virus is killing small numbers of people. But some researchers believe 1N1that H1N1 will return in a few weeks with a vengeance, killing thousands of North Americans. If this happens, can it be possible that a group of powerful medicinal mushrooms can decrease the risk of succumbing to this virus? But first, during an epidemic, never forget these basic precautions. Bow like the Japanese rather than shaking hands, which has always been an unhealthy habit. Handshaking is a prime way to spread infection whether or not there's an epidemic of SFV. Get further protection by...Read More
Infection, Surgery
Surgery Without Any Complications
Would jump at the chance of back surgery that has zero risk of post-operative complications, is free of pain and provides relief of all your symptoms? Or do you choose a back operation that provides the same result, but has none of these guarantees? This first choice may sound like being sold swamp land in Florida. But a recent study shows this is not science fiction. Dr. Rachelle Buchbinder of Monash University in Malvern, Australia, recently reported in The New England Journal of Medicine an operation called vertebroplasty. During this surgery medical "cement" was injected into a fractured spinal bone to provide extra strength to it. The surgeons hoped that this approach would relieve back pain as compression fractures of the...Read More
Orthopedics
Spaceflight – No Calling 911 In an Emergency
Have you ever dreamed of being an astronaut? Walking in space and looking back at our small planet must be one of life's greatest experiences. But whether you're a star hockey player, mountain climber or astronaut, a healthy price must be paid for the experience. Dr. Robert Thirsk, a Canadian astronaut, reports in the Canadian Medical Association Journal, the health hazards and other dangers that lurk in the harsh environment of space. We all complain about jet lag after a flight to Europe. But astronauts orbit the earth once every 90 minutes. This means in 24 hours they see 16 sunsets and sunrises. This is big-time jet lag and it can have a major effect on their sleep pattern, increasing fatigue. Decompression sickness...Read More
