Sex
Sex After a Heart Attack?
I've always believed that being shot at 95years of age by a jealous lover is the ideal way to depart this earth. But suppose you survive a coronary attack much earlier in life, how is it going to affect your sex life? Is it time to forget about "amour" and switch to backgammon or hooking rugs? Or, is a little romp in the bed still safe? Dr. Randal Thomas, Director of the Cardiovascular Health Clinic at The Mayo Clinic, says, "A person's life is essentially thrown upside-down following coronary attack. They see their frailty and how close they came to dying, and it can lead to a lot of psychological issues and need for recuperation." Another cardiologist, Nieca Goldberg, at Lennox Hill...Read More
Dermatology
A Skin Cream That Prevents Cancer
I'd bet that 99 percent of readers have never heard of the name,"Actinic Keratosis", (AK). But thousands of people have this type of skin lesion that if left untreated can develop into skin cancer over time. Now there's a unique skin cream that can prevent or stop this from occurring. Since the primary cause of AK is excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, this problem is often called "Solar Keratosis". Like an elephant, human skin never forgets all the UV radiation it gets during a lifetime. We forget the times when UV rays have bounced off snow and water, either tanning or burning our skin. And with today's thinning of the ozone layer, more ultraviolet rays are hitting the...Read More
Nutrition
The Constipated Battleship King George V
Recently a patient, who is extremely health conscious, asked, "If you had to pick the most important food what would you choose?" I replied, "fiber". I've believed for years that fiber is the corner stone of a healthy diet and without adequate amounts people are headed for a variety of health problems. The National Academies' Institute of Medicine formulates dietary recommendations for the government. It recently reported that the average North American consumes only 14 to 15 grams of fiber a day. This is a failing grade as it's less than half of what people should be eating. Fibers primary benefit never crosses the minds of most people. Fiber is bulky and therefore filling. Years ago, my father-in-law called it "roughage" and...Read More
Nutrition
Lobster : The Cadillac Of The Sea
Why do I look forward so eagerly to that crate of lobster that arrives from Clearwater Seafoods at regular intervals? Because it's my reward for eating bran cereal every morning. I'd much prefer ham and eggs or French toast loaded with maple syrup. Besides, lobsters provide great health benefits in addition to a delicious food experience. Several years ago I had the good fortune to attend a cardiovascular conference in Norway and visit the Institute for Nutrition Research at the University of Oslo. During the conference Professor Daan Krommhout, of the Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, reported the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids present in fatty fish, lobsters, scallops and many other species of seafood. In...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Nutrition
Eggs Decrease Risk of Macular Degeneration
"Don't you worry about cholesterol in eggs?" a friend recently asked me. I had ordered ham-and-eggs for breakfast which I often enjoy. But my friend was sure that eggs were a nutritional relic of the past, only good for a display at the Smithsonian Institution. I told him he was suffering from "cholesterolphobia", should upgrade his thinking about eggs, and that if he would order the same breakfast it would decrease his risk of heart disease and macular degeneration. I've written for years that we should trust farmers, hens and cows and cast a suspicious eye at manufactured processed foods. I have not changed my mind after many years of research. Blaming farmers and hens for the epidemic of heart disease is...Read More
Cancer
Seven Things To Know About Prostate Cancer
One: Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria's Prime Minister, once remarked "There are three kinds of lies, lies, damned lies and statistics". Disraeli, if he had been a doctor, could have been referring to the PSA test for prostate cancer. For instance, the New England Journal of Medicine has just reported a European study that showed that this blood test cut the death rate of this disease by 20 percent. But this impressive figure refers to a relative reduction in deaths. There's another way to look at the reduction in the number of deaths. 162,000 men were followed for 10 years. Of those given the PSA test 261 died, compared to 363 deaths of those who received routine care. A difference of 102...Read More
Genitourinary
The Billion Dollar Erectile Race
The race of the century has started. No, it's not a recap of the great horse race between Sea Biscuit and Northern Dancer. It's the erectile dysfunction (ED) contest between three giant pharmaceutical companies. The prize for the winner? Billions of dollars. If you haven't heard of Viagra it's time for a nursing home. But if this name gets you thinking about romance, what should you know about these competing drugs. Moreover, what should you do if they don't produce results? And how many times a week are we supposed to make love? All three impotence drugs work by blocking an enzyme that relaxes muscles and allows increased blood flow into the penis. If you have heart trouble and are taking a...Read More
Cardiovascular
Campbell Soup With 32 Percent Less Sodium
Why would any company want to change a product that's stood the test of time for 112 years? After all, in this fast moving world most products either change every few years or perish. But Campbell soup, first produced in 1897, has finally made a healthy change in its ingredients. Each serving will now have 32 percent less sodium which will help tame one of the big killers, hypertension. High blood pressure is the leading cause of death in the world. It's estimated that 25 percent of North Americans have hypertension and five million Canadians suffer from it. But this disease is a silent killer as you're unable to see or feel its presence. Sir William Osler, Professor of Medicine at McGill,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Medicine
Rx For The Heart: Marry A Smart Woman
Thank God I married a smart woman. And one who majored in English. Commas, colons and semicolons are a puzzle to me. I'd still be, were it not for her, wondering whether to use "a" or "an", "affect" or "effect", "escapee" or "escaper". I'll die before I know the meaning of a compound noun. This column wouldn't have lasted one year if I'd married a not-so-literate wife. But, just as important, I might have died long ago from heart disease. A new study shows that marrying smart is good for the heart. Investigators from the Institute of Nutrition Research at the University of Oslo analyzed 20,000 married men over a 14 year period. The men, ages 35 to 56 years were...Read More
Cancer
Has Anyone Felt Your Testicles Lately?
How many women will have their breasts examined this year? I don't know the exact figure but it will be in the millions. But how many men will have their testicles examined during 2009? Again, I don't know the exact number but it will be miniscule compared to that of the fairer sex. Is this sexual discrimination? If so, we need a class action lawsuit to protect men's rights or, more to the point, our testicles. But more important, an increase in TSE (testicular self examination) would increase the survival rate of this malignancy. Testicular cancer is the number one malignancy in young males. Worldwide there are 48,500 males diagnosed with this disease and 9,000 will die of it. This is...Read More
Alcohol
What You Don’t Know About Moosehead Beer
In my medical column I've written for years that beer, used in moderation, provides health benefits. Many beer drinkers don't know that Moosehead beer contains no sugars, a huge benefit in fighting obesity. Moosehead beer does not contribute to heart disease as it contains no fat, cholesterol or triglycerides. Also its alcohol content increases the good cholesterol that removes cholesterol from the blood. And it greases blood platelets making them less likely to stick together, forming a fatal blood clot. And let's not forget the relaxing effect of beer on the mind. Moosehead beer contains only 25 milligrams of sodium compared with 900 milligrams in a cup of soup, and 3,270 mg in a Rueben sandwich. The greater the amount of salt...Read More
Nutrition
Chickens Decrease Risk of Macular Degeneration
"Don't you worry about cholesterol in eggs?" a friend recently asked me. I had ordered ham-and-eggs for breakfast which I often enjoy. But my friend was sure that eggs were a nutritional relic of the past, only good for a display at the Smithsonian Institution. I told him he was suffering from "cholesterolphobia" and should upgrade his thinking about eggs. And that if he would order the same breakfast this would decrease his risk of heart disease and macular degeneration. I've stressed for years that we should trust the farmers, hens and cows and caste a suspicious eye at manufactured processed foods. I have not changed my mind after researching this matter for many years. Blaming the farmers and hens for the...Read More
Genitourinary
Erectile Dysfunction : The Window To The Heart
Mae West, the sex queen of long ago, had a great one-liner when she greeted males, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" This line always triggered a barrel full of laughs. But today it's no laughing matter that an increasing number of male are suffering from erectile dysfunction. A report in the British Medical Journal indicates that there's more to this problem than meets the eye. Dr. Geoffrey Hackett, a urologist at Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham, England, says most doctors are uncomfortable asking their male patients if they can have an erection. This oversight amounts to negligence as the onset of ED doubles the risk of heart attack. In fact, it can...Read More
Cardiovascular
PAD Prelude to Heart Attack
"Have you ever heard of Matthew's Law?" I asked a journalism student who recently interviewed me. Her assignment was to find out what young people could do to prevent health problems. The timing of the interview was good because at the time I was writing a column about peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a prime example of Matthew's Law. And did she, or readers, know about the ABI test? A report from the Mayo Clinic says that 10 million Americans have PAD. Another study from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, claims that five percent of men and two percent of women over the age of 50 have PAD. This increases the risk of heart attack six times. Mayo Clinic says 80 percent...Read More
Philosophy
Reader Reaction : Debbie’s Death and Euthanasia
Several weeks ago I wrote that Debbie, the world's oldest polar bear, had suffered a number of strokes. Her zoo keepers in Winnipeg decided she had suffered enough and painlessly ended her life. I also mentioned a good friend who, unlike Debbie, had endured an agonizing death. And I asked readers whether we needed a Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Humans (SPCH). I've spent hours reading the huge response, surprised by the reaction. H.F. wrote, "Thanks for your wonderful column that appeared in the Windsor Star. Yes, Yes, Yes, it's my prayer you will receive overwhelming support for it and that the law changes by the time I see the grim reaper. From The Winnipeg Free Press JY said, "My...Read More
Sex
Off-With-Your- Panties-Video’s At Age Six ?
"Do you know where your children are this evening?" It's a comment we often hear these days about parents who fail to keep an eye on their children's whereabouts. But suppose you're a diligent parent and they're in your own home. How safe are they when watching television? The question of how much in-your-face sexuality on TV adversely affects teenagers has been debated by psychologists for years. Now Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation, answers this question. She reports in the Journal of Pediatrics that the amount of time teenagers spend turning the channel to risque T V increases the risk of pregnancy before age 20. To reach this conclusion Chandra and her colleagues carried out a three-year survey of...Read More
Orthopedics, Surgery
What You Should Know About Ankle Replacement
"Should I have surgery to replace my painful ankle?" a friend recently asked me. He added, "I now wear an ankle support to play tennis and I want to get rid of it." Today, we all know friends who have had surgery to replace a worn out hip or knee. But an increasing number of people are also getting new ankles. What should my friend and others know before they make this decision? The majority of ankle replacements are due to osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type that occurs with aging. But, an arthritic ankle can also develop following injury to the joint many years earlier. Cartilage between bones deteriorates and finally bones grind on bones. Replacing an ankle is not minor surgery. Surgeons...Read More
Medicine
Torture at @ 2:00 am
What's the worst torture of all? Ask Thomas Sydenham and he would quickly say "gout". Sydenham, often referred to as the English Hippocrates, died in 1698 of gout. To my knowledge, no one since that time, has better described the intense pain associated with this disease. He wrote, "The victim goes to bed and sleeps in good health. About 2:00 A.M. he is awakened by severe pain in the big toe. The pain becomes intense, violent, tearing and so exquisite the big toe cannot bear the weight of bedclothes or the jar of a person walking into the room. The night is passed in torture." Gout has often been referred to as the "blue-blooded disease". It's easy to see why since it's...Read More
Philosophy
A Society For The Prevention of Cruelty To Humans
Who was Debbie? If you missed her death notice, she was the world's oldest polar bear at Winnipeg's Assiniboine Park Zoo who died at 41 years of age. Due to a number of strokes, zookeepers decided she had suffered enough and painlessly ended her life. But unlike polar bears, a friend of mine recently experienced an agonizing death which has prompted this column. I've often written that if I were allowed a committee to oversee my final hours I'd want a veterinarian to be part of that group. I'm hoping he or she would treat me the same way as Debbie, or a loving pet. Critics of active euthanasia say that allowing a lethal injection for those who only have days or...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Infection
Myths About Herpes
"How could it happen to me I'm often asked?" My answer? Genital herpes can infect anyone very easily. Especially if they fail to make love like the porcupine, very, very carefully. Today it's estimated that 50 million North Americans have genital herpes and each year another 500,000 are diagnosed with this infection. But there are many misconceptions about this common and worrying problem. Myth # 1- You can't get herpes from sitting on a toilet seat. Doctors have said for years that the herpes virus dies quickly on exposure to air. But Dr. Trudy Larsen, a researcher at the University of California, startled the medical world several years ago. She had a patient with an active herpes lesion sit on a toilet...Read More
Miscellaneous
Do You Need A Walletectomy?
How right were mothers and teachers when they told us to sit up straight? What can we do to improve brain function? Is it necessary to take antibiotics before dental procedures when you have a faulty heart valve? And if you have back pain do you need a walletectomy? For years doctors have prescribed antibiotics to patients with heart problems who are scheduled for dental procedures. It was believed that cleaning the teeth, or other dental work, would create small cuts in the gum allowing bacteria to invade the blood stream and cause further injury to heart valves. This condition, infective endocarditis, is rare, but dangerous complications and can result in abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, stroke and death. A recent study...Read More
Nutrition
How To Get A Big Gut
"How did it ever happen?" You wonder when you look in the mirror. Your stomach used to be flat. Your pants weren't tight. The conclusion is obvious. You've developed a large gut, like millions of other North Americans. And if you're unaware of how this happened, a report in Nutrition Action Health Letter provides the answer. It lists several sure-fire ways to develop a gut. One - Surround Yourself With Food Always have goodies in the house that are loaded with calories. Cookies that sit in a jar on the kitchen counter containing 150 calories per cookie. It's so easy to put your hand in the cookie jar and so why not enjoy four of them? Now you've already used up 600...Read More
Cardiovascular
Zona Plus : A Hand Held Device To Treat Hypertension
Could experiments on F-16 fighter pilots help to decrease the need of blood pressure pills? In the 1960s an Air Force study was conducted in an endeavour to increase a pilot's ability to withstand the huge G-forces and prevent him from them from blacking out during aerial combat. Researchers discovered that exercises to strengthen the abdominal muscles could decrease the effect of gravitational forces. They also demonstrated that hand gripping exercises could fight hypertension. Now, because of this research a hand-held computer device called "Zona Plus" is available to lower blood pressure. The Harvard Medical School initially thought the Zona device was a hoax and carried out research to prove it was fraudulent treatment. But to its embarrassment and amazement it discovered...Read More
Miscellaneous
Medical Myths That Should Die
A sage African American once remarked, "It's not the things you don't know that gets you into trouble, it's the things you know for sure, that ain't so". So here are some medical myths that just ain't so. Myth # 1 - Wearing a copper bracelet cures arthritis. Those who promote copper bracelets say that copper is absorbed through the skin and helps cartilage regenerate. But this fact has never been proven. There's no evidence that copper can regenerate the damaged cartilage that's causing pain. Our bodies need only small amounts of copper and we get this in our daily diet by eating vegetables such as potatoes, beans and peas. Copper is also present in nuts and grains such as wheat and...Read More
Alcohol
Cabernet Sauvignon And The 99 % Brain
This New Year's Eve would you like a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon to prevent Alzheimer's Disease. Several months ago I suggested that this might be a good practice to stop the ravages of this disease. But was it questionable advice? Researchers at New York's Mount Sinai Hospital spiked the drinking water of female mice with Cabernet Sauvignon for seven months. Another group was given just water. Both groups were then placed in a maze. They discovered that the Cabernet Sauvignon mice found their way out of the maze quicker than teetotaler mice. I couldn't resist sending along this news for wine lovers. Now another study shows I'd better take another look at the effects of alcohol on the brain. Carol Ann Paul,...Read More
