Miscellaneous
Cocaine in Water? I Prefer Wine!
Going camping in Newfoundland in August? If so, don't paint your toenails with bright blue, blueberry-scented nail polish. A report in The Medical Post shows this can be hazardous to your health. According to the Post a young woman while camping was attacked by a mouse. The mouse bit her toe, refused to let go, and was finally killed with a broom. But what provoked the attack? In late August Newfoundland is ripe with blueberries which constitute a large portion of a mouse's diet. The mouse, apparently spotted the toe sticking out of a blanket, smelled the scent, and sank it's teeth into what it thought was a juicy blueberry. The good news; it wasn't a black bear! Are hair dyes dangerous? I've...Read More
Cancer, Nutrition
How To Fight Cancer With Food
Imagine that every day of the year four fully loaded Boeing 747s crashed, killing everyone. This is the number of people who die every year from cancer. Two Montreal reseachers, Drs Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras, say in their book "Foods That Fight Cancer" that 30 percent of these deaths are caused by poor dietary habits. But that if you're cancer smart with food you can have a safer flight through life. Most people believe that cancer is an acute disease that kills within weeks or months. The doctors claim this is a misconception. Rather, cancer must be considered a chronic disease that normally poses no dangers. For instance, people who die from other causes are often found at autopsy to have...Read More
Infection
Do You Suffer From “Potty Paranoia?”
A reader from Windsor, Ontario writes, "I'm a frequent traveler and some bathrooms are filthy. Were Mothers right when they said, never sit down on a public toilet seat? If you do, what is the risk of acquiring an infection? Or, I am worrying needlessly?" Many people share this woman's fear of a public toilet seat. One survey showed that 30 per cent of people "hold it" rather than use a public toilet, 40 percent flush the toilet with their feet and 60 percent hover over the seat. Toilet seats won't trigger a worldwide pandemic of infectious disease. But do I ever sit down on a public toilet? The answer, a thundering "no" but then I'm a male! My research reveals it's...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Why Didn’t That Idiot Turn off His High Beam? – Night Blindness
In 800 B.C. Homer wrote, "Now the night comes and it is wise to obey the night". In those times there were frequent muggings at night and home robberies. Not much has changed since then. But today we're even more vulnerable by being involved in a tragic car accident as the sun goes down. What happens to our eyesight as we age and how can you decrease the risk of death on the highway? A report from The Harvard Medical School states that, "Roadway crashes are the leading cause of on-the-job fatalities among older workers in the United States and that poor vision is partly to blame". Macular degeneration is one of the leading causes of these accidents. It's also the main...Read More
Infection
Go Fast, Fast, Fast To Survive Brain Attack
Why did one person die from a stroke while stroke destined another to spend the rest of life disabled? And why did still another return to a normal life following a life-threatening stroke. The reason is that some people are "stroke smart". They know that speed can often mean the difference between a return to walking, or being confined to a wheelchair for life. Stroke is the third leading cause of death in Canada and the U.S. But it's the # one cause of adult disability. Dying is not a good thing, but being severely disabled from stroke may be a worse disaster. Unfortunately, only three percent of stroke victims are treated within the first crucial three hours of attack. There are...Read More
Cardiovascular
Heart Valves Like The Swinging Doors Of A Saloon
What's one of the worst results from visiting a doctor? It's getting the impression that a serious problem has been diagnosed when the exact opposite is true. It's called "iatrogenic disease" which means a disease created by a doctor. And when patients are told they have mitral valve prolapse (MVP) it often opens a Pandora's box of anxiety. The mitral valve separates the two left chambers of the heart. The valve resembles a tall bishop's hat called a miter and each time the heart beats it opens like the swinging door of a saloon. But after opening, it then firmly closes while the next beat of the heart pumps blood to the body. MVP occurs when the valve does not provide a...Read More
Cardiovascular
Polypill – Research in a London Pub
Why would I become depressed in a English pub? It happened during a recent trip to London to interview prominent researchers. Later I stole away to the English countryside and the relaxing atmosphere of quaint pubs. The last thing I wanted to do while enjoying the local ambience was to think about the dilemmas of medicine. But there in the newspaper was a large headline I couldn't miss, "Polypill aims to cut heart disease by 80 percent". So I had to read on. As people age they often take more pills, many of them to prevent heart disease. Now British researchers claim they have a way to solve swallowing one pill after another, the "Polypill". Polypill strategy is the brainchild of Professor...Read More
Nutrition, Obesity
It Will Take A Famine
"How can the obesity problem be solved in our country", a U.S. interviewer recently asked me. He expected me to discuss all the usual diets to fight this epidemic. And I hadn't had too many Martini's nor was I joking when I replied, "It would really take a famine". Is this just my dreary opinion or are others simply using different words to say the same thing? A report from the Institute of Medicine in the U.S. says nine million children older than six years of age are obese. Another U.S. report shows that children whose mothers are obese are 15 X more likely to be obese by six years of age. And we know from experience that obese children usually...Read More
Cardiovascular
Rx : Take This Polypill Once A Year!!!!
"Damn it, why didn't I think of it. Maybe I could have won the Nobel Prize." This thought occurred to me several years ago while reading a newspaper while having a beer in a English pub. Professors Nicholas Wald and Malcolm Law of the University of London announced they were working on a Polypill aimed to cut heart disease by 80 percent. The Polypill was to contain Aspirin to prevent blood clots, a cholesterol-lowering drug, folic acid to fight atherosclerosis and an anti-hypertension medication. Researchers claimed that popping one daily would have a greater impact on preventing heart disease in the western world than any other treatment. I ordered another beer and knew this was the star of the Polypill generation. Now...Read More
Psychiatry
Drugging Children, A Cruel Sign of The Times
Would I allow Ritalin or other similar drugs to be prescribed to my children because they fidgeted, squirmed in their seat or were inattentive? Hell would freeze over a thousand times before I'd submit to such idiocy. But today an estimated five million Canadian and U.S. children are prescribed medication for this condition. This year, a committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that a "black box" warning should be placed on ADHD medications, warning about heart attack and other risks. It's the strongest warning possible before a drug is removed from the market. A second advisory panel disagreed so no decision has been reached. Why the need for a black box warning? It depends on who is giving...Read More
Miscellaneous
Low Intensity Laser Therapy – It Was a Pain From Hell
Have you ever had to crawl on your hands and knees because of severe back pain? It's not a dignified position. But it recently happened to me. What caused this problem and how did I finally get relief? We all love our mothers and I dearly loved mine. But unfortunately she had scoliosis of the spine and passed this genetic problem along to me. Then in my final year at The Harvard Medical School I awakened one morning with the worst headache of my life. A lumbar puncture revealed poliomyelitis. Scoliosis and poliomyelitis is not a good combination to maintain a healthy spine. As a result over the years I've suffered from occasional attacks of sciatica, usually appearing for no apparent reason. But...Read More
Orthopedics, Pain, Sports
It Was A Pain From Hell
Have you ever had to crawl on your hands and knees because of severe back pain? It's not a dignified position. But it recently happened to me. What caused this problem and how did I finally get relief? We all love our mothers and I dearly loved mine. But unfortunately she had scoliosis of the spine and passed this genetic problem along to me. Then in my final year at The Harvard Medical School I awakened one morning with the worst headache of my life. A lumbar puncture revealed poliomyelitis. Scoliosis and poliomyelitis is not a good combination to maintain a healthy spine. As a result over the years I've suffered from occasional attacks of sciatica, usually appearing for no apparent reason. But...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology
Diapers Are Not Just For Babies – Urinary Incontinence
"We know where you're going!", is not a phrase that women want to hear. But due to an aging population increasing numbers of women are rushing to the bathroom. Some are suffering from urinary infection or an overactive bladder. But increasing numbers of women need frequent changes of diapers due to urinary stress incontinence. Unfortunately, many women with this problem are too embarrassed to seek help. But there are ways to help relieve patients of this annoying disorder. Urinary stress incontinence occurs when the pressure inside the bladder exceeds the pressure in the urethra, the small tube that conveys urine to the outside. The first symptom is urine leakage on occasions of stress such as coughing, sneezing, sitting down or jogging....Read More
Alcohol
Cabernet Sauvignon To Prevent Alzheimer’s Disease
What can you do to decrease the risk of developing Alzheimer's Disease (AD)? It's a question that has eluded scientists for years. Some researchers believe that Alzheimers is due to an excessive amount of aluminum in the brain and we should try to decrease its intake. But would a glass of Sauvignon each day stop the cerebral ravage of this disease? A study directed by Dr. Jun Wang and his colleagues was reported recently in the Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology. And it may help to put a cork on what's causing Alzheimer's Disease. Dr. Wang, a psychiatrist at New York's Mount Sinai School of Medicine, studied female mice with genes that order the production of amyloid-beta protein. This protein...Read More
Nutrition
Thank God For Prince Edward Island Potatoes
Hell will freeze over before I stop eating Prince Edward Island potatoes. I admit I love, love potatoes. Any kind, any way! But this isn't just an irrational addiction on my part. Rather the lowly and much maligned potato has great nutritional value. Some of my patients say they avoid them like the plague. It's all because of the past hulabaloo about the so-called virtues of a "low-carb" diet. Since potatoes were imported to Europe from Central and South America several hundred years ago they've provided safe and cheap nutrition for millions of people. But what a difference a few centuries make. Self-promoting hucksters, whose primary interest is to sell books, have tried to fool people about "low-carb" and potatoes. It's interesting...Read More
Orthopedics
A Doubled-Barreled Treatment For Osteoporosis
Charles de Talleyrand, the noted French diplomat, once remarked to Napoleon Bonaparte, "Sire, worse than a crime you have committed an error." Today tens of thousands of North Americans have developed a crippling disease, osteoporosis (brittle bones). They too have committed a major error that could be prevented. Hip, spine and wrist injuries are the most common fractures associated with osteoporosis. And broken bones can strike with the speed of lightning. A forceful hug can suddenly break a rib. Picking up a heavy load of groceries or sneezing can also lead to a fractured bone. Or osteoporosis can result in chronic pain and life in a wheelchair. The figures are frightening and place a huge financial burden on our health care system....Read More
Medicine, Orthopedics
Helpless Without Epinephrine Kit – Anaphylaxis
Years ago Superman escaped from the explosion of the planet Krypton in the Superman movie. But few know that micro cinematography of an exploding human mast cell was used to depict the planet's end. Humans are not as lucky as Superman. Every year thousands of Canadians suffer anaphylactic reactions due to exploding mast cells and many die from the massive allergic eruption. Planning ahead can prevent this tragedy. This deadly reaction may result from the venom of a bee, yellow jacket, yellow hornet or wasp sting. Each year more North Americans die from insect bites than poisonous snakes. Others die from an antibiotic, or after eating shellfish, eggs, soy, or milk. All told 200 foods have been implicated in causing this...Read More
Gastroenterology, Nutrition
Magnesium Keeps The Undertaker Away
A healthy 18 year old basketball player and health-conscious jogger recently left this world all of a sudden. Why? The initial diagnosis; death from coronary artery disease due to high blood cholesterol. But death eventually proved to be due to magnesium deficiency. Magnesium has never been a super star nutrient like calcium. But it's crucial in keeping the undertaker away and in fighting several common chronic diseases. So are you getting enough of this mineral? Magnesium is nature's natural antispasmodic and it's amazing this fact hasn't triggered more attention from the medical community. In 1979 Dr. J.R. Chipperfield reported in the British Journal Lancet that patients who suffered from angina often had low levels of blood magnesium and that this nutrient...Read More
Genitourinary, Gynecology, Infection, Sex
Sexually Transmitted Disease In Middle-Aged Adults
"Do you know where your children are and what they are doing?" is a question that often worries parents. Today sexually transmitted disease (STD) is on the rise in the teenage population. But what about the other side of the coin? A recent report shows that there's also good reason for teenagers to ponder, "Where are my parents tonight and what are they doing?" Studies show that STD rates, particularly chlamydia, are soaring in middle-aged adults. Dr. Colm O'Mahony is a urologist at the Countess of Chester NHS Trust in the U.K. He recently reported to the Women's Health Education and Research Society that now there is now a "second wave" of STDs occurring. The first wave is in the 16 to...Read More
Alcohol
What You Don’t Know About Sleeman 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 Sleeman beer contains no sugars, a huge benefit in fighting obesity. 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. Sleeman 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 consumed...Read More
Psychiatry
Depression : Not Only For Women
How much equality is there between the sexes? In recent years women have made strides in their struggle to gain equality with men. But surprisingly in one area men are getting the short end of the stick. Today the majority of people being treated for depression are women. The majority of men, however suffer silently from undiagnosed and untreated depression. Why the gender bias in this case? And how can wives and families recognize this problem and urge men to accept treatment? Dr. John S. Tamerin, a psychiatrist and a professor at Cornell Weill School of Medicine in New York City, says there are over six million men suffering from a depressive disorder in North America and the majority will never...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
How iPods Can Make you Rich, Rich, Rich
Anyone interested in a hot tip on how to make a lot of money without any risk? It's not my job to pass along financial advice, but in this instance I can't resist the urge. Invest in a hearing aid company, because the next generation is going deaf and they don't know it. A French proverb says, "I do not like noise unless I make it myself". This proverb must have been uttered centuries ago when someone was enjoying a glass of chardonay in a sleepy French village. Today, we're running out of quiet places to hide and escape noise. And excessive sound from MP3 players such as the iPod is a gift from Heaven for those selling hearing aids. Today iPods...Read More
Cardiovascular
Simple Test Predicts Health Risk
You may have an electrocardiogram today, but it's no guarantee you won't drop dead tomorrow. Today, in an increasingly complex electronic world, we can have a barrage of sophisticated tests done in an hour or so. But they do not ensure you will live out the day. So why not follow the rule, "keep it simple stupid" (kiss). A study published in The New England Journal of Medicine reports a simple prognostic gem that helps to predict the risk of death. Dr. Michael S. Lauer, Director of Clinical Research at The Cleveland Clinic, says the heart's recovery rate is the important factor in assessing mortality. The key factor is how quickly the heart rate returns to normal following exertion. In this study...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Socioacusis – The Case Speaks for Itself Against the ACC
Centuries ago, Diogenes Laertius wrote, "We have two ears and one tongue in order that we may hear more and speak less." Now an increasing number of people are having difficulty hearing more with either ear. Noise induced hearing loss (socioacusis) is primarily due to constant and excessive noise. And since it appears anyone can sue for anything these days why doesn't somebody start a class action suit against Toronto's Air Canada Centre (ACC). It's a prime example of needless, senseless and harmful noise. Today, according to the National Institutes of Health, one in three North Americans over age 60 has hearing loss. And the problem often starts during student days.The enjoyment of bread and wine along a French country road...Read More
Surgery
Is It Losing an Ear or Using Bloodsuckers?
It was August 16, 1985 and a horrendous way to start the day. Guy Condelli, a five year old boy in Medford, Massachusetts had his right ear bitten off by a dog. Dr. Joseph Upton, a reconstructive surgeon at Children's Hospital, Boston, reattached the ear during a tedious 12 hour operation. But three days later an ominous sign of impending disaster appeared. The ear had turned blue-black due to venous congestion. Blood thinners and lancing failed to restore normal blood supply. In desperation Upton telephoned Biopharm, an English company. It sent 30 leeches by air to Boston. These blood suckers were attached to the boy's swollen ear. Within minutes venous congestion diminished and normal circulation restored. The ear turned a healthy pink....Read More
