Gynecology
The Yo-Yo Effect: Why It Results in Needless Mastectomies
Why don't doctors learn from history about breast cancer? Over 50 years ago a Scottish surgeon reported that radical removal of women's breasts did not improve their survival rate. Yet for decades many surgeons have continued to do this mutilating operation. Now it's been reported that whether a lumpectomy (removal only of the cancerous lump) or mastectomy (whole breast removal) is done also depends on where you live. What's happening in this country, and the U.S., is partly due to the Yo Yo effect. A study published in the Canadian Journal of Public Health shows that women living in Prince Edward Island are three times more likely to have a breast removed for breast cancer than women living in Quebec. Dr Ineke Neutal, an...Read More
Lifestyle, Philosophy
It’s Okay To Inhale To Stop Smoking
An economist, analyzing financial disasters, remarked that "If you keep going to hell you'll eventually get there". This warning equally applies to the millions of people who still smoke and eventually die from this addiction. Today, there is no greater madness than smoking when research proves that smoking kills. Fortunately, there's a new treatment that can help to save these needless deaths. In this case it's okay to inhale to quit smoking, with the newest smoking cessation, the Nicorette inhaler. Sir Walter Raleigh, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, introduced tobacco into England. But if he tried this today, authorities would hang him from the yardarm for even suggesting its use. Tobacco would be immediately banned as a hazardous substance. Now...Read More
Cardiovascular
President Clinton And Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs
Former President Clinton has joined 400,000 Americans who required coronary bypass surgery in the last year. Clinton had high blood cholesterol and took cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs). But these drugs, along with superb medical care, neither prevented nor cured his disease. And nothing was said of the risk of taking CLDs? Today it's like attacking motherhood to question the value of CLDs. But there are scientists who believe it's a myth that cholesterol is the major risk factor for heart disease. They say there's blind addiction to these drugs and occasionally serious side effects. But with billions of dollars at stake studies questioning the benefits of CLD tend to be buried. A major study called Prosper showed you can exchange one devil for...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
The Do’s And Dont’s of Sinusitis
I must confess I've been putting off writing this column for a long time. Sinusitis seems to be such a dull, boring, uninteresting topic compared to most medical troubles. But nevertheless this condition affects millions of people and it's a damn annoying condition when it strikes. There are also some important do's and dont's in treating sinusitis. Dr. Ron Fenton, Otolaryngologist-in-Chief at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto, reports in the University of Toronto Health News that one in 200 colds will be complicated by an attack of sinusitis. And the number of cases is increasing. Sinusitis normally starts as a viral infection which causes inflammation and blocks the sinusues. Patients then often get a bacterial infection on top of the viral infection.Dr...Read More
Genetics
Genetic Family History 101
How much should you worry if your father died of a heart attack at age 50? Or your mother developed breast cancer at 40 years of age? Or a brother required surgery for malignancy of the colon at an early age? Or there's a strong family history of diabetes or osteoporosis? In these cases how beneficial is genetic testing? Today, with an aging population, it would be most unusual for a family to say none have died from cancer, heart attack, stroke, diabetes or suffered from mental illness. So there's no need for sleepless nights unless there's an unusual strong family history of one of these diseases. And if the death of a relative occurred at 40 years of age, it...Read More
Philosophy
The Cheapest, Safest and Best Remedy For the Common Cough
Voltaire, the French philosopher and writer, once remarked, "The art of medicine consists in amusing the patient while nature heals the disease". Year after year North Americans spend millions of dollars on medication they believe is going to help them. But it's often a waste of money when a dummy pill can cure a variety of ailments. Dr. Ian Paul, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics at Penn State Children's Hospital, Hershey, Pennyslvania, reports this interesting finding in the medical journal Pediatrics. His studies show that giving your child a glass of water is equally effective in relieving troublesome nighttime coughs as expensive over-the-counter medications. The majority of cough syrups such as those in the best-selling brands Robitussin and Benylin DM have dextromethorphan as...Read More
Obesity, Pediatrics
Children Choked By Their Own Fat
"Three year old child dies of heart failure due to obesity." This British headline recently shocked the nation. What an appalling situation when a generation of obese children may die before their parents. So what about fighting this problem by Britain's proposed "Red Light" approach? Doctors at an English pediatric clinic report that they are seeing young children who need ventilator help while sleeping. It's hard to believe, but they're being choked by their own fat! In the U.S. researchers at Cincinnati Children's Hospital studied 343 extremely obese children ranging in age from 5 to 23 with an average age of 12. They discovered that the left ventricle, the main pumping chamber of the heart, was thicker resulting in decreased blood flow...Read More
Archive, Psychiatry
Lincoln and Churchill Lived Lives of Quiet Desperation
Abraham Lincoln once wrote, " I am the most miserable man alive. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or get better." Winston Churchill echoed the same reaction when he told his doctor, " I don't like to stand by the side of a ship and look down into the water. A second's action would end everything. Is much known about worry, Charles?" Today, Lord Charles Moran, Churchill's physician, could answer, "Yes, Winston we now know a good deal more about depression and what's called "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" (GAD). This is good news for the millions of Canadians from all walks of life who, like Lincoln and Churchill, live lives of quiet desperation. It's unfortunate that psychiatrists don't label...Read More
Psychiatry
Fighter Pilots and a Yankee Centenarian
What makes for a long and happy life? A talk at The Harvard Medical School about fighter pilots provided one answer. And a recent trip to celebrate my wife's aunt's 100th birthday provided another one. Part of the solution is how you read the following; "happinessisnowhere." "Wow, what a lady!" was my reaction when I visited Aunt Tat at 97 years of age. At the time she was troubled only by a "little" arthritis. I jokingly told her I had a good cure for this problem. My prescription? An occasional nip of Bailey's Original Irish Cream sherry would ease the pain. Smiling at me , she slowly reached behind her chair and pulled out a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream! A...Read More
Medicine
Psoriasis – Osler Advised Sending them to Egypt
Sir William Osler, was not only one of Canada's most famous physicians, but also realistic enough to know when even he could not help patients. On one occasion a colleague questioned him on how to treat patients suffering from emphysema. He quickly replied, "Send them to Egypt." His startled colleague questioned, "For the arid climate and low altitude?" "No" Osler smiled, "Egypt is just the farthest place I can think of to send them". Today, psoriasis is a similar disease in that it also frustrates doctors and patients alike. Much confusion also surrounds this infuriating disease. Some people believe that psoriasis merely affects a few areas on the scalp or skin and look on psoriasis is as a minor problem like dandruff....Read More
Medicine
You Have One Chance In Four Of Having (non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease (NAFLD)
I'd bet a thousand to one that 99.9 per cent of readers have never heard of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Yet a recent report from Johns Hopkins University claims that 25 per cent of North Americans suffer from this disorder. What is it and how can it be prevented and treated? Today you would have to be living on Mars not to know that obesity is often related to heart disease and diabetes. Now excessive pounds are also causing liver disease. We all tend to forget that whether we're dealing with war, love or medicine one problem often leads to a greater one. In 1640 George Herbert hit the nail on the head when he wrote, "For want of a nail...Read More
Orthopedics
The Dangers of Cosmetic Foot Surgery
How should a surgeon react when asked to do this operation? A woman wishes to purchase a pair of fashionable shoes. She has no bunions or hammer toes and her feet don't hurt. But there is a problem. She's unable to wear fancy pumps because her toes are either too long or too wide. Rather than purchasing a shoe that fits she insists on cosmetic foot surgery. Dr. Sharon Dreeben, Chairwoman of the American Foot and Ankle Society, recently held a press briefing to outline a new and dangerous trend in cosmetic surgery. She reported a survey revealed that half of the members of the Society had been asked to perform cosmetic surgery on normal feet. Moreover half had also treated...Read More
Cardiovascular
The ‘”Sardine Syndrome” – Pul Embolism
I know how sardines feel when I'm crammed into an economy seat during an overseas flight. I'm also aware it can cause a lethal blood clot. So if my number is up and "The Sardine Syndrome" lands me at the Pearly Gate, should I blame my death on the airline which caused a deep vein thrombosis (DVT)? And how can you prevent DVT? Fifty-six people, some of them now dead, have taken legal action against airlines. The charge claims they failed to inform passengers, or their relatives, about the risk of DVT in flight. Flying, like many other things in life, carries a risk. For instance, it's reported that every month one death occurs at London's Heathrow airport due to DVT. These...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary
Cran-Max Cranberry To Prevent Urinary Tract Infections
Why didn't doctors listen to their mothers? For years she counseled that cranberry juice was a sound way to treat urinary tract infections (UTI). Yet doctors have passed off her advice as just another old-wives tale. Research now proves them wrong. And there's a new super-charged cranberry supplement, "Cran-Max", to help people suffering from the "We-know-where-you're-going" syndrome. Maurice Chevalier often said "vive la difference!" when comparing men and women. He wasn't, of course, thinking about bladder infections. But when the Great Creator designed the female anatomy he or she made a structural error. Women have a short urethra, the tube that carries urine to the outside. This makes it easier for bacteria to enter the bladder causing cystitis. Few women ever forget...Read More
Genitourinary
Mind Your Bike Seat Before Romancing Your Lady
Mountain bikers are an athletic macho group. But are they good lovers? And how many have trouble getting their wives pregnant? Recent studies show that mountain bikers get more than exercise when they travel over the Swiss Alps. Dr. Ferdinand Frauscher, head of the department of radiology at the University of Innsbruck, Austria, recently reported interesting findings about mountain bikers to the Radiological Society of North America meeting. Frauscher and his colleagues studied 40 male mountain bikers ranging from 18 to 44 years of age. The bikers road two hours per day for six days a week covering a distance of over 5,000 kilometers a year. They were compared with 35 healthy non-bikers with an age range from 17 to 42 years The...Read More
Neurology, Orthopedics, Pain
Course 101 In Back Pain
Ask me about Economics 101 and I'll flunk the question. But what about course 101 in back pain? In this case I have some answers. Ones that will help readers who ask "What is the best treatment for my aching back?" Many years ago while in Hawaii I suddenly coughed and an excruciating pain shot down my leg. There was no doubt about the diagnosis, a ruptured spinal disk, and the pain was so severe I desperately needed a place to lie down. Fortunately I was near an old historic church on a quiet back street. I walked in, in agony and stretched out on a not-so-comfortable wooden pew. But fate was not kind. Five minutes later a group of tourists entered...Read More
Cancer, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Surgery
A Scotch and Soda And an Alarming Surgical Dilemma – Cancer of the Tongue
"Stick out your tongue", my dentist invariably requests during my regular dental checkup. I know that shortly he'll examine my teeth. But for the moment he's looking for any sign of cancer of either the tongue or the rest of the oral cavity. But what happens if your dentist or doctor detects a malignancy? What I learned over a scotch and soda should alarm all of us. Cancer of the tongue is one of the more common and serious types of mouth cancer. Every year 30,000 North Americans are diagnosed with this malignancy and it's curable in about 80 per cent of cases when diagnosed early. Malignancies of the tongue start as a small lump or a thick white patch. Over time...Read More
Vitamins
The “Red” Power of Tomatoes
Thank God I don't have to eat broccoli! Thank God that I love tomatoes. Red tomatoes contain lycopene, a natural pigment and powerful antioxidant. And recent research indicates that loving tomatoes fights prostate cancer and other malignancies. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention report that during 2004 over 340,000 North American males will be diagnosed with prostate cancer. 45,000 will die from it. Dr. Omer Kucuk, Professor of Medicine and Oncology at Wayne State University of Michigan, is an authority on the "Red power" of tomatoes. He studied 26 patients who were scheduled to undergo surgery for cancer of the prostate. Some of these patients were prescribed a lycopene supplement, 15 milligrams (mg) twice daily, (the equivalent of three large tomatoes) prior...Read More
Medicine
New Help For Diabetic Patients But What About Bears?
"My god", I thought, "why are we doing this to bears?" For the human population the statistics of diabetes are staggering and they will eventually destroy our health care system. Every 45 seconds a new diabetic is diagnosed in North America. But it's only those who have to take insulin day after day who know the magnitude of this disease. Now a unique device is available that won't cure diabetes, but it will make life easier and safer for patients. Unfortunately, it won't help bears. A recent report in the Journal of Zoology states that black bears are becoming obese. Like humans they've developed slothful habits. Jon Beckman, a bear expert, says urban bears are one-third less active and 30 per cent heavier...Read More
Philosophy
Sir Isaac Newton’s Boob Lifter
How do I remember Niagara Falls? I'm standing at the brink of the falls on a cold, snowy, night with no one else around. Years ago when I practiced medicine in that city I often stopped on my way home to see this awe-inspiring sight. For others its image is the "Honeymoon Capital of the World". But I hope it won't be soon known as "Boob City". And I imagine how his law is being used wouldn't impress the great English physicist Sir Isaac Newton. Botulism toxin , historically one of the world's deadly killers, has been approved by Canada and the U.S. to treat cosmetic conditions. The result? Thousands of aging baby boomers, TV stars and others have lined up...Read More
Gynecology, Philosophy
A Cesarean Section On A Lucky Day?
Should pregnant women have the right to demand a Cesarean section even if there's no bone-fide reason for the operation? Or be allowed to have the C-section on a lucky day? Today more women are asking for this right. But is this request utter madness? Years ago it would have been sheer folly to perform a C-section unless there was a serious emergency. Women would have died from either uncontrollable bleeding or infection. Now it's a different story with improved surgical techniques and antibiotics. The International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics claims that since there's no evidence that a patient choice Cesarean has no benefits it's not ethically justified. The World Health Organization adds that a Cesarean section rate above 15 per cent...Read More
Nutrition
How Naturegg Omega Pro Liquid Eggs Help The Heart
Why can't you make up your mind about eggs?" my wife asked me. "A few weeks ago you told me to buy Omega-3 eggs. You said they were good for the heart. The refrigerator's full of them! Now you want Naturegg Omega Pro liquid eggs. Just how many eggs do you want? I may as well open a grocery store," my usually calm wife remarked. That's when I realized I was in deep doo-doo. Unfortunately I had forgotten to explain the benefits of another super egg. Without some fast explanation it was obvious I'd soon to doing the shopping. Several weeks ago I explained that Naturegg Omega-3 eggs are produced by feeding chickens flaxeed containing Omega-3 fatty acids. These fatty acids...Read More
Dermatology
Reversing Aging Skin With Reversa
G.P.R. James wrote in 1829, "Age is the most terrible misfortune that can happen to any man. Other evils will mend, but this is every day getting worse." Why he left out women I have no idea! Today, one could utter the same lament. After all, who wants to get old? But although we still haven't found the secret for eternal youth it is now possible to remove some of the wrinkles of aging. Today "Cosmeceuticals" are available to help restore aging skin. Baby boomers are lining up for plastic surgery, a radical way to treat aging. Others, even young women, are flocking to get Botox injections. But injecting Botox every few months to temporarily smooth out wrinkles is to me...Read More
Cardiovascular, Pediatrics
Grandchildren, The Long Visit Can Be Lethal
"Would you like to look after the grandchildren for us?" is an often heard request these days. Sometimes it's a request for a few hours of baby-sitting to allow parents a quiet evening on their own. But today with both parents working, caring for grandchildren can result in months or years of reliving earlier days. Some grandparents thrive on this routine. But a report in the American Journal of Public Health shows that caring for grandkids can trigger more than a headache. It can also cause increased risk of heart attack. Dr Sunmin Lee, of Harvard's Brigham and Women's Hospital, Boston, studied 544,412 registered nurses ages 41 to 71 between 1992 and 1996 who cared for grandchildren at least nine hours...Read More
Medicine
How Hypoglycemia Can End a Tennis Game
Moments before meeting a friend for a tennis game, all hell suddenly broke out. Firemen began arriving at my friend's home, and police sirens were getting closer and closer. To my dismay they were racing to my friend's side. A sad way to put an abrupt end to our game. I arrived to find my friend pale, perspiring and incoherent. The police and firemen questioned whether he had suffered a heart attack. I suspected another possibility, but it wasn't due to any diagnostic brilliance on my part. I had the advantage of knowing that my friend had type 2 diabetes. Like many others with this disease he was experiencing a severe attack of hypoglycemia (low blood sugar). Low blood sugar can result...Read More
