Cardiovascular, Philosophy
How About A Laugh This Week?
"Why do people instantly dislike to me when they find out I'm a lawyer?" a man asked. His friend replied, "It just saves time". Another story tells of the client who, on asking his lawyer what contingency fees meant, was told. "If I lose your law suit I don't get anything. If I win you don't get anything". Then there was the drunk in a cemetery who found himself in front of an impressive tomb. The inscription read, "here lies a lawyer and an honest man." My God" the drunk stammered. "Can you believe it? Now they're putting two men in the same grave". By this time you've probably decided I should stick to writing a medical column. Or you might have laughed...Read More
Philosophy
Snufffing Out Medicinal Marijuana is The Wrong Move
How would you feel if you were suffering the terrible symptoms of cancer, Aids and other serious diseases? If you knew that smoking marijuana provided some relief, but then be told that Anne McLellan, the new Federal Minister of Health, had vetoed the plan to supply pot. I don't believe anyone without such agonizing symptoms knows how disappointed and frustrated these patients must be. What she has done is unbelievable hypocrisy. What's worse the Canadian Medical Association in its infinite wisdom has agreed with her. Mclellan claims she cannot agree to marijuana when she's also dedicated to fighting tobacco use. What rubbish! It's a ridiculous argument. These patients need pot for medicinal purposes which has nothing to do with cigarette use. Then...Read More
Philosophy
Will I get Another “Tin Cup” Award?
Some things I understand. That some people with religious, moral or ethical beliefs can denounce abortion and euthanasia. What I cannot understand is how people, organizations, social workers and government can throw common sense to the wind on other social issues. Their failure to realize that the old adage "Mother knows best" is often true. So this year, will I again win the disabled organization's "Tin Cup" award? I recently learned of the problems facing a 25 year old mentally disabled man and his mother. He has a mental age of four with limited speech and cannot shave himself. His mother Sandra Crockett, believed that sooner or later he might end in jail for committing a sexual offense. So she did...Read More
Lifestyle, Philosophy, Sex
Pornography at Nursing Homes?
This week I ran into the same problem I've encountered many times before. Many writers will understand. I was bored, weary of my computer and barren of ideas. I've written 1400 columns during the last 28 years. And I desperately needed a new topic to keep me from falling asleep. Suddenly I discovered it in Denmark. Then I couldn't wait to get back to my computer. Why? Because this story could never happen in "Canada, The Good". A unique event has happened at the Thorupgaarden nursing home in Copenhagen. Don't ask me how it started. But the staff must have had a few fascinating discussions before making their earth-shaking pronouncement. They decided, in their infinite wisdom, that pornography has a greater...Read More
Nutrition
Energy Bars and Other Nutritional Tidbits
Is eating too much fat the main cause of obesity? Will a high protein diet affect the risk of heart disease or cancer? What is the best type of grain for good health? Should people cut back on carbohydrates even if they don't have diabetes? And what you should know about energy bars. A recent report shows why it's so important not to go off half-cocked on nutritional advice. Today many consumers are choosing low fat foods. They've done this by cutting back whole milk, red meat, butter and by buying low fat packaged foods. Due to these dietary changes during the past 20 years the amount of fat in the diet has gradually declined. But it's created an ironic situation....Read More
Genitourinary
Your Kidneys And a Brown Paper Bag
Can a brown paper bag decrease the epidemic of renal disease in this country? Today, more than 20 million North Americans suffer from chronic kidney disease. That's 1 in 9 adults. Another 20 million are at risk. But the number of cases is growing. A report from Johns Hopkins University claims the number of people with advanced kidney disease has doubled during the last 10 years. And the number with end-stage kidney disease who require renal dialysis is growing at the rate of 7 percent a year. And it's creating a huge economic problem. Some people are more prone to renal disease than others. Getting older gradually decreases kidney function. Certain ethnic groups such as African-Americans, Asians and Hispanics have a higher...Read More
Cancer, Cardiovascular, Gynecology
Infection and The Nation’s Number one Killer
For centuries infection has been the number one killer. But several years ago it appeared that antibiotics and vaccines had largely eradicated this menace. Then unexpectedly the AIDS virus struck with a vengeance. Lately, to the surprise of everyone, scientists are now linking infection to, peptic ulcers, heart attack and cancer. So how can you protect yourself and your family from these problems? In 1984 an Australian physician, Barry Marshall, decided to prove that his theory was right. He drank a bacteria laced concoction to show that it was bacteria, not stress, that caused peptic ulcers. Subsequent studies confirmed that most ulcers are infected with a bacterium called H. pylori. But there's a problem. About half the people over 60 years of...Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
From 1600 T0 400 Calories in 40,000 Years!
What can we do to shorten the long waiting lists for surgery? How can we stop the massive increases in the cost of health care? Politicians and health care workers continue to struggle with this dilemma. They always conclude that more money is the answer. But this approach is doomed to failure. How can it work when it's taken 40,000 years for humans to get into such horrible shape? How did it happen? And is there a solution? Dr. Barry Bogin is a professor of anthropology at the University of Michigan. He says we all envision our Paleolithic ancestors as being short, bent- over people with small brains. Actually they were a tad taller with brains as large as ours. And...Read More
Cancer, Philosophy
Do Support Groups Extend Life?
Does the power of positive thinking extend life when patients face serious life-threatening disease? Will joining support groups add months or years to life? Will they provide psychological benefit and ease the pain? Or is holding hands with strangers just a lot of hokus pocus? Numerous studies have shown that focussing the mind on the fight against disease dies work. That it not only improves life, but also extends it. In 1989 the medical journal, Lancet, reported a study conducted by Dr David Spiegel, a psychiatrist at Stanford University. Patients with advanced breast cancer were randomly treated with standard care or standard care along with a support group. Dr. Spiegel believed those in the support group would enjoy an increased quality of life....Read More
Cancer
How Music Can Save Lives
Do you listen to western music, jazz or Mozart? It doesn't matter which type because any can save lives. So why isn't music a part of all medical procedures? Every year thousands of people die from colon cancer. The majority could have been saved by regular examination of the large bowel. Yet many people refuse this procedure because of its indignity and discomfort. But researchers report to The American Society of Colon and Rectal Surgeons that music therapy during colonoscopy reduces psychological and physical stress. In a study conducted at Bethesda, Maryland, 50 patients scheduled for colonoscopy were divided into two groups by the flip of a coin. One group received music therapy and listened to their favourite music through headphones during the...Read More
Medicine, Nutrition, Orthopedics
Eating Your Way Out of Arthritis
Could the thousands of recent knee and hip replacements have been prevented by the right diet? And could millions of people suffer less arthritic pain by following more nutritious food consumption? Arthritis has been called the "chronic-care challenge of the 21 century century." It's estimated that 30 million North Americans suffer from osteoarthritis (OA). And that 70 percent of hip replacements are due to this disease. Osteoarthritis is the "wear and tear " form of arthritis. Like an aging car that starts to squeak, human joints begin to grate and scrape as we get older. But research at Tufts University in Boston shows that there's more to arthritis than the stresses associated with aging. They say, inadequate nutrition also sets the stage...Read More
Orthopedics
What Is The Best Way to Manage Osteoporosis
What a change a few weeks can make in the management of menopausal problems! For decades millions of women have been prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat osteoporosis (brittle bones). Recent studies indicate HRT can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular problems. Fortunately, there are other viable options for treating this common disease. Osteoporosis is a disease of bones, which like other living tissues, are in constant change. Early in life more bone is formed than lost. Later the reverse is true making bones more fragile with increased risk of fracture. But because of the latest HRT reports many postmenopausal women will now look to other long-term therapies to fight osteoporosis. Thankfully there are options which can...Read More
Miscellaneous
Beware of these Hazards
The worst injury or death is the one that is preventable. And every year such tragedies happen because no one thought they could. For instance, did you know that you're toting a .367 magnum gun when you're cutting the grass? Most people consider cutting the lawn a routine task, not a dangerous one. But a report from The Mayo Clinic shows it involves more than just keeping fingers and toes away from rotating blades. Surgeons report that a four-year old boy was watching his father cut the grass with a tractor mower. He suddenly cried out that he had been hit by something and was taken immediately to the local hospital. Examination revealed only a tiny three millimeter cut so the boy was...Read More
Cancer, Gynecology
The Wisdom of a Full Body Scan
How often do you wonder if that nagging pain is due to cancer? Or an impending heart attack? But suppose you're feeling fine, could there be a life-threatening disease present that hasn't been diagnosed? Some clinics now advertise it's possible to eliminate all these fears by a single "full body scan?" So what should you know about this 3-D peek at your insides? It's been recently announced that the world's largest MRI body-scan screening chain, Wellbeing Inc, will be established in Toronto. Wealthy investors in Canada and the U.S have anted up 300 million dollars to develop 121 body scanning centers around the world. Many of these digitized images will be interpreted by radiologists in Toronto whether they're done on patients...Read More
Lifestyle
The Big Bottoms Have It
Males often remark, only half-jokingly, that they want to marry a younger woman to care for them in their old age. If that's their motive, should age be the only factor to consider? A recent study shows they should be looking for a particular shaped girl. But alas another report indicates some men may not live long enough to find one. In 1960 Swedish researchers, suspecting that size might influence health, decided to measure the hips of 1,400 women between the ages of 38 to 60. None of the women were obese. But they were of different shapes when measured by hip size. The women were followed for 24 years. The result? Women who had pear-shaped bodies with hips larger than their...Read More
Philosophy
Botox – The New Wrinkle-Free Cosmetic Boom
What a paradox! Botulism toxin, historically one of the world's deadly killers, has now been approved by Health Canada and the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) for use as "Botox", a new cosmetic treatment. The result? Thousands of aging baby boomers, TV stars and others are lining up to have this well-known poison injected into their skin to bring back their youth. And in ditzy California they're even organizing "Botox parties"! Botox is not a new drug. The FDA approved its use years ago to treat certain medical conditions such as facial spasms and crossed-eyes. Now it's being used to treat migraine headaches and chronic low back pain. But the idea that Botox had cosmetic use started 15 years ago. A...Read More
Lungs
Cigars – Pat Quinn Sends The Wrong Message
Why do Pat Quinn, Mike Harris and other celebrities do it? I refer to recent photos, one of Mike Harris, former Premier of Ontario, smoking a stogie on the golf course. Another of a multi-millionaire sports celebrity lighting up after winning a championship. The latest is a front page picture in The Toronto Sun of Pat Quinn, coach of the Maple Leaf hockey team, smoking a stogie during the NHL playoffs. This sends the wrong message to young fans. Celebrities are not lighting up for victory. They're lighting up for death. It's time public relations agents told macho males to stop acting like jackasses. What an ironic situation. In the same newspaper on the previous day in the sports section, mention...Read More
Neurology
In Multiple Sclerosis, Fewer Injections Are Better
Sir William Osler, one of Canada's great physicians, counselled, "The way to longevity is to develop a chronic disease early in life and learn to live with it." But this is easier said than done especially if fate hands you Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Fortunately, medicine is available to slow down the progression of this difficult disease. So why do many patients fail to follow their doctor's advice when it 's so important to do so? We don't know why Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world. Nor why this disease afflicts twice as many women as men. Or why it's the most common central nervous system disease to strike young adults. Or why its severity varies...Read More
Lifestyle
Does a Healthy Lifestyle Really Pay Off?
Have you ever wondered how much benefit you gain from being good? Saying "no" to rich desserts you've enjoyed for years. Tossing away tobacco, too many martinis and other vices. After all, why give up these pleasures if the return is only marginal. Now a study from Harvard answers this question. And the findings even shocked researchers. Dr. Meir Stampfer is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at The Harvard Medical School. He reports in the New England Journal of Medicine a huge study involving 84,129 women. It's called the "Nurses Health Study" in which researchers have followed the habits of these nurses for over 20 years. Stampfer confirms that a good lifestyle definitely reduces the risk of disease. But that's not earth-shaking...Read More
Gynecology, Lifestyle, Medicine
The Checkup, Too Much or Too Little?
What constitutes a good checkup examination? Good sense dictates that young children don't need a Pap smear for cervical cancer, a PSA test for prostate malignancy or X-ray studies to measure bone density. So what's done depends on the patient's age and it can save a life or prevent serious diseases. Today many hi-tech diagnostic tests are available, but the stethoscope is all that's needed to spot a big killer. Since 60 million North Americans have hypertension a blood pressure check must be a part of every annual examination. It's the second leading cause of kidney failure. Routine blood tests help to pinpoint problems such as anemia. But today the one test everyone wants done is blood cholesterol. What's debatable is when...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
To Hear Or Not To Hear – Cochlear Implant
Why would a deaf person not want to hear? After all, I've never met a blind person who doesn't want to see. Or a paralyzed victim who doesn't want to walk. One would think this matter would be as clear as 2 +2 = 4. But life is never that simple. Some people who are deaf are vehemently opposed to the use of cochlear implants, an electronic device that introduces deaf people to the hearing world. Are they right? Cochlear implant surgery is in effect, another type of bypass surgery. An electrical device is inserted into the ear which allows sound to jump across the diseased part of the organ. But it does not cure deafness. Hearing is present only when...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Floaters – Simple Test Predicts Health Risk
Some people are prone to see pink elephants now and then for good reason. But others who never misbehave on Saturday night may suddenly start to notice spots, threads or cob-web like structures floating in front of their eyes. A few people find them terribly annoying. Others fret that they may herald the onset of a serious eye problem. Or even end in blindness. What causes these floaters? And when do they indicate an eye emergency has happened? Many people are too embarrassed to admit they see floaters. The admission is more likely to set the stage for a joke than a helpful reply. Yet most people can see floaters, if they look for them, against a clear sky or a...Read More
Genitourinary
Feeling a Little Sexy and Wonder Why? – Natural Viagra
Are you feeling a little sexy lately and have no idea why it's happening? If that's the case you had better check your medicine cabinet. You may be taking a well-known product sildenafil (Viagra) approved for the treatment of erectile dysfunction (ED) without knowing it. How can this happen? Health Canada recently issued an alert to health care professionals about the safety of a herbal product called Hua Fo. Manufacturers claimed it was the "natural" Viagra for men. The suggested dosage, two tablets twice a day. What medical consumers don't know is that each tablet of Hua Fo contains 9.2 milligrams of sildenafil. That means a dosage of 36.8 milligrams of sildenafil a day. The recommended dose of Viagra for ED is from...Read More
Philosophy
Doctors Should Prescribe Marijuana for Those Who Need It
I've been a medical journalist for 27 years. It's made me a terrible skeptic. But for good reason. I've seen too many distortions of the truth in medicine. I've seen too many colleagues sit-on-the-fence rather than take a stand on controversial issues. I've seen too many fight the use of painkillers when they could ease the agony of dying cancer patients. Above all else I've seen too often a complete void of common sense. Now I'm seeing it again, patients who need marijuana to ease their suffering but can't obtain it. In July 2001 the Federal Government legalized the use of marijuana for terminally ill patients. And for patients suffering from cancer, multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, AIDS, severe forms of...Read More
Genitourinary, Orthopedics
Low Testosterone and Fractured Bones
"What makes men act the way they do?" one annoyed woman asked her friend. She replied, "It's testosterone, stupid." One of the reasons men differ from women is that they produce 10 times more testosterone. But like most things in life "10 times" doesn't last forever. There's mounting evidence that males experience their own menopause (andropause). And that the dwindling of the male hormone has far reaching consequences for males, particularly on bones and sexual drive. During the 3rd World Conference on "The Aging Male" held in Berlin, Germany, I interviewed Dr. Robert Josse, a renowned endocrinologist at the University of Toronto. Professor Josse said, "No one in the past has seriously looked at osteoporosis in men. We used to think that...Read More
