Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Infection, Lungs
All Stuffed Up for the Holidays
There’s a lot of “stuff” this time of year – the stuffing in the turkey, for example, or all the meaningless commercial stuff we buy for the holidays that ends up in landfills. The holidays are a good time to look around and assess what is good stuff and what is bad. It might disappoint some readers to learn that this week the “stuff” we are choosing to look at is the mucus in your nose. There can be quite a volume of this sticky, or runny, or plugged up stuff at this time of year. A very stuffed up nose can be symptom of trouble. Our thoughts are with the many anxious families dealing with young children battling respiratory syncytial...Read More
Cancer, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Miscellaneous, Neurology
What A Dog’s Nose Knows
What a wonderful world if people could be as generous to humankind as dogs. Regardless of our faults, dogs provide unfailing loving care. A new study suggests dogs may be able to use their sniffing powers to know when someone is having a really bad day. Who knew there is an aroma to being stressed, but dogs seem to detect it. In this, they have a huge advantage over humans. The nose of a dog has 220 million smell cells compared to a meagre 5 million in humans. The powerful sniffers of dogs have long been effective in detecting cancer. A report years ago in the British Journal Lancet reported that a woman’s dog repeatedly sniffed at one mole on her thigh...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Sports
Sarcopenia, Not Cancer, But a Deadly Word
Can you improve muscle mass even as you age? As Mickey Mantle, star player of the New York Yankees, remarked, “If I knew I was going to live this long, I’d have taken better care of myself.” Such is my worry in my 99th year. I was recently having more difficulty getting up from chairs and recalling patients who admitted they could no longer stand up from the toilet seat. They had slowly developed “sarcopenia”, weakened muscles from aging that robs one’s independence. Sarcopenia begins at about age 45 and causes skeletal muscle mass and strength decline at a rate of about one percent a year. By age 65, people who spend most of their time inactive on the sofa watching television...Read More
Diabetes
What Have We Learned in 30 Years?
This week entails a visit to the Gifford-Jones archives. What follows is an excerpt from a column about diabetes published thirty years ago. What has changed in society? You be the judge. November 1992: Diabetes results from an abnormal handling of food by the body. Normally some food is converted into a sugar called glucose. This stimulates the secretion of the hormone, insulin, which acts as a "key" to allow glucose to enter the cells. Glucose is then used as "fuel" to provide energy. There are two types of diabetes. Type I is inherited. It usually occurs before 30 years of age. In these cases, the pancreas produces little or no insulin. It's believed that the immune system in some people gradually destroys...Read More
Miscellaneous, Neurology, Pediatrics
Game On for Video Games
Wandering poorly prepared into a discussion about video games is ill-advised. Yet, people who don’t play video games commonly argue that long hours spent focused on digital playthings, especially by children, rot their brains. It is an uninformed point of view. There are plentiful misconceptions about video games. That label itself is outdated. Video games have evolved in many different directions and “gamification” is rapidly becoming part of the most important aspects of society, from education and healthcare to banking and retail. But what about those children isolated in their bedrooms or basements playing games endlessly? Recent research, published in JAMA Network Open, suggests the kids will be fine. The Adolescent Brain Cognitive Development (ABCD) Study is a long-term study inviting 11,880 children...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Neurology
Poor Sleep Can Lead to Inflammatory Problems
An old Irish proverb says, “A good laugh and a long sleep are the best cures in the doctor’s book.” But research suggests it would be wiser to think of good sleep as an ingredient of wellbeing – a starting point for health, not a fixer-upper. Sleep is an essential building block of good health, along with quality nutrition, moderate exercise, socioeconomic connectivity, mindfulness, and ample good luck. Guidelines recommend “7 to 9 hours of good-quality sleep for adults aged 18 to 64, on a regular basis, with consistent sleep and wake times for health benefits.” For adults aged 65 and older, a slightly modified “7 to 8 hours of sleep” is advised. But sleep is too often neglected – insufficient in both...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
Bright Promise for the Dark Disease of Glaucoma
Beware the “silent thief of sight”. Glaucoma sneaks up on people causing irreparable vision loss before diagnosis. Over 3 million North Americans have glaucoma – about half don’t know it. For society, the economic and social consequences of stolen sight is large. For sufferers, when glaucoma progresses to blindness, it is life-changing. But is a cure in sight? The field of stem cell research is moving at lightning speed. In the search for a cure to glaucoma, adult stem cells, as opposed to the more controversial embryonic stem cells, are the focus. There are two types of adult stems cells. One type comes from tissues such as the brain, skin, or bone marrow. This type only makes more of the same. A...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition
The Right Omega-3 Reduces Risk of Heart Disease
How many readers still neglect to reduce their risk of heart attack? Can’t cut the sugar and salt? Still addicted to tobacco? Must have those harmful fatty foods, and moderate exercise is just too tough? This column has been like a broken record repeating the same song for years. “If you keep going to hell, you will eventually get there.” Despite clear evidence that fish oil significantly lowers risk of coronary heart disease, why is this still a niche market, as compared to, say, ubiquitous potato chips? Some readers, though, are listening. In a previous column, we reported on the benefits of MaxSimil, a high-absorption form of omega-3 containing the two main nutrients in fish oil, eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). Our bodies...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle
Loneliness Among Men
Loneliness is worse for health than obesity – as bad as smoking 15 cigarettes a day. It can increase the risk of death by 26 percent and of cognitive decline on the way. But a recent story on the Good News Network offered a heart-warming take on loneliness among older men. At 67 years of age, “Phillip Jackson moved back to England from Australia,” the story reads, “and immediately felt like a stray dog in his native town.” He may have felt out of place, but he should not have felt alone. There is an abundance of people who feel isolated, even when they are living in vibrant communities. Age UK’s report All the Lonely People forecast the number of people over...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Have a Little Laugh When Angry
The iconic Marvin The Martian from Looney Tunes, frustrated by Bugs Bunny in his efforts to blow up Earth, would quickly walk away declaring, “You make me very, very angry.” He offered kids an entertaining lesson in how to handle heated confrontations. A refresher course for adults would be a good prescription. How people manage anger can make a big difference for personal health and much more. Anger, itself, is not always a negative thing. Anger can be a natural and useful emotional response to perceived wrongs. For example, getting angry can be highly motivational. Individuals can deploy anger to break a bad habit and groups can work together in the same way. The #MeToo movement rallied collective anger against injustice to...Read More
Miscellaneous, Philosophy
We Are Not Ready for AI
Artificial intelligence (AI) is transforming healthcare at an astounding pace. Vantage Market Research, an American firm specializing in emerging markets, estimates the global AI market in health will climb from US$6.6 billion in 2021 to US$95.7 billion by 2028. That’s an astounding 46.1% compound annual growth. What does this mean for the healthcare consumer? Henry Ford advised, “Before everything else, getting ready is the secret to success.” He lived in a different time, when his assembly lines operated in a simple operational sequence, one workstation after another. Today, getting ready for anything doesn’t seem to be an option. In healthcare, the pace at which AI technologies are reshaping the sector is both exciting and inscrutable. On the bright side, diagnostics are already...Read More
Cardiovascular, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Rake Up the Leaves this Fall
What’s the most absurd image of healthy living? It’s a picture of a young woman using a leaf blower to clean up leaves in her yard while wearing ear protection, eye protection, and a mask covering her nose and mouth. The only thing that makes good sense is the mask. It’s the leaf blower that is most offensive. The first offense is the condoning of laziness. A leaf blower nearly eliminates the physical effort needed to clean up the leaves. In the past, we may have looked upon this as a good thing. Less work equals better life. False! Raking up those leaves offers a wonderful cardio workout, in the lovely outdoors, resulting in the satisfaction of a job well done. It’s exercise...Read More
Miscellaneous, Philosophy
A Different Kind of Sickness
It’s a despicable human who preys on people to defraud them of money. What kind of sickness drives a person to such lows? It’s a sad fact that every year, millions of seniors fall victim to fraud. They are prime targets because they tend be trusting, have savings and good credit, and struggle to identify scoundrels posing as government agencies, tech support, repair people, or even family members. Another tragic group of victims are the thousands of international students seeking an honest education abroad. Perpetrators raise false alarms about their visas or take money for fake scholarship applications and non-existent accommodations. What a horrible opening experience for the very people the world needs as global ambassadors. What drives a person to have no...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Gastroenterology, Vitamins
Constipation Causes More Trouble Than You Think
Now and again, friends confide in friends that they have big problems. Dreaded are the occasions when the problem is a serious medical diagnosis. But when the problem is persistent constipation, it’s better to air the issue and not suffer in silence. Drug store remedies for constipation can fail to have effect. For many sufferers, the ailment involves days without a bowel movement. Ignoring the problem can lead to disturbing complications, to be avoided at all costs. Dr. Linus Pauling, a two-time Nobel Prize winner, believed we are all living with sub-optimal levels of vitamin C. His primary interest was in studying the effects of high doses of vitamin C in protecting against heart disease. But in an interview with him, he...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Cancer, Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity, Vitamins
A Windfall of Science on Apples
We write about natural remedies we believe are good for human health. Why this focus? It’s not to encourage avoidance of pharmaceutical drugs when medical care is an imperative. To the contrary, Canadians and Americans have the luxury of the world’s best doctors, medicinal drugs, and healthcare facilities. But health systems are overwhelmed. To ease the crush, people who are not yet ill should take up responsibility to stay healthy. Good health is not achieved through inaction. Live a poor lifestyle and illness will come as sure as night follows day. But the talents of doctors and the cure of drugs are best reserved for the unlucky who lose the health lottery. For young people and the healthy aging population, a proactive,...Read More
Alcohol, Lifestyle
Is Now the Time to Quit Alcohol?
Alcohol in moderation can be good for your health. We have written dozens of articles on the topic and an entire section of our website is dedicated to the topic. In short, there are plenty of good reasons to enjoy a drink at the cocktail hour. But is there a time for quitting altogether? Some people think so. And the idea seems to be catching on. You may have heard about the “sober curious” movement. Coined by writer, Ruby Warrington, being sober curious is about enjoying the benefits of an alcohol-free lifestyle. It has nothing to do with achieving sobriety after problems with alcoholism. Some efforts are short-term, like “Dry January” and “Sober October”. These trendy campaigns are often paired with charitable causes. But...Read More
Nutrition
The Seedy Story Beneath Healthy Cranberries
Cranberries are a superfood. They are known to fight urinary tract infections. They have anti-inflammatory properties. Cranberries promote heart health. Researchers are even exploring a potential role in reducing cancer risk. But a myopic view that sees only the nutritional value of cranberries misses the larger not-so-pretty picture. It's a cruel irony that so healthy a berry has endured the unhealthy violations brought on by industry’s unthinking push for production and humankind’s fixation with sugar. Cranberries have been a staple of Thanksgiving celebrations for centuries. Harvard University served them at commencement dinner as early as 1703. A recipe for cranberry sauce appeared in a 1796 cookbook. General Ulysses S. Grant ordered his Union Army be served cranberries with the holiday meal in...Read More
Obesity
Ignoring Hazards Leaves Little Hope for Longevity
What is the greatest hazard to your longevity? Ask around and you will get a variety of answers: heart disease, cancer, genetics, or humankind’s own folly with warfare and planetary destruction. But it has become taboo to mention obesity. Yet, for decades, this column has stressed that obesity is the greatest health hazard of them all. Amid all of society’s penchants for weight gain, daily unrelenting efforts of individuals to maintain healthy weights would save more lives than any other prescription. Supportive public policies and improved private sector responsibility would help. Today, all over the world, people are disturbingly obese and ill. Among the root issues is one simple fact. People are devouring too many calories, too often combined with sedentary lifestyles....Read More
Dermatology, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Infection
Tattoos and Piercings Still Come with Risks
Jack London, the American novelist who wrote Call of the Wild in 1903, said, “Show me a man with a tattoo and I’ll show you a man with an interesting past.” But in 2022, with tattoos found on more than a third of North Americans and on nearly one in two young people, what is the great allure? And what are the risks? According to the Wellcome Collection, a museum and library specializing in the connections between medicine, life and art, tattoos date from 5000 BCE. They permeated ancient societies, often representing battle valour or sacrificial rituals. Some tattoos seem to have resulted from scaring from medicinal treatments and others seem to have been purely decorative in purpose. Piercings have a long...Read More
Cardiovascular
Know and Love a Woman? Protect Her Heart
How many people realize women’s coronary arteries are understudied, underdiagnosed, and undertreated? The Cleveland Clinic, a leading cardiology centre, says heart disease is seven times deadlier for women than breast cancer. Build up of plaque in the heart’s arteries contributes to the death of one in every three women, more than all cancers, chronic respiratory diseases and accidents combined. But heart disease kills even more men. This fact and the historical focus on heart disease in men means most people are unaware of the risk factors for heart disease in women. A report from the American Heart Association (AHA) says there have been stunning improvements in death rates of both sexes from coronary heart disease (CHD) since 1980. But women have not...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat
When Is the Right Time to Hang Up the Car Keys?
Helen Keller, the disability rights advocate who lost her sight and hearing at 19 months of age, famously warned of “having sight but no vision”. Hers was a metaphor on living. But what happens to our eyesight as we age? And how common is it to have sight, but poor vision? More specifically, how do we know when we need to make changes in our lives because we are not seeing as well as we used to? Driving, for example, is an intensive visual undertaking. But glare sensitivity and reductions in visual field are significant predictors of involvement in a crash. No amount of wisdom will help in the seconds before an accident you did not see coming. Macular degeneration is a...Read More
Miscellaneous
Fainting Frightens, But Is Usually Benign
People have been swooning for joy since at least the 13th Century when the earliest recorded use of the word can be found. By the 20th Century, losing consciousness for love and rapture was a necessary attribute of a Southern belle. Even today, swooning has a positive connotation, defined as, “a few steps beyond being happy, but not so over the top that you scare children.” But change the language describing the same loss of consciousness and "blacking out like a light" is not so glamourous. Parents fainting with a thud on the floor most certainly gives the kids a fright. But how dangerous is fainting? And how common a problem is it? There have been some famous faints. Most recently, the 74-year-old...Read More
Diabetes, Lifestyle, Nutrition, Obesity
Online Grocery Shopping a Cause for Concern
Food products in stores are changing. Shoppers easily find more processed, attractively packaged, and conveniently prepared meals. With online shopping, the way these products are now selected and put in the cart has changed too. For that, consumers may be paying more than just the price of inflation. Online food shopping has become the norm for many people. Home delivery of groceries may be a convenience, but consumers are losing their moment of discernment. Even if online customers take the time to click through product pages checking nutritional information, in-store shopping assistants frequently turn to substitute products and don’t take notice when ingredients in products have changed. Food deliveries arrive with frequent surprises. “That’s not what I ordered,” must be among the...Read More
Miscellaneous, Pain
No Guff – Swearing Eases Pain
A taboo forbids a practice that is deemed unacceptable. Swearing, especially in polite company, is an example. But here’s good news for the foul-mouthed. Swearing can have surprising benefits – including a remarkable effect in reducing pain! Dr. Emma Byrne knows a lot about letting the filth fly. She published “Swearing is Good for You”, a book presenting research that may change the way you behave when you next stub your toe. For the well-mannered, silent fortitude is the response when something hurts. Studies show, however, swearing like a sailor can ease the pain. One study by psychologist Richard Stephens compared the pain tolerance of people holding their hands in ice-cold water. As compared to yelling a neutral word, they endured the freezing...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Infection, Vitamins
Viruses Love a Weak Immune System
Justin Bieber, the mega-successful pop icon, has had better days. His mental health and addiction issues are common to many superstars. He’s had Lyme disease and infectious mononucleosis. COVID infections interrupted concert dates. Now, he is suffering from a viral disease that has affected his speech and made him cancel more concerts. At only 28-years of age and all the wealth one could want, what’s going wrong? Doctors have determined his latest problem, a condition known as Ramsay Hunt syndrome. It occurs when the same virus that causes chickenpox activates in the ear and facial nerves causing facial paralysis and hearing loss in the affected ear. He is being treated and will be back on the stage soon. But Ramsay Hunt syndrome is...Read More
