Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Burnout 101 for Caregivers
Here's a possible Trivial Pursuit question, "What's the fastest growing unpaid profession in North America?" I admit I wouldn't have known the answer. But, according to the "Family Caregiver Alliance", more than 65.7 million Americans, that's 29 percent of the population, provide care to a family member, loved one or friend who is ill, disabled or aged. But when does such labour of love trigger burnout anger in the caregiver? A report from Johns Hopkins University states, "The average unpaid, or informal, caregiver is a 46 year old female with a full or part-time job who spends about 20 hours a week catering for her mother. But for those caring for a loved one older than 65 the average age is...Read More
Vitamins
What Critics Won’t Admit About Vitamins and Minerals
Are vitamin supplements safe? Do vitamins work? Are they necessary? Do they contain dangerous impurities? And, is what's on the label actually in the vitamin? Lately, newspaper headlines have unleashed a rash of criticism about vitamins. But as England's Prime Minister Benjamin Disraeli once remarked, "It is easier to be critical than right". What critics don't admit can be very misleading. A recent and valid concern is whether many of the raw products imported from China, Korea and other countries contain toxic plant material or metals such as lead and mercury. But here's what critics don't tell you. I recently spent two days at Natural Factors (NF) manufacturing facilities in Vancouver which produces vitamins and minerals for many North American companies. NF...Read More
Cardiovascular, Genitourinary, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Medical Tidbits
It's summertime and the living is easy" is a favourite expression at this time of year. But health hazards don't care what month it is. You can stub your toe at any time. And, for instance, how many parents worry that their children face a hazard simply by brushing their teeth, summer or winter? Can a roller coaster ride cause more than thrills? Can binge drinking result in more than a hangover? And, in summer, never mess around with 300,000,000 volts. Dr. Jurgen Kuschyk, a cardiologist at University Hospital in Mannheim, Germany, reports that anyone over 14 years of age should get a physical checkup before taking a roller coaster ride. This should include an electrocardiogram and, even better, an echocardiogram. Dr....Read More
Lifestyle, Nutrition
Defending Cows
"Don't buy any more butter", I told my wife many years ago. I was a naïve young doctor at that time and I believed my cardiologist who advised the use of margarine instead to prevent heart attack. But this dutiful switch did not last long. Later, as a not-so- naïve-medical-journalist, I questioned my cardiologist's reasoning. Now, the cows are having the last laugh. The Annals of Internal Medicine reports 27 clinical trials that involved 600,000 participants. Researchers concluded that the use of margarine, namely a high intake of polyunsaturated fatty acids, did not have any beneficial effect on cardiovascular health. Hence, some nutritionists are saying "Butter is back". But the question is, should butter have ever gone away? So what is the...Read More
Dental
Lasers to Regenerate Teeth?
Over 400 years ago, Miguel de Cervantes, author of Don Quixote, realized the importance of sound teeth. Don Quixote said, "For I would have you know, Sancho, that a mouth without molars is like a mill without a stone, and a tooth is more precious than a diamond." Yet many people today don't appreciate the importance of his message. Today, tooth decay affects 96 percent of the population. Two out of five North Americans over age 19 have lost teeth. And over age 65 one in five have no teeth, often due to gum disease. Dental rust, known as periodontal gum disease (PGD), is an insidious process. In its early stages the gum turns from a natural pink to red. Later, small...Read More
Cancer, Dermatology
For the Right Diagnosis, Consult a Dog
Skin cancer is one of the most preventable types of malignancy. But according to The Cancer Society, it is also one of the fastest increasing malignancies. For instance, the incidence of new cases is now greater than the combined number of new breast, lung, prostate and colon cancers. Ask most authorities why this is happening and they'll say it's because of too much exposure to the sun. Dr. Allan Halpern, Chief of Dermatology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, New York City, warns parents that children who get sunburns at an early age, the severe ones they never forget, are at greater risk. So are those who have worked outdoors for a number of years. Halpern adds that people who have 50...Read More
Cardiovascular
What You Should Know About AF
The tick, tick of a Rolex watch is very reliable. The lub-dub, lub- dub, of the heart is also reliable, in early age. But a report from Johns Hopkins University says that over age 40, one in four women and men, are at risk of developing atrial fibrillation, commonly known as Afib or AF. How serious is this problem, and how would I treat it if it happened to me? Currently three million North Americans have AF, and due to an aging population, 50 percent of those over 80 will develop AF. Getting older is always dangerous and AF is one price you pay for longevity. We know that old cars develop trouble when their electrical system falters and the same problem...Read More
Gastroenterology, Infection, Medicine, Miscellaneous
How Many Would Agree To a Fecal Enema?
John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber, was once asked why he robbed banks. He replied, "That's where the money is." Today, if you asked infectious disease experts where Clostridium difficile resides, they would reply, "It's in hospitals. It's dangerous and can be lethal." Other experts might warn that many C difficile infections could be avoided if North Americans would stop looking for pills to treat every human complaint. Rather than seeking pills they should be following a healthy dietary lifestyle. In fact, getting smart could even save 40 bowel movements a day, and, at times, a life. We have millions of bacteria living in our large bowels, usually not making war with one another. Studies show that about 3 percent of adults...Read More
Lifestyle
Who Says 10,000 Steps a Day?
How many steps do most people take daily, and how many are needed for good health? I had no idea how many I take and thought it would be interesting and prudent to find out. And, who is right about exercise, Mark Twain or the Earl of Derby? My first step was to purchase a pedometer. It's a small battery operated device (the cost about $35.00) that fits on your hip and counts your steps. Mine has more gizmos than I need, but the main button counts steps and another the calories burned up. For years my normal day involved a 25 minute walk to my office and the same route home in late afternoon. During the day I never ran a...Read More
Alternate Treatments, Orthopedics, Vitamins
Boomers Now Know the Pain of Arthritis
Psst! Do you want a tip on how to make millions of dollars? Buy a company that sells painkillers. Why? Because the boomer generation is starting to hurt more with each passing year. And they expect effective relief from the agony of arthritis. What boomers want, they expect to get. But how successful will they be? Several years ago, Dr. Nicholas Di Nubile, a Philadelphia orthopedic surgeon, added a new word to the English language, "Boomeritis". He said boomers were the first generation to become obsessed by exercise, and they are paying the price by becoming banged-up boomers. Today, there are 76 million boomers in the U.S and six million in Canada. By pushing their bodies too hard they've developed bursitis, tendonitis,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Genitourinary, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous, Nutrition, Sex
What You Should Ask Before You Say, “I Do”
We've often heard a minister ask, "Mary MacTavish, do you take John MacDuff to be your lawful husband, to love and cherish, till death do you part?" But in 2014, hasn't life become more complicated for such a lifetime vow? Shouldn't Mary ask John, "Do you toss your dirty socks on the floor?" Or, "What is your risk of obesity?" She might demand "Before we go roaming in the gloaming, send me a copy of your sperm count and what you wear underneath your kilt." A report from the University of Aberdeen, Scotland, should make every prospective bride, who wants to be a mother, take a second look at her husband-to-be before she says, "I do". Scottish researchers now repeat what we...Read More
Cancer, Cardiovascular, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Genetics, Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
Tight Collar? It Increases Risk of Glaucoma
What's the best way to diagnose disease? Today, as never before, there are many scientific tests such as ultrasound, CT scans, MRIs and more blood and genetics tests available every year. But is it possible to spot a potential disease without using these expensive procedures? Instead, how about the KISS approach (keep it simple, stupid)? Researchers at Britain's Warwick University report in The British Journal of Cancer that prostate cancer kills about 250,000 men every year. But who are the most likely to develop this disease late in life? After studying males with prostate cancer, and those without this disease, researchers discovered an interesting physical finding. Males whose index finger was longer than their ring finger were 33 percent less likely to...Read More
Surgery
Robotic-Surgery Still Requires Skilled Human Hands
Dr. Harvey Cushing, one of Harvard's great neurosurgeons, once remarked, "There is no such thing as minor surgery, but there are a lot of minor surgeons". He wanted to drive home the point that you should always be careful about who does your operation. But when Cushing made this remark, he had never heard of Robotic-Surgery. So what would he say now? A report in the Journal for Healthcare Quality analyzes complications that occurred during one type of robotic-surgery between the years 2000 and 2012. During that time there were 174 injuries and 71 deaths. Another study at Johns Hopkins University revealed what has long been suspected, that surgical complications are not always reported...Read More
Cardiovascular, Dermatology, Vitamins
Did Jim Flaherty Have To Die?
Could the life of one of Canada's great Ministers of Finance have been saved by medical treatment? You did not have to be a doctor to see the change in his facial appearance and realize he was not well. But when he apparently died from a massive heart attack, was he denied a natural remedy that might have saved his life? And could his son, who suffered from a disability, have been saved by the same treatment? Jim Flaherty developed a rare skin disease called Bullous pemphigoid. It's an autoimmune disease in which a person's immune system produces antibodies that attack the body. In effect, it's as if soldiers suddenly decided to turn their guns on each other, rather than...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle
Potassium: Like Sex and Money, Just the Right Amount
"Why would anyone be so foolish to carry on this asinine habit for so long?" This was my immediate reaction to an article, published by LiveScience and reported at the European Heart Rhythm Association. In effect, the article shows how a most innocent habit, carried out for a long period, can send you to hospital. A woman living in Monaco was admitted to emergency following a fainting episode. She had no family history of heart problems. Doctors quickly discovered that she had an irregular heart rate. When results of the blood study were reported they were shocked to find her blood potassium was in the hazardous range. But why would it be so low? A detailed questioning revealed that she had consumed...Read More
Infection, Medicine, Miscellaneous, Vitamins
Death by Measles??
How would you react if your unvaccinated child or grandchild died from measles? No doubt your response would be one of agonizing grief. What you wouldn't know is that this personal tragedy did not have to happen in 2014. Unfortunately, I bet not one doctor in a thousand knows how Dr. Frederick Klenner successfully treated this viral infection over 60 years ago. Doctors are not the only ones unaware of Dr. Klenner. One of Canada's leading newspapers recently reported that there was no specific antiviral treatment for this highly infectious disease. It was wrong. This newspaper editor committed a major error by not reading history. Worldwide measles has been, in the past, one of the major causes of death among young children....Read More
Medicine
How Safe Are Your Drugs?
Have you ever wondered about the safety of drugs that you've purchased? Are you concerned that they have in the bottle what's indicated on the package? Or worried that they contain dangerous substances that shouldn't be present? So is there any way to be sure we're getting what we pay for? My interest started a few years ago when I read a report from the University of California expressing this worry. It stated that the majority of drugs were being imported from China, South Korea and other Asian countries. The report suggested that there were too few inspectors in these countries to ensure the quality of material exported. Nor were there sufficient inspectors in North America to catch ineffective drugs or...Read More
Lungs
A Scientific Way To Stop Killing Yourself with Cigarettes
How can the war in Vietnam now be saving lives? During the Vietnam conflict U.S. soldiers were given free cheap cigarettes, but they were harsh to smoke. To decrease the harshness, soldiers applied glycerine gel to one end of the cigarette which trapped harmful tar. This has pioneered a life-saving idea called "NicoBloc". Every year tobacco kills three million people worldwide. Today 90 percent of lung cancer deaths, 30 percent of all cancers, 80 percent of chronic bronchitis and emphysema and 25 percent of heart disease and stroke are due to tobacco. Given the choice, mouth to mouth resuscitation of Dracula is safer than lighting up a cigarette. If tobacco was introduced to North Americans today, health authorities would ban it as...Read More
Genetics
Forget Cholesterol Numbers. How’s Your Mitochondria?
"You're so like your mother, you have so much energy!" friends have said to me. I admit energy-wise they're right. My father preferred to sit in his chair analyzing mathematical problems, while mother was high octane gas. She never stopped running around. But I didn't know why I inherited her energy until I read a report in the Nutrition Action Health Letter about mitochondria. So, here's how you can increase your energy level. It's said that precious things come in small packages, and there's no better example than mitochondria. Each cell in our body contains up to 2,000 mitochondria and, although tiny, they make up to 60 percent of the volume of muscle cells and 40 percent of heart cells. Simon Melov,...Read More
Cardiovascular, Lifestyle, Nutrition
They Tried To Hang Me In 1981
What had I done so wrong 33 years ago? I had written a column about the health hazards of excessive amounts of sugar. The Canadian Sugar Institute asked The College of Physicians and Surgeons to discipline me for making false charges. It was only after many hours of testimony that democracy prevailed. The College decided that, as a journalist, I had the right to a personal opinion. So is the linking of sugar to heart disease a new idea? A report in the journal, JAMA Internal Medicine, claims that those who consume 25 percent of more of their daily calories from added sugar are three times more likely to die of heart disease. The Heart and Stroke Foundation is...Read More
Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Vitamins
This Week, Monumental Photos to Save Your Life
Anne Boleyn, the second wife of Henry VIII, had the misfortune of losing her head. Fortunately, the rest of us still have ours. That's fortunate because doctors are increasingly using the eye to diagnose generalized diseases. In fact, early detection of problems through the eye can prevent heart attack, stroke and save legs from amputation. Today, dramatic photos, just posted on my web site, may save millions of lives. The human body has 60,000 miles of arteries and veins, the same length as walking twice around the world. But there's only one place where we can see blood vessels, in the retina, at the back of the eye, just a square centimeter in size. Dr. David Ingvoldstad, a U.S. ophthalmologist and authority...Read More
Lifestyle, Miscellaneous
My Number Is 18924
Why am I mad as hell? This week I finally joined "Dignitas", the Swiss organization that allows freedom of choice in death. Now I'm Registered Member 18924. I hope I don't get a chance to use it soon or ever. But if I develop a debilitating illness, Dignitas will be available. Many share my view. We want to cry out "We're mad as hell and we're not going to take it anymore." Let's first get mad as hell at gutless politicians, such as any Prime Minister who claims our Charter of Rights and Freedoms protects us all from injustice, yet denies freedom from the agony of terminal cancer pain, Lou Gehrig's disease and other degenerative diseases. Some justice! Then let's get...Read More
Longevity
Longevity: Do I Have The Secret?
This month of my 90th birthday, a reader asks, "I like your way of speaking and getting the message across. You sure are witty and energetic. It does not sound like you're in a nursing home. So what's the secret of your longevity? I'm sure other readers wouldn't mind knowing." It's been said it's better to be lucky than good. I was lucky to inherit the longevity gene. This is the best start any parent can give. And I was lucky to have parents who taught me not to spend it foolishly. I've been lucky to like what I do. At an early age I had a single-minded passion to be a doctor. Hell would have had to freeze over to stop...Read More
Cardiovascular, Nutrition, Sex
Beetrootburgers, To Lower Blood Pressure and Boost Amour
Why would I want to eat beets? Because my mother happened to like beets and said they were good for me. You did not say "No" to my mother. Besides, I thought they might be better than spinach. Now it appears my mother made an excellent choice as research shows the lowly beet packs a powerful punch. Beets are a traditional vegetable in Eastern and Central Europe and India. Fortunately, beets are easily grown most of the year, have long storability and adapt to a wide variety of climates. The medicinal value of beets dates back to early times. Hippocrates, the Father of Medicine, recommended beets for binding wounds, blood cleansing and digestive problems. The goddess of love, Aphrodite, believed her romantic...Read More
Cardiovascular, Sex
Sex? The Day after Heart Attack?
Being shot by a jealous lover at 95 years of age is my idea of the best way to leave this planet. But suppose you're younger and have survived a coronary attack or bypass surgery? Is a little romp in the bed safe? Or is it time to switch to backgammon? A study published in The Journal of the American Heart Association about this reports a major problem. Women who asked their doctors questions about sex received vague answers. In fact, some patients simply gave up sex following a coronary as they were too embarrassed to ask their doctors about it. Another problem is depression. It's hard not to be a bit uptight when you have survived a brush with death. This...Read More
