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Articles

Lifestyle

Lions Don’t Buy Nike Running Shoes

May 18, 2009

Have you ever seen lions running? You bet they run when they're hungry and chasing prey. The only other time they exercise is at mating season when they're having sex every 20 minutes! But most of the time they lay around or sleep. Exercise is simply not high on their priority list and they survive well without buying Nike running shoes. Questioning the value of exercise to humans, however, is like damning Motherhood and apple pie. But every year in my office I see examples of excessive exercise causing needless injury, and it results in many aggravating problems. One of my 60 year old female patients decided it was time to build up muscles and hired a personal trainer. At each visit...Read More

Gastroenterology

Charcoal Activated Underwear For Distressing Flatus

May 14, 2009

An embarrassed patient once asked me, "Doctor, what can I do to control flatus (farts)? I'm becoming a social pariah." I didn't have an answer for this distressed woman at the time as no one had discovered the ultimate cure. But I've finally found the right prescription, "Charcoal Activated Underwear". We've all heard about the whoopee cushion used to embarrass friends at parties, and the usual jokes about passing gas. However, it's not amusing for those who have food allergies or suffer from bowel problems. But it's never been easy to get information about flatus. After all, how many researchers want to say, 'I'm a specialist in farts?" Kings, Queens and the rest of us pass flatus discreetly 15 to 25 times...Read More

Cholesterol

The “Ain’t So’s” About Cholesterol

May 11, 2009

Why are people so misinformed about cholesterol when so much has been published about it? After all, cholesterol has become a household name. It's even hard to go to a social gathering without someone mentioning this fatty substance and their own cholesterol level. But as one wise sage remarked, "It's not the things you don't know that gets you into trouble. It's the things you know for sure that ain't so". So what ain't so about cholesterol? It ain't so, for instance, that the only cause of coronary artery disease is cholesterol. Life is not that simple and it's totally unrealistic to believe that one risk factor sends so many people to the great beyond. Rather, Mathew's Law is the culprit....Read More

Philosophy

It’s Great Science, But All the More Need For a Living Will

May 11, 2009

It's said that "a picture is worth a thousand words". And the one that I recently saw in The Medical Post is one that's hard to forget. The picture shows a man totally paralyzed due to amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease. To me, it illustrates the best and worst of science. Lou Gehrig's Disease is a frightful malady. It's an inch-by-inch slow paralysis that gradually and insidiously spreads throughout the entire body. The final phase is total paralysis, but with a normally functioning brain. Patients are literally "locked in" inside their bodies. At the end, patients drown in their own mucus. It must be as close to hell as one can imagine. So why is its treatment...Read More

Dermatology

Onychomycosis: It Doesn’t Make You A Big Hit In The Bedroom

May 4, 2009

How often do we look at a person's nails? Not as often as we cast an eye at other parts of the anatomy. But nails reveal much about a person's general health. So the next time you're invited to a dinner party scan the nails. But if want to be invited back, wait for another time to annoyance a guest is suffering from onychomycosis. Is the person sitting next to you a bartender, lawyer, politician, nurse or homemaker? The clue may be brittle, split nails, the result of frequently having hands in water day after day. Water passes through nails 100 times faster than through skin. This causes swelling of nails and then when the hands are out of water, the...Read More

Gastroenterology

What Caused The Death of The Grand Admiral?

May 2, 2009

Today, let's turn back the clock nearly 200 years, to an important moment in medical history. At that time a certain disease was invariably fatal. It still can be without speedy diagnosis and treatment. But, if by chance, you're in a specific English pub when this condition strikes, you're lucky. The pub owner can make the diagnosis quicker than most physicians. I wonder if you can diagnose what happened on October 30, 1723. Dr. Anthony S Patton, a retired surgeon in Salem Massachusetts, reports in the Harvard Medical Alumni Bulletin, that a celebrated Admiral of the Dutch navy, Baron Jan Gerrit van Wassenaer suffered from chronic stomach problems. For three days he had fasted. But he had recovered sufficiently to enjoy a...Read More

Alternate Treatments

How To Boost Your Immunity To The Swine Flu Virus

April 30, 2009

"What's the best natural way to boost immunity against the swine flu virus (SFV)?" a reader from Winnipeg inquires. So far the swine flu virus has killed many Mexicans, has invaded North America. The World Health Organization says this virus has pandemic potential. So here are some natural ways to increase immunity and save lives. One: Bow like the Japanese rather than shaking hands which has always been an unhealthy habit. Handshaking is a prime way to spread infection whether or not there's a potential epidemic of SFV. Get further protection by washing your hands frequently with soap and water or use an alcohol based hand wash. Two: Keep your distance from those who are coughing or sneezing, particularly when they don't...Read More

Alternate Treatments, Lifestyle

Glabrinex – A Natural Remedy For Pot Bellied “Killer Fat”

April 27, 2009

Never before in human history have so many North Americans been so obese and pot bellied. It's causing an unparalled epidemic of diabetes with disastrous complications. But research shows that it's the abdominal fat, called visceral fat, that kills. Now, a natural remedy Glabrinex, can help to decrease this "killer" fat. Years ago, Dr. Timo Lakka, a Finnish researcher, urged pot-bellied people to take heed after studying 1,800 apple-shaped Finns for 10 years. He reported that men who were not overweight, but had a pot belly, had four times the risk of heart disease than men without one. Then, in 1988, Dr. Gerald Reaven at Stanford University in California described what is known as the "metabolic syndrome". It's the stage before type...Read More

Sex

Sex After a Heart Attack?

April 12, 2009

I've always believed that being shot at 95years of age by a jealous lover is the ideal way to depart this earth. But suppose you survive a coronary attack much earlier in life, how is it going to affect your sex life? Is it time to forget about "amour" and switch to backgammon or hooking rugs? Or, is a little romp in the bed still safe? Dr. Randal Thomas, Director of the Cardiovascular Health Clinic at The Mayo Clinic, says, "A person's life is essentially thrown upside-down following coronary attack. They see their frailty and how close they came to dying, and it can lead to a lot of psychological issues and need for recuperation." Another cardiologist, Nieca Goldberg, at Lennox Hill...Read More

Dermatology

A Skin Cream That Prevents Cancer

April 5, 2009

I'd bet that 99 percent of readers have never heard of the name,"Actinic Keratosis", (AK). But thousands of people have this type of skin lesion that if left untreated can develop into skin cancer over time. Now there's a unique skin cream that can prevent or stop this from occurring. Since the primary cause of AK is excessive exposure to the sun's ultraviolet (UV) rays, this problem is often called "Solar Keratosis". Like an elephant, human skin never forgets all the UV radiation it gets during a lifetime. We forget the times when UV rays have bounced off snow and water, either tanning or burning our skin. And with today's thinning of the ozone layer, more ultraviolet rays are hitting the...Read More

Nutrition

The Constipated Battleship King George V

March 30, 2009

Recently a patient, who is extremely health conscious, asked, "If you had to pick the most important food what would you choose?" I replied, "fiber". I've believed for years that fiber is the corner stone of a healthy diet and without adequate amounts people are headed for a variety of health problems. The National Academies' Institute of Medicine formulates dietary recommendations for the government. It recently reported that the average North American consumes only 14 to 15 grams of fiber a day. This is a failing grade as it's less than half of what people should be eating. Fibers primary benefit never crosses the minds of most people. Fiber is bulky and therefore filling. Years ago, my father-in-law called it "roughage" and...Read More

Nutrition

Lobster : The Cadillac Of The Sea

March 30, 2009

Why do I look forward so eagerly to that crate of lobster that arrives from Clearwater Seafoods at regular intervals? Because it's my reward for eating bran cereal every morning. I'd much prefer ham and eggs or French toast loaded with maple syrup. Besides, lobsters provide great health benefits in addition to a delicious food experience. Several years ago I had the good fortune to attend a cardiovascular conference in Norway and visit the Institute for Nutrition Research at the University of Oslo. During the conference Professor Daan Krommhout, of the Institute of Public Health and the Environment in the Netherlands, reported the cardiovascular benefits of omega-3 fatty acids present in fatty fish, lobsters, scallops and many other species of seafood. In...Read More

Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Nutrition

Eggs Decrease Risk of Macular Degeneration

March 25, 2009

"Don't you worry about cholesterol in eggs?" a friend recently asked me. I had ordered ham-and-eggs for breakfast which I often enjoy. But my friend was sure that eggs were a nutritional relic of the past, only good for a display at the Smithsonian Institution. I told him he was suffering from "cholesterolphobia", should upgrade his thinking about eggs, and that if he would order the same breakfast it would decrease his risk of heart disease and macular degeneration. I've written for years that we should trust farmers, hens and cows and cast a suspicious eye at manufactured processed foods. I have not changed my mind after many years of research. Blaming farmers and hens for the epidemic of heart disease is...Read More

Cancer

Seven Things To Know About Prostate Cancer

March 22, 2009

One: Benjamin Disraeli, Queen Victoria's Prime Minister, once remarked "There are three kinds of lies, lies, damned lies and statistics". Disraeli, if he had been a doctor, could have been referring to the PSA test for prostate cancer. For instance, the New England Journal of Medicine has just reported a European study that showed that this blood test cut the death rate of this disease by 20 percent. But this impressive figure refers to a relative reduction in deaths. There's another way to look at the reduction in the number of deaths. 162,000 men were followed for 10 years. Of those given the PSA test 261 died, compared to 363 deaths of those who received routine care. A difference of 102...Read More

Genitourinary

The Billion Dollar Erectile Race

March 19, 2009

The race of the century has started. No, it's not a recap of the great horse race between Sea Biscuit and Northern Dancer. It's the erectile dysfunction (ED) contest between three giant pharmaceutical companies. The prize for the winner? Billions of dollars. If you haven't heard of Viagra it's time for a nursing home. But if this name gets you thinking about romance, what should you know about these competing drugs. Moreover, what should you do if they don't produce results? And how many times a week are we supposed to make love? All three impotence drugs work by blocking an enzyme that relaxes muscles and allows increased blood flow into the penis. If you have heart trouble and are taking a...Read More

Cardiovascular

Campbell Soup With 32 Percent Less Sodium

March 16, 2009

Why would any company want to change a product that's stood the test of time for 112 years? After all, in this fast moving world most products either change every few years or perish. But Campbell soup, first produced in 1897, has finally made a healthy change in its ingredients. Each serving will now have 32 percent less sodium which will help tame one of the big killers, hypertension. High blood pressure is the leading cause of death in the world. It's estimated that 25 percent of North Americans have hypertension and five million Canadians suffer from it. But this disease is a silent killer as you're unable to see or feel its presence. Sir William Osler, Professor of Medicine at McGill,...Read More

Cardiovascular, Medicine

Rx For The Heart: Marry A Smart Woman

March 16, 2009

Thank God I married a smart woman. And one who majored in English. Commas, colons and semicolons are a puzzle to me. I'd still be, were it not for her, wondering whether to use "a" or "an", "affect" or "effect", "escapee" or "escaper". I'll die before I know the meaning of a compound noun. This column wouldn't have lasted one year if I'd married a not-so-literate wife. But, just as important, I might have died long ago from heart disease. A new study shows that marrying smart is good for the heart. Investigators from the Institute of Nutrition Research at the University of Oslo analyzed 20,000 married men over a 14 year period. The men, ages 35 to 56 years were...Read More

Cancer

Has Anyone Felt Your Testicles Lately?

March 15, 2009

How many women will have their breasts examined this year? I don't know the exact figure but it will be in the millions. But how many men will have their testicles examined during 2009? Again, I don't know the exact number but it will be miniscule compared to that of the fairer sex. Is this sexual discrimination? If so, we need a class action lawsuit to protect men's rights or, more to the point, our testicles. But more important, an increase in TSE (testicular self examination) would increase the survival rate of this malignancy. Testicular cancer is the number one malignancy in young males. Worldwide there are 48,500 males diagnosed with this disease and 9,000 will die of it. This is...Read More

Alcohol

What You Don’t Know About Moosehead Beer

March 13, 2009

In my medical column I've written for years that beer, used in moderation, provides health benefits. Many beer drinkers don't know that Moosehead beer contains no sugars, a huge benefit in fighting obesity. Moosehead 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. Moosehead 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...Read More

Nutrition

Chickens Decrease Risk of Macular Degeneration

March 13, 2009

"Don't you worry about cholesterol in eggs?" a friend recently asked me. I had ordered ham-and-eggs for breakfast which I often enjoy. But my friend was sure that eggs were a nutritional relic of the past, only good for a display at the Smithsonian Institution. I told him he was suffering from "cholesterolphobia" and should upgrade his thinking about eggs. And that if he would order the same breakfast this would decrease his risk of heart disease and macular degeneration. I've stressed for years that we should trust the farmers, hens and cows and caste a suspicious eye at manufactured processed foods. I have not changed my mind after researching this matter for many years. Blaming the farmers and hens for the...Read More

Genitourinary

Erectile Dysfunction : The Window To The Heart

March 10, 2009

Mae West, the sex queen of long ago, had a great one-liner when she greeted males, "Is that a gun in your pocket or are you happy to see me?" This line always triggered a barrel full of laughs. But today it's no laughing matter that an increasing number of male are suffering from erectile dysfunction. A report in the British Medical Journal indicates that there's more to this problem than meets the eye. Dr. Geoffrey Hackett, a urologist at Good Hope Hospital in Birmingham, England, says most doctors are uncomfortable asking their male patients if they can have an erection. This oversight amounts to negligence as the onset of ED doubles the risk of heart attack. In fact, it can...Read More

Cardiovascular

PAD Prelude to Heart Attack

February 28, 2009

"Have you ever heard of Matthew's Law?" I asked a journalism student who recently interviewed me. Her assignment was to find out what young people could do to prevent health problems. The timing of the interview was good because at the time I was writing a column about peripheral arterial disease (PAD), a prime example of Matthew's Law. And did she, or readers, know about the ABI test? A report from the Mayo Clinic says that 10 million Americans have PAD. Another study from Duke University in Durham, North Carolina, claims that five percent of men and two percent of women over the age of 50 have PAD. This increases the risk of heart attack six times. Mayo Clinic says 80 percent...Read More

Philosophy

Reader Reaction : Debbie’s Death and Euthanasia

February 15, 2009

Several weeks ago I wrote that Debbie, the world's oldest polar bear, had suffered a number of strokes. Her zoo keepers in Winnipeg decided she had suffered enough and painlessly ended her life. I also mentioned a good friend who, unlike Debbie, had endured an agonizing death. And I asked readers whether we needed a Society For The Prevention Of Cruelty To Humans (SPCH). I've spent hours reading the huge response, surprised by the reaction. H.F. wrote, "Thanks for your wonderful column that appeared in the Windsor Star. Yes, Yes, Yes, it's my prayer you will receive overwhelming support for it and that the law changes by the time I see the grim reaper. From The Winnipeg Free Press JY said, "My...Read More

Sex

Off-With-Your- Panties-Video’s At Age Six ?

February 11, 2009

"Do you know where your children are this evening?" It's a comment we often hear these days about parents who fail to keep an eye on their children's whereabouts. But suppose you're a diligent parent and they're in your own home. How safe are they when watching television? The question of how much in-your-face sexuality on TV adversely affects teenagers has been debated by psychologists for years. Now Anita Chandra, a behavioral scientist at the Rand Corporation, answers this question. She reports in the Journal of Pediatrics that the amount of time teenagers spend turning the channel to risque T V increases the risk of pregnancy before age 20. To reach this conclusion Chandra and her colleagues carried out a three-year survey of...Read More

Orthopedics, Surgery

What You Should Know About Ankle Replacement

February 9, 2009

"Should I have surgery to replace my painful ankle?" a friend recently asked me. He added, "I now wear an ankle support to play tennis and I want to get rid of it." Today, we all know friends who have had surgery to replace a worn out hip or knee. But an increasing number of people are also getting new ankles. What should my friend and others know before they make this decision? The majority of ankle replacements are due to osteoarthritis, the wear-and-tear type that occurs with aging. But, an arthritic ankle can also develop following injury to the joint many years earlier. Cartilage between bones deteriorates and finally bones grind on bones. Replacing an ankle is not minor surgery. Surgeons...Read More