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
Lifestyle
Is The Answer A Tax on Fatty Foods?
This week a change of pace. Recently I was questioned by the media about the obesity epidemic. This is what I told them. Media - It's been suggested that a tax on fatty foods would help curb the obesity epidemic. G-J - That's the wrong approach. No one has the Wisdom of Solomon to carry this out. It would be a taxation nightmare. There's fat in so many food products. Where would you draw the line? Media - But today supermarkets do offer a wide variety of packaged foods that are low in fat. G-J - That's true. But when tasty fat is eliminated from foods processors often make up the difference with sugar. You may end up with less fat but more calories. Media...Read More
