Miscellaneous
Medical Tidbits
During long plane flights I always ask for a glass of wine with dinner. Wine helps me to catnap and relieve the boredom of night travel. But why does red wine cause drowsiness? In the past we understood that melatonin, a soporific, was only produced by mammals. Now, a report in the Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture claims that melatonin is also produced by plants. Italian scientists report that the skin of grapes used to make red wine contains high levels of melatonin. So enjoy your merlot or cabernet sauvignon for relaxation and sleep. Obesity : Threat To U. S. Security? The U.S. army won the Battle of the Bulge 60 years ago. But Major General Thomas Bostick says...Read More
Miscellaneous
Do You Need A Walletectomy?
How right were mothers and teachers when they told us to sit up straight? What can we do to improve brain function? Is it necessary to take antibiotics before dental procedures when you have a faulty heart valve? And if you have back pain do you need a walletectomy? For years doctors have prescribed antibiotics to patients with heart problems who are scheduled for dental procedures. It was believed that cleaning the teeth, or other dental work, would create small cuts in the gum allowing bacteria to invade the blood stream and cause further injury to heart valves. This condition, infective endocarditis, is rare, but dangerous complications and can result in abnormal heart rhythm, heart failure, stroke and death. A recent study...Read More
Miscellaneous
Medical Myths That Should Die
A sage African American once 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 here are some medical myths that just ain't so. Myth # 1 - Wearing a copper bracelet cures arthritis. Those who promote copper bracelets say that copper is absorbed through the skin and helps cartilage regenerate. But this fact has never been proven. There's no evidence that copper can regenerate the damaged cartilage that's causing pain. Our bodies need only small amounts of copper and we get this in our daily diet by eating vegetables such as potatoes, beans and peas. Copper is also present in nuts and grains such as wheat and...Read More
Miscellaneous
Viagra and Other Medical Tidbits
There are more uses for Viagra than meet the eye. You can get more than the Mother of All Hangovers after a night of binge drinking. Few parents give much thought to the fact that children face a hazard when urged to brush their teeth. And roller coaster rides this summer could provide more than thrills. All are topics worthy of concern. If you're depressed these days due to all the bad economic news perhaps a glass Cabernet Sauvignon could help to ease the tension. But a report in the British Medical Journal makes alarming reading for those who have a habit of binge drinking. Dr. Mohantha Dooldeniya is a urologist at Pinderfields Hospital in Wakefield, England. He reports on three women...Read More
Miscellaneous
Ignore These Symptoms at Your Peril
When should you worry about symptoms? After all, we all have an occasional ache and pain, indigestion, diarrhea, constipation, visual troubles and shortness of breath. So how can you separate minor problems from the ones that could end your life? There's no 100 percent guarantee, but here are some good guidelines. Persistent Fever If you have fever for no apparent reason lasting for several days, see your doctor. A persistent fever can be due to a urinary infection, undetected pneumonia, tuberculosis and malignant conditions such as lymphomas. For unexplained fever there is usually a cause. Vision Problems If you need a longer arm to read the newspaper you're middle aged and need glasses. Or, if you've had spots and cobweb-like objects floating in your...Read More
Miscellaneous
What My Web Site Tells Me About Readers.
You should have a web site doctor", I've been told a thousand times. My reply is always "But that means I'll have to add something every week, and I'm busy enough!" Curiosity, however, eventually got the better of me and a site was created several months ago. So apart from triggering my depression, what has it told me about you? First, congratulations! It's evident many of you are interested in preventive medicine. I thought the column linking lack of vitamin C to heart disease was the most important column I'd ever written. This topped the list with the most hits. The next big hit, "Do you want Ford or Cadillac vitamins". I wrote this column after a team of nutritionists reported that...Read More
Gynecology, Miscellaneous
How Much Have You Learned From This Column in 2007?
Do I get an A for being a good teacher, or an E for effort? This week let's see how smart you are in answering these true and false questions. If anyone gets 100 percent they can write next week's column! A beer contains 100 calories, has no cholesterol, tryglcerides and is low in sodium. Over 20 world studies show that moderate drinkers live longer than either teetotalers or excessive drinkers. Fluoridation of water decreases the sperm count and testosterone levels in males. Montreal doesn't use fluoridation, Toronto does. That's one reason Montreal males are better lovers! Now 98 percent of European countries do not add fluoride to their water supply. 3- Astronauts living in a gravity-free atmosphere are more likely to develop...Read More
Miscellaneous
Viagra For Climbing Mount Everest?
Hmm. I had the naive belief that Viagra was strictly for making amour. Now, I learn it may even help adventurers climb Mount Everest. On the other hand, if you decide to go down, rather than up, swim goggles may present a hazard. And handguns it seems are not the only things to shoot you these days. And is it really dangerous to eat nuts and seeds if you suffer from bowel problems? Dr. Michele Andreoli, an ophthalmologist at Loyola University In Chicago, reported to The Association for Research in Vision and Ophthalmology that the nail gun, was a frequent cause of eye injury. During a five year period 648 patients with an average age of 34 suffered severe eye injuries due...Read More
Miscellaneous
What You Should Know About “Holy Smoke”
This holiday season millions of people around the world will be going to church. And many will be lighting candles and offering prayers to the Almighty. But how healthy is holy smoke? And how hazardous is the Christmas tree? We're all cautioned to take special care it doesn't catch on fire. But I wonder how many readers have heard about "Evergreen tree abscess"? Dr. Jim McDaid, an Irish family doctor and Minister of State, has raised a holy stink about holy candles. He warned that burning incense in churches could be harmful to alter boys and girls who help Roman Catholic priests celebrate mass. McDaid says, "Here you have quite a thick billowing type of smoke. Sometimes you see children with this...Read More
Miscellaneous
What’s Your Grade? A or an F?
What have you learned from this column during the past year? I hope I've been a good teacher and you pass this test by getting at least 50 percent of the questions right. But don't get depressed if you flunk the test as I'm not going to tell anyone! And it may even help you when playing Trivia Pursuit. 1. Men who don't shave daily enjoy less sex and are more likely to suffer a stroke and heart attack. 2. Abdominal hernias are repaired to decrease the risk of strangulation of the bowel. But recent studies show that there is no need to operate on all of these hernias. 3. A waistline of more than 100 centimeters (40 inches) for a man and...Read More
Miscellaneous
The Lord Said, “Let There Be Light”
I recently addressed the 4th International Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) Conference in Toronto. I planned to talk about the life of a syndicated medical journalist, how it had changed my life, and leave. Fortunately, I stayed and heard international experts discuss this type of light therapy. The majority of patients treated with LILT are suffering from arthritis, back, hip and knee pain that has failed to respond to other types of treatment. But I was surprised to hear of the variety of other problems helped by this therapy. Dr. Fred Kahn, founder of Meditech International in Toronto, reported that LILT can heal diabetic leg ulcers due to hardening of arteries and decreased blood supply. In view of today's epidemic of diabetes...Read More
Miscellaneous
We’re Crazy, Not The South Americans
Have you ever had the desire to say, "The hell with it. I'm tired and I don't give a tinker's damn what the boss thinks. I'm closing the door and taking a nap." In our North American society what we want to do, and can do, without getting fired are two different things. But is it time for employers to agree that South Americans are not crazy for shutting their doors and having an afternoon siesta? Dr. Scott Campbell, a sleep expert at Weill Medical College, in White Plains N.Y., says that "napping is a healthy habit if your schedule permits it. I don't see why you would try to overcome what your body is trying to tell you". I'd agree,...Read More
Miscellaneous
Cocaine in Water? I Prefer Wine!
Going camping in Newfoundland in August? If so, don't paint your toenails with bright blue, blueberry-scented nail polish. A report in The Medical Post shows this can be hazardous to your health. According to the Post a young woman while camping was attacked by a mouse. The mouse bit her toe, refused to let go, and was finally killed with a broom. But what provoked the attack? In late August Newfoundland is ripe with blueberries which constitute a large portion of a mouse's diet. The mouse, apparently spotted the toe sticking out of a blanket, smelled the scent, and sank it's teeth into what it thought was a juicy blueberry. The good news; it wasn't a black bear! Are hair dyes dangerous? I've...Read More
Miscellaneous
Low Intensity Laser Therapy – It Was a Pain From Hell
Have you ever had to crawl on your hands and knees because of severe back pain? It's not a dignified position. But it recently happened to me. What caused this problem and how did I finally get relief? We all love our mothers and I dearly loved mine. But unfortunately she had scoliosis of the spine and passed this genetic problem along to me. Then in my final year at The Harvard Medical School I awakened one morning with the worst headache of my life. A lumbar puncture revealed poliomyelitis. Scoliosis and poliomyelitis is not a good combination to maintain a healthy spine. As a result over the years I've suffered from occasional attacks of sciatica, usually appearing for no apparent reason. But...Read More
Miscellaneous
Less Sex Dangerous? And How Safe is The Communion Cup?
"Why bother shaving today when I'm not going anywhere?" I thought. But I suddenly changed my mind. Dr. Shah Ebrahim, at the University of Bristol in England, reports that men who don't shave daily enjoy less sex and are more likely to suffer stroke and heart attack. It seemed to me that shaving is a small price to pay for increased amour and keeping alive! Ebrahim says men who shave less often are less likely to marry, smoke more, less likely to have an orgasm, are blue-collar workers and have a less healthy life style. It's been said that absence makes the heart grow fonder. But it also has an effect on beard growth. Dr. Ebrahim reports that a man in a...Read More
Miscellaneous
Good And Bad News This Holiday Season
"It was the best of times and the worst of times" penned Charles Dickens in a Tale of Two Cities. Nothing has changed on planet Earth this holiday season. This week brings a good news story and one I'd prefer not to write. I'd never heard of "Hope Air", until I met one of its directors at a recent wedding. He told me that since 1986, Hope Air, a non-profit organization, has arranged 45,000 free flights to medical centers for patients who need treatment and can't afford the fare. To accomplish this Hope Air has 200 volunteer pilots who donate their time and aircraft to serve communities not served by commercial airlines. Almost half of the flights are for children and their...Read More
Miscellaneous
The “Jug Test”, Sacred Cows! and is High Cholesterol Good For You?
My Father was a Scot who may take a whack at me from the hereafter for this item. But I believe it might also make him wonder what's happening to his beloved Scots and others. Today we hear more and more about the medical problems of obesity. But a report from Edinburgh illustrates that obesity has many other rarely mentioned ramifications. Doctors told the Scotland on Sunday newspaper that obesity was straining hospital budgets. Beds, mattresses and chairs were all too small. Radiologists reported that some Scots have become so overweigh it's impossible to squeeze them into CT and MRI machines. Surgeons found that operating tables were too narrow and surgical instruments too short when trying to operate through layers of...Read More
Miscellaneous
Insomnia – How “Sleep Debt” Affects Your Health
William Shakespeare, in his play Julius Cesar, referred to sleep as "the honey-heavy dew of slumber". Just reading this makes me drowsy. But for millions of people a good night's sleep is elusive. And new research shows that insomnia may lead to several chronic diseases. A report from Tufts University reminds us that the greatest disasters in recent history, the explosion on the Challenger space shuttle, the crash and spill of oil by the Exon Valdez and Chernobyl nuclear disaster were related to sleep deprivation and fatigue. And that thousands of car accidents share the same cause. Dr. William Dement, a renowned sleep researcher at Stanford University in California, says there is compelling evidence that how well and how long you sleep...Read More
Miscellaneous
Can You Keep These 10 New Year’s Resolutions?
Napoleon Bonaparte, reminiscing to Gaspard Gourgaud, his artillery officer, on the island of St Helena, remarked, "If you want to get on in this world, make many promises but don't keep them". Every New Year millions of people make promises which few keep, to their regret. But if you're steel-minded here are 10 resolutions that will help you attain a long and healthy life. Get an Annual Flu Shot Readers have written asking if I get an annual flu shot. The answer is yes. Even in a good year, without a 1918 type epidemic, 20,000 North Americans die from influenza. I prefer not to be one of them. It's not late for a flu shot and 75,000 deaths are predicted this year. Count...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
