Neurology, Orthopedics, Pain
Course 101 In Back Pain
Ask me about Economics 101 and I'll flunk the question. But what about course 101 in back pain? In this case I have some answers. Ones that will help readers who ask "What is the best treatment for my aching back?" Many years ago while in Hawaii I suddenly coughed and an excruciating pain shot down my leg. There was no doubt about the diagnosis, a ruptured spinal disk, and the pain was so severe I desperately needed a place to lie down. Fortunately I was near an old historic church on a quiet back street. I walked in, in agony and stretched out on a not-so-comfortable wooden pew. But fate was not kind. Five minutes later a group of tourists entered...Read More
Neurology
The Restless Leg Syndrome
A 25 year old university student from Winnipeg writes, "My legs are driving me crazy. I have the feeling there are thousands of ants marching in them. It's a creepy-crawling sensation that keeps me from sleeping and it's affecting my studies, not to mention my social life. What can I do?" The restless leg syndrome (RLS), as this letter indicates, is not just an old age problem. In fact, it's a common disorder affecting about 10 per cent of the population, slightly more common in women and tends to increase with age. It also has a genetic component tending to run in families. People suffering from RLS complain of a persistent, overwhelming and distressing urge to move the legs. This usually begins...Read More
Neurology, Pediatrics, Sports
Protect Children From Catastrophic Hockey Injuries
What should parents know about concussions in hockey? To find out I recently attended a seminar on this problem at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Today there's a huge debate raging over whether body checking should be allowed in players under 17 years of age. Unfortunately, the "big hit" does more to the brain than meets the eye. Today our national sport has become a violent past time. During the meeting we were shown videos of devastating NHL body checks. It's a reality check to see superbly conditioned players lying unconscious on the ice. Then, Ken Dryden, former goal tender for the Montreal Canadians, pointed out that we forget the game has changed drastically. Today NHL players are 27 pounds heavier,...Read More
Neurology
Bell’s Palsy: The Mona Lisa Syndrome
"How could it happen so quickly?" a patient asked me. A day earlier she could smile, open her eyes and showed normal facial countenance. Now, her face drooped on one side due to a paralysis of the facial nerve. The cause? A condition known as Bell's Palsy. Sir Charles Bell, a 19th century Scottish physician, first described this upsetting malady that distorts the face, often freezing the mouth making it difficult to eat and the speech slurred. Bells' Palsy has often been associated with one of the most famous paintings in the history of art, the Mona Lisa. In 2003 she occupies occupies her own room at the Louve in Paris. And it's her slanted smile that attracts the viewer's attention. The...Read More
Gastroenterology, Neurology, Vitamins
How To Keep Your Brain In Shape
Are there some days you believe you need a brain transplant? You're getting those senior moments even though you're only 40 years age? Or starting to worry that at 70 you're forgetting things you shouldn't forget? These days with so much talk about Alzheimer's Disease it's easy to assume you may be losing it. Fortunately most people who worry about this disease don't have it. But today there are ways to keep the brain in better shape? Here's a story that shows you don't have to be a neurologist to understand what's happening to the brain. Rather, Dr. Robert Russell a gastroenterologist and Director of the Human Research Center at Tuft's University, cured this woman with a single pill. The patient, 70...Read More
Neurology
Brain-Computerized Thought the Best and Terrible Science
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 Lou Gehrig's Disease. To me, in 2003, it illustrates the best and worst of science. Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) commonly known as Lou Gehrig's Disease is a frightful malady. It's an inch-by-inch paralysis that gradually and insidiously spreads throughout the entire body. The final phase is total paralysis. Patients are literally "locked in" inside their bodies. The only normally functioning organ is the brain. At the end patients with ALS require a respirator to survive and eventually drown in their own mucus. It must be...Read More
Neurology, Orthopedics, Psychiatry
Whiplash – Demolition Drivers Could Save Us Billions of Dollars
How much whiplash pain is in the mind and how much in the neck? It's an important question because a huge amount of money is involved. And it comes out of everyone's pocket. This year the diagnosis, treatment, litigation and insurance payments of whiplash complaints will cost North Americans 29 billion dollars. Now, a fascinating report about demolition drivers separates fact from fiction. It could be of use to defense lawyers. There are over one million low-speed rear impact collisions of automobiles every year in North America. During a rear end collision the head is suddenly whipped backwards, then swiftly forward. It's believed that most of the injury results from the backward motion as forward movement is limited when the chin...Read More
Neurology, Pain
Unroofing The Spinal Column to Treat Spinal Stenosis
Ask most people what causes back pain and you get a variety of answers. Many mention sciatica, lumbago, a slipped disk or chronic back strain. But few mention or have ever heard of a condition called "spinal stenosis". Yet it's a disease that we will hear more and more about with an aging population. Years ago spinal stenosis was called creeping paralysis .It was accepted that if you lived long enough you would eventually get it and learn to live with it. Today we know that spinal stenosis is due to a narrowing of the spinal canal (the cavity in the vertebral column through which the spinal cord runs). This can occur in the cervical and thoracic spine but is more commonly...Read More
Neurology
In Multiple Sclerosis, Fewer Injections Are Better
Sir William Osler, one of Canada's great physicians, counselled, "The way to longevity is to develop a chronic disease early in life and learn to live with it." But this is easier said than done especially if fate hands you Multiple Sclerosis (MS). Fortunately, medicine is available to slow down the progression of this difficult disease. So why do many patients fail to follow their doctor's advice when it 's so important to do so? We don't know why Canada has one of the highest rates of MS in the world. Nor why this disease afflicts twice as many women as men. Or why it's the most common central nervous system disease to strike young adults. Or why its severity varies...Read More
