Psychiatry
Depression : Not Only For Women
How much equality is there between the sexes? In recent years women have made strides in their struggle to gain equality with men. But surprisingly in one area men are getting the short end of the stick. Today the majority of people being treated for depression are women. The majority of men, however suffer silently from undiagnosed and untreated depression. Why the gender bias in this case? And how can wives and families recognize this problem and urge men to accept treatment? Dr. John S. Tamerin, a psychiatrist and a professor at Cornell Weill School of Medicine in New York City, says there are over six million men suffering from a depressive disorder in North America and the majority will never...Read More
Psychiatry
Ways To Beat Stress In 2006
Voltaire was right when he wrote, "Most people live lives of quiet desperation". As we enter another year, desperation seems to be getting worse. Escalating violence in Iraq, concern about our economy worry us and headlines warn us of the dangers of prescription drugs. So here's eight non-prescription ways to help you relax in 2006. One Massage cures more stress and sore muscles than a cartload of pills. This message has not been lost on industry where anything to help the bottom-line becomes top priority. Some companies are now using massage as a form of stress management to decrease fatigue, headache and back strain in their employees. This results in greater employee retention and job satisfaction. Remember that athletes and boxers don't...Read More
Philosophy, Psychiatry
Sex for Psychiatric Patients
How times have changed! I've often complained that toe-tapping music has gone, now replaced by loud singers who shout or gyrate. We used to have more sense. But when it came to sex how much sense did we have? Not much, compared to what is now happening. At the Centre Hospitalier Robert-Gillard, the largest psychiatric hospital in eastern Quebec, a new policy allows psychiatric patients to have sex. This reminded me of Thorupgaarden nursing home in Copenhagen and their "ladies-of-the-night". Nicole-Gagnon, the ombudswoman and instigator of this change at the hospital says, "sex has always been frowned upon in this hospital, like in others, but all that's done is to force people to find other outlets. Like washrooms, stairwells or parking...Read More
Psychiatry
Stress You Get Paid For
It appears there are epidemics and there are epidemics. Few of us will forget the anxiety and economic loss this country suffered during the SARS outbreak. Now reports indicate we face another one. It's a disease that strikes the brain with profound effects on some and leaves others unscathed. Recent reports say that thousands of ex-soldiers, some of whom haven't even been in conflict zones, are receiving disability pensions for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Soldiers claim they suffer from anxiety, depression, insomnia and have nightmares when they relive traumatic events. And often they seek refuge in alcohol and drugs. Since Canada doesn't have a large army, the fact that 9,000 Canadian veterans are receiving tax-free pensions for psychiatric problems is alarming. Last...Read More
Cancer, Genitourinary, Psychiatry
The Prostate Dilemma In Treating Cancer
What should I do? I've been diagnosed with cancer of the prostate gland and my doctor has suggested a radical prostatectomy. He claims that a new report shows that surgery is the best way to ensure a cure. Of all the letters I receive this question is always the hardest one to answer. The New England Journal of Medicine recently published a study from Sweden in which doctors followed men with an average age of 65 years with prostate cancer for 10 years. 695 men with prostate cancer were treated with radical surgery. In radical prostatectomy surgeons remove the prostate, as well as surrounding tissue and lymph nodes. Another group of 347 men with the same problem were treated by watchful waiting. At...Read More
Neurology, Psychiatry
REMEMBER-fX : The Smart Pill
Will a pill make you less befuddled next time you try to master the control panel of your new digital movie camera? Will it make you as intelligent computer-wise as your 10 year old child? Are you continually losing your keys and glasses, feel less alert and concerned about Alzheimer's Disease? A U.S study involving 750 average people showed that memory impairment affects the majority of people over 40 years of age. Now Canadian scientists say they've developed a super ginseng pill called "Remember-fX" that prevents us all from "losing it". Today there are many ginseng products available, but they've always been hampered by a complication. Ginseng in stores isn't just ginseng. Rather, it contains many other active ingredients. Therein lies the...Read More
Lifestyle, Psychiatry
10 Ways To Beat Stress In 2005
Voltaire was right when he wrote, "Most men live lives of quiet desperation". As we enter another year the desperation seems to be getting worse. There's the escalating violence in Iraq, the concerns about our economy and more headlines warn us of another prescription drug that causes heart attack and stroke. So here are 10 non-prescription ways to help you relax in 2005. One The laying-on-of-hands cures more stress and sore muscles than a cartload of pills. In fact, this message has not been lost on industry where anything to help the bottom-line becomes top priority. Some companies are now using massage as a form of stress management to decrease fatigue, headache and back strain in their employees. This results in greater...Read More
Psychiatry
Fighter Pilots and a Yankee Centenarian
What makes for a long and happy life? A talk at The Harvard Medical School about fighter pilots provided one answer. And a recent trip to celebrate my wife's aunt's 100th birthday provided another one. Part of the solution is how you read the following; "happinessisnowhere." "Wow, what a lady!" was my reaction when I visited Aunt Tat at 97 years of age. At the time she was troubled only by a "little" arthritis. I jokingly told her I had a good cure for this problem. My prescription? An occasional nip of Bailey's Original Irish Cream sherry would ease the pain. Smiling at me , she slowly reached behind her chair and pulled out a bottle of Bailey's Irish Cream! A...Read More
Archive, Psychiatry
Lincoln and Churchill Lived Lives of Quiet Desperation
Abraham Lincoln once wrote, " I am the most miserable man alive. To remain as I am is impossible. I must die or get better." Winston Churchill echoed the same reaction when he told his doctor, " I don't like to stand by the side of a ship and look down into the water. A second's action would end everything. Is much known about worry, Charles?" Today, Lord Charles Moran, Churchill's physician, could answer, "Yes, Winston we now know a good deal more about depression and what's called "Generalized Anxiety Disorder" (GAD). This is good news for the millions of Canadians from all walks of life who, like Lincoln and Churchill, live lives of quiet desperation. It's unfortunate that psychiatrists don't label...Read More
Psychiatry
Depression, Brutus Right or Wrong?
In 2004, how much depression will be due to the perilous times in which we live? How much due to genetics? A reader recently asked this interesting question. Julius Caesar once counseled Brutus that "The fault, dear Brutus, is not in our stars but in ourselves." Others would argue that today's complex environment triggers increased depression in society. Who is right? Since 9-11 the world is threatened with the constant fear of another major terrorist attack. Add to this the possibility of another SARS outbreak, Mad Cow Disease and the fast pace of our society .It's hardly conducive to relaxed living. So the argument is valid that some depression today is the result of all these tensions. But there's a colossal difference between...Read More
Psychiatry
Depression – Everything is Black
So far we have not had an earthquake in Canada. I'm almost afraid to mention it! As Shakespeare wrote, "When troubles come, they come not single spies but in battalions." He could have been writing about Canada's problems of SARS, Mad Cow Disease and The West Nile Virus. So I can't imagine a better topic than depression when so many of us are thinking "Why, God, have you done this to our country?" Art Buchwald, the noted humorist, suffered from depression. He wrote about it, "Everything was black. The trees were black, the road was black. You can't believe how the colours change until you have it. It's scary." Dick Cavett, the late-night talk show host, fought depression. And Mike Wallace of...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
Philosophy, Psychiatry
Can You Pass This Test?
I've often wondered who the most interesting person was of all those I've interviewed over the last 27 years? It's a tough decision. After all, how do you eliminate a two-time Nobel Prize winner like Linus Pauling? Or the discoverer of the Aids virus? Or The Queen of England's personal physician. But in these recent black days my mind has returned repeatedly to Dr. Thomas Hackett, a professor of psychiatry at The Harvard Medical School. In these post-Bin Laden times, see if you flunk or pass this quiz. We all have various hobbies. But I would have liked to have accompanied Dr. Hackett as he relentlessly pursued his interest year after year. His passion? Tracking down World War I fighter pilots. Why...Read More
Dermatology, Eyes, Ears, Nose & Throat, Psychiatry
The Dangers of Tongue Piercing
Why in the name of Heaven do they do it? And the locations? One of the first rings I encountered in my office was in the belly button. The next one in a very intimate part of the female anatomy. That's the one that made my white hair stand on end. Then others began to appear in the lips, cheeks, nose and tongue. Now several reports indicate that placing a ring in the tongue can trigger life-threatening complications. Drs. Richard Martinet and Elizabeth Cooney are infectious disease specialists at Yale University. They recently reported on one 22-year-old woman who got more than she bargained for after tongue piercing. Following the procedure she developed pain and a foul discharge at the site of...Read More
