Eyes, Ears, Nose Throat Medicine & Health Pages
How To Prevent Blindness From “The Sneak Thief of Sight”
By Dr. Gifford Jones
Is it possible to go blind in at least one eye before glaucoma is diagnosed? It’s very easy according to two surveys done in Germany and the Cayman Islands.
The disturbing news is that the public doesn’t know much about glaucoma. Yet this disease is the leading cause of adult blindness in this country. Fortunately there’s a simple way to protect yourself from the “Sneak Thief of Sight”. And in 1994 where do you think most people get their medical knowledge?
A Drug That Made Me A Hero With My MotherBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How a few moments can change our lives! One minute we have perfect eyesight. The next instant a shadow clouds all or a large part of our vision. Retinal detachment often occurs suddenly with no warning. Now a new technique using perfluorocarbon liquids (PCL’s) has revolutionized retinal detachment surgery. Eyesight that was permanently lost a few years ago can now be restored.
The retina at the back of the eyeball acts like the film in a camera, carrying images to the brain. If it becomes detached from its supports part or all vision is lost.
Meniere’s DiseaseBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Was Vincent van Gogh, the famous Dutch painter really mad, or did he cut off his ear because he suffered from Meniere’s Disease? We’ll never know the answer to that question. But prior to his death in 1890 Van Gogh was severely depressed. He suffered from vicious, recurring attacks of dizziness, nausea and an intense ringing in the ear.
It’s estimated that six million people in North America suffer from this troublesome problem and every year another 110,000 new cases are diagnosed. I’m sure that many of these sufferers, like Van Gogh, wish that they could lop off the annoying ear.
Halleluja For the The Non-Sedating AntihistaminesBy Dr. Gifford Jones
I used to hate the start of the allergy season. I had two choices. I could get some relief from antihistamines. Or suffer the usual agonies. But there was a problem with the first alternative. If I took the antihistamines available at the time I couldn’t keep awake to write this column. So like thousands of others I endured the annoying symptoms without medication. Now thanks to the non™sedating histamines I’ve returned to the land of the living.
They say that in springtime a young man’s fancy turns to love. But if you’re among the one in 20 that suffers from “hay fever” it’s hard to make love with a runny nose, itchy eyes and incessant sneezing.
What Parents Should Know About FireworksBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How can a festive occasion turn quickly into tragedy? In a couple of words, very easily. And just as sure as night follows day it will happen again during the next few weeks. It occurs year after year. People around the world love to celebrate their national days with fireworks. Hopefully this column will help save some North Americans from needless injuries.
I’ve never forgotten one incident that happened 25 years ago. I was sitting on the lawn with my wife and children while adults at a local club put on a fireworks display about 50 feet away. Suddenly one of the rockets took off horizontally heading directly towards us striking the ground a foot or two away. Luckily no one was injured.
Are You Listening With The Other Ear?By Dr. Gifford Jones
What should you do if the ear you normally use for the telephone isn’t up to par anymore? That in order to hear adequately it’s necessary to hold the telephone to the other ear? If so should you accept this as an aging problem? Or seek medical advice? In this case a little knowledge about a grain of wheat could save your life.
A tumour called a “vestibular schwannoma”, formerly known as an acoustic neuroma, starts to grow on the vestibuar nerve, one of several cranial nerves. It strikes only 10 in a million people and it’s ironic, that although benign, it can kill you.
Yuletide Colds and The Wisconsin Card GameBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Sir William Osler, one of this nation’s most renowned doctors, once gave this advice on how to treat a cold when he himself was feeling well. “Treat it with contempt”, he said. But even this famous physician wasn’t always consistent. Another day when he too suffered from this common malady he gave this advice, “ Go to bed. Put a hat on the bedpost. Drink whisky until you see two hats!”
No one wants to be bothered by a cold during this festive season. And it’s tempting to reach for something, anything, when a cold strikes. So it’s hard to blame consumers for spending over one billion dollars in North America every year for cold remedies that are heavily promoted. Even when they’ve been told a thousand times that such treatment may be of questionable value.
Night BlindnessBy Dr. Gifford Jones
How would you react if you knew you were gradually going blind? This week the account of one man who faced this frightening problem. It’s a story of despair and courage.
I recently interviewed Gordon Gund, co©founder of the Retinitis Pigmentosa Foundation, and owner of the San Hose Sharks hockey team who faced this personal tragedy.
HOW LASERS CAN PREVENT BLINDNESSBy Dr. Gifford Jones
What instrument can shuck a bucket of oysters, correct typing errors, fuse atoms, lay a straight line for a garden bed, repair detached retinas and drill holes in diamonds? If this question were to be asked in Trivial Pursuit, the answer is, “The laser”. Albert Einstein predicted the use of lasers in 1917. Now the “smart” laser used in computer-guided weapons that recently destroyed the Iraqi army, can also treat eye problems with pin-point accuracy.
A laser device produces a powerful beam of light. It acts much like the shaft of sunlight we used to focus through a magnifying glass as kids to start a fire. In medical use its advantage is that neither the doctor’s hand nor the laser instrument touches human tissue. This means less chance of infection and pain. And unlike the scalpel, it can zero in on something the size of a single cell.
WILL VITAMIN C AND E HELP TO PREVENT CATARACTS?By Dr. Gifford Jones
The figures are staggering. 541,000 cataract extractions are performed annually in the U.S. Among Americans between the age of 60 and 75, 20 per cent have visually disabling cataracts. Cataracts are the leading cause of impaired vision and blindness in the elderly and they affect 400,000 people every year. The cost of treating cataracts is also soaring. Last year 3.5 billion dollars was spent in the U.S. removing these clouded lenses. What causes the lens of the eye to become foggy? And how do vitamins C and E act to help fight this disabling disease?
THE RINGING IS DRIVING ME MADBy Dr. Gifford Jones
N.W. McLachlan wrote in 1935, “Noise is any undesired sound. Noise is sound at the wrong time and in the wrong place.” Many people who complain that a constant noise in the ears is driving them mad would say,"Amen “ to that definition. What causes “tinnitus” a ringing in the ears? And what can relieve this unrelenting annoyance?
Tinnitus means different things to different people. Davidah Wolf, chief audiologist at St.Michael’s Hospital in Toronto writing in the journal ,"Diagnosis", says this malady has existed since ancient times. That once treatment consisted of fumigating the ear with smoke from the burning skins of nonpoisonous snakes. Or the administration of various herbal medicines to the ear.
What You Should Know About The Sore Throat Card?By Dr. Gifford Jones
Every year it happens several times to millions of North Americans. Someone in the household wakens with a sore throat. The dilemma is knowing what to do about it. Should you wait until nature cures it? Or is it prudent to see the doctor in case it’s a prelude to serious disease? Now there’s a sore throat card to help answer this common question.
I’ve always believed in Sir William Osler’s advice for a cold. He facetiously counselled his patients to put a hat on the end of the bed post. Then start drinking scotch until they saw two hats! Or Mother’s advice about chicken soup. You can also take two aspirins and gargle, and call your doctor in the morning. Or now EªMail him in the morning!
WHAT YOU SHOULD KNOW ABOUT DISPOSABLE CONTACT LENSESBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Why wouldn’t anyone jump at the chance of wearing contact lenses for weeks at a time without the daily hassle of putting them in, taking them out, and cleaning them? The invention of extended-wear lenses seemed like a gift sent from Heaven. But those who jumped at the opportunity of using them for cosmetic reasons sometimes had a rude awakening. This gift carried a troublesome price tag. Some patients developed allergic reactions to the cleaning solutions. Others developed potentially dangerous infections and ulcers due to protein deposits on the lens. If they’re lost during swimming several hundred dollars went down the drain. Now a new six-pack of disposable lenses may help to solve these problems. And they can even turn your brown eyes blue.
ARE CONTACT LENS WORTH THE RISK?By Dr. Gifford Jones
Niccolo Machiavelli wrote in 1513 that ,"A man’s wisdom is most conspicuous where he is able to distinguish among dangers and make choice of the least.” This wisdom would be useful to medical consumers in 1987. Today increasing numbers of people are choosing contact lenses rather than traditional eye glasses. They are a great boon for patients following cataract surgery. But if such choice is for cosmetic or convenience reasons patients should be reminded that they rarely get something for nothing. Common sense dictates that a foreign object placed in the eye for many hours or days must result in some adjustment, be it minor or major. That’s why it’s important for patients to ask an ophthalmologist whether the benefits are worth the potential risk.
A Revolutionary Way To Prevent Cold SoresBy Dr. Gifford Jones
Do you want to avoid that ugly cold sore (herpes labialis) before it even starts? Few people who feel that dreaded tingle and know an attack is imminent would pass up that chance. Now, a new therapy called “InterceptCS” employs a revolutionary technique, “Thermal Defense Technology”, that prevents cold sore outbreaks.
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