Next 15 Columns

Fluoridation, And Why Montreal Males May Be Better Lovers
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

“Doctor, I’d suggest fluoride treatment to protect your teeth” my dentist said.

I agreed. After all, I’d been told since I was knee-high that fluoride prevents cavities. I’ve also used fluoride toothpaste for years. But I recently decided to research this topic to see if there was a downside to this treatment. Now I know why Montreal males are better lovers than those in Toronto. 

Fluoridation of Water A Health Benefit Or a Toxic Drink?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

“Doctor, I’d suggest fluoride treatment to protect your teeth”. I agreed with my dentist. After all, I’d been told since I was knee-high that fluoride prevents cavities. I’ve also used fluoride toothpaste for years. But I recently decided to research this topic to see if there was a downside to this treatment.

William, a three year old Brooklyn boy, had his first dental checkup in 1974. Fluoride gel was spread over the teeth. Following that he was handed a glass of water by the hygienist who failed to inform him to swish the solution in his mouth and spit it out. Instead, he drank the water and a few hours later he was dead from fluoride poisoning. Fluoride is an acute toxin with a rating higher than lead. 

Prevent Your Teeth From Falling Out
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What an appalling situation! We send rockets to Mars. We transplant hearts and kidneys. Yet we can’t stop North Americans from losing their teeth. By age 60 one in three have lost, not some, but all of their teeth. Why does this happen when the solution is so, so simple? It’s because of several misconceptions about dental care. And laziness.

George Herbert wrote in 1640, “For want of a nail, the horse’s shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. And for want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.”

Do Infected Gums Cause Heart Attack
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Why did the patient die from a sudden heart attack? The victim was a thin, middle-aged who had never smoked and exercised regularly. Blood cholesterol values had always been normal and there was no history of diabetes. Moreover, both parents were still living and well. Could this death have been prevented by the household dishwasher?

I was sceptical two years ago when I first read about a possible relationship between infection and coronary attack. Now a report from the Harvard Medical School in its publication “Focus”, links chronically infected gums (periodontal disease) to coronary heart disease (CHD). 

For want of a nail the kingdom was lost
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

George Herbert in 1640 wrote. “For want of a nail, the horse’s shoe was lost. For want of a shoe, the horse was lost. For want of a horse, the rider was lost. For want of a rider, the battle was lost. And for want of a battle, the kingdom was lost.” A report from the American Dental Association shows that due to a series of errors and misconceptions many North Americans lose precious teeth. Why does it happen, and what can you do to keep your teeth for a lifetime? 

Finally an end to the clickety-clack
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

George Washington, the first President of the United States, always looks tight-lipped in his portraits. But he had good reason not to smile. The President had difficulty keeping his wooden dentures from falling out. Today there’s been a vast improvement in dentures, yet it hasn’t entirely removed that clickety-clack noise. Or the embarrassment of having to remove false teeth. Or the difficulty of eating certain foods. Conventional dentures however, will soon be as antiquated as the Model-T Ford. We have entered the age of dental implants. They are a momentous breakthrough in the history of dentistry.

How travellers should handle dental emergencies
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What should you do if you develop an abscessed tooth in Mexico? Or if a tooth is knocked out in Berlin? Or if hemorrhage occurs after a recent extraction while travelling to Moscow? There are some important do’s and dont’s if you seek dental care in a foreign land.

Dental problems abroad are usually initiated at home from years of neglect. Most travellers have the wrong idea about rust. They think it just causes holes in drainpipes. But dental rust (periodontal gum disease) is the main cause of tooth loss in people over the age of 35. It’s an insidious process starting as “gingivitis” in which gums turn from a natural pink colour to red.

A high score keeps your teeth a lifetime
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

“What a shame”, I thought, “that she had never read Don Quixote”. My wealthy patient had fingers loaded with diamonds. But at 40 years of age she was wearing a complete set of dentures in her mouth. Miguel de Cervantes the Spanish novelist wrote 400 years ago,” For what I would have you know , Sancho, that a mouth without molars is like a mill without a stone, and a tooth is more precious than a diamond.” Cervantes would be amazed that today it’s possible to keep teeth a lifetime due to tremendous advances in dentistry. So why are so many lacking teeth? It’s because there’s a limit to what dental technology alone can accomplish.

Viagra For Climbing Mount Everest?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

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 is a frequent cause of eye injury. 

Pneumonia, The Big Killer
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What infection will cause the most deaths this winter? Many people will answer it’s AIDS or hepatitis. But it’s pneumonia. In fact, the pneumonia mortality rate is four times that of AIDS. Every year three to four million North Americans develop pneumonia. Unfortunately many die because they believe pneumonia is not a big deal.

During the winter pneumonia is seen everywhere. In the hospital emergency wad, doctors’ offices and nursing homes. But most cases are acquired in the community, hence the term “Community Acquired Pneumonia (CAP)”

A New Drug To Treat Asthma
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Why are more asthma patients with “twitchy airways” being rushed to emergency departments? Or needlessly suffering from this common disorder? Since the 1970’s the incidence of asthma has continued to rise. Today, an estimated four to five percent of the population suffers from this disorder. Now, a new medication will help to improve the quality of life.

Asthma is a chronic inflammatory condition of the airways. It’s triggered by allergens and other stimuli which cause spasm and obstruction of the bronchial tubes.

A Better Way To Treat “COLD”
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Have you ever tried sucking up a thick milkshake through a small straw? It’s not easy. Today millions of people in North America are desperately trying to get air in and out of their lungs. They’re suffering from “COLD”. Not the common cold. But from chronic obstructive lung disease. Now there’s new hope for patients with chronic respiratory problems.

Chronic obstructive lung disease is a general term that’s associated with common lung diseases such as chronic bronchitis, emphysema and asthma. 

The “White Death” And Airplane Travel
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What should you do if you’re sitting next to a fellow traveller who is incessantly coughing? The smartest thing to do is get up and move. But suppose you’re not on a bus or subway? Rather, you’re on an international flight and there’s no other seat available? And you don’t know whether your fellow traveller has “the white death”, tuberculosis?

Not too many years ago there would be little reason to write this column. But today this scenario does happen. On a recent flight from Paris to New York more than a dozen passengers were unwittingly infected with MDR (a medically drug resistant strain of tuberculosis). 

Zyban, A New Drug To Kick The Nicotine Habit
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Are you a “smokaholic”? One who says “Of course I know the dangers of smoking. I haven’t been living on Mars. But I enjoy smoking and if it’s destined to kill me, so what?” If that’s your attitude no one can stop you smoking. But for others, trying to break the nicotine habit, a new drug “Zyban”, could save your life.

Before any doctor gets on his white©charger, however, and starts preaching the gospel, he or she should be sure of one thing. How much good does it really do to quit smoking? After all, why give up a pleasurable habit if the rewards are only minimal? 

The Benefits and Hazards of Marijuana
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Have I ever smoked pot? Not in the past and not at the moment. I grew up in a era when the worst thing you did was sneak behind the barn and smoke a cigarette. But would I smoke marijuana now? You bet, if there was a medical need. And like some people with AIDS and other diseases I’d fight like hell to do it.

Several years ago I was contacted by Terry Parker, a Toronto resident. He told me that without smoking marijuana he was subject to three grand mal seizures and anywhere from 15 to 80 petit mal seizures a week! 

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