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Bugs Bunny Carrots to Lose Weight
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Iris Evans says, “We need to create an atmosphere of wellness”. And unlike most politicians this one is practicing what she preaches. The 62 year old former nurse has lost 60 pounds in the last two years.

So what’s her idea? The Minister suggests giving tax write-offs, like a carrot to a donkey, to those who sign up for gym memberships and other athletic activities. Her idea is still in its early stages, but in a debt-free province there’s a good chance Alberta will be the first province to lure people off their duffs with a financially proactive approach to health care.

Who Says 10,000 Steps a Day?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

How many steps do most people take daily, and how many are needed for good health? I had no idea how many I take and thought it would be interesting and prudent to find out. And who is right about exercise, Mark Twain or the Earl of Derby?

The first step was to purchase a pedometer. It’s a small battery operated device (the cost, $30.00) that fits on the hip and counts your steps. Mine has more gizmos than I need. But the main button counts steps and another the calories burned up.

Super Aspirin Not So Super
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

In 1673 J.B. Moliere wrote, “ Nearly all men die of their medicines, not of their illness”. And while imprisoned on the island of St. Helena Napoleon commented, “Take a dose of medicine once and in all probability you will be obliged to take an additional hundred afterward”. So neither party would be surprised at the bombshell announcement that Vioxx, heralded as the “Super Aspirin” for arthritic pain, has been found to increase the risk of heart attack and stroke, and removed from the market. It’s the old story of “caveat empor”, let the buyer beware. But think again if you naively believe Vioxx is the only problem.

Why Your Child May Die Before You
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What is the greatest tragedy that can befall a parent? Most parents will reply, “That one of our children will die before we do”. The call that a child has been killed in an accident is a tragedy impossible to measure. Equally tragic is that today’s obese children may die before their parents. But this is a preventable tragedy and parents can do something to avoid it.

Many years ago I attended a service in Westminster Abbey in London, England. I can’t recall the sermon. But I do remember seeing chubby choir boys. I realized then how obesity was starting to affect children. Now, a report in the Canadian Medical Association Journal shows the extent of childhood obesity and how it can be prevented. 

It’s Okay To Inhale To Stop Smoking
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

An economist, analyzing financial disasters, remarked that “If you keep going to hell you’ll eventually get there”. This warning equally applies to the millions of people who still smoke and eventually die from this addiction. Today, there is no greater madness than smoking when research proves that smoking kills. Fortunately, there’s a new treatment that can help to save these needless deaths. In this case it’s okay to inhale to quit smoking, with the newest smoking cessation, the Nicorette inhaler.

Sir Walter Raleigh, a favourite of Queen Elizabeth I, introduced tobacco into England. But if he tried this today, authorities would hang him from the yardarm for even suggesting its use. Tobacco would be immediately banned as a hazardous substance. Now we know tobacco contains 4,000 chemicals of which 40 are known to cause cancer in humans. It’s ironic that no one would swallow a pill that has this lethal mixture yet some willingly smoke cigarettes that contain it!

Pogo Was Right
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

How long should we be our brothers’ keeper? A report in the British newspaper, The Guardian, claims that being a Samaritan is coming to an end in England. Smokers and overweight people will soon be asked to sign contracts with their doctors. They will have to agree to a program to quit smoking and lose weight under a radical medical plan drawn up by the Labour government. Health secretary, Alan Milburn, says it’s an attempt to remind people of their own responsibilities. The document will not deny medical care to those who refuse to sign the agreement. But the government wants to make it clear that smokers and overweight people must play a role in caring for themselves by stopping smoking, losing weight, eating a more nutritious diet, and exercising. 

What you don’t know about Tylenol can kill you
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Socrates, the Greek philosopher, cautioned in 410 B.C. “Nothing in excess.” Others since that time have added, “Too much of a good thing is worse than none at all.” But North Americans don’t believe it. Every year, people unwittingly poison themselves with excess acetaminophen, better known by the brand name, Tylenol. It’s easier than most realize to damage the liver and cause death. They do it to themselves, and sometimes to their children as well.

In the U.S., federal health officials report that 56,000 Americans end up in emergency rooms each year due to a Tylenol overdose. And that 16,000 die from complications related to over-the-counter painkillers. These figures may be higher, since some cases are not reported.

Would You Ask Al Capone To Reform The Criminal System?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

How naive can you be? Premier Romanow has been touring the country for months trying to discover what’s wrong with the Canadian health care system. His simplistic solution? 15 million dollars. He believes that tossing more bags of money into the failing health care system will save it. His foresight is appalling. Even a 14 year old girl could figure that out.

During the flurry of interviews and newspaper reports following release of the Romanow report I kept waiting for someone to ask the obvious question. But neither CBC anchor Peter Mansbridge, newspaper journalists nor physicians posed the ultimate query. It took a 14 year old girl to state, “Canadians must exercise more, stop smoking, eat well and don’t take illegal drugs”. 

Put a Tape Measure In Every Christmas Stocking
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

The more and more complicated medicine becomes the greater the need to keep it simple. After all, how many people know the formula on how to measure body mass index (BMI) ? Luckily there’s no longer any need to tax your brain on this matter. All you need is a tape to measure abdominal circumference. If your dimensions indicate a pot-belly, it’s more important than BMI in gauging cardiovascular risk.

Dr. Shankuan Zhu, a researcher at the Obesity Centre at Columbia University in New York, examined 4,388 males with an average age of 44 and 4,631 females with an average age of 47. 

The Checkup, Too Much Or Too Little?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

What constitutes a good checkup examination? Good sense dictates that young children don’t need a Pap smear for cervical cancer, a PSA test for prostate malignancy or X-ray studies to measure bone density. So what’s done depends on the patient’s age and it can save a life or prevent serious diseases.

Today many hi-tech diagnostic tests are available, but the stethoscope is all that’s needed to spot a big killer. Since 60 million North Americans have hypertension a blood pressure check must be a part of every annual examination. It’s the second leading cause of kidney failure. 

The Big Bottoms Have It
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Males often remark, only half-jokingly, that they want to marry a younger woman to care for them in their old age. If that’s their motive, should age be the only factor to consider? A recent study shows they should be looking for a particular shaped girl. But alas another report indicates some men may not live long enough to find one.

In 1960 Swedish researchers, suspecting that size might influence health, decided to measure the hips of 1,400 women between the ages of 38 to 60. None of the women were obese. But they were of different shapes when measured by hip size.

Does a Healthy Lifestyle Really Pay Off?
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Have you ever wondered how much benefit you gain from being good? Saying “no” to rich desserts you’ve enjoyed for years. Tossing away tobacco, too many martinis and other vices. After all, why give up these pleasures if the return is only marginal. Now a study from Harvard answers this question. And the findings even shocked researchers.

Dr. Meir Stampfer is Professor of Epidemiology and Nutrition at The Harvard Medical School. He reports in the New England Journal of Medicine a huge study involving 84,129 women. It’s called the “Nurses Health Study” in which researchers have followed the habits of these nurses for over 20 years. 

Low Intensity Light Therapy Heals Chronic Wounds
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Do patients receive ineffective treatment when they could be cured by a lesser-known technique? The answer? Probably tens of thousands.

I recently spent a day at a Meditech Conference in Toronto listening to experts discuss dermatological and wound ulcers that were resistant to treatment. There I saw startling photos showing how Low Intensity Laser Therapy (LILT) can often cure these conditions. Today, there is something new under the sun.

Travelling Without Montezuma’s Revenge
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

Friends frequently ask me, “What antibiotics and other drugs are you taking with you for Montezuma’s Revenge when you leave for Mexico?” They are surprised when I tell them I don’t carry any medication. I add that recently I visited Egypt and cruised up the Nile River to the Aswan dam without packing any medication. My son and I didn’t lose one minute from an attack of travellers’ diarrhea during the trip. Was this just luck, or did I have a secret weapon to counter this terror-inducing disorder? 

0157:H7 Is Not the Number Of A Car License
 By Dr. Gifford Jones

“I’d prefer to have the red snapper without the spinach”, my wife said to the waiter. Like many people she was concerned about the recent outbreak of infection resulting from contaminated California spinach. But if you think the “All Clear” has been given to eat spinach and other greens, you had better think again. Bacteria such as E.Coli 0157:H7 always win when you toss caution to the wind. And does organic foods really protect you from this disease, as some believe?

This recent outbreak of E. Coli 0157:H7 is not the first. The bacterium was first identified in 1982 when some people ate uncooked beef.

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