Over 36 million people worldwide live with Alzheimer’s with an estimated 600+ billion dollars in health care costs last year (WebMD). It is estimated three quarters; 24 million of 36 million people live with Alzheimer’s but have not yet been diagnosed. This means that not all persons living with Alzheimer’s are benefitting from early treatment and furthermore, from appropriate caregiving. According to Dr. Whitehouse:

What’s the chance of living to 85 years and beyond? Dr. Bradley J. Wilcox is the lead author of a longevity study carried out by the Pacific Health Research Institute in Hawaii. It’s one of the longest studies on aging and it followed the health of 5,820 Japanese-American men for 40 years. At the start of the study their average age was 45 and they were all healthy. What happened to them depended on nine key factors. You can calculate your longevity with this simple arithmetic.

I’ve often asked myself this question, “How much better could I treat patients if I had also studied forms of “alternate therapy”? After all those of us with traditional medical degrees haven’t learned everything. This week, an interesting story of a Harvard physician who had a first hand experience with one form of alternate medicine.

“Eat three pineapples a day, take hot baths with Epsom salts, followed by cold showers, and call me in a week!” This was the advice given by a Chinese naturopath to a Harvard doctor whose backache could not be cured by conventional medicine.

Why hasn’t there been any progress at all in drug selection through the use of molecular diagnostics and biomarkers? Simply put, they do not work! Little progress has been made in identifying which therapeutic strategies are likely to be effective for individual patients by molecular prognostic and predictive markers.

Last week I reported on a study conducted by Peter Gotzsche (Stop Lying To Women About mammography), a leading Danish researcher. His study claimed there’s no convincing evidence that annual mammograms decrease the risk of dying from breast cancer. But can repeated exposure to radiation cause breast cancer?

28 years ago I reported a shocking discovery. Some x-ray machines were exposing patients up to 60 X the amount of radiation necessary for some procedures. X-ray equipment was often old, others rarely calculated for radiation exposure, and some technologists were incompetent. This column did not win me friends. But it resulted in a crack down by the government.

Why is research that could save countless lives unknown to Canadian and U.S. doctors?  This week, a report that Dr. Sydney Bush, an optometrist in Hull, England, has made an historic discovery. He claims that atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) can be reversed. And his research, which could save millions from heart attack, should have made headlines around the world.

It’s been said that the eye is the window to the heart. It’s the only part of the body through which doctors can see arteries and veins during an eye examination. This allows doctors to see changes in retinal vessels, the result of aging, hypertension, diabetes and atherosclerosis. And it’s been believed for years that blockages in arteries due to cholesterol deposits could not be reversed.

What’s one of the most important rules in medicine today? It’s “Never take a drug if a natural and safer remedy provides the same relief”. Today millions of people are taking cholesterol-lowering drugs to prevent heart attack. But this therapy comes with a price. Some patients develop muscle cramps, liver and kidney problems and some have died. Good sense dictates that it’s prudent to first try other ways to lower blood cholesterol.

Linus Pauling, two-time Nobel Prize winner, says a high dose of vitamin C before breakfast is a smart way to start the day. How much you take depends on your tolerance of C. Too much may cause diarrhea. But most people can tolerate 2,000 milligrams (mg). Ascorbic acid powder (vitamin C) is the least expensive way to buy this vitamin. A flat teaspoon equals 5,000 mg and can be mixed with orange juice.

My initial reaction was, “It can’t be true!”. I’ve enough gray hair to know that if something sounds too good to be true, it’s normally an easy way to lose money. But this was one of my editors talking. And I’ve also got enough gray hair to know you don’t tell your editor he’s full of baloney. That’s a speedy way to get fired. So I politely listened. Particularly, since preserving healthy teeth has always been a good way to preserve your health.

Why is it that some people are thin and others prone to obesity? Hundreds of books have been written to explain this dilemma. Some blame the under-active thyroid. Others cite genetics. But Dr. James Levine, an endocrinologists and Professor of Nutrition at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, has a “neat theory” supported by “Magic Underwear” to explain the difference.

Three letters, ACL (anterior cruciate ligament), could end the golfing career of Tiger Woods. As much as he tried, it was impossible for Woods to keep his pain to himself as he held his left knee, and limped and grimaced through 91 holes of the U.S Open. But was it prudent for Woods to play with an injured knee and risk further damage to this vulnerable joint?

Anyone interested in a hot tip on how to make a lot of money without any risk? It’s not my job to pass along financial advice, but in this instance I can’t resist the urge. Invest in a hearing aid company, because the next generation is going deaf and they don’t know it.

A French proverb says, “I do not like noise unless I make it myself”. This proverb must have been uttered centuries ago when someone was enjoying a glass of chardonay in a sleepy French village. Today, we’re running out of quiet places to hide and escape noise. And excessive sound from MP3 players such as the iPod is a gift from Heaven for those selling hearing aids.

What’s the best way to stay symptom©free during the allergy season? It used to be an impossible task. But that’s past history. Here are some answers to the most common questions that arrive in my mail.

Question © What is an allergy?

Allergies are triggered by pollen, molds, food and dust. In some cases the body’s immune system is sensitized and over©responds to these substances. The most common condition is “allergic rhinitis” resulting in a runny, stuffy, and itchy nose.

Would you like to have your picture taken in the nude sitting on a toilet? Then have the photo published in The Globe and Mail, Canada’s national newspaper? Surely, we’d all sue for such an indignity. But a recent photo showed Diew, a bull elephant whose been trained to sit on an elephant-sized toilet. No doubt the photo meant to stress that the irritable bowel syndrome (IBS) is an elephant-sized problem. But editors published the wrong photo.

It’s ironic that an elephant can be trained to sit on a toilet seat, but humans can’t be taught how to avoid IBS. It’s estimated that 25 percent of North Americans suffer from this disconcerting disease.

I’d bet a thousand to one that 99.9 percent of readers have never heard of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Yet a recent report from Johns Hopkins University claims that 25 percent of North Americans suffer from this disorder. What is it, how can it be prevented and treated?

Today you would have to be living on Mars not to know that heart disease and diabetes are often related to obesity. Now excessive pounds are also causing liver disease. We all tend to forget that whether we’re dealing with war, love or medicine one problem often leads to a greater one.

What would I do if I were a woman at the age of menopause and read the headline, “Breast cancer drop linked to decline in hormone therapy”? I’d be scared as hell if I were already taking estrogen. And I’d consider flushing it down the toilet. But what should menopausal women do then if they have an whelming desire to kick the cat, or their husband?

In 2002, a study of 16,000 women aged 50 to 79 showed that hormone replacement therapy (HRT) increased the risk of breast cancer by 26 percent, stroke by 41 percent, heart attack by 29, cardiovascular disease by 22 , and it doubled the rate of blood clots.

Do many rapists know that a condom could put them on the operating table? Not many. And how many people believe that barbecuing can have a lethal outcome? Not many. Life is indeed full of surprises.

Sonette Ehlers, a South African, has invented an anti-rape device called, “Rapex”. It’s made of latex and is placed like a condom inside the female vagina. But there the comparison to the male condom ends. Rapex also has a number of sharp barbs that hook onto the penis during sexual assault. I imagine it must be like having a dozen fish hooks attached to your John Henry. “Ouch”

It was not a good day at the office. My morning was just ending, when two female investigators from the College of Physicians and Surgeons, arrived without notice and asked to see me. I was handed an envelope and one woman immediately started to take notes. This was not a good sign. So I asked the reason for the sudden visit and was shocked to hear I had been accused of sexual misconduct.

That same day I was meeting my wife for lunch so I told her with trepidation what had just occurred. She immediately laughed and said, “Congratulations! At your age you should be proud of yourself!” But I didn’t share her sense of humour at the time.

Are you fed up reading about war, our failing health care system and crooked CEOs? If so, let’s discuss a more pleasant topic, the way to ensure a long and healthy life. Some are convinced that jogging, a variety of diets or a daily glass of red wine is the answer. But what about sex? The fact is that making love is downright good for you. Here are eight reasons why you should put more amore into your life.

Como todos Uds. ya saben, Viagland mr es un producto único en su tipo y generación, siendo un “ Suplemento Alimenticio coadyuvante auxiliar en la Regeneración Osteoarticular y el Anti-Envejecimiento en general del Organismo Humano “, según lo han demostrado los muchísimos Casos Clínicos que se tienen a través de los años así como la vasta Experiencia Médica y Clínica obtenida con los espectaculares y sorprendentes resultados comprobados por la H. Comunidad Médica Mundial en la administración del mismo, en ésta clase de Padecimientos del Ser Humano

Viagland mr, está conformado por 4 Suplementos Alimenticios:

Viagland mr:    Glándula Salival de Bovino y Proteína de Soya ( Glycine Max ).
Transvit mr:    Ajo Deshidratado ( Allium Sativum ).
Lecifosfan mr:  Caseinato de Calcio y Lecitina de Soya (Glycine Max).
Asvit mr:        Oseína Gelatina.

“How could this possibly happen?” is the usual soul-searching response. A young healthy athlete has left home to play in a sporting event. Then in a matter of seconds, collapses and dies before anything can be done to save his or her life. The big question is why these premature deaths occur, and can they be prevented?

Dr. Michael Ackerman is head of the Mayo Clinic’s Sudden Death Genomics Laboratory. He agrees that news of these unexpected deaths saddens parents and shocks communities. And when such sudden fatalities strike seemingly invincible star athletes, parents worry it could happen to any child involved in recreational sports. Luckily, he states, these shocking deaths are rare.

“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.

“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.

Civil wars and corruption helped to bring down the Roman Empire. But how much was due to mad emperors? Some authorities suspect that their brains had been so poisoned by lead that they could no longer govern wisely. Romans used cheap, easy to use lead pipes for their plumbing and wine processing. Some Romans even sprinkled lead on their food! Today lead still poses problems, but being patient when thirsty can decrease the risk.

Why not prescribe natural remedies rather than man-made pills to prevent disease? The longer I practice medicine the more I’m convinced this has some wisdom. Now, a report in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that an ancient anti-gout diet does work. And that mother was often right.

Thomas Sydenham, often referred to as the English Hippocrates, was also skeptical of pills. He remarked that, “The arrival of a good clown exercises a more beneficial influence upon the health of a town than 20 asses laden with drugs.” Sydenham died in 1689 of gout and no one has ever improved on his description of the pain.

“One of these days you’re going to push your luck too far”, my wife often says to me. She’s not complaining that I’m spending too much money on horse races. Or betting the farm on a gold mine in Zimbabwe. Rather, for years I’ve told waiters I want my steak rare. Is this risky or can it fight heart failure?

Friends often say to me, “We don’t eat meat in our family anymore”. But does this make sense? After all, humans have been enjoying meat since the caveman discovered it could keep him alive. And there are still sound reasons for not giving it up.

“How can the obesity problem be solved in our country?” a U.S. interviewer recently asked me. I hadn’t had too many Martini’s, and wasn’t joking, when I replied, “It would take a famine!” Consider the failures.

The city of Calgary has just proclaimed itself “Number One”. Not because the Calgary Flames won the Stanley Cup. Rather, it’s the first city in Canada to have a “bariatric response team”, not an elite anti-terror squad, but trained paramedics with a $30,000 mechanical system to lift morbidly obese patients onto a stretcher.

Several weeks ago I reported on a new revolutionary way to fight osteoporosis. This year astronauts will use the technique when they take the “Juvent Dynamic Motion Therapy Platform (DMT) to the space station. It’s a non-drug method of preventing astronauts from developing brittle bones in a weightless atmosphere. I didn’t realize at the time I wrote that it would also prevent osteonecrosis of the jaw, now linked to current drugs for treatment of osteoporosis.

In 2007 what will astronauts take to the space station? I’m sure we would name the things necessary to sustain life in outer space. But I doubt if many would know they will be packing the “Juvent 1000 Dynamic Motion Therapy (DMT) Platform” in the space shuttle. And how many are aware of Wolff’s Law? Now, through the space research of NASA, patients have an alternative non-drug way to fight the ravages of osteoporosis (brittle bones).

Astronauts face major problems during space travel. One of the most severe is the loss of bone tissue. In a weightless atmosphere, without the earth’s gravitational pressure, astronauts lose two percent of their bone mass every month.

“But how did you pay for the $250,000 treatment” I asked one of my patients? To my surprise she replied, “I applied and received a grant from the Canadian government”. This huge sum of money shocked me. What amazed me more, as a taxpayer, was the money’s destination, Arizona. I decided to find out what treatment is worth $250,000 in the U.S. And, who says our government is stingy with medical care!

My patient’s teenage daughter was suffering from Anorexia Nervosa and various treatments, including those at the Hospital For Sick Children (HSC) in Toronto, had failed to cure this psychological disease. Now, doctors at HSC had referred her to The Remuda Ranch in Arizona, a live-in facility where she would be treated for several months.

Would I allow Ritalin or other similar drugs to be prescribed to my children because they fidgeted, squirmed in their seat or were inattentive? Hell would freeze over a thousand times before I’d submit to such idiocy. But today an estimated five million Canadian and U.S. children are prescribed medication for this condition.

This year, a committee of the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) concluded that a “black box” warning should be placed on ADHD medications, warning about heart attack and other risks. It’s the strongest warning possible before a drug is removed from the market. A second advisory panel disagreed so no decision has been reached.

“I’ve decided to start publishing your column”, the editor remarked to me. Then he added, “You realize your life will never be the same again?” How true! 30 years later I’ve now written a newspaper column every week, 52 weeks a year, a total of 5,230 articles. It’s an experience I wouldn’t have missed. And what have I learned?

I would gladly hang some lawyers for what they’ve done to medical practice. Parasitic ambulance chasers have forced doctors to take needless x-rays and other tests for fear of medical malpractice suits. This has increased the cost of medical care when medical budgets are stretched to the limit and limited the judgment of physicians.

If these people cannot care for themselves how can they care for a child?

Would you employ them as a baby-sitter to look after your own child?

If we assume that abortion should not be a method of contraception then it is morally wrong to refuse these people a sterilzation procedure

The fact they cannot provide informed consent is not a valid point. Neither can they give informed consent to any other procedure such as an appendectomy or the need for an antibiotic.

An English proverb cautions that “It is the unexpected that always happens”. No doubt people looking back on their life can recall several of those unexpected and unpleasant events. But how often do unexpected events happen in surgery?

Today an increasing number of people face hip and knee replacement operations.

They’re often concerned about the pain following surgery and long sessions of physiotherapy to recover joint mobility. But how many think of coronary attack after the operation?

Of course you all know how to keep healthy this year. Keep active, eat healthy foods, don’t smoke, drink alcohol moderately, have regular medical, dental and eye checkups, buy a bathroom scale so there’s no burying your head in the sand about obesity, etc, etc, etc. But here are some precautions you may not have considered.

Are you scheduled for surgery in 2007? If so, there’s a sure way to circumvent a horrendous surgical error. We’ve all heard stories about surgeons amputating the wrong leg. Or fixing a hernia on the side that didn’t need it and neglecting the one that did. If you think this is past history, you had better think again.

“How can I rid myself of recurrent urinary infections?” a distraught patient asked me. Several courses of antibiotics had failed to end her discomfort. Now, with Cranberry Women’s Formula, there’s a natural treatment that helps to prevent frequent bladder infections, improve general health and, in the bargain, fights obesity.

Every year an estimated 30 to 50 million North American women suffer from cystitis. And they’re tired of hearing, “We know where you’re going!”

“We know where you’re going!” is not a phrase that women want to hear. But due to an aging population increasing numbers of women are rushing to the bathroom. Some are suffering from urinary infection or an overactive bladder. But increasing numbers of women need frequent changes of diapers due to urinary stress incontinence. Unfortunately, many women with this problem are too embarrassed to seek help. But there are ways to help relieve patients of this annoying disorder.

Are you headed for a heart attack because of “marginal scurvy”, a condition resulting from a lack of vitamin C? Moreover, if vitamin C is sound medicine for gorillas, why isn’t it good for us? And in the 16th century, why did the ship’s cat survive long sea voyages when its sailors died from scurvy?

Today, we know that sailors of old, lacking vitamin C, died of this preventable disease. A shortage of fresh fruit in their diet resulted in degeneration of blood vessels, hemorrhage and death.

“Do you want Ford or Cadillac vitamins?”, I asked readers in a previous column. It triggered many requests, revealing much confusion about vitamins. Some readers had stopped taking vitamin E due to scary headlines. Others had tossed out calcium as being ineffective. Still others wondered if it’s possible to get too much of a good thing, and where to obtain more information on vitamins.

An excess of anything can be poisonous to the human body. Too much vitamin A can cause fetal defects in pregnant women and in others, severe liver damage. Hunters who eat bear’s liver which contains large amounts of vitamin A have suffered from liver failure. We need no more than 10,000 IU of A daily.