A 57-year-old woman, receiving physiotherapy for an injured ankle, suddenly suffered a seizure, became unconscious, and was rushed to Emergency. The obvious diagnosis, a sudden stroke. But as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the English doctor and writer who created the fictional private detective, Sherlock Holmes, wrote, “There is nothing more […]
What is a ketogenic diet? How does it differ and is it more effective than other diets? Apart from the hype surrounding this diet, what are the medical concerns about it? Recent marketing of the ketogenic diet suggests it’s a new one. But a report from the University of California […]
Lao Tzu, the Chinese philosopher, wrote that “Silence is a source of great strength.” Possibly sound advice in some situations. But for people who’ve had a silent heart attack, silence is far from a virtue. In fact, according to a report from the University of California, up to one half […]
Why is it that some people eat to their heart’s content and never gain a pound, while others gain weight with a glance at the plate? As Bill Gates said, “Life is not fair. Get used to it.” But fair or unfair, is there a complex, unseen system that plays […]
How carefully have you been reading our column over the past year? Take our True or False quiz. #1: Excessive amounts of fructose, one of the main carbohydrates in refined sugar, is converted by the liver into fat. Glucose, the other component of sugar, is burned up as energy by […]
This year, the holidays aren’t what they should be. At least the vaccine’s roll-out brings anticipation that 2021 will see a return to normal. Until then, what would be our health advice to cooped up readers in this unusual holiday season? Here are a few suggestions: Say hello. Connecting with extended […]
It was 1949 and I was making rounds at the Massachusetts General Hospital with Professor Edward D. Churchill, an original thinker who taught medical school students and residents the importance of science in surgical practice. The X-ray showed a small mass in one lung in a very frail elderly lady. […]
Heart disease is a leading cause of death in North America. Almost half of all U.S. adults have some type of cardiovascular disease, and in Canada, a woman dies of heart disease every 20 minutes. Heart disease is not often a disease of chance or bad luck. For the most […]
Buyers beware. Falsely labeled products are misleading consumers. There are not 300 mg per gummy, as indicated on this label. There are 10 mg per gummy and 300 mg in the entire container. What’s the worst kind of pain? At the top of the list is debilitating chronic pain that, […]
We live at a time of growing choices regarding food substitutes. But how good are these new products when compared with the old staples? Think of margarine versus butter. Or more recently plant-based meats versus the real McCoy? Was William Shakespeare right when he wrote, “A substitute shines brightly as […]