Winston Churchill, Great Britain’s wartime Prime Minister, once remarked that, “he had gotten more out of alcohol than alcohol had taken out of him.” During the Nazi bombing of London perhaps an alcoholic drink eased his tension. But recent reports from Tufts University in Boston and the University of California, […]
Worried about having too many alcoholic drinks during the coronavirus pandemic? Think you’re on the way to liver cirrhosis? If so, think again and wonder whether you are instead developing non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). It can lead to cirrhosis and possibly liver cancer. A report from the University of […]
William Shakespeare wrote, “In the night, imagining some fear, how easy is a bush supposed a bear!” For many families having lost loved ones to the coronavirus, this has been a devastating year. The death numbers are broadcast relentlessly. Small wonder people have become paranoid about travelling. But does this […]
Research for this column won’t qualify us for the Nobel Prize in Medicine. In fact, readers may say that discussing whether poop sinks or floats is just idle conversation. Years ago, when this column covered this topic, many readers admitted they peeked into the toilet bowl. One complained this triggered […]
Will the so-called progress of civilization eventually destroy us? Indigenous Peoples, hundreds of years ago, did not devastate nature the way we do today. Oceans are loaded with plastics and soil with dangerous contaminants. Now, is the air we breathe gradually destroying our brains? A report published in Proceedings for the […]
Ask a comedian, tennis player, or chef, what’s important in their work. They will tell you, it’s timing. Every year 1,200,000 knees are replaced in North America. And just as comedians need good timing, so too this elective surgery. If COVID-19 concerns have you delaying treatment, you may want to […]
Dr. Paul Dudley White, former Professor of Cardiology at the Harvard Medical School, used to ride his bike to class even in his later years. He remarked, “If you want to see how good your brain is, feel your leg muscles!” Biking may not be for everyone, but research shows […]
Why don’t we learn from history? Years ago, Australians began to use mixtures of powders containing Aspirin, codeine, phenacetin and caffeine to ease pain. By the 1970s, 25% of those dying of kidney disease had consumed too much of this powder. They also suffered hardening of arteries (atherosclerosis) and heart […]
It’s a shame when you are slowly dying from a disease you don’t know you have. To boot, what a tragedy if there is a cure. Yet this ignorance is a reality for many aging boomers who don’t know that they are infected with the hepatitis C virus. Anyone can […]
An effective vaccine against the coronavirus may be the only way to end the pandemic. Wouldn’t we all love a return to social normalcy and easier sleep? But until scientists deliver a vaccine, or until the virus runs its course and goes away, we need to use other measures. Among […]