Subscribe to Canada Free Press for FREE
Are Rare Steaks Good For Your Heart?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 22, 2007
"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?
Famine The Only Cure For Obesity
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 8, 2007
“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.
Yellow Pickerel Will Cure My Depression
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
April 22, 2007
What would I order for my final meal on this planet? It would be a freshly caught Yellow Pickerel cooked over a roaring camp fire. Years ago I spent one magnificent summer doing fish research in northern Ontario. Since then no fancy white-tablecloth restaurant has offered me a better fish meal. Besides, fish were free of contamination in those long-ago days. So what should we know about the health benefits of eating fish today?
Picky Eaters: The Terror Of Being Invited To Dinner
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Saturday, February 17, 2007
What's the worst fear for some people? It's not standing before a crowd and giving a major speech. Nor is it the apprehension of being crushed in a crowded elevator or flying. It's the terror of being invited to dinner at a friend's home. A report in the Washington Post outlines the overwhelming fears of picky eaters.
Tortilla Chips To Lower Blood Cholesterol?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Tuesday, December 26, 2006
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.
How To Fight Cancer With Food
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Sunday, August 20, 2006
Imagine that every day of the year four fully loaded Boeing 747s crashed, killing everyone. This is the number of people who die every year from cancer. Two Montreal reseachers, Drs Richard Beliveau and Denis Gingras, say in their book "Foods That Fight Cancer" that 30 percent of these deaths are caused by poor dietary habits. But that if you're cancer smart with food you can have a safer flight through life.
Thank God For Prince Edward Island Potatoes
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Sunday, May 21, 2006
Hell will freeze over before I stop eating Prince Edward Island potatoes. I admit I love, love potatoes. Any kind, any way! But this isn't just an irrational addiction on my part. Rather, the lowly and much maligned potato has great nutritional value. Some of my patients say they avoid them like the plague. It's all because of the recent hulabaloo about the so-called virtues of a "low-carb" diet.
Magnesium Keeps The Undertaker Away
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Wednesday, April 26, 2006
A healthy 18-year-old basketball player and health-conscious jogger recently left this world all of a sudden. Why? Because of an initial diagnosis; death from coronary artery disease due to high blood cholesterol. But the cause of death eventually proved to be due to magnesium deficiency. Magnesium has never been a super-star nutrient like calcium. But it's still crucial in keeping the undertaker away and in fighting several common chronic diseases. So are you getting enough of this mineral?
The Uncensored Hot Dog: What Does It Look Like?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Tuesday, January 31, 2006
"How much do our kids know about sex?" is a question parents often ponder. But how many ask, "What do our children know about food?" A study conducted by the British Heart Foundation shows it's appallingly little. And the Foundation is using a shocking approach to change this situation.
President's Choice Is Helping To Fight Hypertension
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Wednesday, October 12, 2005
Interested in a simple way to live longer? No, not medication to lower blood cholesterol. But a much easier prescription. Just decrease the amount of salt you consume every day. Incredibly, most people are unaware of the huge amount of salt they're ingesting, and it's killing them. Now President's Choice is helping to educate consumers on ways to prevent a lethal blowout from excess salt. How are they doing it, and why are there no TV ads about the dangers of salt?
Low Carb Diets Now History
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
September 11, 2005
Remember when gold hit 800 dollars an ounce in 1981 and people lined up to buy gold? Or when people said that you were missing the boat if you didn't buy high tech stocks? Others rushed to lose weight on Atkin's low carbohydrate diet which never made nutritional sense. History shows it's always time to run for cover when everybody's doing it.
Do You Know What Your Child Is Drinking?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Wednesday, August 31, 2005
What current lifestyle problem bothers me the most today? It's seeing obese children guzzling cans of liquid candy. Parents must be totally unaware of the can's contents. But if they know the health consequences, and do nothing about it, they should see psychiatrists.
The Anti-Inflammatory Diet: A Diet for All Ages
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Tuesday, March 1, 2005
What is the most prudent diet to follow today? Some swear it's the Atkin's high protein diet. Others believe the low fat Ornish diet is the answer. And I've often stressed that a high fiber diet promotes health. But what about The Anti-Inflammatory Diet?
How Much Water, Potassium and Salt Do We Need?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 1, 2005
W.C. Fields, the comedian, joked, "No use for water, water's for flowing under bridges". Like Fields I've never enjoyed water unless it's with an occasional scotch. But for years authorities have said we must drink eight glasses of water daily to stay healthy. So who is right? And how much sodium and potassium do we need each day?
The Disease With a Thousand Different Faces
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
December 1, 2004
Why would I want to use a medical story from a publication that reaches only 550 people? Particularly when I have access to international medical journals that reach thousands of doctors. Simply because it's about a disease that affects many Canadians. Ones that are told they need a psychiatrist when they actually need other medical care. And since it's Lupus Month in Canada there's no better time to tell this story.
Chickens Decrease The Risk of Macular Degeneration
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
September 4, 2004
Today seven million North Americans suffer from a devastating disease, macular degeneration. No longer can they enjoy the simple pleasures of reading or watching TV. These unfortunate people have lost their central vision. And although there's no cure for macular degeneration there are ways to reduce the risk of developing this disability.
How Naturegg Omega Pro Liquid Eggs Help The Heart
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
May 3, 2004
"Why can't you make up your mind about eggs?" my wife asked me. "A few weeks ago you told me to buy Omega-3 eggs. You said they were good for the heart. The refrigerator's full of them! Now you want Naturegg Omega Pro liquid eggs. Just how many eggs do you want? I may as well open a grocery store", my usually calm wife remarked. That's when I realized I was in deep doo-doo. Unfortunately I had forgotten to explain the benefits of another super egg. Without some fast explanation it was obvious I'd soon be doing the shopping.
Life May End Rather Than Begin at 40
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
November 23, 2003
Have you heard of Stein's Law? It states that, "If something can't go on forever it will stop." Stein's Law always wins, it just takes time. Those who bought tech stocks thinking they would go higher and higher forever are now familiar with Stein's Law. Unfortunately, our Minister of Health, Anne McLellan, hasn't heard of this law, otherwise she would rid the nation's food supply of trans fatty acids (TFAs). A Health Minister should know that eating toxic food eventually kills. It just takes time.
Famine The Only Rx For Obesity
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
June 9, 2003
"How can the obesity problem be solved in our country", a U.S. interviewer recently asked me. He expected me to discuss all the usual diets to fight this epidemic. And I hadn't had too many Martini's nor was I joking when I replied, "It would really take a famine". Is this just my dreary opinion or are others simply using different words to say the same thing?
10 Health Benefits Of Dairy Products
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 21, 2004
Benjamin Disraeli, in a speech to the House of Commons in 1860, rebuked his critics by saying , "It is much easier to be critical than to be correct". Today, for reasons that are hard to understand, some organizations try to dissuade Canadians from consuming milk products. Another example of it being easier to be critical than right. Here are 10 ways that milk products help to maintain health.
Joe Hudson, The Omega-3 Egg Man
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 28, 2004
Who is Joe Hudson? I hadn't heard of him either until I decided to do some grass routes research and visited Burnbrae Farms in Brockville, Ontario. Joe has been raising chickens for 40 years, and millions of eggs later he's the producer of the Naturegg brand, the # one Omega-3 eggs in Canada. But what's so healthful and special about the super egg?
Salmon, To Eat Or Not To Eat?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 1, 2004
Will the hazards ever end? Mad Cow Disease has made consumers cast an anxious eye at meat. Trans fats are everywhere in our food and harming us all. Now, a report warns us that farm-raised salmon contain excessive amounts of hazardous PCBs. So how polluted are the salmon and how dangerous?
The Constipated Battleship King George V
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
November 30, 2003
Recently a patient, who is extremely health conscious, asked, "If you had to pick the most important food what would you choose?" I replied, "fiber". I've believed for years that fiber is the corner stone of a healthy diet and without adequate amounts people are headed for a variety of health problems.
Start Losing Weight In Just 20 Minutes
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
November 9, 2003
This week toss away all the books on "How to Eat Everything You Want and Lose Weight". Or "Calories Don't Count". Or "How to lose 30 pounds in One Month". And all the other dribble you've been exposed to over the years. Now I'll tell you how to start losing weight in a mere 20 minutes. "Sounds like another gimmick" you say. But you're wrong. This isn't like selling swamps in Florida.
"Energy Bars" and Other Nutritional Tidbits
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 5, 2003
Is eating too much fat the main cause of obesity? Will a high protein diet affect the risk of heart disease or cancer? What is the best type of grain for good health? Should people cut back on carbohydrates even if they don't have diabetes? And what you should know about energy bars.
What You Should Know About the "Difficult Infection"
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 9, 2003
John Dillinger, the notorious bank robber, was asked why he robbed banks. He logically replied, "It's where the money is". Today if you asked infection control specialists where many infections are, they would say, "It's in the hospitals". Hospitals can be dangerous places. You can occasionally, be given the wrong medication or have the wrong leg amputated. But more commonly, patients acquire a debilitating and sometimes serious hospital infection called Clostridium difficile. How do you become infected and how can it be prevented?
How To Be A Smart Drinker
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
November 9, 2002
"Aren't you being a bit inconsistent? You're always advising others to cut down on sugar. Then before dinner you have a rum and coke? Don't you realize that rum is made from sugar?" I feel like I've been caught with my hand in the cookie jar when my wife scolds me for bring so righteous. And since she's also my editor I try to tread lightly when it comes to offering advice. I wouldn't dare question where she places a comma. But how illogical am I?
Schools and Hospitals Can Fight Soda Pop Obesity
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
October 20, 2002
What would you do if you're a member of a school board facing this dilemma? You need money for the school gym and a soft drink company has offered to install soft drink vending machines and share the profits with you? The end result of course, will be money for the school, and damaged health for the children. But there is way where everyone benefits.
Blueberries and Brain Power?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
August 18, 2002
"My God why did you buy so many blueberries?" my wife exclaimed. But I wasn't about to tell her. I had indeed bought a lot of blueberries driving back from Northern Ontario. I intended to surprise her by writing the great Canadian novel. And wow people at the next dinner party with scintillating remarks. The blueberries were going to do it, of course.
From 1600 T0 400 Calories in 40,000 Years!
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
August 11, 2002
What can we do to shorten the long waiting lists for surgery? How can we stop the massive increases in the cost of health care? Politicians and health care workers continue to struggle with this dilemma. They always conclude that more money is the answer. But this approach is doomed to failure. How can it work when it's taken 40,000 years for humans to get into such horrible shape? How did it happen? And is there a solution?
Milk Helps to Prevent Stroke
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 22, 2002
Dr. David Young, a Professor of Physiology at the University of Mississippi once remarked, "potassium is like sex and money, you can't get too much." Now a study conducted in Hawaii shows that potassium helps to circumvent the risk of stroke, one of the leading causes of death in this country.
Eating Your Way Out of Arthritis
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 21, 2002
Could the thousands of recent knee and hip replacements have been prevented by the right diet? And could millions of people suffer less arthritic pain by following more nutritious food consumption?
Milk Cuts Ovarian Cancer Risk By 50 Percent
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 9, 2002
How can we change these grim facts? That we can't diagnose early ovarian cancer. And that once this malignancy spreads to other organs, 85 percent of women are dead within five years. Every doctor asks himself this question when confronted with the tragic confirmation of this disease. Now a new study shows that drinking milk cuts the risk of ovarian cancer by 50 percent!
Is The Answer A Tax on Fatty Foods?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 3, 2002
This week a change of pace. Recently I was questioned by the media about the obesity epidemic. This is what I told them.
Can Chocolate Be A Health Food?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 3, 2002
Here's a hint for a Valentine's gift for your sweetie this February. Flowers? Dinner at her favourite restaurant? How about tying a big red ribbon around her favourite heart-shaped box of chocolates? If so, some studies show that the latter, a box of chocolate may be beneficial to her heart.
Cats Love To Love Me
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 29, 2001
Millions of North Americans dearly love their cats. I've always preferred dogs and damn it cats instinctively know it. My wife and I laugh at how often romance blooms. We're at a friend's home with several guests and I see their cat out of the corner of my eye. I know exactly what's going to happen. The cat eyes the crowd, slowly circles the room and jumps up on the sofa right behind my head or in my lap as if to say, "You're mine". But so far none of them have infected me with cat-scratch disease.
Does aluminum cause Alzheimer's Disease? first of two parts
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 8, 1990
The facts are staggering and the disease is terrifying. 4,000,000 Americans and 300,000 Canadians suffer from Alzheimer's Disease. And one fact keeps reappearing in medical literature. Subcellular fractions within the brains of Alzheimer patients are found to contain nine times as much aluminum as in the brains of those without this disease. In view of the extent of this problem we'll discuss the possible role played by aluminum in this column and the one next week. How can we decrease our exposure to this common metallic element? And is acid rain killing brains as well as fish?
SHOULD YOU TOSS THE OAT BRAN AWAY?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
June 24, 1990
Moses, a recent story goes, was given the scroll containing the Commandments, but 11 were listed. He studied them while walking down Mount of Olives. Suddenly there was a huge flash of lightning and a voice thundered," Forget the one about oat bran!" This story illustrates the current public confusion about oat bran. For years nutritionists have preached the benefits of increasing the intake of dietary fibre. Then earlier this year the prestigious New England Journal of Medicine published a study debunking the theory that oat bran lowers blood cholesterol. The research made headlines around the world, cereal stocks dipped and many North Americans stopped consuming oat bran and fiber foods. The winners were the laxative companies who smiled all the way to the bank. But is this study right?
HOW TO STOCK YOUR KITCHEN WITH PREVENTIVE MEDICINE
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 25, 1990
Good nutrition used to be simple. But the old adage of,"An apple a day keeps the doctor away" no longer holds true. Today's consumers face an avalanche of nutritional information much of which proclaims that certain products will protect against heart disease, broken bones or cancer. But how can consumers separate T.V. hype from fact when they walk into the supermarket? Are there simple rules for stocking the kitchen with "preventive medicine"?
Is breakfast the most important meal of the day?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 25, 1990
Do you ever feel guilty about rushing to work without eating breakfast? Or about grabbing a doughnut and a cup of coffee on the run before tackling the day's problems? For years our Mother's insisted that breakfast was the kingpin of sound daily nutrition. But were they right? Do the facts show that a robust breakfast leads to good health and longevity? And what constitutes a "healthy" breakfast?
W. Gifford-Jones M.D is the pen name of Dr. Ken Walker graduate of Harvard. Dr. Walker's website is: Docgiff.com
My book, �90 + How I Got There� can be obtained by sending $19.95 to:
Giff Holdings, 525 Balliol St, Unit # 6,Toronto, Ontario, M4S 1E1
Pre-2008 articles by Gifford Jones