By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
April 29, 2007
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.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 11, 2007
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).
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Friday, November 10, 2006
Every year in coastal regions of the U.S. 1,500 people are killed by lightning and only 12 by sharks. During that same time worldwide, more people are killed by elephants, crocodiles and insect stings than sharks. Yet, sharks get the scary headlines. So it's time to give sharks some credit when they're responsible for a medication that's taking a big bite out of bone and joint pain.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Tuesday, September 5, 2006
Interested in another sure way to make money? Several months ago I suggested investing in hearing aids. I predicted that today's teenagers would be tomorrow's deaf from the excessive noise created by I Pods and rock bands. Now there's another sure-fire way to become rich, rich, rich.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Tuesday, August 22, 2006
"Why are you taking drugs when you haven't tried natural ways to ease the pain of arthritis?" I often ask patients. I remind them they're not swallowing M and M candy, but powerful drugs that can cause major complications. Moreover, they forget that many natural drugs can be used to not only treat, but also prevent wear-and-tear arthritis (osteoarthritis) that comes with age.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
June 6, 2006
Have you ever had to crawl on your hands and knees because of severe back pain? It's not a dignified position. But it recently happened to me. What caused this problem and how did I finally get relief?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Saturday, May 13, 2006
"What can I do to relieve the pain in my knee?", a patient recently asked me. She had been treated by cortisone injections, Celebrex and others medications and it was still impossible to walk without pain. But there is a less known way to treat this disabling condition.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Saturday, May 6, 2006
"Why are you using, Celebrex a oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), to treat arthritis of your knee when a safer medication Pennsaid is available? There's also a report from Boston that will also help to ease your pain." It's advice I recently gave to my tennis partner.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
Sunday, November 20, 2005
What can you do if you've tried every conceivable way to relieve pain? You've been treated by anti-inflammatory drugs, cortisone, painkillers, physiotherapy, massage and finally, surgery. Yet the pain continues unabated. A technique, known as "Low Intensity Laser Therapy" (LILT) could be the answer.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
October 23, 2005
"What can I do to relieve the pain in my knee?", a patient recently asked me. She had been treated by cortisone injections, Celebrex and others medications and it was still impossible to walk without pain. But there is a less known way to treat this disabling condition.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 15, 2005
Why would I give my wife a new cookbook when she's often threatened to turn the kitchen into a den? I took a calculated risk that I wouldn't end up stirring the pot. But I believed she would see the benefits of "The Everyday Calcium Cookbook". It's loaded with sound advice on calcium-rich nutrition for whole-body health. And why normal amounts of calcium in the blood are causing an epidemic of osteoporosis (brittle bones).
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
August 15, 2004
How should a surgeon react when asked to do this operation? A woman wishes to purchase a pair of fashionable shoes. She has no bunions or hammer toes and her feet don't hurt. But there is a problem. She's unable to wear fancy pumps because her toes are either too long or too wide. Rather than purchasing a shoe that fits she insists on cosmetic foot surgery.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
May 31, 2004
Ask me about Economics 101 and I'll flunk the question. But what about course 101 in back pain? In this case I have some answers. Ones that will help readers who ask "What is the best treatment for my aching back?"
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 28, 2004
"What in the devil is Sarcopenia?" I wondered. But this ignorance didn't bother my psyche. After all, I knew I wasn't a whiz kid in Latin. So I asked my literate wife who loved Latin what it meant. She just shook her head and replied, "Dummy, it's not Latin. It's Greek." This gaffe did scar my psyche a bit. But it didn't stop me from learning more about this common condition. And why even joggers are not immune to developing sarcopenia.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 7, 2004
"Why are you using, Celebrex a oral nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID), to treat arthritis of your knee when a safer medication Pennsaid is available? There's also a report from Boston that will also help to ease your pain." It's advice I recently gave to my tennis partner.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
January 11, 2004
What should parents know about concussions in hockey? To find out I recently attended a seminar on this problem at the Air Canada Centre in Toronto. Today there's a huge debate raging over whether body checking should be allowed in players under 17 years of age. Unfortunately, the "big hit" does more to the brain than meets the eye. Today our national sport has become a violent past time.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
October 5, 2003
Elephants normally win when fighting a mouse. But for once the mouse has won. A Canadian company has beaten the U.S. and achieved an historic first. Dimethaid Research has developed a non-oral NSAID" (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug) to treat osteoarthritis. And since it's locally applied it dramatically reduces the risk of stomach complications associated with oral NSAIDs.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
August 10, 2003
Some moments in your life you never, never forget. The Sunday morning that my father didn't answer the telephone, for instance. And later findings him lying on the floor with a fractured hip. The gradual down-hill course followed surgery with long hours at his beside, and finally death five days later. Suddenly, all I had left of the father I had loved so much was a box of cinders after cremation. The disaster of a fractured hip became imbedded in my mind.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 9, 2003
How much whiplash pain is in the mind and how much in the neck? It's an important question because a huge amount of money is involved. And it comes out of everyone's pocket. This year the diagnosis, treatment, litigation and insurance payments of whiplash complaints will cost North Americans 29 billion dollars. Now, a fascinating report about demolition drivers separates fact from fiction. It could be of use to defense lawyers.
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?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
April 14, 2002
"What makes men act the way they do?" one annoyed woman asked her friend. She replied, "It's testosterone, stupid." One of the reasons men differ from women is that they produce 10 times more testosterone. But like most things in life "10 times" doesn't last forever. There's mounting evidence that males experience their own menopause (andropause). And that the dwindling of the male hormone has far reaching consequences for males, particularly on bones and sexual drive.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 17, 2002
"Why has God done this to me?" a patient asked several months ago. She had developed tennis elbow and had been forced to stop playing her favourite sport. But to make matters worse she had also developed plantar fasciitis, commonly known as painful heel. And she having difficulty walking. But she learned that God hadn't totally deserted her. Due to a new treatment she's now back playing tennis and walking without pain.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
September 9, 2001
"Please write more about non steroidal anti inflammatory drugs (NSAID's) in treating osteoarthritis." This request follows a previous article about "Mobicox" which along with Celebrex and Vioxx have added a new "88 percent" dimension to the treatment of a common painful condition.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
August 12, 2001
Males in the company of women are often heard to remark, "Wow look at those legs!" That's normally the end of the scenario. But if they looked a little closer that the female subject of their gaze was wearing high heels. Now, new studies show that fashionable high heeled shoes that add height and make legs look better, not only injure the feet, but also the knees.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
July 2, 2001
What a change a few weeks can make in the management of menopausal problems! For decades millions of women have been prescribed hormone replacement therapy (HRT) to treat osteoporosis (brittle bones). Recent studies indicate HRT can lead to an increased risk of breast cancer and cardiovascular problems. Fortunately, there are other viable options for treating this common disease.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 18, 2001
Is it possible that the sale of the new arthritic drugs could outnumber those of bestselling Viagra? I never thought it would happen. But there are new kids on the block called COX inhibitors. The newest one is "Mobicox". This and the other COX drugs, Celebrex and Vioxx, are bringing relief to millions of arthritic sufferers.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 25, 2001
The time? 35 years ago at the Imperial Hotel in Tokyo. I was totally relaxed in the hotel spa as a Japanese girl massaged my back. But while working on my neck she suddenly struck the side of my head. I'll never know why. I had not been indiscreet. But her sudden caused pain in the cervical spine. And years later I still suffer from intermittent neck pain. Sir William Osler, one of North America's most famous physicians, was right. He said a doctor never truly knows a disease well until he experiences it. So let me pass along some tips on when neck pain is serious and when it isn't. And the best treatment for it.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
November 21, 1999
So you're a man, and you believe only the weaker sex breaks bones. It's due to osteoporosis (brittle bones) you say. Well, you had better think again. Studies show that 20 to 30 percent of osteoporosis fractures occur in men. And that low testosterone levels in aging males may be responsible for many crippling hip and spinal fractures.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
April 2, 1995
What should your doctor do if you suffer from back pain? Equally important, what should you do if the doctor doesn't do it? Thousands of North Americans succumb to back pain every year. But too often both patients and doctors push the panic button too soon. Errors can be avoided by three red flags.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 26, 1995
Which writing assignment would I prefer? To study injuries to hockey players or ballet dancers? It would take a mere second to select the Toronto Maple Leafs. But this week I got lucky and killed two birds with one stone. What did I learn, and how can we all benefit from this experience?
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
February 19, 1994
"What do you want for your birthday?" Ask your children or friends this question and you'll get a variety of answers. But recently one of my colleagues told me he gave himself a birthday present, a total hip replacement (THR).
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
January 16, 1994
What a pleasure in 1994 to find an internationally famous doctor who isn't interested only in CAT scans and MRI's that cost megadollars! One who believes "the art" of medicine shouldn't be banished to the Smithsonian Institution. And who recently reported novel ways to ease knee pain while he was Visiting Professor at the Wellesley Hospital In Toronto.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
May 24, 1992
Where can you obtain an unbiased opinion about chiropractors? Some physicians will say chiropractors manipulate your mind not your back. They contend chiropractors mislead the public into believing that manipulation of the spine can cure anything from diabetes, to bed-wetting to the common cold. And no chiropractor is going to admit he's leading his patients astray. So why not ask someone trained in both specialties? And if a little squeeze was good for Captain Cook, it may also be good for you!
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
March 15, 1992
What is the best cure for the common backache? Bed rest with hot packs? Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs? A scotch and soda? A disk operation? Or would it be more helpful for everyone if surgeons took "Course 101 in Psychology" to help them understand this common malady? And also heeded the advice of my old German Professor.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
June 9, 1991
I often look at women's feet during an annual examination. Why? Because I am bemused by the great discrepancy between the size of their feet and the width of their shoes. And I wonder how women keep smiling when their toes are squeezed into such narrow pointed shoes? Now a report from California confirms that women's shoes are the modern version of the ancient Chinese custom of foot binding. As a result shapely legs often end in deplorable feet. And it's time that women tell shoe manufacturers they're not going to take it any longer.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
May 21, 1989
Dr. Logan Clendening in his book "Modern Methods of Treatment" wrote in 1924, "faddists are continually proclaiming the value of exercise but four out of five people are more in need of rest." Mark Twain echoed this sentiment when he stated he had gone to the funerals of many friends who believed in more exercise than he did. But in 1873 the Earl of Derby during a speech in Liverpool remarked," Those who do not find time for exercise will have to find time for illness." Today controversy remains about the value of exercise. But if you ever get into a debate on this topic or wonder if working up the perspiration is worthwhile, here are several positive sound reasons for the exertion.
By Dr. W. Gifford Jones
January 29, 1989
Aristotle was right. There are no boy philosophers. Advancing years may imbue us with a touch of wisdom. But getting older leaves much to be desired. Like old rusty cars our bodies insidiously begin to break down. Osteoarthritis is one of the major degenerative problems. Doctors have always attributed this malady to excessive wear and tear. Now one researcher says it's just another myth that this common joint disorder results from excessive mileage. He claims there is a way to reverse this age-old plague.
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 JonesPursuant to Title 17 U.S.C. 107, other copyrighted work is provided for educational purposes, research, critical comment, or debate without profit or payment. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for your own purposes beyond the 'fair use' exception, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. Views are those of authors and not necessarily those of Canada Free Press. Content is Copyright 1997-2024 the individual authors. Site Copyright 1997-2024 Canada Free Press.Com Privacy Statement