W. Gifford-Jones, MD and Diana Gifford-Jones

Can Vitamin C Stop an Aging Brain?

“I want to die with my boots on!” is an oft-heard expression. But it poses a problem. Today, many are living and dying not even knowing their boots are on. So does Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) have to happen? Are cholesterol deposits in arteries starving our brain cells of oxygen? And can we do anything about it?

The Worst Place to Carry A Cell Phone

Could smart phones be slowly killing us? Some experts feel we’re living in an Alice-in-Wonderland world if we ignore radiation from these electronic devices. So today, here’s an example of what can go wrong.

The Airplane Cold : Fact or Fiction?

“Did I catch this infection on the plane?” I wondered. I’m sure, like me, you have often asked yourself this same question, particularly if you’ve landed in a tropical paradise and a cold is the last thing you need. So what is the risk of picking up a bug on a plane and how can you avoid it? And should airlines add something to a certain door?

A New Year’s Resolution That Makes Sense

Where do I get ideas for this column? Normally, from reliable medical sources. But this New Year’s resolution comes from The Daily Reckoning, a financial publication. Its advice is sound for all of us as we start 2014. Its topic is “The Parable of Taganga”.

The Darkness Hormone

“Do you think melatonin is of any value?” a doctor recently asked me. And if a doctor is wondering about this natural remedy, many people must be asking the same question. So, what do we know about it?

Overweight and Fit?

“How much do you think this weighs?”, I occasionally ask patients. What I’ve handed them is a large, fatty, yellow, glob of fake tissue, similar to human tissue. But what surprises patients is that it feels quite heavy, yet only weighs one pound. Suddenly they realize the significance of the 20 pounds they’ve gained since their last checkup. But can they be overweight and fit at the same time?

Stein’s Law and Cholesterol-Lowering Drugs

Stein’s Law says that if something can’t go on forever, it has to stop. It’s just a matter of when. Stein’s Law always wins. But when will this Law stop the increasing number of North Americans taking cholesterol-lowering drugs (CLDs)? Surely enough is enough.

Be Careful How Many Friends You Invite For Dinner

Who doesn’t like the feast of the holiday season? For most it’s a time of laughter, revelry and the bounty of food and drink. It’s also a time when will-power takes a holiday. Much too much eggnog and other calories are consumed. So do you just give up, or do you decide to be a smart eater? Here’s Menu 101 for smart holiday eating.

What I Learned as a Medical Journalist

“Have you ever thought you’d like to be a journalist?” Well, here’s the good and the bad. First, I was well trained at The Harvard Medical School, but as a journalist I’ve had an unprecedented learning experience searching for information I would never have sought before, on all sorts of topics. The bad? The profession requires responsibility, discipline, thick skin and recurring deadlines. So I’ve written about the experience in a book titled, “What I Learned as a Medical Journalist.”

Vitamin C : What You Don’t Know About Its Multiple Benefits

I’ve previously written about Medi-C Plus, a high concentration of vitamin C and lysine powder, and how it can prevent and reverse atherosclerosis in coronary arteries. The combination is a revolutionary discovery. But vitamin C has many other amazing virtues.

How Many Readers Know The Right Number?

Editors obviously pay me to pass along medical advice to you. But this week I can’t answer a fundamental health question. So let’s switch roles to see if any reader with the Wisdom of Solomon knows the right number to this dilemma. I’ll publish the results, as it’s vital that a figure be found. After all, it’s going to affect how long you live.

Too Little Salt Or Too Much Salt?

Is everything I’ve written about salt wrong? As well as that of Stephen Havas, Professor of Epidemiology at the University of Maryland? He claims that “the number of deaths from excess salt is equivalent to a commuter jet crashing every day in the U.S. And that people should be outraged”. Now, a report from the Institute of Medicine (IOM) suggests instead that low sodium intake can be harmful for some people!

What You Should Know About a Hit on The Head

Who doesn’t remember Sidney Crosby’s head concussion that kept him out of hockey for months? But how many know about the hazards of mild traumatic brain injury (TBI)? A report from Johns Hopkins University says it doesn’t always take a hockey blow to trigger a brain concussion.

Pumpkin Seeds for Ultimate Bladder Control

There’s an old saying, “If you don’t go when you gotta go, by the time you get to go, you’ve already gone!” Millions of North Americans, if they’ve never heard this expression, know all too well what I’m referring to, urinary incontinence. Now, Japanese researchers claim that pumpkin seeds are the answer to many urinary problems. But who hasn’t carved up pumpkins and tossed the seeds away?

Don’t Ignore This Amazing Video

I’ve just sent an e-mail to my children urging them to watch an amazing, informative video and telling them to never, never forget what they’ve seen. The video was produced in New Zealand for 60 Minutes, the TV show. It demonstrates the incompetence and sheer arrogance of some physicians. A man’s life was at stake and close to ending. But fortunately, his son knew more than his doctors.

To Treat or Not To Treat Prostate Cancer

Autopsy studies show that 50 percent of men over age 59 have prostate malignancy, and three out of four over age 85. One in seven North Americans will also be diagnosed with prostate cancer in their lifetime. Yet only one in every 28 men will die of prostate cancer! Obviously, not all men need to be treated.

What I Learned While Being On-The-Road

What’s it like to be a medical journalist? It’s a combination of hard work, deadlines and loneliness. After all, computers are hardly good company. This is why, for several months, it’s been exciting meeting and greeting live humans across Canada. And what was the number one question and worry of readers?

ThorupGaarden: a Big Hit with Seniors

I recently reported the Danish retirement home, Thorupgaarden, allows pornographic movies on Saturday night and even prostitutes on occasion. These have proven to have a calming effect on seniors more powerful than Prozac. So how did readers react to this news?

BioSil : The Natural Way to Prevent and Treat Fragile Bones

What causes the holes in Swiss cheese? I’m sure the Swiss know the answer, but I don’t. I do know what makes holes in bones, causing osteoporosis. Today millions of North Americans are taking prescription drugs to treat this devastating disease. But there’s a safer, natural remedy, BioSil tm, to prevent “holey” bones.

Update on the “Cup of Java”

A glowing ad once stated “A very wholesome and physical drink that helpeth indigestion, quickeneth the spirits, maketh the heart lightsome, is good against eye sores, coughs, head-ache, gout and the King’s evil”. It was the year 1657, when coffee was first introduced into London, England from the Middle East. And what was the King’s evil?