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

How To Control Cholesterol Numbers by Natural Means

“Why don’t you take my advice and start cholesterol-lowering drugs? You quote the expression in your column that “he who treats himself has a fool for a patient.’ And that’s exactly what you’re doing!” My cardiologist believes I’m making a huge mistake by saying no to cholesterol-lowering drugs.

This Haircut Will Cost Me A Lot of Money

“Would you like a free massage as a holiday present after your haircut, doctor?” the owner of Elizabeth Milan’s salon in Toronto’s Royal York Hotel asked me. It had been a hard day seeing patients and maybe I looked a trifle haggard. But whatever the reason, being of Scottish heritage, the free part appealed to me. So I said, “Why not?”

What My Web Site Tells Me About Readers.

“You should have a web site, doctor”, I’ve been told a thousand times. My reply has always been “But that means I’ll have to add something every week, and I’m busy enough!” Curiosity, however, eventually got the better of me and a site was created several months ago. So apart from triggering my depression, what has it told me about you?

A Revolutionary Way To Prevent Cold Sores

Do you want to avoid that ugly cold sore (herpes labialis) before it even starts? Few people who feel that dreaded tingle and know an attack is imminent would pass up that chance. Now, a new therapy called “InterceptCS” employs a revolutionary technique, “Thermal Defense Technology”, that prevents cold sore outbreaks.

How To Improve Your Immunity

A reader asks “Please write about natural ways to strengthen the immune system. I want to avoid taking the flu vaccine”. This is a good question because every year 40,000 North Americans die during the flu season and thousands more hospitalized. So what steps will strengthen your immunity and insure you’ll be around another day? And what has an accidental discovery by an insurance company to do with immunity?

Why Muhammad Ali Couldn’t Sting Like A Bee

A patient of mine recently asked, “Why can’t you prescribe thyroid hormone to help me lose weight?” It wasn’t the first time I’d heard this question. In the past I always asked these patients whether they thought it was safer to drive at the normal 100 kilometers an hour (60 miles an hour) or faster. But now I’m going to ask them, “Why don’t you ask Muhammad Ali whether it’s a good idea?”

I Couldn’t Even Wipe My Bottom

Today thousands of patients are having hip and knee replacement surgery that allows them to return to a more active and pain free life. But what happens to the hip and knee can also strike the shoulder. So why is it that people are more likely to shy away from shoulder surgery when it can be a crippling condition?

Your Heart Is Slowly Dying From Chronic Scurvy

Why is research that could save countless lives unknown to Canadian and U.S. doctors? This week, a report that Dr. Sydney Bush, an optometrist in Hull, England, has made an historic discovery. He claims that atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries) can be reversed. And his research, which could save millions from heart attack, should have made headlines around the world.

Vitamin C: If It’s Good For Gorillas Why Not Us

Are you headed for a heart attack because of "marginal scurvy", a condition resulting from a lack of vitamin C? Moreover, if vitamin C is sound medicine for gorillas, why isn't it good for us? And in the 16th century, why did the ship's cat survive long sea voyages when its sailors died from scurvy?

Anusitis and Other Causes of Rectal Bleeding

"Why didn't you come to see me earlier? It could have saved you months of worry," I recently asked a patient. She had delayed seeing me because of rectal bleeding and she was terrified I'd tell her the diagnosis was cancer. Yet her only complaint was anusitis, an often overlooked rectal condition. But whether it's anusitis or a serious problem a cardinal rule is never, never ignore rectal bleeding.

Collagen Producing Peptides For Wrinkled Skin

What made Cleopatra, Queen of Egypt, so attractive? Certainly being born beautiful wasn't a hindrance for her seduction of Mark Anthony. But apart from having genetics on her side she knew that natural beauty could be preserved and augmented by the application of healthy emollients. Both Cleopatra and Poppea, wife of the Roman Emperor Nero, used a honey-and-milk lotion to keep them looking youthful. But what would Cleopatra and Poppea have done to get their hands on a new potion proven to reduce wrinkles up to 78 percent?

New Support Group For Psoriasis Patients

Sir William Osler, one of this country’s greatest physicians, remarked that no doctor thoroughly understands a disease until he suffers from it. He could have added that this also applies to patients.

Should You Buy Organic Food?

“Do you ever buy organic food?” I asked my wife. She quickly answered, “No”. Then I asked, “Why do some people buy it?” She replied what most people say, “Because it’s free of pesticides”. But is this true? And with increasing food prices is it prudent to spend hard-earned dollars on organic farm products?

New “Sahara Desert” Drug Cures Head Lice

Why am I scratching my head? It’s because I’m writing about head lice and even the thought of having this crawly beast, “Pediculosis capitis”, in my hair triggers this reaction. It also makes me understand the traumatic, emotional and embarrassed reaction of parents (and child) when they’re told, “Sarah (or Johnnie) has head lice”. Now that school has started, over a million parents in this country will hear this news. Fortunately, a new “Sahara Desert” treatment rids families of this common pest.

Ovarian Cancer, Scaring Women Half-To-Death

It’s been said that a little knowledge is an dangerous thing. A report from The Mayo Clinic shows that this is particularly true when the subject is ovarian cancer. And it illustrates how easy it is to both inform women and worry them at the same time.

Sacrifice Part of Your Stomach To Lose Weight?

“Desperate diseases require desperate cures”, wrote the immortal bard, William Shakespeare. For grossly obese patients this means putting part of the stomach and small intestine out of commission (bariatric surgery). But this is not minor surgery and patients should know the risks before making this desperate decision.

Where Was Oscar The Cat When I needed Him?

"Why don’t you go to lunch? I’ll wait here until he dies”, I suggested to the nurses. The patient was a 90 year old Baptist minister, and after days of futile treatment for cardiac problems I was sure the end was imminent.

Are You Damaging Your Liver?

“What causes liver disease?” Ask anyone this question and 99 percent will answer, “It’s imbibing in too much Cabernet Sauvignon or other alcoholic drinks”. But today the liver can be injured by a host of less known, but equally hazardous habits. So how are you being unfriendly to your liver? And what can we learn from the “Mayflower”, the ship that carried Pilgrims to this continent in 1620?