Dr. W. Gifford-Jones

LATEST STORIES BY DR. W. GIFFORD-JONES

It’s time to winterize your skin

My editor, namely my wife of 62 years, recently said to me, “I’m getting tired of reading about Alzheimer’s disease, cardiovascular problems, cancer and other dreadful ailments. Why don’t you, for one week, give us a break from depressing diseases? I’m sure readers would like to learn how to protect skin during the coming winter season.”

November 4, 2017 Diet & Fitness

10 facts you should know about Coenzyme Q10

Mark Twain once remarked – Get your facts first, then distort them as you please!

October 28, 2017 Diet & Fitness

A miner will save millions from blindness

Would I, as a doctor, ever expect to meet a miner? As Mark Twain remarked, “A mine is a hole in the ground with a liar at the top.” Luckily, I accepted an invitation to do just that, and discovered there is something new under the sun. This week, how DIAGNOS, a Canadian company in Montreal, has developed what’s called computer assisted retinal analysis (CARA). This computer software will save millions of people around the world from blindness due to Type 2 diabetes. So, did a miner become a retinal expert?

December 10, 2016 Diet & Fitness

Cruising with cardiologists to Alaska, and what I learned

I have a passion for ships so I’ve travelled and seen much of the world this way. But I’d never been to Alaska. So I recently joined a group of cardiologists on an educational cruise to a U.S. State blessed with magnificent scenery. It was a good learning experience, with one glaring omission.

November 14, 2016 Diet & Fitness

A doctor holds a stethoscope in this file photo.

It’s madness not to have a living will, legal or not

“It was the best of times and the worst of times.” This is the first sentence in Charles Dickens’s book,”A Tale of Two Cities” about the French revolution. The same could be said today. Never has there been a greater exodus of people escaping wars and poverty. And never before has there been a greater need for an updated living will, whether you live in Canada or the United States. A living will that pulls no punches on how we wish to end our lives.

October 1, 2016 Seniors

Hillary Clinton: Did she receive the best prescription?

Do famous people always receive superior medical care? If this were a Trivial Pursuit question, the answer would be a big ‘Yes.’ After all, they’re famous and have the money to demand the best medical treatment. But has fame and fortune guaranteed that Clinton has been given the best advice to treat pneumonia? This week I encountered several surprises.

September 24, 2016 Business

Keeping well while cruising

I should hate being at sea. In 1952, during my first trip as a young ship’s surgeon, I sailed to Germany to bring persons displaced by the war to Canada. I did not know that during the voyage I would have to remove the Captain of his command, for medical reasons. Nor did I realize how many medical problems I would encounter with 800 very ill passengers. Still, I’ve always loved being at sea. Now I’ve just returned from a cardiology seminar aboard a cruise to Alaska. During it I pondered how to keep well while cruising.

August 13, 2016 Diet & Fitness

Unexpected complications of joint surgery

It’s been said that, “All would be well if there were no buts.” Unfortunately, life is full of buts. A prime example is joint surgery. Today, an increasing number of people are being relieved of chronic pain by hip and knee replacements. Others are being helped by lesser laparoscopic procedures. But patients should be aware that these are major operations sometimes associated with unintended consequences.

August 7, 2016 Seniors

A hip replacement procedure being performed at Surrey Memorial Hospital.

Wired bras, unwatchful parents and summer tragedies

An African proverb says “There is only one kind of common sense, and 40 varieties of lunacy.” Unfortunately, this summer will again prove it right.

July 16, 2016 Family & Child

Fight infection like an Olympic athlete

How hard would be the disappointment? You’ve trained for years to acquire a medal at the Rio Olympics. And then the unthinkable happens. You develop a respiratory or intestinal infection just before the event. It’s an unmitigated disaster of unparalleled proportions, never to be forgotten. So, how do Olympic athletes avoid this catastrophe?

July 4, 2016 Diet & Fitness