REFLECTION SERIES

Up to 650 000 deaths annually are associated with respiratory diseases from seasonal influenza, according to new estimates by the United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (US-CDC), the World Health Organization and global health partners. This marks an increase on the previous global estimate of 250 000 – 500 000, which dates from over ten years ago and covered all influenza-related deaths, including cardiovascular disease or diabetes. The new figures of 290 000 – 650 000 deaths are based on more recent data from a larger, more diverse group of countries, including lower middle income countries, and exclude deaths from non-respiratory diseases. “These figures indicate the high burden of influenza and its substantial social and economic cost to the world,” said Dr Peter Salama, Executive Director of WHO’s Health Emergencies Programme. “They highlight the importance of influenza prevention for seasonal epidemics, as well as preparedness for pandemics.” The esti...

In my first year sociology class, I read about some major world happenings that have changed the world. They include the French revolution (1789 - 1799), Industrial Revolution (1760 - 1840), American Revolution (1765 - 1783), and the Protestant Reformation (1517 - 1648).These happenings are the reasons behind the many laws and reforms we see in our world today such as democracy, labour laws, freedom of speech, freedom of worship etc. This year marks exactly 500 year when the Protestant reformation started. The Protestant reformation is said to have started when Martin Luther a Roman Catholic priest and Lecturer at the University of Wittenberg in Germany posted his 95 these on the door of the Wittenberg Castle Church in Germany. He posted the theses on 31st October, 1517.    Martin Luther 1 Martin Luther was born and raised in Germany and studied philosophy and law as a young man, but soon became discouraged by those studies. He became an Augustinian Monk in...

Many of you have heard or read that moderate alcohol may be beneficial to your health. Here is an example of a CNN report from December 1997 - A Drink A Day Keeps The Grim Reaper Away."  Researchers report that modest drinking is, on balance, healthful and alcohol's ill effects are offset by alcohol's benefit to the heart. As a physician, it was important for me to go to the scientific literature myself to examine the evidence before I would start advising patients, as some doctors have, that alcohol be used for medicinal purposes. First, I obtained the original research paper printed in the  New England Journal of Medicine , December, 1997. Then, I did a literature search of all the articles that have been published on alcohol in the last three years. What I found was quite surprising, considering all the popular press coverage of the beneficial and medicinal properties of alcohol. The largest and longest study to date was published in the  New England Journa...

Introduction Like refined grains, Refined sugar is considered one of the most harmful foods consumed today. In 1915, the national average of sugar consumption per year was 15 to 20 pounds per person. On average, we now consume our weight in sugar each year, plus over 20 pounds of corn syrup. Some people consume much less than the average figure, which means that there is a percentage of the population that consumes a great deal more refined sugar than their body weight each year. This large amount of refined carbohydrates causes considerable damage in the body. How is Sugar Refined? Sugar is refined by a process of extraction or separation. Refined sugar, such as white table sugar or confectioner’s sugar, is commonly made from sugar cane or sugar beets. Through heating and mechanical and chemical processing, every nutrient is removed until only the sugar remains. The sugar cane and sugar beets are first harvested and then chopped into small pieces. Then the juic...