Are Calcium Supplements Safe? The Real Facts
Dr. Zoltan RonaDo calcium supplements really cause heart attacks? A recent randomized controlled trial published in the January edition of the British Medical Journal (15 January 2008) concludes thatLoading with high doses of calcium reduces bone loss but at a cost in heart health that is not justified. According to researchers Dr. Ian Reid and his colleagues, the risk of a heart attack, stroke and s...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)What I Recommend
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the final post of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D testing. In terms of getting more bang for your health care buck, Vitamin D testing and supplementation for the population is one solution which is guaranteed to improve overall health of the population at a ridiculously low cost. Jeffrey Dach MD. There are at least 50...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Inflating Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the seventh of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D testing. If you suffer from Crohns disease or ulcerative colitis (collectively known as Inflammatory Bowel Disease or IBD) and want to get your blood level of vitamin D tested in Ontario, it will also cost you $51.70. This is despite the fact that a recent study indicates that...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Boost Those Diabetes Complications
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the sixth of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D testing. Vitamin D deficiency is associated with the development of eye disease in diabetics (diabetic retinopathy). So says a recently published study presented October 17, 2010 at the Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Ophthalmology. Vitamin D plays an important ro...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Have Some Heart Disease
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the fifth of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D testing. Vitamin D deficiency is an unrecognized, emerging cardiovascular risk factor, which should be screened for and treated. Vitamin D is easy to assess, and supplementation is simple, safe, and inexpensive. James H. OKeefe MD, cardiologist and Director of Preventive Ca...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Preventing Cancer Prevention
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the fourth of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D tests. No other method to prevent cancer has been identified that has such a powerful impact. Dr. Cedric Garland, Vitamin D expert The relationship between the presence of cancer and low levels of vitamin D is now a well-established fact. I am not going to quote the thous...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Promoting Depression and Seasonal Affective Disorder
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the third of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D tests. As you read this article, it is winter and those in Canada who are not in some way supplementing with vitamin D are suffering from the effects of the ever dwindling blood levels of vitamin D that occur at this time of the year. Some are starting to notice their moods...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Penalizing Good Health
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the second of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D tests. Because vitamin D is so cheap and so clearly reduces all-cause mortality, I can say this with great certainty: Vitamin D represents the single most cost-effective medical intervention in the United States. Dr. Greg Plotnikoff, Medical Director, Penny George Institute for...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)The Folly of Cancelling Medicare Coverage for Vitamin D Testing
Dr. Zoltan RonaThis is the first of an eight part series exploring Ontarios decision to stop OHIP/Medicare funding for vitamin D tests. We estimate that vitamin D deficiency is the most common medical condition in the world. Dr. Michael F. Holick, Vitamin D Expert. Although its not official yet, Ontario will soon be stopping OHIP/Medicare coverage for vitamin D tests for all but certain individuals ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Natural HRT Alternatives for Bone Health
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn my recent blogs, I discussed how bone density drugs can do more harm than good as well as lifestyle choices that are essential for bone health and supplements that can help prevent and reverse osteoporosis. Instead of turning to hormone replacement therapy (HRT) right away: Use Herbal and Other Natural Alternatives to HRT Panax Ginseng is another source of naturally occurring estrogen (estr...
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Supplements to Help Prevent Osteoporosis
Dr. Zoltan RonaBone density drugs, as I discussed in a previous blog, can do more harm than good. In addition to making healthy lifestyle changes, you can also try the followi...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Alternatives to Bone Density Drugs
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn my last blog, I discussed the dangers of bone density drugs. The simplistic idea that you can reverse a chronic degenerative disease like osteoporosis with ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Say NO to Bone Density–Boosting Drugs
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn December 2008, the New England Journal of Medicine published a U.S. Food and Drug Administration report suggesting a possible link between taking the popular...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Why You Should Avoid the Swine Flu Shot
Dr. Zoltan RonaMuch like the big non-event of Y2K, the Swine Flu threat of 2009 has frightened many people into desperately seeking flu vaccines and other potentially harmful ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)The Vitamin D Toxicity Myth
Dr. Zoltan RonaResearch indicates that in order to get 4,000 IU of vitamin D daily (if you totally avoid the sun), you must drink 40 glasses of milk a day or take 10 typical m...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Natural Remedies for Heartburn
Dr. Zoltan RonaMuch like antibiotics, heartburn drugs of all kinds are grossly over-prescribed. According to most health care professionals, perhaps 1/100 people actually need...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Heartburn? Avoid Antacids & Proton Pump Inhibitors
Dr. Zoltan RonaHeartburn drugs are a $15 billion-a-year industry in North America. Heartburn can be a sign of: • Ulcers• Gastritis• GERD (gastro-esophageal reflux disorder)• ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)The Sunscreen Myth
Dr. Zoltan RonaApproximately 85% of North Americans are vitamin D deficient. As a direct result of that statistic, about two million of you will die from cancer each year. Reg...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Does L-Arginine Cause Heart Attacks?
Dr. Zoltan RonaDear Dr. Rona: I recently read your excellent article in which you recommend L-arginine as a supplement for testosterone. However, the bottle of 500 mg capsule...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Natural Alternatives to Anxiety Medications
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn previous blogs about anxiety I have addressed diet and lifestyle as well as nutrient supplementation. Following are more anti-anxiety remedies to consider in...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Nutrient Deficiencies and Anxiety
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn previous blogs I have discussed what anxiety is and how it can be caused by diet and lifestyle choices. Here I will discuss how particular nutrient deficienc...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Diet and Anxiety
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn my last blog I discussed how anxiety can be a good or a bad thing, and suggested that there are natural ways to treat it. Anxiety is not just in your genes ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Understanding Anxiety
Dr. Zoltan RonaWe have all experienced it one way or another all our lives: anxiety. Anxiety is that feeling of butterflies in your stomach before giving a speech to hundreds ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Alternatives to Antibiotics
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn my last blog I discussed the dangers of overusing antibiotics. If you develop an infection of some kind and suspect you need antibiotics, yes, see your docto...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)The Dangers of Overusing Antibiotics
Dr. Zoltan RonaAntibiotics are still one of the major sacraments of the Church of Modern Medicine. Already this winter I have seen over a dozen people at my office who have be...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)What to Do for Painful Pap Tests
Dr. Zoltan RonaPap tests should not be a painful experience. Stressful, yes. But if it’s painful, there are a number of possible reasons why: 1. Poor technique in performing t...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Medical Errors
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn medical school, doctors are taught that people are “patients” who must only rely on licensed doctors for the diagnosis and treatment of disease as well as an...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)How to Prevent and Treat Gum Disease Naturally
Dr. Zoltan RonaPeriodontal disease is the name given to a group of disorders including gingivitis (the early stage of periodontal disease) and pyorrhea, also known as periodon...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Natural Therapies for Macular Degeneration
Dr. Zoltan RonaMacular degeneration is the leading cause of visual loss in Europeans and North Americans over the age of 50. It is thought to be the direct result of free radi...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Reversing High Homocysteine and Heart Disease
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn my last blog, I explained how high homocysteine levels can cause heart disease. This week I will discuss how to lower high homocysteine levels, helping to pr...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Homocysteine and Heart Disease
Dr. Zoltan RonaHomocysteine is an amino acid normally used to build many proteins in the body. It has been over 30 years now since Kilmer McCully, a Harvard pathologist, disco...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Defend Against Future Major Health Threats
Dr. Zoltan RonaThe health challenges of the first decade of the 21st Century will center on the immune system. Infection with antibiotic-resistant superbugs, food and chemical...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)How to Fight the Flu
Dr. Zoltan RonaCough! Hack! Sniffle! It is estimated that at least 50 million people in North America get the flu each year from November to March. Children are two to ...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Cold Hands and Feet
Dr. Zoltan RonaQ: In the winter my hands and feet are always cold. Is there anything I can do about this? A: Ideally, find the cause of the problem before trying any natural r...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Preventing Economy Class Syndrome: Supplements
Dr. Zoltan RonaIn addition to the vitamin K-producing supplements mentioned in my last blog (Preventing Economy Class Syndrome: Nutrition), calcium supplements can also contri...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Preventing Economy Class Syndrome: Nutrition
Dr. Zoltan RonaHere are some ways to help prevent deep vein thrombosis (DVT, a.k.a. economy class syndrome). In general (not just right before a flight), follow this nutrition...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Preventing Economy Class Syndrome: Risk Factors
Dr. Zoltan RonaDeep vein thrombosis (DVT), the formation of blood clots in the lower limbs, is usually due to immobility and a sluggish circulation. DVT is an increasingly com...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Healthy Knees for Life
Dr. Zoltan RonaMore than 5 million people in North America seek medical attention each year for knee problems. That’s according to the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Natural Treatments for Hives
Dr. Zoltan RonaHives (urticaria) is the name given to a skin eruption characterized by outbreaks of red, itchy, occasionally swollen welts on the skin associated with histamin...
Read more...CategoriesDr. Zoltan Rona (MD)Reversing Hemorroids Naturally
Dr. Zoltan RonaHemorrhoids (piles) are distended or ruptured veins located within the anus (internal hemorrhoids) or just outside the anus (external hemorrhoids). At least hal...
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