This page includes my letters to newspaper editors and others, not all of which were published.
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Letters involving the following topic (in chronological order within category):
Heartburn Remedies re bad advice
Lead poisoning via candle smoke
Who exactly is undeserving of health care?
Title as published: ?
Editorial changes made: ?
Sent: 5 May 98. Published: ?.
To: Letters Editor, Ottawa Citizen
Re: Article "BEST REMEDIES FOR: Heartburn" (28 Apr 98, page B2)
Proposed title: "Heartburn Remedies"
C:\ToEditor\HrtBrn.doc 5 May 98
This concerns the article "BEST REMEDIES FOR:
Heartburn" (28 Apr 98, page B2) in which one suggested home
remedy is to "Drink milk to neutralize stomach acids".
As with many commonly held beliefs, I find this bit of common
sense to be wrong and harmful.
Here are some extracts and quotes from the book
"Gastro-Intestinal Health" by Steven Peikin, M.D.,
professor of medicine and director of gastroenterology,
University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, Robert Wood
Johnson Medical School at Camden, Cooper Hospital/University
Medical Center. "Milk can cause a problem for ulcer patients
because it increases the production of stomach acid". For
heartburn (gastroesophageal reflux disease) and peptic ulcer
disease, he lists among major foods to be avoided, the following:
milk products and citrus juices, including orange juice and
tomato juice. For heartburn, also avoid chocolate, peppermint,
fatty foods, nuts, and caffeine. This advice is also in
accordance with that in "The Doctors Book of Home
Remedies" by the editors of Prevention magazine.
Am I getting a bit old, or do I still recall that people used to
drink milk under the (mistaken) belief that it would help with
such problems? Doesn't the Citizen have a medical advisor? It
probably has a legal advisor! Don't any physicians read the
Citizen? If so, I would have hoped that one might have written a
letter to counter the admonition to drink milk. Or is countering
potentially harmful advice, and maintaining journalistic
integrity, not of very high priority to anyone?
Lead poisoning via candle smoke
Sent: 22 May 00
C:\My Documents\Up\SGPb.rtf 22-May-00
To: Susan Sperling, Letters Editor, Straight Goods, susan@straightgoods.com
Subject: Lead poisoning via candle smoke
(About 274 words to follow, from ==== to ====.)
====
If you burn scented candles with "metal wicks", and possibly those in metal containers, you are probably putting unsafe levels of lead into the air -- in amounts that can quickly become high enough to cause lead poisoning. A "metal wick" here means a wick whose centre is made of metal.
I came across the subject article at the site
http://www.mediconsult.com/mc/mcsite.nsf/condition/general~Feature+Articles~ASOO-4K5NB9
through a health link on my homepage of the Microsoft Internet Explorer, located at: http://ca.msn.com/
The health site describes itself as follows:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
http://www.mediconsult.com
Mediconsult.com
is the leading source of condition-specific medical information,
interactive tools and supportive online communities. By educating
and empowering consumers to manage their health with these
resources, Mediconsult prepares patients to work effectively with
healthcare professionals.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The following are extracts from the first and last paragraphs of the article:
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Groups Call for Ban on Scented Candles
If you burn scented candles, chances are you're putting unsafe levels of lead into the air. Two recent studies have shown that candles with metal wicks, and possibly those in metal containers, often release lead into the air… and the amount of lead can quickly rise to a level high enough to cause lead poisoning.
How can you tell if a candle has a metal wick? Scrape the wick a bit to see if the center is metal.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
By the way, I am puzzled as to why some people light a candle or two at a party to overcome people’s cigarette smoke. How does adding more smoke to the air cut down on smoke, especially if the added smoke is even more polluting and potentially dangerous than the cigarette smoke?
====
You are free to publish any or all of the above, including my name and city.
Signed: Wayne R. Paulson, Ottawa, Ont.
Who exactly is undeserving of health care?
The following letter of mine was published in the Ottawa Citizen on 29 June 01, p. F5. See http://www.ottawacitizen.com/. Note that the Citizen has edited and shortened the letter to good effect, without any loss of meaningful content.
To: Letters Editor, Ottawa Citizen Subject: Politically correct health care Re: Letter "Penalizing the healthy" by Lorette Bourbonniere, of June 26, p. D5. (The second-last "e" in Bourbonniere requires an accent grave.)
My letter, as submitted to the Citizen:
Proposed title: Politically correct health care
---- (About 188 words to follow, from ==== to ====.)
====
I sympathize with Lorette Bourbonniere in having an unacceptably long wait for a hip replacement, and with the traveling expenses incurred. (Letter "Penalizing the healthy" , June 26.)
However, I disagree with critics such as her who blame people who they consider to be less deserving of full medical care, such as the smokers and alcoholics that she cites. In order for the critics to be really politically correct why limit this category of supposedly undeserving patients? Why not also include those who have put themselves at increased risk through their own choice or ignorance, such as: drivers who do not wear seat belts; people who have insufficient calcium intake and risk broken bones; college football and basketball players (higher risk of heart disease and stroke later in life); those who play hockey or football; and, other risky choices?
Who would be the arbiter of which class of patient one would be classified as in such a two-tier system? A Department of Lifestyle Correctness, complete with a Manager of Triage in every hospital and clinic? Would the Undeserving be identified by state-imposed tattoos? Perhaps a scarlet letter "U"?
====
You are free to publish any of all of the above, edited as you wish, including my name and city.
Signed: Wayne R. Paulson, Ottawa
My letter, as published by the Citizen:
Who exactly is underserving of health care?
Re: Penalizing the healthy, June 26. I sympathize with Lorette Bourbonniere's unacceptably long wait for a hip replacement, and with the traveling expenses incurred.
However, I disagree with her belief that some people, such as smokers and alcoholics, are less deserving of full medical care.
Why limit this category of supposedly undeserving patients? Why not also include those who have put themselves at increased risk through their own choice or ignorance, such as: drivers who do not wear seat belts; people who have insufficient calcium intake and risk broken bones; college football and basketball players (higher risk of heart disease and stroke later in life); or those who play hockey or football?
Who would be the arbiter to classify patients in such a two-tier system? A Department of Lifestyle Correctness, complete with a manager of triage in every hospital and clinic? Would the undeserving be identified by state-imposed tattoos, or perhaps a scarlet letter "U"?
Letter "Penalizing the healthy" by Lorette Bourbonniere, of June 26, p. D5:
Lorette Bourbonniere
The Ottawa Citizen
After waiting a year for a hip replacement at the Ottawa Hospital, General Campus, and being told I would have to wait for another year or more, I made arrangements to have the procedure done at the Etobicoke General Hospital because I was on crutches and in severe pain. It was to my advantage and I am most grateful to the doctors and nurses for a very successful operation.
However, my husband and I spent $3,613.85 for our three flights to Toronto and hotel accommodation, none of it recoverable from OHIP. I am so well and happy that I do not begrudge the amount, but what about another senior who could not easily afford it?
It is particularly unfair that emergency cases get priority even if the patient is obese, alcoholic, a heavy smoker and probably unredeemable. I am none of those, and my generalist's assessment is that I am particularly healthy in body and mind.
We need a patient's bill of rights.
Lorette Bourbonniere, Gloucester
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You can e-mail me at waynerp@sympatico.ca