In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Drug-Coated Stents
FDA Oversight
Chinese Drug Scandal
Natural Aphrodisiac?
Myths About Sex
Napping For Heart Health

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Best Choices from The People's Pharmacy

We are pleased to announce our new book, Best Choices from The People's Pharmacy. Best Choices From the People's Pharmacy is a how-to for consumers trying to work out which treatments, including diet, home remedies, dietary supplements and drugs, are best for what ails them. Click the link below to purchase a copy at a discount of $21.95 plus $5 shipping and handling!

Note: We are shipping single book orders Priority Mail with an expected transit time of 1-3 days from shipment, and orders for two or more books by FedEx Ground. Shipping and handling is $5 per book. We also include a FREE copy of Chocolate without Guilt, regularly $14.95, autographed by Terry, with orders for three of more copies of Best Choices shipped to the same address.

http://secure.peoplespharmacy.com/PPcart.asp?pg=products&specific=joppfog0

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This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com:

Hypnosis has a long history, but in many circles it seems to have a questionable reputation. What is hypnosis and how can it help you? We'll learn about easing stress, relieving pain, stopping smoking and eating mindfully with the aid of hypnosis and self-hypnosis.
Read a short excerpt of the program or order it on CD by clicking the link below:

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/622_hypnosis_for_health.asp

Our newspaper columns this week address a novel approach to flatulence, magnets and arthritis pain, iron and constipation, low cholesterol levels, and new questions about the birth control pill:

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/editorial/birth_control_pills_effectiveness_questioned.asp

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/lowering_caffeine_in_tea.asp

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/trap_gas_with_carbonized_undies.asp

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Featured Q&A

Q. In one of your columns you made a passing comment about gin and raisins for joint pain. A friend of mine has been making and taking this for some time now and swears by it.

All he knows about it is that one of his co-workers told him to try it. My first thought was, it sounds like quite a way to get your morning jolt, sort of like the little old ladies of yore that took a nip of tonic, but insisted they were teetotalers.

Could you please tell me more about it?

A. We first heard about gin-soaked golden raisins in 1994. We have been writing about this arthritis remedy ever since. Some folks tell us it is amazing. Others say it is worthless. We cannot explain why it would work, but the juniper berries that flavor the gin may have some anti-inflammatory activity. Others have suggested that the sulfite preservative in golden raisins might have some unexpected benefit.

This remedy has very little alcohol in it when prepared correctly. We had nine raisins (the official daily dose) analyzed and discovered that there is only one drop of ethanol in nine raisins. For more details on this remedy, visit our Web site: http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/home_remedies/gin_soaked_raisins_for_arthritis.asp

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Featured Home Remedy

I have suffered with chronic diarrhea for a long time. My doctor has suggested that it is irritable bowel syndrome. I decided to try the coconut macaroon remedy about two months ago.

It has alleviated the problem almost completely. I have only experienced two or three episodes compared to maybe 20 or so in a similar time frame prior to the macaroon cookies.

I am baffled as to why it works, but aside from a slight change in my diet to account for the extra calories from two coconut macaroon cookies a day, it is a success. Thank you!

You can read more home remedies on our website:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.org/archives/home_remedies/index.asp

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Health Headlines:

Drug-Coated Stents
Drug-coated stents are back in the news. Five new studies published in the New England Journal of Medicine create more confusion than clarity. Stents are tiny metal tubes inserted into arteries to keep them open after angioplasty. The trouble with the old bare-metal stents was that they often become clogged over time. The drug-eluting stents contain a medication that suppresses inflammation and prevents tissue growth so the arteries remain open. The trouble is that they may be more likely to trigger blood clots that can lead to heart attacks. The new analyses suggest that the drug-coated stents can be helpful for the first year, but with time, any advantage may fade. An editorial in the Journal summed up the frustration of many cardiologists: "Unfortunately, despite the five years that have elapsed since the start of the clinical trials and the implantation of millions of drug-eluting stents, much remains uncertain about the long-term safety of the devices."
[New England Journal of Medicine, March 8, 2007, Early Release on the Web]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/abstract/NEJMe068306

FDA Oversight
The FDA has come under fire for its handling of the antibiotic Ketek. FDA safety officer, Dr. David Graham, told Senators two years ago that the Food and Drug Administration was "incapable of protecting America against another Vioxx." This week he told the House Committee on Oversight and Investigations that "nothing has really changed." The focus of the hearing was on Ketek and what the FDA knew about its potential for toxicity. The antibiotic was approved for sale in 2004 to treat a range of infections including sinusitis, bronchitis and pneumonia. This week the FDA announced that it is no longer safe enough for treating anything but pneumonia. Ketek can cause liver failure. Critics of the agency point out that the liver problems were known before the drug was approved. When asked if there are other drugs that may pose special health risks, Dr. David Graham suggested that off-label use of anti-psychotic drugs in nursing homes may be killing 15,000 older people each year.

Chinese Drug Scandal
Chinese officials have announced legal action against the former head of their Food and Drug Administration. This official has been accused of taking bribes to turn a blind eye to counterfeit medications. Fake drugs are a big problem in China and may pose risks for other countries as well. The Chinese pharmaceutical industry has become a major exporter to the rest of the world. Raw ingredients from China are used by drug manufacturers internationally and in the United States. Production licenses for 170,000 drugs may be affected and are being reviewed by government investigators.

Natural Aphrodisiac?
There may not be any real aphrodisiacs, but perhaps some natural compounds will turn out to be surprisingly effective. A study published in the Journal of Neuroscience suggests that male sweat could be a turn-on for many women. Just a sniff of a compound found in men's sweat, androstadienone, increased cortisol levels in women's blood and made their hearts beat faster. The women in the study also reported better mood and more sexual arousal. Sniffing baking yeast, in comparison, did nothing for the women's mood or hormone levels.
[Journal of Neuroscience, Feb. 7, 2007]
http://www.jneurosci.org/cgi/content/abstract/27/6/1261

Myths About Sex
Britons have some odd ideas about avoiding pregnancy. According to a new survey from the Family Planning Association, one third of the population is convinced that a woman who jumps up and down, urinates or washes immediately after sex will not conceive. Half those questioned were clueless about how a woman's cycle affects her likelihood of becoming pregnant. A majority did not know that sperm can survive in a woman's body for several days. The investigators concluded that many Britons are uninformed about the basics of human sexuality and reproduction. This ignorance may lead to many unwanted pregnancies.

Napping For Heart Health
Daytime naps may be good for the heart. A new study published in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that nappers who snooze during the day for at least 30 minutes three times a week are a third less likely to die of a heart attack than non-nappers. The research was carried out in Greece. Like other Mediterranean countries, Greece has a cultural history of mid-day siestas. Over 20,000 men and women were followed for more than six years. More than half the group was in the habit of taking daytime naps. The investigators hypothesize that a daytime nap may help ease both short term and chronic stress, which puts a strain on the heart. The lead investigator suggests that a nap may be nearly as beneficial as taking aspirin or exercising. Of course, doing all three may be the best approach to heart health.
[Archives of Internal Medicine]
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/3/296