In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Anti-Oxidant Overview Is Disappointing
Popular Pain Relievers Raise Blood Pressure
New Warnings For ADHD Drugs
Disappointing Results for Garlic and Cholesterol Control
Breath Test Detects Lung Cancer

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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 Media Mail with an expected transit time of 3-9 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:

Climate scientist Stephen Schneider knows a lot about making decisions in the face of uncertainty. Those skills from his profession were put to use when he came down with a rare kind of lymphoma. Schneider learned how to challenge doctors treating cancer by the book, and he discovered that patients who advocate for themselves get better treatment. Learn how becoming the "patient from hell" could save your life.
Read a short excerpt of the program or order it on CD by clicking the link below:

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/577_the_patient_from_hell_archive.asp

Our newspaper columns this week address an embarrassing possible effect of sugarless gum, help for coughing, more on quinine, no shame in ED, and the potential danger of overmedicating kids:

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

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

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

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Featured Q&A

Q. My husband loves garlic and onions. No one believes me but I have actually caught him making raw onion sandwiches. When he makes a pasta sauce I have to beg him not to use more than three cloves of garlic.

Needless to say, his breath could stop a horse. I love this man dearly but kissing him is a challenge. Is there an herbal mouthwash or home remedy that could calm his dragon breath?

A. Garlic breath goes way beyond mouthwash. The sulfur-containing compounds that cause the distinctive aroma are absorbed into the blood stream, circulated throughout the body and exhaled through the lungs.

The only home remedy we have ever heard about for garlic and onion breath is parsley. Some people maintain that eating fresh parsley can counteract the smell. Others prefer parsley flakes or capsules of parsley seed oil.

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Featured Home Remedy

Let me add one more word about using salt water as a nasal irrigant. When I was a little girl my allergist recommended it to relieve hay fever. I was too grossed out to try it at that age.

Then the man I married gave me a "netti pot." This is a special vessel for pouring warm salt water down the nasal passages, an ancient yogic practice. Once I mastered the technique, it has provided amazing relief from colds, sinus problems and hay fever. I use fresh warm water each time to avoid bacterial contamination.

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

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Health Headlines:

Anti-Oxidant Overview Is Disappointing
A new report suggests that antioxidant supplements do not prolong life. An analysis of 47 clinical trials involving more than 260,000 people concludes that there is no benefit to taking beta-carotene, vitamin A or vitamin E. There is even some suggestion that these nutrients may have some negative effects when taken individually. The study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association has created confusion in the minds of millions of Americans who thought that these antioxidants were beneficial.
Critics of the research point out that the investigators excluded data from two large trials that demonstrated positive effects from vitamins. Much of the research that was included involved people who were unhealthy to start with. For example many of the subjects were smokers or people who suffered from existing heart disease.
The controversy over vitamins and other dietary supplements is bound to continue. Until we have additional research regarding the use of antioxidants in healthy subjects everyone agrees that people should increase their consumption of fruits and vegetables to get as many of these nutrients as possible from the diet.
[JAMA Feb. 28, 2007]
http://jama.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/297/8/842

Popular Pain Relievers Raise Blood Pressure
Regular use of pain relievers like ibuprofen, naproxen or acetaminophen can increase blood pressure. Investigators studied 16,000 male health professionals over four years. Men who relied on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs most days of the week had a 38 percent increased risk of being diagnosed with hypertension. Acetaminophen, the ingredient in Tylenol, elevated the risk of high blood pressure 34 percent when it was taken six or seven days a week. Even aspirin had a negative impact. Men who took aspirin daily had a 26 percent increased risk of high blood pressure. The investigators caution that men who have been advised to take aspirin by their physicians should not stop this drug since it has other cardiovascular benefits. Aspirin lowers the risk of heart attacks and strokes, something that cannot be said of drugs like ibuprofen or acetaminophen. People with heart disease or existing high blood pressure may have to find other ways to control their pain and inflammation besides Advil, Aleve or Tylenol.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, Feb. 26, 2007]
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/4/394

New Warnings For ADHD Drugs
Drugs used to treat attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder are also coming under closer scrutiny by the FDA. The agency is asking manufacturers of such medications to create patient guides that warn about cardiovascular and psychiatric dangers. There have been reports of heart attacks and strokes, especially in patients with underlying heart problems. There are also concerns that these stimulant medications can trigger hallucinations, delusional thinking and other psychiatric symptoms. Medicines that will be affected the FDA¹s new labeling will include Adderall, Concerta, Dexedrine, Focalin, Ritalin and Strattera.
http://www.fda.gov/bbs/topics/NEWS/2007/NEW01568.html

Disappointing Results for Garlic and Cholesterol Control
Garlic pills are among the most popular dietary supplements in the health food store. Many people think that garlic will help control high cholesterol levels. However a new study in the Archives of Internal Medicine suggests that garlic is worthless when it comes to controlling cholesterol. Investigators compared the commercial preparations Garlicin and Kyolic-100 with raw garlic and placebo. Subjects consumed their garlic preparation six days a week for six months. At the end of the study there was no statistically significant difference in LDL cholesterol, HDL cholesterol or triglycerides. The investigators conclude that none of the forms of garlic used in the study, including raw garlic, produced any benefits in cholesterol control.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, Feb. 26, 2007]
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/extract/167/4/325

Breath Test Detects Lung Cancer
Detecting lung cancer early has posed a challenge, but new technology may make it easier. Scientists at the Cleveland Clinic report that a breath test detects 75 percent of patients with lung cancer, even those in the earliest stages. Because cancer cells produce different kinds of compounds compared to normal cells, researchers have been looking for ways to detect these novel chemicals in the breath. In this research, the investigators used a small, portable device not much larger than a coin. It had 36 spots with chemicals that change color when they interact with compounds from lung cancers. Until now, one of the most unusual and accurate ways to detect these volatile compounds has been the canine nose. Dogs are 99 percent accurate in determining patients with cancer. Very few clinics use this technique. If this research holds up, it may lead to an affordable and convenient way to screen for lung cancer.
[Thorax]