In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Vitamin D Against Cancer
FDA Ponders New Prescription Diet Pill
OTC Diet Pill Hits The Market
Sugary Drinks Add Pounds
Good Manners Improve Patient Safety
FDA Culture Downplays Caution

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://ppcart.fountainshosting.com/p-249-best-choices-from-the-peoples-pharmacy.aspx

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com:

This Week's Radio Show: 637 Managing High Blood Pressure
More than 65 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure. That means one adult in three is at greater risk of heart disease, kidney damage or stroke. There are many medications that can be used to treat hypertension, but not everyone tolerates the drugs well. Find out about non-drug approaches to managing high blood pressure that can help make the medicines more effectiveÑor even unnecessary.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/637_managing_high_blood_pressure.asp

Is Suppressing Stomach Acid Safe?
The saying goes that when all you have is a hammer, everything looks like a nail. Doctors may not be carpenters, but when it comes to heartburn, the hammer they wield most frequently is an acid-suppressing drug.Drug companies have been...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/editorial/is_suppressing_stomach_acid_safe.asp

Terry's Emergency Appendectomy?
We interview a lot of medical experts on our syndicated radio show but we donÕt usually test their advice ourselves. We just had an opportunity to do that, though. We recently interviewed patients-rights advocate Janet Lynn Mitchell and Pierce Scranton...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/joe_and_terrys_blog/terrys_emergency_appendectomy.asp

Multiple Drugs May Pose Dangers
Q. My husband takes Coreg, Lanoxin, amiodarone, Lasix, metolazone, Lipitor, aspirin, Uroxatral, Renagel, potassium and insulin. He also gets a shot of Procrit weekly for severe anemia caused by kidney problems.He takes so many pills it gets very confusing. Even...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/multiple_drugs_may_pose_dangers.asp

Finding Alternatives for Pomegranate Juice
Q. I was listening to a health show on public radio and heard about the health benefits of pomegranate juice. The juice is pricey. Could you please let me know where I can find pomegranate powder? A. Pomegranate juice is...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/finding_alternatives_for_pomegranate_juice.asp

Are Sunscreens Safe for Kids?
Q. I recently read that some sunscreens contain hormones that might affect young children. I am an avid user of sunscreen. IÕm concerned about any adverse effects on my children, especially my 9-year-old daughter.What specific ingredient should I be avoiding?...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/are_sunscreens_safe_for_kids_.asp

Stopping Effexor Is a Nightmare
Q. I have had great trouble stopping the antidepressant Effexor. I tapered off this medicine as instructed, but I still have a feeling like electrical shocks going through my brain. Getting off this drug has been a nightmare. If for...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/stopping_effexor_is_a_nightmare.asp

Yellow Mustard Is Slam-Dunk Against Leg Cramps
Q. I suffer from leg cramps. Recently while attending a basketball game, I had to leave my seat and try to walk off a severe inner thigh cramp.A security guard, seeing that I was grimacing in pain, approached me to...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/yellow_mustard_is_slamdunk_against_leg_cramps.asp

Low-Tech Hiccup Remedy
Q. Here is a cure for hiccups. The person with hiccups plugs up both ears with her fingers and drinks water. This is easiest with the help of another person holding the ears, but by using a bottle of water..
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/lowtech_hiccup_remedy.asp

Featured Q & A

Mystery Herb For Insomnia

Q. A self-confessed mail order addict, I recently ordered a pillow. It is supposedly "used by people all over Europe to prevent nasal discomfort at night." When the package arrived, it included a small envelope of a pleasant smelling herbal concoction. To our surprise, we discovered it was very effective. Of course, I had already discarded the pertinent information.

I would like to get more of the herbs (without the pillow) to replace the fast-fading scent. The health food stores don't know what it is. Do you have any idea?

A. We can only guess, but it is possible your packet contained lavender. This is a time-honored European remedy for insomnia that is frequently sold in a pillow. One study actually found that lavender aroma therapy helped people get to sleep.

Lavender aroma, as steam vapor, has also been used to treat nasal stuffiness due to colds. Your local health food store probably does have some lavender or lavender oil. Let us know if this is the "mystery herb."

Featured Home Remedy

Raw Onion For Bee Stings
I was amused to read about home remedies for bee stings. Don't bother with mud or baking soda if an onion is available!

Slice an onion in half (or cut an end off) and apply the cut surface to the sting. It works every time. I have used this remedy for many of my 75 years and on all our children and grandkids.

A. Thanks for reminding us about the onion remedy for insect stings. Years ago another reader advised us to rub a sting with a cut onion for at least 10 minutes.

When we heard about this, we consulted the country's foremost expert on onion chemistry, Dr. Eric Block of the State University of New York at Albany. According to him, raw onions do contain a chemical that can break down the compounds responsible for pain and swelling.

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

Health Headlines:

Vitamin D Against Cancer
The evidence is growing that Vitamin D helps prevent cancer. Scientists had previously noticed that people in sunny climates are less likely to develop a variety of cancers compared to those who live at higher latitudes. Now there is experimental evidence of the vitamin D connection. Researchers at Creighton University in Nebraska studied nearly 1,200 postmenopausal women for four years. One group took 1500 mg of calcium plus 1100 IUs of vitamin D. A second group was given only the calcium, and a third group took placebo pills. Those who received the calcium plus D had a 60 percent lower risk of developing cancer. This new study adds to a growing body of data that suggests vitamin D has valuable anti-cancer activity.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June, 2007]
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/6/1586

FDA Ponders New Prescription Diet Pill
The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether it should approve a new diet pill called rimonabant. It is already on the market in Europe under the name Acomplia. If the FDA gives rimonabant the green light, it will be sold in the U.S. as Zimulti. This drug has been under review for more than a year and has generated a great deal of controversy. It appears to be fairly effective at helping people lose weight. Compared to placebo, people taking rimonabant lose roughly 10 pounds more over the course of a year. That may not sound like much, but in the world of weight loss drugs, it is actually substantial. The drug has several other benefits lacking in many other diet pills. For one thing, it helps lower blood sugar and may be helpful for overweight diabetics. It also raises good HDL cholesterol and lowers triglycerides.
    Rimonabant works differently from past diet pills. It blocks cannabinoid receptors in the brain. These receptors respond to marijuana or tetra-hydro-cannabinol. This has led some researchers to call it the anti-munchie drug. One serious complication, however, is that it makes some people feel depressed. FDA is concerned about reports that rimonabant may double the risk of suicidal thoughts or actions. If agency approves this medication, it is likely to require a sternly worded warning about suicide.

OTC Diet Pill Hits The Market
Regardless of what the FDA decides about rimonabant, there is a new weight loss option for consumers. Actually, Alli is not new at all. The active ingredient, orlistat, has been available by prescription for several years under the brand name Xenical. Studies have demonstrated that prescription-strength orlistat helps people lose 5 or 6 pounds more than placebo.
    Now this medication will be sold over the counter at half the prescription dose. Alli blocks the absorption of fat from the digestive tract. Over the next few months you will see a lot of advertising for Alli since the manufacturer is planning to spend $150 million on marketing to consumers. A month's supply will cost about $60. The drug does have some unpleasant side effects, however. Since Alli blocks the absorption of fat, it can cause gas and oily discharge. Some people have referred to this as the underwear problem.

Sugary Drinks Add Pounds
In the fight against fat, parents can help children by giving them water rather than sweet drinks when they are thirsty. Weight problems often start early in life. Scientists from Canada report that preschoolers who regularly drink sugary beverages such as soft drinks or juice drinks are twice as likely to be overweight by age 5.
[Journal of the American Dietetic Association, June 2007.]

Good Manners Improve Patient Safety
Doctors are frequently admonished to wash their hands before examining a patient. It might be better if they shake hands first. A new survey shows that most patients appreciate having the doctor introduce herself by first and last name, shake hands and address the patient by name. This kind of interaction sets the tone for good communication between doctors and patients. The authors of this study point out that good manners not only establishes rapport, but can also help with patient safety. Addressing the patient by first and last name reduces confusion and reinforces positive patient identification.
[Archives of Internal Medicine, June 11, 2007]
http://archinte.ama-assn.org/cgi/content/abstract/167/11/1172

FDA Culture Downplays Caution
The FDA has come under increasing scrutiny because of concerns about drug safety surveillance. The diabetes drug Avandia is just the latest in a string or scandals. Dr. Rosemary Johann-Liang was deputy director of the Division of Drug Risk Evaluation at the agency. More than a year ago she recommended a black box warning about congestive heart failure caused by Avandia. Instead of following her recommendation, her FDA superiors reprimanded her. Now she has left the agency partly because of her perception that the agency has a culture that "The drug is always innocent."