In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Antidepressants During Pregnancy
New Drug for Fibromyalgia
Whole Grains Prevent Asthma and Arthritis
Training Helps Reduce Falls
Fish Oil Makes Babies Sharper
Checkmate Dementia by Playing Chess
Hypnosis Against Kids' Headaches

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

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This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com:

This Week's Radio Show: 640 Health on the Internet
People are turning to the Internet increasingly often to look for the answers to their health questions. How are people using the Web for health information, and how reliable is the information they find? Will the Internet empower patients or overwhelm them?
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/640_health_on_the_internet.asp

Olive Oil Combats Vaginal Dryness
Q. I've read that olive oil can be used for vaginal dryness. I couldn't tell if I should include olive oil in my diet or actually apply it directly to the vagina.A. This remedy calls for topical application of olive...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/olive_oil_combats_vaginal_dryness.asp

Licking the Bowl Is Risky Business
Q. When I was a child, my sister and I used to compete for first dibs on licking the bowl and beaters when Mother baked. It was a part of growing up.Recently, I was baking with my grandchildren and asked...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/licking_the_bowl_is_risky_business.asp

Natural Treatments for Doggy Diarrhea
Q. Can I use coconut milk and rice milk or coconut macaroon cookies for my boxer dog's diarrhea? Would it be harmful to her?A. Many years ago we heard from a reader that coconut macaroon cookies could alleviate chronic diarrhea...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/natural_treatments_for_doggy_diarrhea.asp

Sexual Intercourse Can Trigger Drug Reaction
Q. I am currently taking amoxicillin for a sinus infection but my wife is allergic to penicillin. Is there any possibility that she would have a bad reaction if we had unprotected sex? A. There are reports in the medical...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/sexual_intercourse_can_trigger_drug_reaction.asp

Miracle Whip Scrubs Scales
Q. For several months now I have had a problem with a scaly flaky scalp. I finally went to the doctor who prescribed medicated shampoo and mometasone topical solution. Nothing worked. Then a friend suggested I try Miracle Whip..
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/miracle_whip_scrubs_scales.asp

How Bad Is Past-Date Medicine?
Q. The expiration date on all my medicine is one year after the prescription is filled. Does this mean the Percocet I have on hand for a bad back becomes toxic after that time or is it just ineffective? ...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/how_bad_is_pastdate_medicine.asp

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Featured Q & A

Low Potassium Is Life Threatening
Q. A few months ago, I had to go into the emergency room with severe muscle cramps in my hands and legs. The doctors there discovered that my potassium level was extremely low (only 2.7).

They gave me IV potassium and for a few months my cramps were completely gone, but a few days ago they came back very suddenly. Since then I've been taking potassium supplements, but my cramps are no better. How much potassium is safe for me to take? I don't want to go back to the E.R., but I have the exact same symptoms now as the last time I went in.

A. See your doctor immediately. Potassium imbalance can be life-threatening. Either too much or too little of this vital mineral is dangerous and could lead to irregular heart rhythms. Without close monitoring there is no way anyone can determine how much potassium you should be taking.

You should also ask your doctor why you developed such low potassium. Diuretics can sometimes create such an imbalance. To keep from experiencing this problem again, you should address the underlying cause.

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Featured Home Remedy

Vicks VapoRub for Fire Ants
I have enjoyed reading about the unusual ways people utilize Vicks VapoRub. Here is another incredible use: fire ant bites.

I was viciously attacked by fire ants in my yard in Florida one day while I was talking with some Mexican gardeners. They told me to put Vicks VapoRub on the bites, and the itch and stinging went away immediately. A small blister appeared at each site but healed quickly. Ever since then, I've kept Vicks at the ready when I work in the yard.

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

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Health Headlines:

Antidepressants During Pregnancy
Women who need to take antidepressant medication during their pregnancies have been faced with a distressing dilemma. On the one hand, depression can be debilitating or even life threatening. Depressed women have a harder time coping with the challenges of pregnancy and nurturing a newborn infant. On the other hand, there have been reports that Prozac-like antidepressants might be associated with birth defects. Two studies in the New England Journal of Medicine suggest that the risks of birth defects due to SSRI-type antidepressants are very small. Women who need antidepressant treatment during pregnancy should feel relieved and should discuss this new research with their doctors.
[New England Journal of Medicine, June 28, 2007]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/356/26/2675

New Drug for Fibromyalgia
Fibromyalgia can be a difficult condition. It typically causes intense pain, fatigue, muscle stiffness, and chronic sleep deprivation. Fibromyalgia can be hard to diagnose because there is no simple test to verify the diagnosis. Until now, there have been no drugs approved for treating fibromyalgia, but the FDA has just changed that. Lyrica is a medication that has been used for neuropathic pain, such as the leg pain that may occur with diabetes or the pain following shingles. Now the FDA says doctors can prescribe Lyrica for fibromyalgia. Not all patients in the clinical trials benefited, however. Side effects of Lyrica include drowsiness, dizziness, weight gain, blurred vision, dry mouth and swelling of the hands or feet.

Whole Grains Prevent Asthma and Arthritis
People are frequently told to eat more fiber. That's because studies have shown that people who consume a diet high in whole grains are less likely to develop diabetes or heart disease. A new study suggests that they may also be protected in part from inflammatory conditions such as asthma and arthritis. Researchers followed 42,000 women in Iowa between 1986 and 2001. Women who ate at least 11 servings a week of food such as oatmeal, whole-grain breakfast cereal, bran, brown rice, popcorn or bulgur wheat were a third less likely to die of an inflammatory disease during those years. The investigators suggest that including more whole grains in the diet may provide more anti-oxidants and could benefit most of us.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June, 2007]
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/6/1606

Training Helps Reduce Falls
Some elderly people restrict their activity because they are afraid of falling. A fall, especially one that results in a broken hip, can indeed be devastating for an older person. Restricting activities or exercise, though, can aggravate balance problems. Canadian scientists have just reported on training that can improve balance in the elderly. The researchers used a special safety harness to keep volunteers from falling. They then threw them off balance by changing their center of gravity suddenly. The volunteers learned to recover their balance or grab a support. The investigators don't know if this challenging training will actually reduce falls, but it appears to improve confidence so that older people can continue to exercise, which itself can help with fitness and balance.
[BMC Geriatrics, online May 31, 2007]

Fish Oil Makes Babies Sharper
Fish oil supplements during pregnancy may improve the problem solving abilities of babies. A small study conducted at Louisiana State University in Baton Rouge gave some women cereal bars with extra omega 3 fatty acids for the last weeks of pregnancy. The control group got bars with corn oil. At nine months, babies were tested to see how well they could find a toy that had been covered with a cloth. The infants whose mothers had gotten the omega 3 supplements did better. The investigators admit, though, that they don't know whether this mental advantage will carry through into later life.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, June, 2007]
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/85/6/1572

Checkmate Dementia by Playing Chess
Studies have suggested that fish oil can also help older people stay mentally sharp as they age. A new study indicates that mental activity such as going to plays or the library, reading a newspaper or playing chess can also be beneficial for the brain. More than 700 people with an average age of 80 were tested annually for five years. People who were cognitively active were half as likely to develop Alzheimer's disease when compared to people who were less engaged.
[Neurology, online, June 27, 2007]

Hypnosis Against Kids' Headaches
When children suffer repeated headaches doctors have trouble treating them. Nobody wants to prescribe heavy-duty pain killers to kids. A new study from Minnesota suggests that self-hypnosis can be an effective way for youngsters to cope with headaches. The children, who averaged 11 years old, were trained to induce a hypnotic state and encouraged to practice at home. The self-hypnosis reduced the frequency, the intensity and the duration of the children's headaches.
[Journal of Pediatrics, June 2007]
http://www.jpeds.com/article/PIIS0022347607001333/abstract