In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Corrupt FDA Head Put To Death In China
Dial 911 For Stroke
Stop-Smoking Drug May Also Help Alcoholics
Cola Fans Risk Kidney Problems
Pumpkin Restores Rat Blood Sugar
Folate Deficiency Linked To Depression

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Best Choices from The People's Pharmacy

We are pleased to announce a new edition of our book, Best Choices from The People's Pharmacy. Best Choices is filled with natural healing approaches for dozens of common conditions including:

• arthritis
• high blood pressure
• constipation
• insomnia
• diabetes
• leg cramps
• headaches
• menopause
• heartburn
• nail fungus
• high cholesterol
• osteoporosis

We also rate prescription drugs so you can get the best buys for your money. Best Choices is packed with remedies that will surprise you, statistics that will shock you, ratings to help assess your treatment options and drug information that could save your life. Purchases from the web site receive over a 25% discount off the list price of $31.95.

This special edition (524 pages) is not available in any bookstore. It contains an expantion of our People's Pharmacy Favorite Picks (home remedies) and a new chapter on Desert Island Drugs and Dietary Supplements. Some of the country's leading experts have contributed their insights on the best treatments for what ails you. This edition is not in stores or on other Internet sites. It is only available from Rodale Books and directly from The People's Pharmacy. We ship book orders Media Mail (5-10 day delivery expected).

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: 641 The Loss of Sadness
Some experts estimate that up to a quarter of those who might be diagnosed as depressed under current criteria are actually suffering from normal reactions to loss. Psychiatrists take bereavement into account, but what about divorce or losing a job?
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/641_the_loss_of_sadness.asp

Drugs May Raise Risk of Heart Failure
Q. You had a letter from a woman worried about her husband's lack of energy. He was on atenolol, Norvasc and furosemide for high blood pressure. She asked about his low potassium.As I read her letter, I became concerned that...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/drugs_may_raise_risk_of_heart_failure.asp

Can Home Remedies Top Prescription Drugs?
Most doctors dismiss home remedies as unscientific at best or harmful at worst. They have a hard time understanding why anyone would choose an unproven folk treatment over an FDA approved prescription drug.Several years ago a furious podiatrist chastised us...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/editorial/can_home_remedies_top_prescription_drugs.asp

Can Herbs Cause Bruising?
Q. I have been taking curcumin for the inflammation of arthritis. I have noticed that I bruise easily. I also take ginkgo and I wonder if taking both of them is causing this. A. Animal research suggests that curcumin (the...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/can_herbs_cause_bruising.asp

Take Tape to Trap Ticks
Q. I live near a national park and walk my dogs in the woods. There are ticks everywhere. I stop and pull ticks off myself every few minutes, but I hate to just throw them back in the bushes where...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/take_tape_to_trap_ticks.asp

Are Wife's Pantyhose Safe for Hubby?
Q. I suffer from chronic leg pain. My doctors have tested me and all they can say is that it might be due to nerve damage. They suggest support hose.I bought some medical support hose but they are very expensive...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/are_wifes_pantyhose_safe_for_hubby.asp

Natural Alternatives to Ambien
Q. My husband has had a terrible time with the sleeping pill Ambien. One night he got up and wandered out of the house. A stranger had to bring him home. Another time he poured coffee on the computer in...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/natural_alternatives_to_ambien.asp

Pricey Prescriptions Pose Problem
Q. My husband and I are 63. I am on nine prescriptions and my husband is on four prescriptions for his asthma. Our insurance does not cover prescriptions.We estimate our prescription cost this year is approximately $11,000. Do you have...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/pricey_prescriptions_pose_problem.asp

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Featured Q & A

Can Women Benefit From Viagra?
Q. What would happen if a woman were to take Viagra? Do any female genital structures (such as the clitoris) respond with increased blood flow like the penis in males? Would women have side effects similar to those of men?

A. In theory, Viagra (sildenafil) might increase blood flow to the clitoris. There is no research to confirm this, however, and even if it did, we don't know whether this would be beneficial. Viagra is no aphrodisiac.

There have been anecdotal reports that some women who have had trouble achieving orgasm were able to reach climax while taking Viagra. But the manufacturer discourages use of Viagra by women until a planned study of the drug in females has been completed.

Side effects in men include headache, indigestion, flushing, stuffy nose and visual changes. There is no reason to expect women would react differently.

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Featured Home Remedy

I have a new use for Vicks VapoRub. It keeps ants away from my hummingbird nectar feeder!

I used to coat the wire hanger of the feeder with Vaseline. The ants would walk right to the edge of the Vaseline, then retreat, until dust made the Vaseline less sticky.

Now that I put Vicks on the wire hanger, those ants don't even go near the feeder. They turn back at least 8 to 10 inches from the wire hanger. Of course, this isn't a medicinal use for Vicks, but some of your readers have hummingbird feeders.

Don't get the Vicks close to the feeder itself. Vicks is probably not tasty or safe for hummers.

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

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Health Headlines:

Corrupt FDA Head Put To Death In China
China has taken an unusually harsh measure to crack down on corruption within its Food and Drug Administration. The former head of the agency was executed for accepting bribes. Other officials who took bribes to approve questionable drugs have also been punished. A spokesperson for the agency admits that the cases have brought it shame. The pet food scandal and tainted toothpaste have highlighted international worries about quality control of food and drug products from China. Now that so many US drug companies are purchasing pharmaceuticals from China, the weakness of its regulatory agency is of great concern here as well as in China.

Dial 911 For Stroke
Hospital operators are missing important opportunities when people call with possible stroke symptoms. Serious consequences of stroke may be reduced, but only if people are treated promptly. Doctors in West Virginia were concerned that too many patients were brought to their stroke treatment center too late to be helped. They called 46 health help-lines around the country with a hypothetical scenario: a 65-year-old man was having trouble speaking and weakness in his left arm and leg. The operator was then asked which of four choices would be best: wait for the symptoms to go away, call the primary care doctor, drive to a local hospital or call 9-1-1. Unfortunately, more than one out of five operators referred this imaginary patient to his primary care doctor rather than encourage a 9-1-1- call. Even worse, one out of four of these help-line operators could not name any symptoms of stroke such as sudden loss of vision, difficulty communicating or sudden weakness or numbness on one side of the body. The sooner a stroke victim is seen in an emergency department, the better the prognosis.
[Stroke, August 2007]

Stop-Smoking Drug May Also Help Alcoholics
Last year the FDA approved a new kind of medicine to help people quit smoking. Chantix grabs on to nicotine receptors in the brain so that smokers no longer get the same pleasure from inhaling. Now, researchers report that rats given Chantix are less likely to maintain alcohol consumption. The researchers are hopeful that this drug will help people kick a variety of addictive behaviors from drinking to gambling. Clinical research will be necessary before the FDA gives Chantix a green light for other uses beyond smoking cessation.
[Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, July 9, online, 2007]
http://www.pnas.org/cgi/content/abstract/0705368104v1

Cola Fans Risk Kidney Problems
Heavy cola drinkers may be putting themselves at risk of kidney disease. Researchers at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences compared a sample of 465 people with kidney disease to 467 healthy control subjects. Those with kidney problems were more than twice as likely to be in the habit of drinking at least two colas a day. The researchers speculate the the phosphoric acid used as a preservative in cola may be the culprit. Other soft drinks tend to use citric acid instead. High levels of phosphoric acid are associated with kidney damage. This research will need to be confirmed before people make major dietary changes. Nevertheless, moderation in cola consumption is not necessarily a bad thing.
[Epidemiology, July 2007]

Pumpkin Restores Rat Blood Sugar
Extract of pumpkin may have effects similar to insulin, according to animal research. Pumpkin is a traditional treatment for diabetes in some parts of Asia. The new study shows that diabetic rats treated with pumpkin extract had better blood sugar control and higher levels of insulin in their blood stream. These rats normally have 40 percent less insulin circulating in their bodies than healthy rats. The pumpkin product helped them restore insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. No one knows whether this would help humans with diabetes but the animal research is intriguing.
[Journal of the Science of Food and Agriculture, July 2007]
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114229325/ABSTRACT

Folate Deficiency Linked To Depression
There have been reports that people who are deficient in B vitamins may be at increased risk for depression. Now a new study has pooled data from other investigations and concluded that low folic acid levels are linked to an increased risk for depression. The investigators reviewed 11 studies involving more than 15,000 subjects. Those who were deficient in folate were 55 percent more likely to be diagnosed with depression. Folic acid is found in many foods such as green leafy vegetables, liver, peas and brewer's yeast. Supplements are also inexpensive and widely available.
[Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health, July 2007]
http://jech.bmj.com/cgi/content/abstract/61/7/631