In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Cough and Cold Products for Kids Recalled
Children's Health Care Is Lacking
Less Vitamin D Means More Colds
Benefits of Cholesterol-Lowering Medicine Long-Lasting
Getting (Just) Enough Sleep
Generic Drug Equality Questioned
Hormone Maker Loses Suit

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Generic Drug Equality Questioned

The People's Pharmacy has received hundreds of complaints about a generic antidepressant. The independent analytic organization ConsumerLab.com agreed to collaborate, and determined through testing that the generic product has a very different pattern of dissolution from the original Wellbutrin XL 300. This difference, with much more active ingredient being released early from the generic, might account for reports of side effects and lack of sustained antidepressant activity.
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/wellbutrin-bupropion.asp
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/generic_drug_problems/generic_drug_equality_questioned.php

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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 expansion 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: 627 Probiotics for Health
We host huge numbers of bacteria in our bodies—so many, in fact, that there are more bacterial cells than human cells in each of us. What are those bacteria doing there, and what happens when our personal ecological systems get...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/627_probiotics_for_health.php

Ginger To Treat Vertigo
Q. I had vertigo for 17 months, a very severe case. The doctor put me through tests, including an MRI, a test that put me in a black cabinet and spun me around while I answered questions and one that...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/ginger_to_treat_vertigo.php

Scary Side Effects of Chantix?
Q. The story about the person who became depressed on Chantix caught my eye. My husband and I were both on Chantix to quit smoking back in June. Neither of us has a history of depression, but after he was...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/scary_side_effects_of_chantix.php

Probiotics For Children With Eczema?
Q. My one-year-old son has been suffering from eczema. It hasn't improved in spite of numerous visits to different dermatologists and the use of OTC creams and antibiotic regimens. We have tried removing soy and gluten from his diet to...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/probiotics_for_children_with_eczema.php

Cobwebs Help Dog's Ear Stop Bleeding
Q. While cutting a mat from my dog's ear I cut a little chunk off the tip of her ear accidentally. I lost it, and held her and screamed for my husband. He went outside and got some spider web....
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/cobwebs_help_dogs_ear_stop_bleeding.php

Congress Caves In On TV Drug Ads
Does anyone like prescription drug ads on TV? We've taken several informal, unscientific polls and discovered that no one we know seems to like commercials about erectile dysfunction, overactive bladder or prostate enlargement. Most people we ask express annoyance at...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/editorial/congress_caves_in_on_tv_drug_ads.php

Keep Vicks VapoRub Out Of The Nose
Q. I was rubbing some Vicks VapoRub on my daughter and by accident I touched my nose after sneezing. A miniscule amount of it went into my nostril. Will this be harmful to me? For a few hours I could...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/keep_vicks_vaporub_out_of_the_nose.php

Generic Drug Equality Questioned
The People's Pharmacy and ConsumerLab.com Find Generic Antidepressant Behaves Differently from Original Drug. May Explain Complaints by Patients.
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/generic_drug_problems/generic_drug_equality_questioned.php

Fluid and Fiber For Constipation
Q. Do you have any suggestions for relieving constipation? I have tried many different things but nothing really seems to work for long. A. For controlling constipation, the basics are fluid and fiber. If you can’t get enough fiber from...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/fluid_and_fiber_for_constipation.php

Red Yeast Rice And Muscle Pain
Q. I took red yeast rice to control my cholesterol. It worked wonders for me. My doctors couldn't believe my perfect readings. After taking the red yeast rice for eight months, I started having an ache in my leg. I...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/red_yeast_rice_and_muscle_pain.php

Should Shellfish Lovers Worry About Cholesterol?
Q. There seems to be conflicting information on the relationship between consuming shellfish and cholesterol. What does the latest research show? If shellfish is a high-cholesterol food, how much is too much? A. For years dietitians counseled people to avoid...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/should_shellfish_lovers_worry_about_cholesterol.php

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Featured Q & A

Solutions for Hard-to-Swallow Pills
Q. I have a hard time swallowing pills. I nearly choke on big ones and sometimes feel like they get stuck in my throat.

I have asked my doctor not to prescribe big pills, but he doesn't seem to take my problem seriously. I often get to the pharmacy, pick up my prescription and then discover the pills are too large. Isn't there a way to find out in advance what size the pill will be?

A. Ask your doctor to show you the Physicians' Desk Reference, which has a photograph of the pill he is planning to prescribe. These pictures are actual size and should give you a good idea if you can swallow a pill.

Your doctor may be able to prescribe some medicines in liquid formulations. If not, inquire whether it is possible to break pills into smaller pieces.

To make it easier to swallow pills, drink out of a narrow-necked bottle of carbonated water. The sucking motion required carries the pill down more readily.

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Featured Home Remedy

Tasty Way to Banish Canker Sores
I have suffered with mouth ulcers all my life. I have tried many home remedies, over-the-counter cures, and a few prescriptions. Eating one kiwi cures my canker sores as fast as the prescription steroid cream, and the kiwi doesn't come with warnings about the danger of putting it in your mouth.

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

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Health Headlines:

Cough and Cold Products for Kids Recalled
Many cough and cold medicines for infants are being recalled. Makers of popular products such as Concentrated Infants' Tylenol Drops Plus Cold & Cough, Pediacare Infant Dropper Decongestant, Dimetapp Decongestant Plus Cough Infant Drops and Robitussin Infant Cough DM Drops are taking them off pharmacy shelves because of the danger of overdose in young children. The Food and Drug Administration is considering whether such products pose too much risk for children under the age of 6.

Children's Health Care Is Lacking
Children frequently do not get appropriate health care. A study in the New England Journal of Medicine shows that more than half of the 1,500 children in a two-year study did not get quality treatment. Children with unexplained fevers should have urine cultures done to rule out urinary tract infections. This was done less than 20 percent of the time. Fewer than half of the children with persistent asthma were prescribed anti-inflammatory medicines that can reduce asthma attacks and hospitalizations and improve lung function. Care for acute health problems was slightly better, but preventive care such as immunization was less likely to be carried out as indicated. Overall, the authors conclude, health care for children suffers from many of the same problems as health care for adults.
[New England Journal of Medicine, Oct. 11,2007]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/full/357/15/1515

Less Vitamin D Means More Colds
No one knows if high levels of vitamin D could help people avoid colds, but Finnish investigators have found that people with low levels of the vitamin have more respiratory infections. They studied 800 young men conscripted into the military and found that those with low levels of vitamin D missed twice as many days on duty as those with higher levels of the vitamin. Smokers had lower vitamin D levels than nonsmokers. Men who exercised regularly had higher levels, perhaps because they spent more time outside in the sunshine. The scientists suggest clinical trials of vitamin D supplementation to see if it protects people against infection.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, Sept. 2007]
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/3/714

Benefits of Cholesterol-Lowering Medicine Long-Lasting
The cholesterol-lowering drug pravastatin offers benefits for years after people stop taking it. Nearly 6,500 middle-aged men in western Scotland were included in a five-year study a decade ago. Ten years of follow-up after the study ended show that those who originally took pravastatin were less likely to have heart attacks than those assigned to placebo. The researchers conclude that the benefits of statin-type cholesterol medications such as pravastatin are durable over the long term.
[New England Journal of Medicine, Oct 11, 2007]
http://content.nejm.org/cgi/content/short/357/15/1477

Getting (Just) Enough Sleep
When Goldilocks went tromping into the bears' house, she found one bowl of porridge was too hot, one was too cold and one was JUST right. When she tested the beds, she found one was too soft, one was too hard and the little one was just right. When it comes to sleep, the Goldilocks principle may also hold. Too much or too little sleep can be bad for your health. We need to get it just right.
A 22-year study of over 20,000 Finns found that both long sleepers and short sleepers were more likely to die during the course of the follow-up period. Those who normally slept less than seven hours a night were 26 percent more likely to die during the study compared to those who got 7 to 8 hours of sleep. Those who slept more than eight hours had a comparable increase in mortality. The researchers couldn't explain the reason for these results. Maybe grandma was right when she suggested eight hours of sleep a night is just about right.
[Sleep, October 1, 2007]
http://www.journalsleep.org/ViewAbstract.aspx?citationid=3351

Generic Drug Equality Questioned
The People's Pharmacy has received hundreds of complaints about a generic antidepressant. The independent analytic organization ConsumerLab.com agreed to collaborate, and determined through testing that the generic product has a very different pattern of dissolution from the original Wellbutrin XL 300. This difference, with much more active ingredient being released early from the generic, might account for reports of side effects and lack of sustained antidepressant activity.
http://www.consumerlab.com/results/wellbutrin-bupropion.asp
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/generic_drug_problems/generic_drug_equality_questioned.php

Hormone Maker Loses Suit
Wyeth, the maker of Premarin and Prempro hormone replacement therapies (HRT), has just lost a huge lawsuit in Nevada. Three women who attributed their breast cancers to taking HRT were awarded combined damages of $134 million dollars. The jury found that the manufacturer acted with malice or fraud and concealed a material fact about the safety of these hormones. The company claims that it told doctors and patients that the drugs could increase the risk of breast cancer. Another 5,000 lawsuits are pending against Wyeth.

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