The People's Pharmacy® with Joe and Terry Graedon

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Health Headlines 01/04/08

Newsletter January 4, 2008

In This Issue:

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com
Featured Q&A
Featured Home Remedy
Flu Medicine Saves Lives
Cured Meats Raise Risk for Lung Trouble
Low-Fat Diet No Barrier to Breast Cancer
Coffee and Tea May Protect Kidneys
Are Calcium Recommended Intakes Too High?
Ibuprofen Does Not Prevent Muscle Soreness

New! Free Podcast Of The People's Pharmacy Radio Show

Miss the People's Pharmacy radio show last week? Now you can download our podcast! Every week we'll post the radio show as a free audio podcast. You can subscribe to our podcast using a program such as iTunes, and receive it automatically each week. Or you can visit our website and download a particular show you want to hear again. Each People's Pharmacy radio show is a 1 hour audio file which will be posted on Mondays.

Click here to download the podcast of last week's show, 661 Apitherapy and Acupuncture:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/audio/PP-614.mp3
Click here to learn more or subscribe to our podcasts:
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/podcast/

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.

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

This Week on PeoplesPharmacy.com:

This Week's Radio Show: 662 Health News Update
The Food and Drug Administration is charged with ensuring the safety of our medications, but over the past several months it has endured mounting criticism. We discuss the criticism, morale at the agency, and what needs to be done with...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/radio_shows/662_health_news_update.php

Acid Mantle For Dry, Cracked Skin
Q. You have had questions from people with skin cracking on their fingertips. I have another option to add to your suggestions: Acid Mantle from Doak Dermatologics. I learned about it many years ago from the cook at my children's...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/acid_mantle_for_dry_cracked_skin.php

Probiotic Yogurt Helps Ease Digestive Woes
Q. I had chronic diarrhea for several years, so I was interested in the coconut macaroon cookie remedy when I read about it in your column. I ate two each morning and got good benefit for a while, but then...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/probiotic_yogurt_helps_ease_digestive_woes.php

Simple Solution For Doggy Hot Spots
Q. I read somewhere of a solution for "hot spots" on dogs: 1/3 Listerine, 1/3 baby oil and 1/3 water. Shake these up in a spray bottle and spray it on the dog, rubbing it into the spot. If you...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/simple_solution_for_doggy_hot_spots.php

Big Pharma Fails To Deliver
The pharmaceutical industry is breaking its promise to the American public. People in the United States pay far more for prescription drugs than people anywhere else in the world. Drug companies vowed to use the proceeds from pricey prescription drugs...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/editorial/big_pharma_fails_to_deliver.php

Lower Blood Pressure Without Side Effects
Q. A few months ago, I finally yielded to my doctor’s pressure and went on a blood pressure medication, against my better judgment. I am a 63-year-old female. The medication is metoprolol succinate. If you could tell me some of...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/lower_blood_pressure_without_side_effects.php

Disposing Of Drugs Safely
Q. How do you advise people to dispose of their prescription and over the counter drugs safely? I worry about this stuff being flushed down the toilet and contaminating the water supply. A. Flushing unused or outdated medications down the...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/disposing_of_drugs_safely.php

Bar-Of-Soap Trick Just Superstition?
Q. I read again in today's column about the bar of soap cure for leg cramps. I think there is a huge psychological component to these cramps. If the soap cure works, it is just superstition. Anyone can learn to...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/barofsoap_trick_just_superstition.php

Plant Stanol Esters To Lower Cholesterol
Q. I was surprised that you didn't include a reference to plant stanol esters in your answer to a question about lowering cholesterol. Six years ago my husband's cholesterol was at 385. We didn't want him to take statins because...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/pharmacy_qa/plant_stanol_esters_to_lower_cholesterol.php

Curcumin And Pineapple Juice Ease Pain
Q. After listening to your radio show and reading about the anti-inflammatory effects of turmeric, I called a local health food store to get some. I had been having lower back pain and hip pain chronically off and on (mostly...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/curcumin_and_pineapple_juice_ease_pain.php

Liquid Bandage Banishes Skin Tags
Q. I'm wondering if you have any suggestions for removing skin tags. The dermatologist has lopped off some of them, but I’m hoping for a less expensive solution. A. Several readers have reported success in making their skin tags shrivel...
http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/archives/herb_home_remedy_qa/liquid_bandage_banishes_skin_tags.php

Featured Q & A

Contraceptive Spoils Honeymoon
Q. About a week ago I got married. I used Conceptrol gel for the first time as a back-up birth-control method.

I had such a bad reaction that I was unable to have intercourse, and I'm still out of the game because it's way too painful.

At the emergency room the doctor suggested trying another brand of spermicide on my skin before I ever put anything in my vagina again.

While not life-threatening, this side effect is a very big deal. I ought to have tried it a month before I was married so it didn't wreak such havoc on our vacation! The packaging should say as much.

A. Some women are extremely sensitive to spermicides and develop stinging, burning, itching or irritation. Nonoxynol-9 is the most common spermicide in products such as Conceptrol gel, Gynol II, K-Y Plus, Delfen, Koromex, Semicid and Encare. Some lubricants for condoms also contain nonoxynol-9.

Although you may be allergic to one of the "inactive" ingredients in Conceptrol, there is a possibility that your delicate tissues cannot tolerate spermicides. You may need to rely on a completely different form of contraception.

Featured Home Remedy

Coconut Prevents Montezuma's Revenge
I have read on your site about diarrhea being relieved by coconut macaroon cookies. Apparently there is something in coconut that acts as a "binder."

My husband and I traveled through Mexico for four months, visiting small towns and out of the way places. We spent several weeks in one village where the local economy was based on coconuts. The kids were always around us, offering coconut juice--a coconut with a straw poked in it. I loved the flavor of the juice and drank several cups a day. Then, contrary to what many tourists experience in Mexico, I became constantly constipated!

My husband didn't care for the juice much and he had several bouts of "Montezuma's revenge." We always ate the same things, but he got diarrhea and I didn't. The only difference was, I drank coconut juice!

Hope this helps explain the macaroon mystery.

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

Health Headlines:

Flu Medicine Saves Lives
Antiviral medication appears to help older people survive an influenza attack. Over the last several years, researchers have been debating the value of flu shots, especially for senior citizens. Some studies suggest that the vaccine reduces the risk of hospitalization and death in older people. Other research does not demonstrate a benefit. Investigators suggest that healthier elders tend to be the ones who get vaccinated, which introduces potential bias into the studies.
Now Canadian scientists report that senior citizens with severe influenza benefited from Tamiflu. This oral medication was given within 3 to 4 days of symptoms appearing and it cut their risk of dying from the infection by 80 percent. Nearly three fourths of the people in the study had been vaccinated, so in this study at least, flu shots do not always protect seniors against severe influenza infections.
[Clinical Infectious Diseases, December 15, 2007]

Cured Meats Raise Risk for Lung Trouble
Smokers who like bacon, ham, or hot dogs may be at substantially increased risk for lung problems. That's because nitrite preservatives that are frequently found in cured meats have been linked to chronic obstructive pulmonary disease or COPD. Smoking, of course, is one of the leading causes of COPD, but researchers at the Harvard School of Public Health have found that eating a diet rich in cured meats increases the risk even further. Such foods may also increase the risk for certain cancers and probably should not be a regular part of anyone's diet, least of all smokers.
[American Journal of Epidemiology, Dec. 15, 2007]
http://aje.oxfordjournals.org/cgi/content/abstract/166/12/1438

Low-Fat Diet No Barrier to Breast Cancer
The relationship between diet and breast cancer has long been controversial. Women are often advised to stick to a low fat diet to reduce their risk. A Swedish study contradicts that wisdom. Investigators followed more than 44,000 women for 13 years. After analyzing the data the researchers could not detect any difference in fat consumption between the women who developed breast cancer before menopause and those who did not. This is not the first study that failed to find a link between fat consumption and breast cancer. Nevertheless, women should follow a prudent diet for its other health benefits.
[British Journal of Cancer, November 27, 2007]
http://www.nature.com/bjc/journal/v97/n11/abs/6604033a.html

Coffee and Tea May Protect Kidneys
An analysis of previous studies suggests that people who drink coffee or tea are less likely than others to develop kidney cancer. The 13 studies included in the meta-analysis had a total of 775,000 participants among them. The volunteers were followed for 7 to 20 years. Those who drank just one cup of tea daily were 15 percent less likely to be diagnosed with kidney cancer during the follow-up period. People who drank at least three cups of coffee a day had a similar reduction in risk. The Harvard epidemiologists who conducted the analysis suggest that the antioxidants found in tea and coffee might be responsible for the benefit, but they admit that further studies will be needed to clarify the connection.
[International Journal of Cancer, Nov. 15, 2007]
http://www3.interscience.wiley.com/cgi-bin/abstract/114281867/ABSTRACT

Are Calcium Recommended Intakes Too High?
Women are often encouraged to take 1200 to 1500 milligrams of calcium daily to keep their bones strong. A new study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition challenges that recommendation. A review of research involving over 170,000 women and more than 68,000 men suggests that there is no significant reduction in hip fracture risk associated with high calcium intake. Vitamin D, on the other hand, does appear to lower both the risk of falls and fractures in older people. The lead author of this research suggests that the standard dietary recommendations may be too low for vitamin D and too high for calcium.
[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, December 2007]
http://www.ajcn.org/cgi/content/abstract/86/6/1780

Ibuprofen Does Not Prevent Muscle Soreness
Many serious athletes as well as weekend warriors rely on non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs like ibuprofen to get through their workouts. Many believe that if they take NSAIDs before a heavy workout they can prevent damage to muscles and won't feel sore the next day. To find out whether there is any truth to this belief, researchers at Appalachian State University in Boone, North Carolina studied marathon runners participating in the Western States Endurance Run. During this event, competitors run 160 kilometers in roughly three days. Almost three fourths of the marathoners took NSAIDS before or during the race. There was no evidence that the medications reduced muscle damage, oxidative stress or soreness. If anything, people who took drugs like ibuprofen experienced more oxidative stress and muscle soreness the following day.
[International Journal of Sports Medicine, November 2007]

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