The People's Pharmacy®

845 Aspirin Secrets Revealed

2012-02-04T11:43:32Z

Tune in to our radio show on your local public radio station, or sign up for the podcast and listen at your leisure. Here's what it's about:

Aspirin was first developed and marketed more than a century ago. As an inexpensive and ubiquitous over-the-counter medicine, aspirin hardly seems to warrant a second thought.

New research shows, however, that the venerable pain-reliever isn't just for headaches any more. Learn how aspirin is being used to cut the chance of developing colon cancer, and how it can affect heart disease. Who should be taking aspirin, and what do they need to know?

Guests: Sir John Burn, MD, FRCP, FRCPCH, FRCOG, FMedSci, is Professor at the Institute of Genetic Medicine of Newcastle University in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. He is also lead clinician for the National Health Service North East. The website for his study is http://www.capp3.org/ The photo is of Sir John.

Sidney C. Smith, Jr., MD, FACC, FAHA, FESC, is Professor of Medicine in the division of cardiology and Director of the Center for Cardiovascular Science and Medicine at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Dr. Smith is past president of the American Heart Association and is a recipient of their Gold Heart Award. He has also served as chair of the American College of Cardiology and is currently President of the World Heart Federation.

The podcast of this program will be available the Monday after the broadcast date. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free for six weeks after the date of broadcast. After that time has passed, digital downloads are available for $2.99. CDs may be purchased at any time after broadcast for $9.99.

Health Headlines

2012-02-03T18:33:48Z

This Week's Radio Show: 845 Aspirin Secrets Revealed

Tune in to our radio show on your local public radio station, or sign up for the podcast and listen at your leisure. Here's what it's about: Aspirin was first developed and marketed more than a century ago. As an...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/04/845-aspirin-secrets-revealed/

Birth Control Pills Recalled

Does Coumadin Interact with Tylenol?

Q. I was very upset to read your response to a question about the blood thinner Coumadin. You listed several drugs that may interact with Coumadin; one of them was Tylenol. I am a heart valve patient. My cardiologist is...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/does-coumadin-interact-with-tylenol/

Horse Pill Not Right For Cowboy

Q. I'm not one to take pills. I don't even keep aspirin in my house. But I have medicine in the barn for my horses and use it when I've got to have some for myself. I have a bad...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/horse-pill-not-right-for-cowboy/

Can Low Cholesterol Cause Stroke?

Q. I take simvastatin, and I am concerned that my cholesterol may be too low (143, HDL 46, LDL 75). My mother died at age 64 from a massive stroke. Somewhere I read that very low cholesterol increases the risk...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/can-low-cholesterol-cause-stroke/

Supplements Help Prevent Heart Rhythm Changes

Q. After 30 years of atrial fibrillation (A-fib), I started taking magnesium, fish oil and vitamin D daily. I think this regimen keeps my A-fib spells down to one every few months, usually triggered by caffeine. A. Atrial fibrillation requires...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/supplements-help-prevent-heart-rhythm-changes/

Health Headlines:

Difference in Blood Pressure Between Arms Signal Danger

Measuring blood pressure in both arms may reveal unexpected cardiovascular risks. Usually, the cuff is put on just one arm or the other in the doctor's office, and the result of that reading is used to determine if the patient...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/difference-in-blood-pressure-between-arms-signal-danger/

Metformin Protects Against Rare Cancer

People with type 2 diabetes usually take oral medications to help keep their blood sugar under control. One widely available inexpensive generic drug, metformin, appears to reduce the risk of pancreatic cancer. Although this kind of cancer is relatively rare,...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/metformin-protects-against-rare-cancer/

Black Raspberries Fight Mouth Cancer

Black raspberries may offer a surprising solution for preventing oral cancers. This form of malignancy kills over 7,000 people annually. The usual treatment involves surgery to remove abnormal cellular growth before it turns into life-threatening cancer. Even with such surgical...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/black-raspberries-fight-mouth-cancer/

Eating Fish Protects Against Polyps

Eating fish at least three times a week may reduce the risk of a common digestive tract cancer. Scientists at Vanderbilt compared cases of people who had colonoscopies. The individuals in the study answered food-frequency questionnaires. Women who ate more...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/eating-fish-protects-against-polyps/

Solving the PSA Puzzle

Older Women Are Still Interested in Sexual Satisfaction

People often assume that older people are not interested in sex. A new survey from Southern California suggests that is not true. 800 women between the ages 40 and 82 answered questions about their sexual activity and satisfaction. Roughly half...

http://www.peoplespharmacy.com/2012/02/01/older-women-are-still-interested-in-sexual-satisfaction/

Birth Control Pills Recalled

2012-02-02T15:13:31Z

Women rely on their birth control pills to prevent pregnancy, and for the most part that confidence is well placed. But a manufacturing error by pharmaceutical giant Pfizer could lead, experts surmise, to unintended conceptions. The birth control pill Lo/Ovral-28 is sold in pink packets of 21 hormone-containing pills and 7 placebo pills. The placebo pills permit women to have monthly periods and are pink rather than white like the active pills. In the mix-up, the placebo pills were not properly placed on the packet, but were mixed in with the active ones. This could compromise contraceptive effectiveness.

Pfizer estimates that only about 30 packets may have been affected by this problem, but the company is recalling approximately 1 million packages. These include both brand-name Lo/Ovral-28 and generic norgestrel and ethinyl estradiol, all distributed in pink packages by Akrimax Rx Products. The packages are marked with expiration dates between July 31, 2013 and March 31, 2014. Lot numbers can be checked here.

Any woman who has an Akrimax birth control packet that meets these criteria should immediately start using back-up non-hormonal contraception such as a condom, diaphragm or spermicidal jelly or foam. She should return the packet to the pharmacy for free replacement and notify her physician.

Free Newsletter and Maybe a Free Book

2012-02-02T14:03:34Z

This website has become a community where people share their favorite home remedies and natural food therapies. If you would like to keep up with the unusual remedies that other people have found helpful, you might consider subscribing to our FREE electronic newsletter. It will come to you by email twice weekly, containing questions & answers on common problems as well as the important health news stories of the week.

For the next four weeks, we are offering an incentive to new subscribers. Ten new subscribers will be chosen at random each week to receive a FREE copy of our book, Favorite Foods from The People's Pharmacy. This 220-page book is not available in any bookstore and is no longer for sale on our website.

To get all the latest information on food and home remedies and keep up-to-date on the latest health discoveries, be sure to friend us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter. To sign up for the free email newsletter, go to the upper right hand corner of this page and look under our photo and below the f (Facebook) and t (Twitter) icons. Just put your email address into the box and click "join."

Does Coumadin Interact with Tylenol?

2012-02-02T02:21:22Z

Q. I was very upset to read your response to a question about the blood thinner Coumadin. You listed several drugs that may interact with Coumadin; one of them was Tylenol.

I am a heart valve patient. My cardiologist is one of the most respected doctors in the country. He told me never to take any drug without clearing it with him first.

The one drug I am allowed to take without asking a doctor is Tylenol. After I read your column I became alarmed. I spoke to two cardiologists, an infectious disease doctor, a neurologist, an ophthalmologist, and two pharmacists. ALL said Tylenol was not incompatible with Coumadin.

You should do more research before responding to such inquiries. Please print a correction.

A. We are sorry we alarmed you. Most physicians realize that aspirin and other anti-inflammatory drugs can cause problems in combination with Coumadin. Despite research going back 30 years, few are aware that acetaminophen (Aspirin Free Anacin, Panadol, Tylenol) can also interact with this anticoagulant.

Although it is safe for a patient on Coumadin to take Tylenol occasionally for a headache, regular use (more than a few days) could increase the risk of hemorrhage.

A study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association (March 4, 1998) showed that people who take fewer than three doses (six 325 mg tablets) per week have little to worry about, but just four tablets a day for a week result in 10 times the danger of bleeding. More recent studies in the European Journal of Clinical Pharmacology (March, 2011) and Pharmacotherapy (June, 2011) confirms this link in some patients.

Anyone taking Coumadin should be aware of all potential incompatibilities. We're sending you our FREE Guides to Food, Drug and Coumadin Interactions which describe many of these problems in greater detail.

Horse Pill Not Right For Cowboy

2012-02-02T01:58:57Z

Q. I'm not one to take pills. I don't even keep aspirin in my house. But I have medicine in the barn for my horses and use it when I've got to have some for myself.

I have a bad back that bothers me off and on, and when it does I take one of the horse's phenylbutazone tablets. The only medicine I took last year was a half of a phenylbutazone tablet, twice. Do you see anything wrong with taking this horse pill myself?

A. Phenylbutazone, one of the first anti-inflammatory drugs, was initially marketed over 60 years ago. Prescribed under the brand name Butazolidin, it is no longer available for human use. "Bute" has been used to enhance the performance of race horses.

Although phenylbutazone worked well for rheumatoid arthritis, it caused serious side effects in humans, including ulcers, serum sickness, hepatitis and blood disorders. If you need something for your bad back you would be better off taking a safer pain reliever such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or naproxen (Aleve).

You can also find a number of non-drug alternatives for pain and inflammation in our Guide to Alternatives Treatments for Arthritis. They include turmeric (the yellow spice in yellow mustard), tart cherries (pie cherries), fish oil, gin-soaked raisins and grape juice and Certo (plant pectin used to thicken jams and jellies).

Difference in Blood Pressure Between Arms Signal Danger

2012-02-02T01:41:24Z

Measuring blood pressure in both arms may reveal unexpected cardiovascular risks. Usually, the cuff is put on just one arm or the other in the doctor's office, and the result of that reading is used to determine if the patient should be treated for hypertension. Now, however, British researchers report that doctors or nurses should be measuring blood pressure in both arms.

Their meta-analysis included 20 studies with blood pressure data from both arms. They also assessed follow-up information on health outcomes. When the readings are at least 15 points different between arms, the scientists found that the risk of peripheral vascular disease was doubled. Such patients also had a significantly higher risk of dying prematurely. The investigators suggest that people who have at least 10 mm of difference between the two arms should be evaluated further for other risk factors that could be treated.

[The Lancet, online Jan. 29, 2012]

Metformin Protects Against Rare Cancer

2012-02-02T01:35:00Z

In a British study, 2,800 cancer patients were matched to healthy controls. Women who used metformin to control their blood sugar levels were less likely to develop pancreatic cancer. People who relied on insulin or oral diabetes drugs like glyburide or glipizide appeared to be at somewhat increased risk of pancreatic cancer. This isn't the first time that metformin has been shown to reduce the risk of cancer. Other studies have suggested that this diabetes drug is associated with a lower risk of breast cancer, ovarian cancer and possibly even liver cancer.

[American Journal of Gastroenterology, online, January 31, 2012]

Black Raspberries Fight Mouth Cancer

2012-02-02T01:30:43Z

Black raspberries may offer a surprising solution for preventing oral cancers. This form of malignancy kills over 7,000 people annually. The usual treatment involves surgery to remove abnormal cellular growth before it turns into life-threatening cancer. Even with such surgical intervention, however, recurrences are common. About one in three patients suffers a recurrence within a year of such preventive surgery.

Now a researcher at the Ohio State University has developed an oral gel that contains the dark pigments, anthocyanins, from black raspberries. These compounds interfere with abnormal cell growth and reduce the risk of a recurrence. Other strategies to prevent oral cancer include avoiding tobacco products, limiting alcohol consumption, eating lots of fruits and vegetables and getting vaccinated against human papilloma virus. Seeing a dentist once or twice a year can help identify any unusual looking lesions at an early stage.

[Pharmaceutical Research, June, 2011]

Eating Fish Protects Against Polyps

2012-02-02T01:25:37Z

Eating fish at least three times a week may reduce the risk of a common digestive tract cancer. Scientists at Vanderbilt compared cases of people who had colonoscopies. The individuals in the study answered food-frequency questionnaires. Women who ate more fish were about one-third less likely to have polyps discovered during colonoscopy. The investigators don't know why men did not get similar protection.

[American Journal of Clinical Nutrition, online Jan, 25, 2012]

Can Low Cholesterol Cause Stroke?

2012-02-02T01:21:21Z

A. Do you know if your mother died of a hemorrhagic (bleeding) or a thrombotic (clotting) stroke? The difference is very important.

Controlling cholesterol levels and keeping blood from forming clots are important strategies in preventing a thrombotic stroke, which is like a heart attack in the brain. But a bleeding stroke, which is less common, is associated with low cholesterol and high blood pressure.

A study presented at the American Heart Association Conference on Stroke demonstrated that men with cholesterol below 180 were at twice the risk of hemorrhagic stroke compared with those at 230 or above.

A Honolulu study many years ago showed that middle-age men with cholesterol below 150 had four times the risk of such a stroke.

There are some physicians who believe that you cannot have too low a golf score or too low a cholesterol level. We beg to disagree. Cholesterol is essential for life. Without it, you would die. It forms the building blocks for crucial hormones like testosterone and estrogen. It is also key to the integrity of cell membranes.

We go into far greater detail about the dangers of too low cholesterol levels in our book, Best Choices From The People's Pharmacy. In addition, we discuss a great many other ways to reduce the risk of heart disease. They include dozens of non-drug strategies. You can learn more about Best Choices by clicking here.

Do not stop taking simvastatin, but please discuss this issue with your physician. Aiming for a total cholesterol between 180 and 200 may be more desirable than getting it as low as you can.

Solving the PSA Puzzle

2012-02-02T01:16:32Z

The larger a man's prostate, the higher his PSA might be. That could easily lead to a biopsy and diagnosis of prostate cancer. A new study suggests that a larger prostate may be associated with less severe prostate cancer. The scientists reviewed 1,250 cases of prostate cancer. All the men had their prostates surgically removed although they were considered low-risk. But pathological examination of the tissue after surgery resulted in one-third of the cases being reclassified at higher risk. Men with smaller prostate glands were more likely to have a more aggressive form of cancer.

[Journal of Urology, Dec., 2011]

Older Women Are Still Interested in Sexual Satisfaction

2012-02-02T01:06:00Z

People often assume that older people are not interested in sex. A new survey from Southern California suggests that is not true. 800 women between the ages 40 and 82 answered questions about their sexual activity and satisfaction. Roughly half reported sexual activity within the past month. A majority of those reported arousal, lubrication and orgasm most of the time. About one-third reported low libido. Women who reported feeling emotionally close to their partners during sex had better sexual outcomes.

[American Journal of Medicine, Jan., 2012]

Supplements Help Prevent Heart Rhythm Changes

2012-02-01T19:37:23Z

A. Atrial fibrillation requires medical management from a physician. We do NOT want anyone to experience a stroke because of home treatment. Make sure your doctor knows about your supplements. Symptoms of A-fib are not always detectable by the patient. But we're pleased to hear you have been able to reduce your episodes.

Heartburn Drugs and Hip Fractures

2012-02-01T13:06:27Z

Call it the law of unintended consequences. Drug companies, doctors and druggists all thought that they were doing something wonderful for patients. After all, severe heartburn or GERD (gastroesophageal reflex disease) is common and distressing. When acid works its way up from the stomach into the esophagus it can cause burning and irritation. This can cause scarring of the sensitive tissues in the food tube and in some cases could lead to a condition called Barrett's esophagus or precancerous cellular changes.

Suppressing acid formation in the stomach with a class of medications called proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) seemed like a great plan. Such drugs have become incredibly popular:

• Esomeprazole (Nexium)
• Lansoprazole (Prevacid)
• Omeprazole (Prilosec)
• Pantoprazole (Protonix)
• Rabeprazole (Aciphex)

You can now buy omeprazole (Prilosec) and lansoprazole (Prevacid) over the counter without medical supervision. Not surprisingly, these drugs are among the most popular pills for heartburn.

But there are a couple of problems. There is acid in the stomach for a reason. It was not a mistake of nature that most animals have highly concentrated acid in their stomachs. Acid is necessary to digest food and allow for absorption of certain key nutrients. Acid also kills lots of nasty germs that might get into our stomachs from food, water and other sources. Suppressing acid so effectively may increase our risk for certain infections. It also seems to increase the risk for a very serious and unanticipated complication: hip fracture!

An article just out from the BMJ (once known as the British Medical Journal) reveals that postmenopausal women who smoked (current or former smokers) and took a proton pump inhibitor for at least two years were at greater risk for hip fractures. Nearly 80,000 women from the Nurses' Health Study were followed for roughly eight years. That represented over 500,000 person years of follow-up. There were about 900 hip fractures in this group of women. Compared with with women who never used PPIs the women who regularly relied on these acid suppressing drugs had a 35 percent greater risk of hip fracture. Smokers had a 50 percent increased risk for hip fracture.

In pharmacology we like to look at dose response curves and length of exposure to a drug to determine risk. In this case, the longer these women swallowed a powerful acid suppressing drug, the stronger the likelihood that they would experience a fracture.

This is not the first time research has suggested a link between acid suppressing drugs and hip fracture. When all the data are analyzed together the risk of hip fracture is increased by about 30 percent. Although the mechanism has not yet been nailed down, three possibilities have been considered. One, these drugs may interfere with calcium absorption, necessary for proper bone formation. Two, PPIs may directly interfere with the cells that help remodel bone and keep it strong. Three, by inhibiting acid formation, such medications increase the body's production of gastrin, necessary for food digestion. Too much gastrin could negatively impact bone mineral density.

Based on the new finding from the Nurses' Health Study and prior research, we now think that there is reason to be concerned about PPIs and and a link to hip fractures. The difficulty appears to disappear once such drugs have been discontinued for at least two years.

There is a problem, however. Stopping PPIs after several months of regular use can be difficult. Rebound hyperacidity (really bad heartburn) is a common complaint. You can read about strategies to get off PPIs by checking out this link and this link.

Of course we would suggest that anyone who considers stopping a PPI check with the prescribing physician first. Some people may have to stay on these drugs indefinitely because of Barrett's esophagus.

We do have a number of non-drug suggestions for dealing with heartburn in our Guide to Digestive Disorders. You can also find a great deal of very practical information about reflux and heartburn in our book from National Geographic, The People's Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies. You will learn about how to use almonds, bananas, broccoli, chewing gum, fennel, ginger, hot peppers, papaya, vinegar, yellow mustard, and a low-carb diet to control heartburn. You can also find our recipes for Persimmon Punch and Ginger Pickles to help control symptoms of reflux. All this is available in Quick & Handy Home Remedies.