For years, women have been admonished to drink milk and eat yogurt so that they will have enough calcium to keep their bones strong. Calcium supplements have become big business, and foods like orange juice have been fortified with calcium.... (Read More)
Millions of people take calcium supplements conscientiously to reduce their risk of osteoporosis. Nearly everyone has assumed that supplemental calcium is safe, but a recent analysis in the BMJ has caused quite a stir. The investigators concluded that calcium pills... (Read More)
Research in rodents and test tubes has turned up many compounds that are active against cancer cells. But relatively few of these have been developed into cancer treatments. The established ways of treating cancer, such as chemotherapy and radiation, are... (Read More)
More than 100 years ago, a New York surgeon named William Coley developed an unusual cancer treatment that produced a high fever in his patients. Although the treatment was unconventional, it turned out to be successful surprisingly often. Should Coley's... (Read More)
Dr. William Coley was a cancer surgeon at the turn of the 20th century. In an effort to improve the treatment he could offer his patients, he created a toxin that made them really sick. If they recovered from their... (Read More)
As many as 7 million people each year have dizziness or vertigo so severe it drives them to seek medical care. But although the symptom of dizziness is common, finding the cause and the proper treatment is complicated. We learn... (Read More)
Ten years ago, the Institute of Medicine shocked the medical establishment when it published To Err Is Human. The experts of the IOM estimated that nearly 100,000 Americans died of medical errors in hospitals every year. More studies of the... (Read More)
In the past several years, more and more people have acknowledged that our current health care system is broken. Many doctors feel hurried, and patients don't appreciate being rushed through their visits. Is there a way to step off the... (Read More)
The Food and Drug Administration has been a lightning rod for consumer complaints. The agency has taken these seriously. We talk with Dr. Joshua Sharfstein, Principal Deputy Commissioner, about transparency, food safety, and foreign drug imports. The photo is of... (Read More)
Ticks are almost everywhere, and wherever they go, they are out for blood. With so many ticks in woods and fields across the country, there is a growing risk of tick bites. They can transmit disease.Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever is... (Read More)
How can a couple make their marriage better? Paying attention to each other is critical, but what if one of them has ADD? Even without ADD, busy schedules and interruptions with work, text messages, email and other demands can... (Read More)
The number of Americans with diabetes has been increasing at an alarming rate. At last count, 23 million Americans had the disease, but more than five million were unaware of it. Diabetes has a huge impact on health and longevity,... (Read More)
Last month on The People's Pharmacy, a caller asked about weight gain while working the night shift. We promised an answer. Her question applies to a lot of folks: roughly 10 million Americans work night shifts. How does this affect... (Read More)
Modern medicine has both science and technology on its side, with its sophisticated diagnostic imaging, randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled drug studies and complicated surgical procedures. These contribute to better patient outcomes, but sometimes a patient might feel overwhelmed. Our guests have... (Read More)
Depression is a debilitating disease that affects as many as 20 million Americans in a year. It can take a terrible toll on health as well as on family and work relationships. Many drugs are prescribed to treat depression, but... (Read More)
Back pain is extremely common, but there is not great consensus about how it should be treated. Billions are spent on surgery without much evidence that it makes a significant difference. Our guest, Dr. Nortin Hadler, has examined the evidence... (Read More)
Strong acid-suppressing drugs are widely prescribed for digestive problems, but perhaps they are too popular. Five studies in the current issue of Archives of Internal Medicine point out problems with drugs like Nexium and Prilosec. We talk with Mitchell Katz,... (Read More)
More than 100,000 people die each year from infections they catch while receiving health care for another problem. The germs that spread in hospitals are often resistant to the antibiotics usually used to treat them. MRSA, for example, is methicillin-resistant... (Read More)
Losing weight is a challenge for many of us, and dietary advice is often contradictory. Which diet will work best? Would it be a low-fat vegetarian diet like the one Dr. Dean Ornish promotes? Or might it be a low-carb... (Read More)
It seems that asthma is both more common and more dangerous in the 21st century than at the turn of the 20th century. Asthma is now the most common chronic ailment among children in the United States, and the prevalence... (Read More)
Prostate cancer poses a particular puzzle for men and their physicians. It is an extremely common malignancy, with most men having some cancerous cells in their prostate glands by the time they reach old age. But there is no single... (Read More)
A lot of claims and accusations have been made regarding the Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act. Now that it is the law, how will it affect your life? Dr. Jonathan Oberlander is one of the country's leading experts on... (Read More)
How do doctors figure out what is wrong with a patient? While some diagnoses are straightforward, others can be positively puzzling. Small details matter when the doctor has to act like Sherlock Holmes. Both the patient's story for the doctor... (Read More)
The problem of antibiotic resistance is increasing. Superbugs like MRSA (methicillin-resistant staph aureus) are becoming harder and harder to treat as they evolve resistance to the most powerful antibiotics used against them.Back before the development of antibiotics, scientists were working... (Read More)
Many women are less than satisfied with their sex lives. But how can they improve the situation? Research about female sexuality is surprisingly scarce, but both biological and psychological factors can play an important role in women's sexual satisfaction. Some... (Read More)
Diet has a powerful impact on health. A new study of 34,000 Chinese women in Singapore found that diet can offer significant protection from breast cancer. What should you be eating? Herbs are popular for treating minor ailments, but many... (Read More)
Millions of people rely on statin-type drugs to control their cholesterol and lower their risk of heart disease. Medicines like Crestor, Lipitor and simvastatin are effective, but they have some drawbacks. Diet and supplements can make a difference, but what... (Read More)
The Institute of Medicine reports that the average patient experiences at least one error every day he is hospitalized. The annual death toll from medical errors is estimated at 44,000 to 98,000 Americans. How can you protect yourself or a... (Read More)
Hypertension is called the silent killer. While there are many medications that can help get blood pressure under control, it can be difficult for a person and her health care provider to find one without distressing side effects. A natural... (Read More)
Sinusitis is one of the most common complaints that bring patients to a doctor's office. Why do sinuses cause so much trouble, and what can be done to prevent sinus infection and inflammation? Guests: Harold C. Pillsbury, MD, FACS, is... (Read More)
