The People's Perspective on Medicine, since 1976
Helping you to make informed decisions about both traditional and alternative treatments.
Statins Cause Diabetes: The Link Just Got Strong…
There is no nice way to say this. Cholesterol-lowering drugs like statins cause diabetes. This is not new news, but it is unwelcome. When lovastatin (Mevacor) was approved by the FDA more than 30 year…
What is the Best Exercise to Prevent Diabetes?
Many people want to know the best exercise to…fill in the blank. They would like to know the best exercise program to lose weight, prevent type 2 diabetes or keep their brains functioning. All the e…
Will a Mediterranean Diet Improve Your Performan…
Following a Mediterranean diet has been shown to protect your heart, ease your symptoms of psoriasis and reduce your likelihood of becoming frail. Some research even suggests that a Mediterranean-styl…
Show 1158: Will Hormone Disruptors Affect Your C…
Over the last several decades, our environment has changed enormously. Comparing a playground in 1962 to the same playground in 2019 gives some sense of how thoroughly we have surrounded ourselves and…
Can You Overcome Depression with Exercise?
People with heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions are more prone to depression. This seems understandable. The problem is that if they do become depressed, their conditions may worsen. …
Strong Vitamin D Helps Protect Kids from Air Pol…
Children exposed to air pollution, including indoor air pollution, are more likely to develop asthma. New research suggests, however, that those with strong vitamin D blood levels may be partially pro…
How To Stop Venlafaxine: Very, VERY Slowly!
It has taken the medical profession a very long time to acknowledge that many of the most popular drugs in the pharmacy can cause a kind of dependence. By that we mean such drugs can precipitate serio…
Delayed Cough with Lisinopril Can Lead to Misdia…
Humans are programmed to quickly associate symptoms with exposure to some toxin. This was an incredibly adaptive learning process when our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. If a member of the trib…
Doctor Disses Oseltamivir (Tamiflu) Against Flu
Watch out, there’s a second wave of nasty influenza starting to circulate. Even though it seems as if spring is right around the corner, a lot of people are suffering from this badass H3N2 strain of…
Can You Lower Blood Pressure with Nitric Oxide?
Nitric oxide is a gas originally thought to be important to human health only as an air pollutant. In the 1980s, however, scientists began to realize that this molecule plays many important roles in h…
Best Home Remedies for Restless Legs Syndrome
Restless legs syndrome (RLS) affects 5% to 15% of adults (Journal of Clinical Sleep Medicine, Dec. 15, 2016). That means as many as 30 million Americans suffer from RLS. Roughly 6 million people are s…
Can You Ease Sinus Woes by Avoiding Dairy?
Hay fever and other seasonal allergies can cause a lot of discomfort. The congestion such allergic reactions cause can lead to sinus woes that seem to last a long time. But what if the problem is not&…
Can You Clear Rosacea with Dandruff Shampoo?
Rosacea is a common skin condition associated with easy flushing or blushing, persistent redness, inflamed blood vessels and small red bumps on the skin. People who have had rosacea for a long time ma…
Show 1157: Why Are You Never Home Alone?
You may think your home is sparkling clean. But even a clean house harbors a host of small creatures that have a fascinating web of interactions with each other and with the humans who live there. Wha…
Be Prepared for Anything
I recently watched the Netflix series, Tidying Up, with my children. Watching this show was an eye opener - I needed to get many areas of the house under control and more organized. As a pharmacist, I…
Physicians Finally Fed Up With the FDA and ARB R…
Week after week, month after month, we have been learning about ARB recalls. These angiotensin receptor blockers have been taken by at least two million Americans to control blood pressure or treat he…
High Cost of Spravato (Esketamine) For Depressio…
The first really new antidepressant in decades recently won FDA approval for treatment-resistant depression. Esketamine nasal spray will be sold under the brand name Spravato. Physicians and patients …
Watch Out for a Second Wave of Flu
By the end of 2018, influenza activity was heavy around the country. This year, the predominant strain of influenza virus causing infection was H1N1. It caused less severe illness and fewer hospitaliz…
Are Dog-Walkers at Risk for Broken Bones?
For years, health experts have been telling people that exercise is critical for good health and that walking is great exercise. Dog ownership can contribute: Regular dog-walkers get more exercise tha…
Can You See Alzheimer Disease with Retina Scan?
New technology allows for non-invasive imaging of the retina. Now, such a retina scan may allow eye doctors to diagnose Alzheimer disease. Why Would a Retina Scan Be Helpful? The retina is richly supp…
Is Parsley an Antidote for Bad Breath?
We love hearing from readers who offer home remedies we haven't seen in common use. You might not be aware of this one: nibble on parsley leaves to banish bad breath. Will Parsley Overcome Bad Breath?…
PPIs and Kidney Damage | Nephrologist Spanks GI …
Many specialists live in silos. By that we mean they hang out with other experts like themselves. They reinforce each other’s understanding of the world. These specialists may not hang out with auth…
Are Gin-Drenched Raisins a Big Joke?
Whoever said "Getting old isn't for sissies" certainly got it right. As we age, we often accumulate aches and pains that may be attributed to arthritis. People with arthritis are faced with a horrible…
Is Sunshine the Best Source for Vitamin D?
Vitamin D has long been known as the sunshine vitamin because skin creates this hormone when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, winter in northern latitudes does not allow much vitamin D to be cre…
Taking Lisinopril | Avoid POTASSIUM but ZINC Cou…
Lisinopril is about the most popular drug in the pharmacy. This ACE (angiotensin converting enzyme) inhibitor is swallowed by over 20 million hypertensive Americans every day. Over 110,000,000 bo…
There’s an Easy Trick to Talk to the Pharm…
There was a time when most of the pharmacies in America were owned and operated by a pharmacist. They were friendly gathering places. The pharmacist knew your name and probably everyone in your family…
Can You Overcome Allergies with Xlear?
Every year as allergy season arrives, people who suffer from allergies look for solutions. Antihistamines such as cetirizine (Zyrtec), fexofenadine (Allegra), levocetirizine (Xyzal) or loratadine (Cla…
A New Carcinogen Found in BP Meds | More ARB Rec…
How many times have we said, Not Again? We are, sadly, referring to ARB recalls. ARBs are short for angiotensin receptor blockers. They treat high blood pressure. Basically, it boils down to another w…
What Should You Know about New Antidepressant Sp…
The Food and Drug Administration approved a completely new type of antidepressant on March 4, 2019. This ended several weeks of speculation. A nasal spray called esketamine is expected to help people …
Can Anyone Explain the Mysterious Disappearance …
FDA Commissioner, Dr. Scott Gottlieb, unexpectedly announced his departure from the agency this week. Experts were puzzled by his announcement since he has received high marks from the administration,…