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We aim to help you make informed decisions about both traditional and alternative treatments.
High Drug Prices Put Critical Prescriptions Out …
Recent testimony before Congress by the CEO of Mylan, the company that is charging so much for EpiPen, has brought high drug prices to public attention. What do they mean for the average citizen? High…
Sex Problems Result from Tamsulosin for Urinatio…
When the prostate gland gets big, it can make it harder to urinate. Men with benign prostate hypertrophy (BPH) often complain that they have to get up three or four times a night to pee. Medications …
How Do You Make These Yummy Lentil Dishes?
We recently spoke with nutrition experts about how to follow a plant-based diet. You can listen to the interview here (Show 1051: How Can Vegetarians Get All the Nutrients They Need?). During that in…
Can You Overdose on Vitamin D?
Doctors generally assume that North Americans are so well nourished that they never need to worry about supplements. In fact, they sometimes fuss that people who take vitamin pills could overdose on …
Prescription for Licorice Pills Was Almost Letha…
When most people think of licorice (or liquorice in the UK), they imagine candy such as licorice twists, Panda All Natural Soft Licorice, Twizzlers, Good & Plenty or Dutch Licorice Cats. But licor…
Tips to Overcome Bad Foot Odor
Americans are quite concerned about body odor. We complain bitterly about people in other countries who are not as compulsive about applying deodorants and antiperspirants as we are. But perhaps we sh…
Will Raisins at Bedtime Reduce Bathroom Visits?
Anyone who has to get up many times during the night to urinate knows these interruptions can disrupt sleep. So when readers started reporting that eating a few raisins before bed could reduce bathr…
How to Stop Hand Cramps with a Bar of Soap
Have you ever suffered from cramps in the muscles of your hand? In addition to hurting like the dickens, such a cramp can make it nearly impossible to use your hand until the muscle contraction is rel…
Show 1051: How Can Vegetarians Get All the Nutri…
Research makes it clear that what we eat makes a difference for our health. But there are many different diet patterns that have been promoted as healthy. Some people are vegetarians, while others emb…
Are Your Vitamin D Levels Bad Because of BPA and…
A great deal of research suggests that low levels of vitamin D are associated with serious health problems, including osteoporosis, fractures, hypertension, heart disease, stroke, cancer, diabetes, in…
Why Should You Worry About Cat Scratch Fever?
Cat scratch fever has public health officials concerned. You may never have heard of it, but it turns out to be more serious than most people realize. The Epidemiology of Cat Scratch Fever: Scientists…
How to Improve Men’s Sex Drive Without Dru…
Italian researchers have found a way to improve male libido without drugs. Although popular stereotypes have pegged low libido primarily on women, many men also suffer from this problem. These scienti…
Is the Five-Second Rule Any Good?
When people drop food on the floor, should they scoop it up quickly and eat it--or throw it away? In other words, does the five-second rule apply? What's the Five-Second Rule? In this popular belief, …
New Drug Approved for Rare Disease Despite Lack …
The Food and Drug Administration has just approved a new medication for a rare disease, but the approval is controversial. Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy: Duchenne muscular dystrophy is a muscle wasting …
Can You reverse Memory Problems from Anticholine…
Many people, including a lot of health professionals, are unaware how many medications have anticholinergic activity. Perhaps even more alarming are the complications from a big anticholinergic "burde…
Did Low Levels of Vitamin B12 Ruin A Life?
Most people rarely think about vitamin B12. It's not part of routine blood testing the way vitamin D is. We have been surprised that health professionals do not routinely request blood tests for vitam…
6 Strategies for Getting Hooked on Exercise!
We are pleased to introduce guest blogger Amy Beausang, PharmD and health coach. She has some fabulous ideas to share. This is her first offering at The People's Pharmacy. Amy Beausang is a Doctor o…
Overcoming Insomnia with Tart Cherry Juice
Do you often toss and turn for hours? Wouldn't it be great to have a remedy that could help you overcome insomnia, preferably without next-day drowsiness or other undesirable side effects? Some scient…
How to Ease Indigestion Without PPIs
Q. Because of concerns about side effects of PPI acid-suppressing drugs, I have switched to Tums. I rely on two or three of these antacids to control my heartburn. Is that safe? What else could I do? …
How to Relieve Under-Breast Rash with Dandruff S…
Have you struggled to overcome a skin rash? Many women find that an under-breast rash is hard to eliminate, especially when the weather is warm and damp. One reader got rid of her under-breast rash wi…
Can You Soothe a Burn with Soy Sauce?
What do you do for a kitchen burn? First aid calls for cooling the injured tissue first. Put it in ice water (not plain ice!) or hold it under cold running water from the tap. People have tried many h…
How to Stay Healthy with a Mediterranean Diet
Would you like to be able to improve your health by what you put on your plate? Health professionals and patients alike may doubt that diet can be as powerful as pills. When it comes to important bene…
What Can You Do to Relieve Dry Eyes?
Peter J. McDonnell, MD, is the director of the Johns Hopkins Wilmer Eye Institute. He is professor of ophthalmology at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. In this bonus interview, he explains what we ca…
Show 1050: How to Protect Your Vision
Being able to see is something most of us treasure, especially if we imagine being deprived of good vision. But do we know how to take care of our eyes to keep them healthy and working well? Our guest…
How Sugar Deflected the Blame for Heart Disease
A debate that has been raging for decades over whether sugar or fat is worse for our hearts was largely steered by the sugar industry, according to newly discovered documents. These documents show jus…
How Easy Is It to Measure Kids’ Medicine C…
Giving sick children the correct dose of medicine is important, as parents know. But it may be much harder to measure kids' medicine than most parents appreciate. How Well Do Parents Measure Kids' Med…
How to Avoid a Heart Attack or Stroke
One of the best ways to avoid a heart attack or stroke is to keep blood pressure under control. Although doctors have debated the best targets for blood pressure at various ages, they agree that it is…
Was Popeye Right to Eat Spinach?
Maybe the cartoon character Popeye who swallowed spinach before flexing his muscles had a good idea. Watch for spinach, kale and beet greens that supply nitrate in the diet to star on sports trainin…
How To Make Sense of New Prostate Cancer Researc…
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine is creating confusion for physicians and patients. The ProtecT (Prostate Testing for Cancer and Treatment) trial was designed to answer the que…
How to Kill Head Lice Without Frustration
Back to school time sometimes means the frustration of dealing with head lice. Many parents find this is an exhausting and distressing undertaking. Why Don't OTC Treatments Kill Head Lice? A comprehen…