The People's Perspective on Medicine, since 1976
Helping you to make informed decisions about both traditional and alternative treatments.
Should You Worry About Vision Loss from Viagra?
It makes sense to inform yourself about the potential harms as well as benefits that might result from any medications you plan to take. But for certain drugs the list of possible side effects is long…
A DUI Driving Citation After Taking Ambien (Zolp…
Americans love sleeping pills, especially Ambien (zolpidem). At last count nearly 20 million prescriptions are dispensed annually in the U.S. Once people start taking Ambien (zolpidem), many keep on t…
Terpin Hydrate Helped World War I Veteran
Terpin hydrate, with or without codeine, used to be a highly popular cough remedy. It was available without a prescription from the 1880s until the 1990s. That’s when the FDA decided there wasn’t …
Is it Risky to Take Atorvastatin with Grapefruit…
Physicians and pharmacists are super busy these days. Some pharmacists have confided to us that they feel like they are in an I love Lucy skit like this one where Lucy and Ethel wrap chocolates. Patie…
Study of Vitamin D Supplements Results in Disapp…
Millions of Americans are low in vitamin D, but taking vitamin D supplements may not do any good. A study of vitamin D supplements recently published in The New England Journal of Medicine (online, No…
Coca-Cola Saved the Day When Food Got Stuck
Have you ever had a problem when food got stuck in your swallowing tube? If it blocked your breathing, that would be a life-threatening emergency. But food stuck in the esophagus is uncomfortable and …
How Can You Lower Your Cholesterol Naturally?
Do you know how to lower your cholesterol naturally? Frequently, when doctors discover that a patient has an elevated cholesterol level, they offer a prescription for a statin drug to lower these bloo…
Should You Pour Black Pepper on Your Cut?
Who knows where home remedies come from? Most of the time, their history is untraceable. Who first thought to pour black pepper on a cut to staunch the bleeding? We have no idea. If you search the int…
The Low-Carb Diet Wins Diet Wars…Again!
Many nutrition experts have maintained that a calorie is a calorie is a calorie. In other words, all calories are created equal. The more calories you consume the fatter you get. Put another way, thes…
Vitamin D Strikes Out Against Heart Attacks and …
Millions of Americans are low in vitamin D. They are at higher risk for a range of health problems, from asthma to osteoporosis, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. These individuals may b…
Is Fish Oil to Prevent Heart Attacks a Dud?
In addition to vitamin D3, the VITAL study also considered the effects of omega-3 fatty acids from fish oil to prevent heart attacks (NEJM, Nov. 10, 2018). The results were disappointing. Concentrated…
Will Vascepa from Fish Oil Prevent Heart Attacks…
A study published in the New England Journal of Medicine considered the effects of icosapent ethyl, a form of the omega-3 fatty acid EPA (NEJM, Nov. 10, 2018). The brand name for this drug is Vascepa.…
Why Are Children Suffering Acute Flaccid Myeliti…
Scientists at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention have confirmed 90 cases of acute flaccid myelitis in 27 states so far this year. Most of the patients afflicted with this polio-like condit…
Show 1143: Can You Control Your Blood Sugar by F…
Type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic levels in the US and around the world. Although endocrinologists consider it a chronic, progressive disorder, some experts have seen that it is potentially reversi…
Chinese-Made Losartan Recall | More Cancer Conce…
No, no, no, no no! Not again!! Just last week we said "Not Again" when we learned that that some formulations of the blood pressure drug irbesartan were contaminated with the impurity NDEA (N-nitrosod…
Will Testosterone Help Women Feel Strong and Sex…
If we say low testosterone, you might think of a TV ad starring a middle-aged man worried about "low T." But even though testosterone is the quintessential "male" hormone, women make it too. Could a p…
Brits Contradict U.S. Experts About Blood Pressu…
A key component of medical treatment is blood pressure management. Whenever you visit a doctor’s office, you will almost always have your blood pressure measured. Guidelines from the American Colleg…
Can You Prevent Alzheimer Disease with L-Lysine?
Intriguing research suggests that the dementia we call Alzheimer's disease may be triggered by a common infection: herpes virus. Although the story is not yet complete, the brain's immune response to …
What Can You Do for a Kitchen Burn?
A kitchen burn or other minor household burn is painful. They usually cause redness and sometimes blistering. Cold water is the standard first aid recommendation. In fact, cold tap water is just the r…
What Is the Alternative to Grape Juice and Pecti…
Arthritis, joint pain and inflammation and rheumatism have plagued human beings since prehistoric times. Possibly as a result, there are more home remedies for arthritis than you could count easily. T…
Meloxicam for Pain | This NSAID is NOT a Narcoti…
We are not huge fans of NSAIDs (nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs) for arthritis pain. That’s because arthritis is a chronic condition that requires long-term treatment. When you take an NSAID da…
Is Fish Oil Linked to Heart Rhythm Changes?
Could a supplement that people take for heart health actually lead to heart rhythm changes? Most people take fish oil with the expectation that it will lower their likelihood of a heart attack or stro…
KayaBiotics: High-Quality Organic Probiotics fro…
We would like to take this opportunity to introduce our new sponsor, KayaBiotics. You may be wondering about the probiotics stories you’ve been seeing and hearing over the past few years. In July, a…
Show 1142: What Is the Science Behind Home Remed…
Over the years, we have heard about scores upon scores of home remedies for everything from arthritis to warts. Some make sense intuitively, while others seem silly. Most have never been subjected to …
Doctors Come Clean on Salt Restriction for Heart…
Millions of Americans have heart failure, a condition in which the heart can no longer pump blood efficiently. This is not a heart attack, though once someone has a heart attack, she may be more susce…
Irbesartan Is Contaminated with Probable Cancer-…
We are getting very tired of saying “Not Again!” Sadly, though, this has become a surprisingly familiar refrain here at The People’s Pharmacy. This time it is another ARB (angiotensin receptor b…
What Is It About Coffee That Protects Your Brain…
Java lovers appear to enjoy a variety of health benefits, including a reduced risk of developing Alzheimer’s or Parkinson’s disease. Now a team of Canadian researchers reports that they have figur…
Can You Delay Alzheimer Disease with Drugs for D…
People with Alzheimer’s disease have distinctive lesions within their brains. Individuals with diabetes also have pathological changes resembling those seen in patients with Alzheimer’s disease. P…
Will Alirocumab Save You from a Heart Attack?
Alirocumab (Praluent) is a cholesterol-lowering drug that works through a different enzyme system than statins. (Here are the technical details: alirocumab and its cousin evolocumab inhibit an enzyme …
Will Pumpkin Seed Oil Help Your Urinary Problem?
How often do you have to get up at night to visit the bathroom? Some people sleep through the night with no difficulty but others have their sleep disrupted because they need to urinate every few hour…