You have given us something wonderful to celebrate: more than 12 million podcast downloads of The People’s Pharmacy. When we announced 10 million downloads in September 2025, we were delighted. Just over a year later, you have added more than 2 million downloads. That is a lot of curiosity about health and medicine!
Behind those numbers are people who want answers. Is there good evidence for this treatment? What are the side effects? Could something besides a prescription help? And why does familiar medical advice sometimes change?
Those are the kinds of questions that keep us coming back to the microphone. Apparently, they keep you coming back, too.
Now there is another way to join the conversation. We have upgraded our YouTube channel to include video podcasts. You can watch our guests explain their research, share their experiences and sometimes demonstrate what they mean.
Below, we highlight several programs we are especially proud of, share some listener comments and explain exactly how to follow or subscribe.
From Short NPR Commentaries to 12 Million Podcast Downloads:
Our radio roots go back to 1977, when Joe began providing short health-related commentaries to NPR and WUNC. NPR was still young and welcomed contributions from outside experts.
In 1981, The People’s Pharmacy became a live, call-in radio show on WUNC. At that time our host station was located on the campus of the University of North Carolina in Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Listeners could ask questions, describe their experiences and become part of the discussion.
We could hardly have imagined where that conversation would lead.
Back then, you needed to turn on the radio at the right time. Today, you can carry our podcasts in your pocket and listen while walking, cooking or traveling. You can also watch interviews on YouTube whenever it suits you.
The technology has changed enormously. Our determination to help you make informed decisions about your health has endured.
What Keeps Our Listeners Listening?
We can tell you what we hope to accomplish. Our listeners can tell you whether we are succeeding.
Barbara Values a Trusted Source:
“Trusted Source – Those two words are the main reason why I listen to the People’s Pharmacy on the radio and on podcasts on my phone.”
Barbara also appreciates the range of subjects we explore:
“I love the diversity of topics and the thought-provoking research summaries. Thank you for providing this wonderful service. I am proud to be one of your loyal listeners!”
She shared something else that made us smile:
“Terry and Joe’s voices are soothing.”
We are delighted to help people unwind, although we hope you stay awake long enough to hear the answers!
JJ Appreciates Respectful Discussion:
“It leads each of us to good sources and lets us decide what we want to share with our Doctors, for our Families and Friends, and what works for each one since we are all different.”
That is an essential part of our mission. We want our interviews to give you information you can use, including questions worth taking to your physician or pharmacist.
Toni Values Information That Makes Us Think:
“Thank you, Graedons…for your advice (which each of us is free to accept or decline) and for presenting information that requires us all to think about what we are putting into our bodies and how we MIGHT be affected.”
Toni adds:
“I find the People’s Pharmacy website and your radio broadcast very helpful.”
Comments like these mean a great deal to us. They remind us that a conversation about health can continue long after the microphone is turned off.
Haven’t Listened Lately? Start With These Conversations:
Our interviews range from practical problems with hair and nails to profound questions about consciousness. Here are five programs we would love you to explore.
What Can Near-Death Experiences Teach Us About Consciousness?
How can someone with severe dementia suddenly become lucid? What should we make of accounts from people who have survived near-death experiences? What can these reports teach us, and what questions remain unanswered?
In this recent conversation, neuroscientist Dr. Marjorie Woollacott explores experiences that challenge familiar assumptions about the mind.
This is one of the video podcasts we are especially pleased to share. You may find yourself thinking about it long after the interview ends.
🎧 Listen to Show 1488: What Can Near-Death Experiences Teach Us About Consciousness?
📺 Watch the video podcast on YouTube.
Hair Loss and Nail Problems: What Actually Works?
Thinning hair, thickened nails or nails that begin lifting away from the nail bed can be frustrating. With so many products promising results, how can you tell which approaches deserve your attention?
Dermatologist Dr. Chris Adigun helps us understand common hair and nail problems and the treatments that may make a difference. Before spending money on another miracle product, you may want to hear this discussion.
🎧 Listen to Show 1487: Hair Loss and Nail Problems: A Dermatologist’s Guide to What Actually Works.
Sprains, Strains and Tears: Should We Rethink the Usual Advice?
For decades, people with sprains and strains have been told to rest, apply ice, use compression and elevate the injured limb. Many know that advice by the acronym RICE.
But does reducing pain necessarily mean an injury is healing faster? Could carefully chosen movement help recovery?
This interview explores research that challenges familiar recommendations. We are particularly enthusiastic about the video podcast, because you can see our guest demonstrate what he is describing. Some ideas become much clearer when you can watch as well as listen.
🎧 Listen to Show 1486: Sprains, Strains and Tears: The New Science of Healing Faster.
📺 Watch the video podcast on YouTube.
Healing Joints and Nerves: Could Regenerative Therapies Help?
When aching joints or painful nerves interfere with everyday life, people understandably want more than temporary relief.
Could treatments intended to support repair offer another approach? What evidence supports regenerative therapies, and what should people ask before considering them?
This conversation explores an intriguing area of medicine and the questions that deserve careful answers.
🎧 Listen to Show 1468: Healing Joints and Nerves: The New Science of Regenerative Therapies.
📺 Watch the video podcast on YouTube.
Could Hidden Infections Be Driving Chronic Disease?
What if an infection contributes to symptoms that have been attributed to something else? How would researchers investigate that possibility?
This program includes Nikki Schultek’s remarkable personal story and explores research into possible connections between infections and chronic illness. It raises important questions about the difference between treating symptoms and identifying their causes.
🎧 Listen to Show 1466: Could Hidden Infections Be Driving Chronic Disease?
📺 Watch the video podcast on YouTube.
How to Subscribe: Your Step-by-Step Guide:
We want to make it easy for you to find the next conversation.
On Apple Podcasts and Spotify, look for Follow. On YouTube, choose Subscribe. Following our audio podcast and subscribing to our YouTube channel are free.
Apple Podcasts: iPhone, iPad or Mac
The easiest route is to click here to open The People’s Pharmacy on Apple Podcasts. If prompted, open the page in the Podcasts app, then select Follow or the + button.
If you prefer to start in the app:
- Open the purple Podcasts app.
- Select Search.
- Type The People’s Pharmacy.
- Select our show.
- Tap or click Follow, which may appear as a + button.
If you are looking at an individual episode and cannot find Follow, open the three-dot menu and look for Follow Show.
Spotify: Phone, Tablet or Computer
Click here to open The People’s Pharmacy on Spotify, sign in if prompted and select Follow.
Or start in Spotify:
- Open the Spotify app or website.
- Select Search.
- Type The People’s Pharmacy.
- Select our podcast.
- Tap or click Follow.
YouTube: Watch Our Video Podcasts
You can begin with either of the recent videos we are especially excited about:
- What Can Near-Death Experiences Teach Us About Consciousness?
- Sprains, Strains and Tears: The New Science of Healing Faster.
Then:
- Open the video and sign in to YouTube if prompted.
- Beneath the video, find our channel name.
- Tap or click Subscribe.
- To request notifications about new videos, select the bell icon, then choose All.
Click our channel name beneath a video to explore more interviews.
Already following us on Apple Podcasts or Spotify? We would love to have you join us on YouTube, too!
Help Someone Else Find a Conversation Worth Hearing:
Have you ever finished an interview and thought, “My sister needs to hear this,” or “That sounds like the problem my friend has been describing”?
Please share it.
In your podcast app or beneath a YouTube video, select Share. Send the link by text or email, and add a sentence explaining why you chose that particular program.
“I thought of you when I heard this” is a wonderful invitation.
A rating or review also helps other people discover The People’s Pharmacy. On Apple Podcasts, open our show page and scroll to Ratings & Reviews. You can tap the stars to leave a rating or choose Write a Review to describe what you appreciate.
Help Us Celebrate 12 Million Podcast Downloads:
We would love to hear which programs have stayed with you.
Did an interview change the way you thought about your health?
Did something you heard lead to a useful discussion with your doctor or pharmacist?
Have you shared a podcast with someone who needed that information?
Please tell us in the comment section below. And let us know which health questions you would like us to explore next. Your suggestions help shape future programs.
Thank You for Keeping the Conversation Going:
When Joe began recording short radio commentaries in 1977, we could not have imagined celebrating millions of podcast downloads or inviting you to watch our interviews on a phone.
Yet here we are, thanks to you.
You listen, ask questions, share your experiences and encourage other people to join the conversation. We are grateful for your trust and your support of independent health journalism.
More than 12 million downloads later, we have no intention of running out of questions anytime soon.
