Home Remedies
Is Vanilla a Helpful Remedy for Cold Sores?
Do you sometimes suffer from cold sores? If you do, you may have developed your own favorite collection of remedies. Some people like to use medications at the first sensation of tingling, while other…
Will Rosemary and Turmeric Help Your Arthritis P…
People with arthritis pain face a difficult dilemma. Arthritis is a chronic condition, but the usual NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen (Aleve) should be used only …
How Often Do You Get Up to Pee at Night?
Do you have to get up to pee several times a night? Many people report that this is a problem, especially as they grow older. Having to urinate several times during the night is a major factor interfe…
FDA Cracking Down on Dietary Supplements for Dem…
The Food and Drug Administration has just taken action against many companies that advertise their dietary supplements for dementia. The commercials often imply that these products could be used to tr…
How to Make Onion Syrup for a Cough
In the midst of cold and flu season, many people are troubled with lingering coughs. Are you barking like a seal? Is your cough keeping you awake at night? Luckily, there are a number of remedies that…
Is It Possible to Lower Cholesterol with Margari…
For decades, doctors told their patients to eat margarine instead of butter. The idea was that people who ate cholesterol-rich butter would raise their level of blood cholesterol. Then public health e…
What Is the Right Dose of Baking Soda?
We love simple remedies using ingredients you already have on hand in your pantry, so long as they work and they are safe. One time-honored approach to ease indigestion is taking a baking soda solutio…
Can You Stop Bleeding with Black Pepper?
We have been collecting home remedies for more than 40 years. One of the most unusual came to us from Nell Heard, who told us about a camping trip to Yellowstone National Park. She went with her siste…
Special Creams Fail to Fight Pain
Americans spend hundreds of millions of dollars on specially formulated topical pain creams. Medicare Part D paid more than half a billion dollars for such prescription products in 2015. Doctors may p…
Can Acupressure Wrist Bands Help You Get to Slee…
Far too many Americans sleep less than the recommended seven hours a night, according to the CDC. Are you among them? Sleep difficulties can come from having trouble falling asleep or from waking in t…
Have You Tried Castor Oil to Clear Nail Fungus?
Toenail fungus can be very tough to treat. Even with prescription medications, you have to have a lot of patience. Toenails grow slowly, as you may have noticed, and you need to keep treating the fung…
Will Honey and Chocolate Ease Your Cough?
A persistent cough can be hard to manage. Lots of people would like to find a remedy, and some individuals have found sweet ways to calm a nasty cough. Would you believe honey and chocolate could ease…
Can Mindfulness Help You Manage Chronic Pain?
People in chronic pain often feel abandoned by the medical profession, especially as physicians are cutting back on prescribing opioids. They may be interested in some nondrug approaches that could …
Do You Need Help for Hiccup Cure?
What do you do when you have the hiccups? Do you have a hiccup cure that works well for you? One reader found a great technique, but you may find it easier if you can get help. Water-Drinking, Ear-Hol…
Will Oolong Tea Prevent Breast Cancer?
A collaboration between American and Chinese scientists has found evidence that oolong tea may help prevent breast cancer. Not just any tea will do, however. About two percent of the tea consumed in t…
How Could Flaxseed Oil Calm Your Eczema?
Eczema can be quite difficult to treat. People with this skin condition, also called atopic dermatitis, suffer with rashes, irritation and stubbornly dry patches of skin that may not clear up with moi…
Which Cinnamon Lowers Blood Sugar Safely?
Over the past 15 years, researchers have reported that cinnamon can amplify the effects of insulin and help cells respond more appropriately (Khan et al, Diabetes Care, Dec. 2003; Mang et al, European…
Will Chocolate Calm Your Cough?
This is the time of year when lots of people have nagging coughs. Traditional cough medicine leaves a lot to be desired. But could chocolate calm your cough? Might You Use Cocoa to Calm Your Cough? Sc…
Should You Be Peeing on Your Feet?
Warning: this remedy might be too disgusting for you. Many readers tell us that peeing on your feet can help you overcome toenail fungus or athlete's foot. Is there any evidence to back this claim up?…
Could Herbal Tea Overcome Your Nasty Cough?
Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) is a common pathogen that usually causes mild symptoms such as runny nose, fever or sneezing and wheezing. It can also cause a nasty cough in some people, especially …
Will Apple Cider Vinegar Cure Your Heartburn?
Do you get uncomfortable after a big meal? A burning sensation under the breastbone after eating is common. If you have ever suffered from this type of indigestion, you may want to know how to cure yo…
Why KayaBiotics from Germany? Certified Organic!
We are delighted that Kaya Biotics has decided to extend its relationship with The People’s Pharmacy. This German company is now underwriting our nationally syndicated public radio show. We are very…
What Happened to Cod Liver Oil as a Home Remedy?
The origin of many a home remedy is lost in the mists of time. Usually we don't have a good record of who started using it or when, and we also rarely have information on when and how it falls out of …
For Healthy Kidneys, Avoid Sugary Drinks
Usually, people are advised to drink plenty of liquids to keep their kidneys healthy and functioning well. A new study suggests, however, that sugary drinks are more of a problem than a help. What Is …
Should You Take Magnesium to Boost Vitamin D?
We don't usually think of nutritional supplements acting in concert, but that is due to a failure of imagination. Food hardly ever supplies a single nutrient. A reader recently alerted us to an intere…
Can Kiwi Fruit Overcome Horrible Canker Sores?
Canker sores (aka aphthous ulcers) are painful spots that appear on the tongue, inner lip or lining of the cheeks. Unlike cold sores, which are caused by herpes virus, canker sores are not associated …
Will Therapeutic Frankincense Help You Sleep?
In the Christmas story found in the Gospel of Matthew, wise men come from the east seeking the newborn king. They bring him presents: gold, frankincense and myrrh. This part of the story with these pr…
How to Calm a Cough Naturally
Do you know how to calm a cough naturally? At this time of year, lots of people are coughing. If you go to a movie or a concert, chances are good that the people around you will be hacking away. Ditto…
Seniors Swear by Marijuana Oil for Pain Relief
In an increasing number of states, the legislatures have legalized the medicinal use of marijuana. (Ten states and the District of Columbia have made recreational use legal, usually in addition to med…
Will Raisins Help You Sleep More Soundly?
Would you like to sleep more soundly? Many readers complain that they need to rise to urinate several times a night. Then they frequently have trouble getting back to sleep. Several years ago, one per…
Could Exercise Save Your Brain?
There are a couple of health problems that everyone dreads. A diagnosis of cancer is most unwelcome. Neurological conditions run a close second, though. If a doctor diagnoses Parkinson's disease, ALS …
Can Mindfulness Help You Lose Weight?
Mindfulness, the practice of paying attention to your own thoughts and feelings in the moment, has been praised as a way for people to manage stress. It has also been studied as a way to manage major …
Will Magnesium Improve Your Vitamin D Level?
People with a low vitamin D level may benefit from increasing their magnesium intake. The relationship between these two nutrients is more complex than you might think, however. Vitamin D Level Dips i…
Could Massage Make Your Knees Feel Better?
A weekly whole-body massage sounds like a luxury, but new research suggests it could help people with knee arthritis live with less pain (Journal of General Internal Medicine, online Dec 12, 2018). It…
Can Holding Your Breath Stop Painful Foot Cramps…
Have you often been awakened by painful foot cramps? This is a most unpleasant experience. Some people find that stretching the toes back toward the knee is enough to stop the cramp; they may not even…
How Will You Get Adequate Vitamin D?
You may have heard that vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. That is because skin exposed to sunlight makes this crucial hormone. However, when nights are long and days are short and cold, we c…
Can Epsom Salts Combat Chronic Constipation?
Many Americans have difficulty with "regularity." They may pass stool infrequently or they may find their stool is hard and painful to pass. People are eager to find ways to combat chronic constipatio…
Will Lavender Oil Ease Your Anxiety and Insomnia…
Aromatherapy, the use of plant materials with notable fragrance, has long been popular in Europe. It is now becoming more widely adopted in the US as well. In this approach, people utilize the "essent…
Will a Mediterranean Diet Protect Your Heart?
Will the Mediterranean diet protect your heart? Such diets have a reputation as a tasty way to cut your risk of heart disease. Previous randomized controlled trials, such as the Lyon Diet Heart Study …
Which Coffee Compounds Protect the Brain?
If you, like many people, can’t face the day without a hot cup of coffee, there’s good news. Scientists at Rutgers have evidence that the combination of caffeine with a special fatty acid present …