Home Remedies
Licorice Oil Calms the Heat of Fire Ant Stings
What do you do for fire ant stings? As fire ants (Solenopsis invicta) push further north, many more people will have occasion to treat the pain of their stings. Some readers are enthusiastic about vin…
Are Your Medicines Depriving You of Folate?
Vitamin B9, or folate, is crucial for the normal development of human embryos. That is why pregnant women and those who may become pregnant are urged to take at least 400 mcg daily of folic acid, the …
Do Tea Drinkers Have Better Weight Control?
Research in mice hints that tea drinkers might find it easier to lose weight than those choosing other beverages. Green tea has a reputation as aiding in weight loss (Turkozu & Tek, Critical Revie…
Are You Crazy to Keep Soap Under the Sheets?
If you found a bar of soap under the sheets on your bed, you might be startled. Of course, if you've been reading The People's Pharmacy, you'll know immediately what that soap is doing there. Many peo…
Will Capsaicin Help Your Blood Pressure?
Many readers would like to learn about natural ways to control blood pressure. They prefer to avoid the expense and potential side effects of anti-hypertensive medicines. One reader without much hot …
How to Make Fewer Bathroom Visits at Night
Do you have to get up several times a night to make your way to the bathroom? Many readers would welcome a simple way to make fewer bathroom visits. Several report that they have indeed found a soluti…
How to Lift Worry Along with Weights
Lifting weights makes your muscles stronger; it may also make you feel less anxious. Can you really lift worry off your shoulders as you do your weight-lifting routine? Studies Show Weight-Lifting Hel…
What Happens If You Eat Saturated Fat?
At least since the middle of the 20th century, Americans have been warned not to eat saturated fat. The idea was that fats that are solid at room temperature, like butter or the fat found in meat like…
Will Probiotics Cut Gas from Drinking Milk?
Many of us struggle with smelly gas, known more technically (and perhaps more politely) as flatulence. Sometimes the culprit is a medication that is causing the trouble. But people trying to control f…
Get Magnesium Just Right to Prevent Dementia
Most people would like to find a way to prevent dementia, but the picture is complex. Lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet and sleep have all been suggested as possible paths to keeping our brains…
Will Magnesium Help You Sleep Better All Night?
Have you ever wakened far too early and resigned yourself to tossing and turning until time to get up? This scenario is common. We were pleased to learn that one reader found a simple supplement could…
When Should You Worry About Hiccups?
Have you ever had hiccups? Almost everyone has. They can be annoying, embarrassing and uncomfortable, but hiccups generally go away on their own. When hiccups last for more than two days, though, they…
Will Grape Juice with Certo Make Feet Feel Bette…
Plantar fasciitis, an inflammation of the tough tissue on the sole of the foot, is a drag. The heel pain, though persistent, is especially strong in the morning and can make it difficult to exercise o…
Can Acupressure Arm Bands Help with Sleep Proble…
Many individuals who have sleep problems from time to time would rather solve them without resorting to sleeping pills. After all, prescription sleeping pills can be habit-forming. Even OTC sleep aids…
Just How Scary Is Saturated Fat?
Have you ever heard the saying "you can't teach an old dog new tricks"? It's not true. Many old dogs learn new tricks with the right training and motivation. It turns out that it could be a lot harder…
If Metformin Causes Diarrhea, Will Kefir Help?
One of the most useful-and widely used-medications for type 2 diabetes, metformin, is known to cause digestive distress for some of the people who take it. One reader found, however, that drinking the…
How Does Pickle Juice Make Muscle Cramps Disappe…
As football teams gear up for practice, coaches around the country are stocking up on pickle juice. Why? Tradition has it that a gulp or two of pickle juice makes muscle cramps disappear. Now we have …
What Makes Turmeric So Wonderful?
A few years ago most Americans had never heard of turmeric. If they had, they thought of it as an exotic ingredient in curries and other Indian dishes. Now, turmeric and curcumin, one of its active in…
Vinegar to the Rescue for an Unexpected Wasabi B…
One thing we love about The People's Pharmacy is that we learn so much from our visitors. Readers learn from each other, too, sharing their experiences and the home remedies they have tried. One such …
Is the Bread Worse for You Than the Butter?
For years, we've all been admonished to skip butter and other sources of fat, especially saturated fat. Now, however, it seems that the bread may be riskier than the butter you put on it. High-Carb vs…
How Much Coffee Do You Need to Defy Death?
Should you have another cup of coffee? Previous studies have suggested that coffee drinkers might live longer. But how much coffee do you need to drink for this benefit? How Many Cups of Coffee Do You…
Sliced Onion Quickly Relieves Pain of a Wasp Sti…
Do you know a remedy to ease the pain of a wasp sting? One reader found an old-fashioned solution to this problem at PeoplesPharmacy.com. What have you found? Sliced Onion for the Pain of a Wasp Sting…
Will Home Made Ginger Ale Ease Heartburn?
Every family has at least a few simple remedies that can help in managing everyday problems, from hangnails to heartburn. Which ones did you learn while you were growing up? One reader learned to make…
Will Parsley Tea Relieve Bladder Infections?
Urinary tract infections are painful. They frequently announce themselves with urinary urgency, but every time you run to the bathroom is torture. So a way to relieve the pain of a bladder infection w…
Will You Fail a Drug Test If You Take CBD Oil?
More than half of the states in the US now have some provision for the medical use of marijuana. In addition, 18 states have specific legislation about cannabidiol oil (CBD oil). In most cases, these …
Licorice Led to Life-Threatening Loss of Potassi…
You may have heard someone express the opinion that natural medicines are safer than synthetic ones. That isn't always the case, however. Sometimes botanical medications can have scary side effects. L…
Should You Smear Chili Oil on Your Psoriasis?
Every once in a while, a reader comes up with a home remedy that surprises us. Although we have often written about capsaicin, the essence of hot chili peppers, we've never imagined using chili oil an…
Almonds Are Better Than Banana Muffins for HDL
HDL cholesterol is considered beneficial, and people with high levels of this good fraction of cholesterol are less prone to heart disease. But people have a difficult time raising their HDL levels. C…
Glucosamine a Bust in New Analysis
A study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (online, July 28, 2017) concluded that glucosamine lacks evidence of effectiveness. Although the researchers don't come right out and say it, …
Why Was Aleve Better Than Tylenol for Bed-Wettin…
Bed-wetting is not just a child's problem. Enuresis, as it is known medically, can also affect older people. Doctors sometimes prescribe anticholinergic drugs such as oxybutynin (Ditropan, Oxytrol) an…
Can You Lower Your Cholesterol with Bergamot?
How do you control your cholesterol? Many people take a statin medication such as atorvastatin or simvastatin to keep their blood fats within normal range. On the other hand, you might prefer a more…
Is Your Confusion Due to a Vitamin Deficiency?
As we grow older, our mental lapses bother us more and more. Could losing the car keys be the first sign of Alzheimer's disease? Is forgetting the PIN for the ATM an early warning flag for dementia? O…
Can You Mitigate a Migraine with a Milkshake?
Migraine headaches are debilitating as well as painful. Many sufferers report nausea and an inability to stand light or sound that imprisons them in a darkened room until the symptoms pass. There are …
Quitting Sugar Made a Big Impact on Blood Pressu…
Once people learn about common side effects of medications to treat elevated cholesterol or high blood pressure, they are often curious about non-drug approaches to heart health. The doctor may recomm…
Veterans Find Yoga Improves Their Moods
Many people think yoga appeals primarily to women. But a new study from the San Francisco Veterans Affairs Medical Center should put that myth to rest. A group of veterans discovered that yoga improve…
How Can You Counteract Muscle Pain from Statins?
The doctors' debate over statins has become heated lately. You can read what we have written about that here and here. If you prefer, you can listen to our interviews with leading cardiologists here. …
Is Kiwifruit a Good Remedy for Canker Sores?
Canker sores, technically known as aphthous ulcers, are nasty sore spots that crop up inside the mouth. Unlike cold sores, canker sores are not infectious. Sometimes people have a hard time figuring o…
Is Cinnamon Toxic to the Liver?
How do you know when an herb, spice or supplement is safe? It makes sense to do some reading on anything you are planning to take before you begin swallowing it. Many people are taking cinnamon to con…
How Good Is L-lysine Against Cold Sores?
Cold sores are painful. They are also unsightly. Perhaps more alarming, there is some research to suggest that cold sores may increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease (see this link). Could L-lysine …
Supplements Are No Substitute for Good Diabetes …
Diabetes is reaching epidemic levels, not only in the US but around the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 30 million Americans have diabetes. By f…