Food & Drink Remedies
Thousands of years ago, Hippocrates said Let food be your medicine. Foods and beverages provide relief from an amazing number of common ailments.
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…
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…
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…
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…
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…
Vinegar to the Rescue in Wasabi Crisis
If you have never had sushi, you might be surprised at the very sharp taste of the wasabi that is a frequent accompaniment. It can hit your nasal passages and sinuses with a wallop. Is there anything …
Will Coconut Macaroons Overcome Bad Diarrhea?
We rarely know the source of home remedies, but we have tracked one carefully. The late Donald Agar wrote to us from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, in 1998 to report a serendipitous discovery. He had foun…
Should You Be Drinking More Coffee?
Coffee lovers have a reason to celebrate their favorite beverage. Two new studies in the Annals of Internal Medicine confirm that people who drink more coffee live longer. Studies of People Who Drink…
Will Olive Oil Protect Your Brain?
Extra-virgin olive oil might help protect your brain against Alzheimer disease. Epidemiologists have noted that people who follow a Mediterranean diet are less prone to cognitive decline. In one study…
Coconut for Crohn’s Supported by Science
In 1998 we received an intriguing letter from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column. Donald Agar, from Pittsfield, MA, contacted us to say he had finally overcome a long-standing battle with inf…
How to Make Gin-Raisin Remedy
Would you like to alleviate arthritis pain without drugs? Many people would, especially when they learn about potential NSAID side effects such as bleeding ulcers or cardiovascular complications. But …
How to Ease RA Pain with Fish
Should you eat a sardine sandwich or tuna salad for lunch if you have rheumatoid arthritis? Surprisingly, fish on the menu might ease RA pain and joint inflammation. Fighting RA Pain with Fish: Resear…
Is Lowering Cholesterol with Saturated Fats a Pa…
If you have been paying attention, you are no doubt aware that saturated fats like butter or coconut oil are a dietary no-no. The theory is that these fats, which are solid at room temperature, can cl…
Are Olive Oil and Wine Really Good for You?
Independent research has shown that both olive oil and wine appear to protect people from cardiovascular disease. For example, a recent review pointed out that red wine, in particular, contains polyph…
Does Chocolate Really Help Your Heart?
The Danish Diet, Cancer and Health Study has turned up an interesting observation: people who eat chocolate are less likely to develop atrial fibrillation, a heart rhythm abnormality that affects betw…
Can You Lower Blood Sugar with Cinnamon?
You've no doubt heard that type 2 diabetes has reached epidemic levels in this country and many others. That means that millions more people have pre-diabetes, blood sugar that is headed in the wron…
Why You Should Exercise and Eat Right, Now
We've all been told that we should exercise and eat right. Research to be reported at the American Society of Clinical Oncology meeting shows that a healthy lifestyle matters. That's true even after a…
How Will Beetroot Juice Help Your Heart?
Beet juice has developed quite a reputation over the past few decades. Researchers have discovered that it lowers blood pressure and improves athletic endurance. Canadian scientists demonstrated that…
Will a Gluten-Free Diet Help Your Heartburn Symp…
Judging from the popularity of medicines like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec), heartburn symptoms are extremely common. Is there a better way to prevent the re…
Will Raisins Help You Sleep Through the Night?
How often do you have to get out of bed at night to hike to the bathroom? This scenario is very familiar to men past a certain age, but many women also find they need to urinate at least once during t…
Can You Control Your Blood Sugar with Turmeric?
We are in the midst of a diabetes epidemic. Not only in the US, but around the world, type 2 diabetes has become frighteningly common. While drugs can be useful in lowering high blood sugar, there ar…
How to Calm a Cough with Crystallized Ginger
Even a spring cold can sometimes produce a troublesome cough. Nobody wants to be wakened in the middle of the night with a cough. It isn't pleasant, either, to be coughing through a concert or church …
Pickle Relish Will Do in a Pinch Against Leg Cra…
Over the years, we have collected quite a number of home remedies for sudden painful muscle cramps. Often these are leg cramps, but occasionally muscles in the hands or arms cramp as well. One favorit…
Did Beet Juice Cause Vertigo by Lowering Blood P…
Is it smart to use every possible means of lowering blood pressure? Sometimes we need that kind of intensive effort. But pulling out all the stops isn't always necessary. Could drinking beet juice cau…
Will Spicy Green Tea Stop Your Stomachache?
How did people treat their heartburn before drugs like omeprazole and esomeprazole? These proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) are so good at healing stomach ulcers and easing heartburn that doctors often…
Special Savings on Healing from Your Kitchen Cup…
Have you ever wished you could feel better just by using something simple you already had in your kitchen cupboard? It's not such a far-fetched dream. You probably have a treasure trove of healing sit…
How to Brew Green Tea for Maximum Benefit
You can brew green tea simply by plopping a tea bag in a cup and pouring hot water over it. Or you can make it into a complex ritual as a Japanese tea ceremony. When it comes to getting the most ph…
Did Eating Olives Really Make Warts Disappear?
We have been collecting wart remedies for over 40 years. Some of our favorites include banana peel, bacon fat, duct tape, garlic, Listerine, potato, turmeric and vinegar. We have never heard of olives…
How to Use Cinnamon to Lower Your Cholesterol
Most people who don't have diabetes don't worry about keeping their blood sugar under control, at least not until the doctor points out that it's been creeping up into the range of pre-diabetes. Chole…
You Can Make Your Own Natural Cough Syrup with T…
Wouldn't it be great to know how to make your own simple medicines? You could easily make a remedy for heartburn or a natural cough syrup. One reader did exactly that: Natural Cough Syrup with Thym…