The People's Pharmacy

Lithium rich water from hot springs such as those at Lithia Springs, GA, have long been sought after for their healing properties. This element was used for decades to treat some forms of mental illness, but high doses can be dangerous. As a result, this treatment fell out of favor although it can be effective for problems such as bipolar disorder. Low-Dose Lithium: Some psychiatrists are resurrec...

About 15 percent of American adults have problems with their balance. Even children are not exempt, with about 5 percent suffering from dizziness. What causes dizziness, and what can be done about it? A Definition of Dizziness: Dizziness is a terrible term because it doesn’t actually tell the doctor what the patient is feeling. It would be better to say whether the world is spinning; or you...

Why do some people appear to age more rapidly than others? Not only might they look older, they actually feel older as well. A check of their telomeres indicates that they are aging more rapidly at the cellular levels. Their telomeres are shrinking. Small telomeres foretell a shortened healthspan. Learning About Telomeres: So what is a telomere? This is the term for the noncoding DNA that appears...

Americans love laxatives. Millions of people rely on such products to stay regular. But you can conquer constipation without depending on these medications. Medications That Cause Constipation: A surprising number of common medicines can cause constipation as a side effect. Opiates are notorious for this, of course, but people may not think about the antihistamine in their cold medicine or OTC sle...

It is hard to feel good if your feet hurt. Dancing, running, playing golf or tennis and many other forms of recreation are no fun if you have painful bunions or plantar fasciitis. So how can you keep your feet happy and healthy? And what can you do about common foot problems? Ask the Podiatrist: Our guest, Dr. Jane Andersen, can tell you what the most common foot problems are and how we can avoid...

Nutrition experts have demonized a lot of foods over the past several decades. Eggs, shrimp, butter, cheese and meat were all taken off the table because they are rich in fat and cholesterol. No cholesterol, but too much fat doomed nuts, coconut and avocados. More recently, wheat and foods made from it, like bread, crackers, pretzels and pizza, have come under fire because they contain gluten. We...

How should you be keeping your heart healthy? Recent headlines have brought some controversies in cardiology to public attention. Defining High Blood Pressure: The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association issued guidelines on blood pressure control in 2017 ( Hypertension , online Nov. 13, 2017 ). These cardiology groups recommend that anyone with blood pressure above 130/8...

Many families struggle to get their children and teens to follow healthful diets. But there is a good reason that grandmothers have been urging kids to eat their vegetables, going back at least a century. Poor eating habits contribute to many health problems. How can we get children to love healthy food? Dr. Yum to the Rescue: Dr. Nimali Fernando is a pediatrician who found that many of her young...

When you go to see the doctor because you are sick, the first order of business is to get a diagnosis. How does the doctor arrive at that? What does she need to know? And is there any way you can help your doctors with diagnostic challenges? Meeting Diagnostic Challenges: Getting the right diagnosis is crucial to getting the proper treatment. For many conditions, the diagnosis is pretty straightfo...

Do you wish you could hear better? Do you have trouble hearing what others are saying? Many people find it difficult to follow a conversation with multiple voices, especially in a crowded restaurant. In fact, by 2060, more than 70 million Americans will probably be experiencing hearing loss. Most of them will be over 70. You don’t have to be a senior citizen to have trouble hearing, but many...

When a child is diagnosed with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), many parents are faced with a difficult dilemma. They want their child to be able to focus in school and at home, but they may be uneasy about the medications the doctor is prescribing. While stimulant medicines can sometimes be very helpful for people with ADHD, they do have side effects that must be weighed. Are ther...

Experts agree that exercise is crucial for good health, especially when it comes to preventing chronic diseases. Movement helps every bodily system function better. So why do so many people find it difficult to make the time to exercise? Our technology has lured many of us into a sedentary lifestyle sitting at a computer. Dr. Jordan Metzl says it doesn’t have to take a lot of time to get enough ex...

Spine surgeon David Hanscom does some of the most complicated surgery you can imagine on bad backs. But his patients get even more relief from chronic pain by employing the nonsurgical techniques he offers them in preparation for surgery. Sometimes they feel so much better they don’t even need to go under the knife. How Can You Alleviate Chronic Pain Without Surgery? Learn how a skeptical pa...

At midcareer, neuroscientist Wendy Suzuki had numerous scientific awards and accomplishments. She was studying what makes a brain healthy. But she didn’t have much of a life outside of the lab, and she wasn’t happy. She decided to make some changes, starting with a stop at the gym. How Does Moving Your Body Make Your Brain Healthy? Dr. Suzuki shifted the direction of her research after...

For decades, we’ve been told that we need to avoid fat if we want to lose weight. So Americans turned to highly-processed low-fat foods that are full of sugar. Is it a coincidence that we are fatter than before? More than two-thirds of American adults are overweight or obese. Turning the Food Pyramid Upside Down: Dr. Mark Hyman explains what went wrong and why we need to eat fat–not sugar–if...

Why do some relationships last for decades and just seem to get stronger, while others wither? Is there a secret to lasting relationships? Kindness, Generosity and Science: Decades ago, psychologist John Gottman began studying how newlyweds interacted with each other. He and his colleagues created a “Love Lab” in which they took careful notes and collected physiological data on each pair as they a...

Sperm counts have been falling around the world for the last several decades. In some regions, such as Europe and North America, the counts are down as much as 60 percent. What could account for this dramatic drop? Are Endocrine Disruptors to Blame? Compounds in many ubiquitous products, such as the BPA found in hard clear plastic and the linings of cans, have been identified as endocrine disrupto...

Dr. Allan Hamilton is a neurosurgeon, a teacher and a horse trainer. Those activities may not seem to have much to do with each other, but Dr. Hamilton has found that horses have a lot to teach us about life and health. Lead with Your Heart: His book on the wisdom of horses, Lead with Your Heart, is full of valuable nuggets on horse training that have clear corollaries in everyday life. Here are a...

For years, we’ve been hearing from listeners who swallow a shotglass of pickle juice or a spoonful of yellow mustard to make a muscle cramp disappear. They often report relief within a few minutes. How could such a weird remedy work so quickly to alleviate muscle contraction? Muscle Cramps Strike at Sea: Neurobiologists Rod McKinnon (a Nobel Prize winner) and Bruce Bean were kayaking miles o...

Consumer Rep orts recently had a cover story on “Too Many Meds? America’s Love Affair with Prescription Medication.” It turns out that half of American adults take at least one prescription drug. Actually, the average number of prescriptions is four. That’s a lot more pills than people in other countries, and it is more than we Americans used to take. Are we taking too many...

Although lifespans have been increasing, so has the burden of chronic disease. When a person is diagnosed with a serious illness such as cancer, cirrhosis, kidney disease, heart failure or Parkinson’s, medical science may not have a cure. But doctors shouldn’t say, there’s nothing more we can do. Instead, they should ask, how can we help this patient live better, if not longer? T...

Being able to see is something most of us treasure, especially if we imagine being deprived of good vision. But do we know how to take care of our eyes to keep them healthy and working well? Our guest, Dr. Peter McDonnell, is an ophthalmologist. He describes the most common problems that can rob us of our eyesight and what we can do to prevent them. What You Should Know to Protect Your Vision: Are...

An estimated 20 million Americans have trouble with their thyroid glands. Doctors have become accustomed to making the diagnosis of hypothyroidism based on a single blood test. Often they prescribe just one medication for treating thyroid disease. But does that work equally well for everyone? Genetic Variations That Make a Difference: New research shows that some people have a gene variant that ma...

Heart Disease and Inflammation: Is cholesterol the main problem leading to clogged arteries and heart attacks? It certainly is important, but a brand-new study suggests that inflammation may also be critical. The study was called CANTOS (for Canakinumab Antiinflammatory Thrombosis Outcome Study). Canakinumab ( Ilaris ) is a medication that is approved for treating inflammatory diseases such as juv...

For decades, epidemiologists have noted that people who eat breakfast seem to weigh less and live longer. But it hasn’t been clear if eating breakfast helps people stay healthy, or if healthy people tend to eat breakfast. How much does that matter when people in the US appear to have switched from eating three meals every day to eating or snacking multiple times a day? Does when you eat affe...