The People's Pharmacy

Nearly 40 million Americans know the nausea and throbbing pain of migraine headaches. This debilitating condition that can create one-sided head pain may make it difficult or impossible to carry on with work or everyday tasks. How Can You Prevent Migraine Headaches? There are drugs that can be used to treat migraine headaches, but the FDA recently approved the first drug specifically to prevent th...

Do you know where your medicines come from? It can actually be something of a challenge to find out, because unlike shirts or apples, drugs do not have to be labeled with country of origin. As it turns out, over the past two decades, the pharmaceutical manufacturing industry has followed the same route as many other industries. Now, experts estimate that about four-fifths of the medications we tak...

Have you ever thought of your body as a machine and the doctor as its mechanic? It’s a common metaphor, but one that can get us into a lot of trouble. Machines can’t heal themselves, but our bodies have superb capacities to do so, if we help them. It turns out that there is more to health than just physiology. Going beyond the machine metaphor can help us learn more about self-healing. Attitude ma...

Complementary medicine has become popular in the US. Many people pay out of pocket for treatment by Ayurveda practitioners, massage therapists or chiropractors. Others take a range of herbs and other natural products as dietary supplements. Some of these practices are controversial, but conventional physicians are beginning to integrate some ideas, such as dietary advice or meditation, into their...

If you’ve spent time out in the woods this summer, or if you hope to hike or bike outside, you need to know about ticks. Ticks are not just icky; they can also carry dangerous diseases. In fact, tick-borne diseases are increasing as ticks increase their range. Tick-Borne Diseases: Not all tick bites lead to infection, but numerous tick species can carry pathogens. The lone star ticks can carry Roc...

Since 1995, the world has experienced twenty of the hottest years on record. The wildfires raging across western states are expected to burn more acreage than last year’s devastating fires. Hurricanes like Sandy, Harvey, Irma and Maria have caused enormous destruction. And less conspicuously but just as ominous, carbon dioxide levels in the atmosphere have been creeping up. How does such environme...

What could be more natural than eating when you are hungry and stopping when you are full? That simple approach is far from easy for many people. Hunger and eating get disconnected in eating disorders. How can these complex problems be recognized and treated? How Common Are Eating Disorders? Many people think of anorexia nervosa as the classic eating disorder. But while anorexia is potentially dea...

People around the world have learned how to use the plants in their vicinity to heal themselves and make life better. Not surprisingly, many cultures have found plants that can improve your sex life. What are they? The Medicine Hunter: Our guest is Chris Kilham, known as the Medicine Hunter. He travels to remote locations to learn what native people can teach him about plants. In many regions, peo...

People get excited about their favorite diets. Maybe you do, too. Are you a low-carb champion or a low-fat fan? Which one really is your best diet? The DIETFITS Study: A big study from the Stanford Prevention Research Center assigned 600 people to either a healthy low-fat diet or a healthy low-carb diet. (No junk food allowed in either one.) People followed their assigned diets for a year and then...

What is the value of vitamin supplements? There is no consensus on whether most people would benefit. Much of the research on multivitamins does not show a strong effect in preventing cardiovascular disease or cancer. Consequently, doctors often conclude that vitamin supplements are unnecessary. What Is a Well-Balanced Diet? Instead, they suggest that everyone follow a well-balanced diet. That is...

Medical devices are far more common than you might imagine. One American in ten has an implanted defibrillator, pacemaker, artificial hip or knee joint, surgical mesh or other device. How rigorously are such devices tested before they can be used? How Does the FDA Regulate Medical Devices? You would imagine that the Food and Drug Administration would be even more careful in its oversight of device...

Fast food is taking over the American diet, and the effects are deadly. Processed meats, such as pepperoni or bologna, could be considered carcinogenic. Moreover, highly processed foods and fried foods set us up for heart disease and dementia. All the foods in bags and boxes with white flour and synthetic ingredients are a major source of calories but provide very little in the way of crucial micr...

Since the middle of the last century, more than 85,000 chemicals have been developed and used. In many cases, they persist in the environment long after their immediate utility has vanished. The World Health Organization attributes more than one-third of childhood mortality to environmental causes. Are environmental poisons contributing to the troublesome rise in childhood diseases such as asthma,...

Prescription drugs cost more in the US than in any other country. Prices have been rising far more quickly than the cost of living, and the proportion people must pay out of pocket has also been increasing. As a result, many patients are finding it difficult to afford their medicines. Are you among them? Is there a way you could save money on medicines? Save Money on Medicines: Consumer Report s (...

Chances are you know someone who has had difficulty conceiving a child, though you may not be aware of their struggle. Endocrine disruptors are widespread in our environment , and may be affecting sperm counts or female fertility. Modern medicine has a lot to offer couples who are having trouble with fertility. Men with low sperm counts and women with endometriosis can often be treated successfull...

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...