The People's Pharmacy

Do you think of yoga as exercise? Many people don’t. Yoga doesn’t seem like exercise that can combat osteoporosis. Yet physiatrist Loren Fishman, MD, has shown that certain yoga poses can improve bone mineral density and reduce fractures. People do need to practice these poses conscientiously. When they do, they experience virtually no side effects-except they stand up straighter and f...

An ancient Chinese medical modality is gradually gaining converts in the US. In acupuncture, a skilled practitioner inserts thin needles into specific points on the body. The problems that may be treated this way range from allergies and sinusitis to heartburn, PMS, menstrual problems and hot flashes. In addition, this approach is frequently helpful for painful conditions such as headaches, tender...

If you are hiking in the hinterlands this summer, what first aid should you take along? We talk with Dr. Jim Hubbard, author of The Survival Doctor’s Complete Handbook , about what to do when you can’t get to the doctor. Home Remedies for Summertime Maladies: Dr. Hubbard also shares some of his favorite home remedies. What home remedies do you use most often for hot weather problems? D...

Stress is bad for our health, isn’t it? It has been linked to everything from psoriasis to asthma to heart disease. It may even make us more susceptible to cancer. Is the Emphasis on Stress Reduction Misplaced? It is no wonder, then, that wellness advocates emphasize stress reduction, whether it is yoga, meditation, a walk in the park or petting a dog or cat. There is nothing wrong with such...

As we grow older, the risk of two different cancers looms ever larger: breast cancer for women and prostate cancer for men. Whether you are a woman or a man, how can you reduce your risk from breast or prostate cancer? Unscrambling the Controversies: There have been controversies over the best methods for detecting and treating each cancer. When should women start getting annual mammograms, for ex...

Americans have been admonished to reduce the amount of sodium in our food. In fact, the American Heart Association has said that all of us should be cutting the salt we eat and aiming for 1500 mg of sodium daily, if not less. That is an amount that is achieved by only a few hardy souls. Cutting the Salt: Should you feel bad that you aren’t cutting the salt level in your diet so drastically?...

More children than ever suffer with allergies, asthma, ADHD or eczema. Sometimes these allergies can affect their ability to focus in school or get along with friends. It might be hard to see what is causing these problems. Could it be something they are eating? Do they need the dirt cure? A pediatric neurologist who is also a mother began looking into this question when her own year-old son began...

An increasing proportion of Americans are at risk for type 2 diabetes. In 2012, 86 million adults had prediabetes , which is elevated blood sugar that doesn’t quite reach the cut-off for a diabetes diagnosis. Frequently, people with prediabetes go on to develop type 2 diabetes, but they don’t have to. You can reverse prediabetes by changing your life. Our radio show, which will air on...

People who have had difficulty getting an accurate diagnosis of their ailments may feel that their doctors are not taking them seriously. Perhaps if they had MD degrees themselves, they imagine, the diagnostic process would be more productive. A Medical Mystery This is not always the case, however. Our guest, Neil Spector, MD, is a distinguished researcher and medical oncologist. But when he came...

Why do couples who love each other often experience diminished desire? Relationship expert Esther Perel says that achieving intimacy sometimes removes the mystery that makes sex so exciting. Keep the Spark: Drawing upon her decades of experience as a couples and family therapist, the author of Mating in Captivity tells how to keep the spark alive even in dedicated relationships. How can we learn t...

Why can’t the medical experts make up their minds? That’s a question we hear often when the guidelines for eating a healthy diet, treating high blood pressure or lowering the risk of heart attacks suddenly change. Many people complain about medical flip-flops. How Medical Flip-Flops Affect Medical Practice: It isn’t only patients who become frustrated about medical reversals. Phy...

Americans take a lot of pills with the goal of staying healthy-pills to lower cholesterol, pills to control blood pressure, even pills to keep bones strong. How can we use fewer pills but still maximize our health? What Is Exercise Good For? It shouldn’t be surprising to learn that both diet and exercise are important pieces of the puzzle. But what kind of exercise? What does it really do? W...

You may not think of bees as domestic animals, but any beekeeper would set you straight. Bees range far and wide when they forage for nectar and pollen, but they return home to the bee hive. Products of the hive have long been used for healing. Healing with Products of the Bee Hive: We get updates on bee venom therapy, also known as apipuncture. We hear how bee stings can be used to ease the hard-...

How Helpful Is Lowering Cholesterol? This week, the American College of Cardiology met and revealed surprising data on some new studies. What is the best way to lower cholesterol? Do healthy people get any benefit from taking cholesterol-lowering drugs? How did doctors determine that some patients really do suffer from muscle problems when they take statins? Could a Tick Bite Make You Allergic to...

Our immune systems are supposed to protect us from attack. Viruses, bacteria and fungi that try to invade can all trip alarm signals that awaken the body’s natural defenses. Cancer is not an invader, however. A tumor is made of our own cells, although they are growing out of control. Sparking the Immune System into Action Against Cancer: So how can the immune system recognize cancer and...

How can animals break through the barriers created by traumatic events and help people heal? We’ll learn about horses that interact with people with dementia, and dogs who visit patients in hospitals. Therapy Animals and Service Dogs: We’ll also find out how service dogs can improve life for people with disabilities. If you have a story to share about a service animal or a therapeutic...

Alzheimer’s disease is a prospect as frightening to many of us as cancer, and the treatment options are not promising. Most of the costly medications used in treating this type of dementia do little more than delay its progression by a few weeks or months. The idea that anything might be done to turn back the ravages of this memory robber has seemed an impossible dream. Optimizing Multiple F...

Heart disease is still the number one killer of women in the US, though the words “heart attack” usually conjure up an image of a gray-haired man. The symptom of chest pain or tightness is the most common signal of a heart attack in either males or females, but the American Heart Association says women need to be aware that they may experience nausea, shortness of breath, or neck and b...

When computer game expert Jane McGonigal suffered a concussion, she had a hard time recovering from the constant headaches, fatigue, confusion and depression. To give herself achievable goals and make her recovery more attainable, she invented a game she calls SuperBetter . The Benefits of a Gameful Mindset: You can use the gameful approach she describes to transform your own life. Find out how to...

America’s most popular heartburn drugs might be harming our kidneys. Research published in the February issue of JAMA Internal Medicine suggests that regular use of drugs like Nexium , Prevacid or Prilosec is associated with a higher risk of chronic kidney disease. While the research shows an association and doesn’t establish that the drugs are causing kidney damage, this is such a ser...

What do you know about your digestive tract bacteria? Normally, a wide range of bacteria helps us digest our food and works together to keep us healthy. But when infections or antibiotics intervene, the variety of beneficial bacteria drops and undesirable strains like Clostridium difficile can gain the upper hand. What About Probiotics? Could probiotics help? These beneficial bacteria could h...

Are you getting all the nutrients you need from the food you eat? We are often advised to eat a well-balanced diet, but many people find that difficult. In today’s fast-paced world, it can be hard even to know what it means. Should You Take Dietary Supplements? Dr. Tieraona Low Dog suggests that many of us need nutritional insurance because we are not loading our plates with vegetables three...

Chronic pain is often invisible, but it undermines the quality of life of a hundred million Americans. Many of these people face a terrible dilemma: without medication, they suffer dreadfully. But if they use narcotics to control chronic pain, they may be treated with suspicion or disdain. Measures designed to reduce drug abuse put many restrictions on people who are just trying to maintain their...

As we start the new year, many of us use the opportunity to try to change the habits that affect our health. Last week we heard from Gretchen Rubin , author of the book Better Than Before . How to Change Our Bad Habits: This week, we touch base with Dr. Wendy Wood, whose research focuses on how people form and change their habits. Find out how to make healthy habits stick, and what it takes to get...

Chocolate has long been considered a sinful indulgence, definitely not a food that belongs in any “healthy” diet. But over the past few decades, evidence has been building that consuming chocolate actually offers specific health benefits. What are they, and what is the best way to get your dose of beneficial cocoa compounds? What Are the Health Benefits of Chocolate? The experts descri...