The People's Pharmacy

Parsley, Sage, Rosemary & Thyme: Could rosemary in your food be part of the secret to long life? Will sage make you smarter? Will garlic, leeks and onions help you keep your heart healthy? Cinnamon, fenugreek and turmeric all appear to help regulate blood sugar. Could they be useful in warding off type 2 diabetes? […]

Do you know how to treat a headache, beyond taking aspirin or acetaminophen? Can you get into trouble by taking your medication too frequently? (The answer is yes; this can make headaches worse.) Ways to Treat Serious Headaches: Cluster Headaches: Cluster headaches recur with such extreme pain that they are sometimes termed “suicide headaches.” There are […]

There is considerable confusion over cholesterol and its connection to heart health and longevity. Should cholesterol be lowered at all costs? We’ll discuss the evidence for and against focusing on cholesterol. We also get good advice on the best lifestyle practices for maintaining a healthy heart. What Are the Benefits and Risks of Statin Drugs? […]

Ever since penicillin was discovered, scientists have realized that bacteria could develop resistance to antibiotics. In the last decade or so, these fears have become more acute. Many dangerous pathogens have evolved to become resistant to multiple antibiotics. Some have become impervious to drugs that are generally reserved for last-resort use. With the common use of many antibiotics to promote […]

Research makes it clear that what we eat makes a difference for our health. But there are many different diet patterns that have been promoted as healthy. Some people are vegetarians, while others embrace a high-fat, low-carb Atkins-type eating pattern. Is there one that is optimal for you? What Should Vegetarians Consider for Complete Nutrition? […]

Years ago, doctors thought that celiac disease was incredibly rare among Americans. In this auto-immune condition, exposure to gluten found in barley, rye and wheat causes the body to attack the lining of the digestive tract. The damage that is done interferes with the ability of the intestines to absorb nutrients properly and that can […]

For millennia, when people stopped breathing, they stopped living. The classic test for determining whether people were asleep or dead was whether they could fog a mirror. Resuscitating the Drowned: In the eighteenth century, the citizens of Amsterdam became alarmed at the number of residents perishing by drowning in the canals. They started a Society for […]

The Zone diet popularized by Dr. Barry Sears was one of the earliest to emphasize the importance of balancing protein, fat and carbohydrate consumption at every meal. Dr. Sears pioneered the idea that the food we eat is more powerful than any drug in controlling the activity of multiple hormones in our bodies. Many studies […]

Prescription medications cost more in the US than anywhere else in the world. What’s behind the high cost of these drugs? How are insurance companies and other payers coping with costs? Is there any way to save money on a prescription? How Can You Save Money on Your Prescriptions? With the price of medicines rising […]

Montmorency cherries are rich in polyphenols. Scientists in England have been studying their ability to help athletes recover more quickly from strenuous exercise. The latest research was conducted with soccer players and published in Nutrients (online July 22, 2016). Do you ever get muscle cramps, either during athletic activity or in the middle of the […]