The People's Pharmacy

Americans tend to equate more tests and more aggressive treatment with better quality care. This approach does result in more expensive care. The US spends more on health care per capita than any other country in the world. But we lag behind other industrialized nations on important measures of public health. Challenging Assumptions Many of […]

Antidepressant medications have become part of popular culture ever since Prozac came on the market in the mid-1980s. Only those who have weathered a suicidal crisis themselves or watched a loved one face such an emergency may truly appreciate how inadequate our current antidepressants are in such circumstances. Ketamine An old drug, ketamine, is now […]

Many people currently carry around tiny but powerful computers in their hip pockets or pocketbooks. We use our smart phones to check our bank accounts, keep up with our friends or get a weather report. Apps are also proving as good as dedicated fitness trackers at telling us how much we are moving. Before long, […]

For decades, the diet dictocrats have warned us to back away from the butter, minimize the meat and skimp on the salt. The recommended menu might not taste terrific, but it was supposed to prevent heart disease, diabetes and other chronic conditions. Unfortunately, the evidence to back these dietary policies up has never been supported […]

Taking medications that affect brain chemicals can alter our risk of developing dementia. Find out which prescription and over-the-counter drugs are associated with a greater risk of an Alzheimer’s disease diagnosis. There is a list of common anticholinergic drugs here. Stroke Treatment A Dutch study last month showed that using a special device to reach […]

We often take our sight for granted, and wrongly assume that there is nothing that can be done to keep vision problems from occurring. Our guest has combed the medical literature to find ways to prevent or even reverse conditions such as cataracts, macular degeneration and glaucoma with natural approaches. Myopic Youngsters Around the world, […]

The flu season started early this year and is now in full swing. What do you need to know about influenza to keep from becoming a sad statistic? Anti-Anxiety Medicines and the Alternatives Doctors prescribe anti-anxiety drugs in huge numbers. When does anxiety need treatment, and what can be done besides take a pill? What […]

Television ads warning men of the dangers of “low T” (inadequate testosterone) have become commonplace, but they rarely explore the risks of taking testosterone replacement medications. That may be partly because, like hormone replacement therapy for women years ago that supplied estrogen and progesterone, testosterone treatment has not been fully studied. It isn’t necessary to […]

We often think of vulnerability as a weakness, but being open and vulnerable with those we care about actually requires courage and strength. When we manage it, vulnerability also strengthens our most precious human connections. Dr. Brené Brown has inspired millions of people with her TED talks on the power of vulnerability. Learn why striving […]

Living in the modern world means being exposed to a great many chemical compounds, from those in our shampoo to the ones that make up that unforgettable new-car smell. The safety of many of these compounds is unknown, but others have recognized toxicity. And simple actions, like eating soup from a can, could raise our […]