Coughs
Can Vicks VapoRub on Your Soles Calm Your Cough?
Sometimes a cough can linger on long after the respiratory infection that triggered it has vanished. What do you do for such a cough? We have heard from a surprising number of people that smearing Vic…
Cough Remedy Plus Antidepressant Spark Scary Ser…
Chances are good that you’ve heard of serotonin. It is a neurotransmitter in the brain that has been linked to mood. Fluoxetine (Prozac) and its antidepressant chemical cousins (citalopram or Celexa…
Home Remedies or Brand Names for the Common Cold…
Doctors have abbreviations for anything that causes coughing, sneezing, sore throat, congestion and/or runny nose: URTI (upper respiratory tract infection) or the shorter version URI (upper respirator…
Show 1408: Roots & Remedies: The Practice a…
This week, we discuss how making your own herbal medicine at home can provide you with safe, inexpensive and effective ways to ease symptoms of common problems like colds, cuts and scrapes or heartbur…
Misdiagnosed Cough from Hell Makes Life Miserabl…
One of the most prestigious academic medical centers in the US was involved in a study to evaluate diagnostic errors (BMJ Quality & Safety (Oct. 1, 2024). The results were mind boggling. Mistakes …
How to Make Thyme Cough Medicine
Have you ever found yourself coughing in the middle of the night and reached for the cough medicine? If your household is like ours, once in a while that bottle was used up two months ago. Luckily, yo…
Have You Tried Elderberry to Ease Your Cold Symp…
What is your favorite cold remedy? Sometimes people rely on drugstore products, but they may not be aware of the potential side effects from a multi-symptom cold product. As a result, we frequently pr…
Skip Cough and Cold Remedies for Something Bette…
When people come down with sniffles, sneezes, sore throats and coughs, they often turn to pain relievers and fever reducers like acetaminophen or ibuprofen. They sometimes add decongestants or cough s…
Old-Fashioned Vicks VapoRub Vindicated
Americans love shiny new things. Marketing experts plaster the words “New and Improved” on just about everything and it seems to work. But here at The People’s Pharmacy we like “time-tested”…
You Can Make Your Own Natural Cough Syrup with T…
Wouldn't it be great to know how to make your own simple medicines? You could easily make a natural cough syrup. Some readers are as enthusiastic as we are about using thyme for a respiratory infectio…
Show 1378: Rediscovering the Power of Medicinal …
This week, two guests describe their work with the healing power of medicinal herbs. They draw upon family histories of herbalism along with their own studies of how to use botanical medicines. You ma…
Can Science Explain Why Vicks on the Feet Calms …
Around the year 2000 a nurse called into our syndicated radio show to tell us that she calmed nighttime coughs by applying Vicks VapoRub to the soles of her children's feet. She then put socks on the …
Doctor Says Vicks on the Feet Calms Night Cough:…
We have no idea why someone first experimented with Vicks VapoRub on the soles of the feet. We do know that whenever we publish a story about putting Vicks on the feet for a nighttime cough we hear fr…
Is Phenylephrine a Worthless Decongestant? FDA&#…
What took the Food and Drug Administration so long to determine that a common cold and allergy drug does not work? Phenylephrine (PE) is almost 100 years old, having received a patent in 1927. Its eff…
Reader Spanks Us Over Phenylephrine Decongestant…
Last fall I wrote a nasty article chiding the FDA for its delayed action against cold, cough and allergy pills containing the phenylephrine decongestant. That’s because I had written about this prob…
Show 1369: What to Do If You Catch the Flu
This week, we hear from pulmonologist Roger Seheult, MD, about ways we can strengthen our immune responses to respiratory infections. Seasonal influenza activity is high and still rising in most parts…
Will You Catch Flu, RSV, COVID or Strep this Win…
Many Americans are starting the new year in bed with a nasty respiratory infection. The CDC’s FLUVIEW report shows influenza cases and hospitalizations are up from the previous week, so we are well …
How to Make Onion Syrup for a Cough
In the midst of cold and flu season, many people are troubled with lingering coughs. Are you barking like a seal? Is your cough keeping you awake at night? Luckily, there are a number of remedies that…
How Can You Find Terpin Hydrate Cough Medicine?
Some old-fashioned medicines have maintained their popularity for decades. Just think of Vicks VapoRub, Listerine or Preparation H as examples. Those venerable brands have all survived to hold their s…
Show 1360: The Pros & Perils of OTC Drugs
In this broadcast, we answer listeners’ questions about over-the-counter drugs. If you have bought a medicine without a prescription, how do you use it wisely? Dr. Stefanie Ferreri, Distinguished Pr…
Will Honey and Chocolate Ease Your Cough?
A persistent cough can be hard to manage. Lots of people would like to find a remedy, and some individuals have found sweet ways to calm a nasty cough. Would you believe honey and chocolate could ease…
Will We Have a Bad Flu Season This Year?
The last thing most Americans and Europeans are thinking about at this time of year is influenza. This is not flu season! And most people have put worries about COVID-19 behind them. Over the last sev…
Did You Catch HMPV Recently Without Knowing It?
Have you been sick in the last few months? I'm talking about a really nasty upper respiratory tract infection. Symptoms include sore throat, stuffy nose, fever and a horrible hacking cough! If that so…
Show 1274: Can We Make Sick Buildings Healthy? (…
Are you getting enough fresh air? More than a century ago, Florence Nightingale insisted that hospitals needed good ventilation to get lots of fresh air. That would keep patients from spreading danger…
Show 1340: Were the Old Wives Right?
This week’s episode begins with an interview. We talk with Dr. Craig Hopp of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health about why doctors so often dismiss home remedies as old wive…
Putting Old Familiar Brands to New Weird Uses
Do you remember the old TV show called MacGyver? “Mac,” the hero, worked for some secret government agency. He was always being called upon to save the day by repurposing old familiar brands and p…
Onion Cough Remedy
Every winter, we hear from people who'd like to share their favorite family remedies for coughs, colds and flu. We haven't conducted research on any of these, but one that keeps cropping up year after…
How Long Do People Feel Bad After COVID-19?
When COVID-19 first appeared, doctors knew only that some patients survived and some died. There is growing recognition that many people who survive the coronavirus may experience long-lasting complic…
How Can We Tamp Down the Spread of COVID-19?
Recent news that vaccines under development appear effective have bolstered hope. Until we have widespread access to vaccines and treatments, though, we need to figure out how to slow the spread of CO…
How Many New Yorkers Have Contracted COVID-19?
If you think back to the first month or two of 2020, you'll recall news stories about a scary infection spreading in Wuhan, China. Very few doctors or public health experts thought that the SARS-like …
Can a Face Mask Protect You or Others?
When communities want to slow or stop the spread of respiratory infections, they may recommend that everyone wear a face mask in public. This recommendation has been surprisingly controversial for COV…
Show 1208: Keeping Kids Healthy in the Age of Co…
Schools are closed and kids are home so that they don’t catch COVID-19 and spread it to family members. Of course, parents don’t want their children to get sick, either. How are we keeping kids he…
What Is the Impact of Herbal Treatments for Coug…
Cold and cough season is well underway in most parts of the country by now. Are there natural approaches to help you stay healthy? And if you do come down with a cold or other respiratory infection, c…
How Can You Find Natural Cough Medicine That Wor…
Have you ever looked for a natural cough medicine that you can take until you recover from your cold or bronchitis? Some readers have encountered cold remedies in Europe that they found helpful. When …
Delayed Cough with Lisinopril Can Lead to Misdia…
Humans are programmed to quickly associate symptoms with exposure to some toxin. This was an incredibly adaptive learning process when our ancestors were hunters and gatherers. If a member of the trib…
Can You Get Addicted to Cough Syrup?
There’s an ingredient in most over-the-counter cough medicine that poses risks that most people are unaware of. Dextromethorphan (DXM, DM, or dex) is a chemical cousin of opiates. This seemingly inn…
Will Chocolate Calm Your Cough?
This is the time of year when lots of people have nagging coughs. Traditional cough medicine leaves a lot to be desired. But could chocolate calm your cough? Might You Use Cocoa to Calm Your Cough? Sc…
How to Calm a Cough Naturally
Do you know how to calm a cough naturally? At this time of year, lots of people are coughing. If you go to a movie or a concert, chances are good that the people around you will be hacking away. Ditto…
Vicks on Soles of Feet Calmed Grandkids’ C…
When young children cough all night, they may not be awake themselves, but their parents and grandparents won't be able to sleep well. Little ones don't respond well to conventional cough medicines. W…
Terpin Hydrate Helped World War I Veteran
Terpin hydrate, with or without codeine, used to be a highly popular cough remedy. It was available without a prescription from the 1880s until the 1990s. That’s when the FDA decided there wasn’t …