By: Joe Graedon October 14, 2024 28 Comments
    Can Baking Soda (Sodium Bicarbonate) Blow A Hole…

    People have been using a natural antacid (sodium bicarbonate, aka baking soda) for a very long time. It is cheap and surprisingly effective for easing symptoms of indigestion. But too much of a good t…

    By: Joe Graedon June 16, 2024 27 Comments
    What Do You Really Know About Scary Ibuprofen Si…

    Do you read the labels on OTC pain relievers? Be honest now. The last time you purchased Advil, Motrin IB or some house brand ibuprofen pills, did you check out the dosage instructions or the warnings…

    By: Terry Graedon June 16, 2024 167 Comments
    Getting Off Omeprazole

    Is it smart to block the production of stomach acid with powerful proton pump inhibitor drugs (PPIs)? Millions of people take these drugs to control acid reflux, ulcers or gastroesophageal reflux dise…

    By: Terry Graedon March 14, 2024 6 Comments
    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…

    By: Terry Graedon February 22, 2024 8 Comments
    Show 1375: The Science Supporting Home Remedies

    This week, Joe and Terry Graedon entertain your questions and stories about home remedies. What do you do for leg cramps or heartburn? Call in your favorites at 888-472-3366 between 7 and 8 am EST, or…

    By: Terry Graedon January 24, 2024 34 Comments
    Should You Be Taking Vitamin Supplements?

    Vitamins were among the most exciting discoveries of the early 20th century. Since then, however, doctors have been expressing a lot of skepticism about the value of taking vitamin supplements. Last y…

    By: Joe Graedon November 6, 2023 25 Comments
    PPIs are Safe! No, PPIs are Dangerous! What to B…

    Proton Pump Inhibitors (PPIs) are very popular for relieving symptoms of heartburn. That’s because drugs such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) and omeprazole (Prilosec) are extremel…

    By: Terry Graedon October 19, 2023 0 Comments
    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…

    By: Terry Graedon October 16, 2023 35 Comments
    Will Apple Cider Vinegar Cure Your Heartburn?

    Do you get uncomfortable after a big meal? A burning sensation under the breastbone after eating is common. If you have ever suffered from this type of indigestion, you may want to know how to cure yo…

    By: Joe Graedon October 5, 2023 14 Comments
    PPIs and Kidney Damage | Nephrologist Spanks GI …

    Many specialists live in silos. By that we mean they hang out with other experts just like themselves. They reinforce each other’s understanding of the world. These specialists may not spend a lot o…

    By: Terry Graedon September 18, 2023 107 Comments
    How Can You Ease Heartburn Symptoms?

    If you suffer from heartburn, you might describe it as a burning sensation under the breastbone. People with recurrent reflux can usually also talk about the types of foods that trigger their discomfo…

    By: Joe Graedon September 14, 2023 13 Comments
    Do You Swallow a Spoonful of Mustard for Heartbu…

    Do you suffer from heartburn? Many people do, judging from the popularity of acid-suppressing drugs such as esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid) or omeprazole (Prilosec). Antacids like Maalo…

    By: Terry Graedon September 10, 2023 9 Comments
    Multiple Strategies Are Needed for Stopping Hear…

    When your doctor hands you a prescription, do you ask about the exit strategy? Most people don't, but perhaps you should. Some drugs are very difficult to quit once you have been taking them for a whi…

    By: Joe Graedon August 14, 2023 207 Comments
    Metformin (Glucophage) Side Effects & Compl…

    The fascinating compound called metformin was discovered nearly a century ago. Scientists realized that it could lower blood sugar in an animal model (rabbits) as early as 1929, but it wasn't until th…

    By: Terry Graedon July 17, 2023 37 Comments
    How to Manage Your Heartburn Without Drugs

    The American diet seems designed to create digestive problems. We love fast food, which is low in fiber and high in processed carbs and fat. We also eat on the run. As a result, many people suffer fro…

    By: Joe Graedon June 12, 2023 24 Comments
    Old-Fashioned Italian Antacids Ease Reflux

    Before there were acid-suppressing drugs there were antacids. For decades, people relied on products such as Alka-Seltzer, Bromo-Seltzer, Amphojel, Di-Gel, Maalox, Mylanta, Rolaids and Tums, to name j…

    By: Joe Graedon June 8, 2023 28 Comments
    Why Popular Heartburn Drugs PPIs Are Linked to P…

    Millions of people take proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to suppress the secretion of stomach acid. The last time we checked, doctors wrote over 100 million prescriptions for drugs like dexlansoprazole (…

    By: Joe Graedon May 15, 2023 268 Comments
    Getting Off Omeprazole Can Be Challenging!

    Most people assume that over-the-counter heartburn medicines are completely safe. Why else would the FDA allow them to be sold without a prescription? The trouble is that proton pump inhibitors (PPIs)…

    By: Terry Graedon March 13, 2023 24 Comments
    Cabbage Juice Remedy Cured Chronic Heartburn

    How do you manage heartburn? Many people use over-the-counter medicines such as Pepcid or Nexium. Others, presumably with more chronic or more serious reflux, are taking prescription medication such a…

    By: Terry Graedon March 8, 2023 13 Comments
    Show 1292: Natural Ways to Treat Heartburn (Arch…

    Whether we call it indigestion, reflux, sour stomach or heartburn, this condition is painful. When acid from the stomach splashes up into the lower esophagus, it burns. Even though heartburn doesn’t…

    By: Terry Graedon January 2, 2023 21 Comments
    Can You Get Off a PPI Without Suffering Heartbur…

    Have you ever tried to get off a PPI like esomeprazole (Nexium) or lansoprazole (Prevacid)? If so, you might have experienced rebound heartburn. People who encounter this problem–and many do–may f…

    By: Terry Graedon September 22, 2022 8 Comments
    Show 1316: Protecting Your Digestive Tract

    This week on our nationally syndicated public radio show, we invite gastroenterologist Nicholas Shaheen into our studio to answer your questions about protecting your digestive tract. He is a national…

    By: Joe Graedon December 16, 2021 12 Comments
    Are Heartburn Drugs (PPIs) Linked to Stomach Can…

    Proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) such as esomeprazole, lansoprazole and omeprazole are extremely popular heartburn medicines. More than 110 million prescriptions for proton pump inhibitors are filled eac…

    By: Terry Graedon October 25, 2021 0 Comments
    Are the Health Benefits of Buttermilk Like Those…

    Do you consume dairy products, or do you try to avoid them? Many people find that the lactose in milk makes them uncomfortable. Scientists report, however, that probiotic products can reduce those sig…

    By: Joe Graedon July 26, 2021 7 Comments
    The Zantac – Ranitidine Weirdness Just Got Str…

    If you have been reading this newsletter, you know that one of the most popular acid-reducing drugs in the world became embroiled in a carcinogen controversy over two years ago. That's when a pharmacy…

    By: Terry Graedon July 8, 2021 12 Comments
    Show 1224: What Is the Best Way to Manage Your H…

    Bellyaches and heartburn are among the most common problems driving people to the pharmacy to seek relief. Heartburn, a burning sensation behind the sternum, happens when acid escapes from the stomach…

    By: Terry Graedon May 27, 2021 2 Comments
    Dr. Marvin Singh Tells You How to Establish Heal…

    Integrative gastroenterology combines the perspective of conventional allopathic medicine with a holistic approach to patients and their lives–mind, body and soul. Sometimes adjusting diet or lifest…

    By: Terry Graedon April 1, 2021 8 Comments
    Show 1179: What Should You Do About Digestive Di…

    Have you ever had horrible heartburn or a really bad bellyache? Most of us have experienced digestive distress at one time or another. When do you need to seek medical attention for your problem? What…

    By: Terry Graedon October 19, 2020 7 Comments
    Can You Use D-Limonene to Overcome Heartburn?

    Have you suffered from heartburn? Many people report that they feel a characteristic burning sensation under the sternum sometimes. Others experience this problem more frequently. You can manage occas…

    By: Terry Graedon July 29, 2020 6 Comments
    Show 1222: How Can You Optimize Your Microbiome?

    The microbiome–the genome of our collective microbiota–has become a trendy topic in medicine lately. With more microbial than human cells in our bodies, it’s becoming clear we should think of ou…

    By: Terry Graedon July 6, 2020 8 Comments
    What Are Downsides to New Secret Weapon for Hear…

    If you frequently suffer from indigestion or "acid stomach," you might wish for a new secret weapon for heartburn. One reader was excited to discover a "new" drug, not realizing that it is far from ne…

    By: Joe Graedon April 2, 2020 16 Comments
    Ranitidine – Zantac is Going, Going Gone At La…

    There was a time when Zantac (ranitidine) was the most prescribed medicine in the world. Now Zantac is going onto the scrap heap of discarded drugs. This heartburn medicine was considered a highly eff…

    By: Terry Graedon February 17, 2020 14 Comments
    Can You Relieve Heartburn With Vinegar?

    Some household products turn up time after time in remedies. People have been extremely inventive in finding multiple uses for Vicks VapoRub, Noxzema and Milk of Magnesia. But perhaps no item has been…

    By: Joe Graedon January 12, 2020 8 Comments
    Are Drug Companies Making a Killing on Convenien…

    Americans love convenience. That’s why we use drive-through windows at banks, fast food restaurants and even pharmacies. We’re even willing to pay a little more for fast food. People who want to s…

    By: Terry Graedon December 16, 2019 1 Comments
    How a Little Girl Overcame Her Constipation

    Digestive woes such as heartburn and constipation are tricky enough to manage when an adult suffers from them. When the person suffering is a child, the situation becomes even more serious. A mother d…

    By: Terry Graedon November 25, 2019 14 Comments
    Apple Cider Vinegar Is a Weird Remedy for Heartb…

    Do you have a favorite remedy for heartburn? Some people rely on drugstore antacids such as Tums or Maalox. Others take medication such as cimetidine (Tagamet) or omeprazole (Prilosec). But plenty of …

    By: Joe Graedon November 18, 2019 11 Comments
    Can Prelief Prevent Indigestion from Coffee?

    Like our reader below we are coffee lovers. There is nothing like a hot cup of Joe on a cold morning. Fortunately, we do not suffer indigestion from coffee, but this person does. Is there anything tha…

    By: Joe Graedon November 14, 2019 1 Comments
    What Are the Risks of PPIs for Children?

    Doctors love proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Acid suppressing drugs like esomeprazole (Nexium), lansoprazole (Prevacid), omeprazole (Prilosec) and pantoprazole (Protonix) are widely to prescribed to ad…

    By: Terry Graedon November 4, 2019 3 Comments
    Will Intermittent Fasting Give You Heartburn?

    If you have trouble with acid reflux, you probably try to avoid foods, beverages and situations that can trigger heartburn symptoms. Stretching out on the sofa after enjoying Thanksgiving dinner might…

    By: Terry Graedon October 31, 2019 6 Comments
    Show 1187: Are Supplements Really a Waste of Tim…

    Last summer, a major review of research on supplements to improve heart health concluded that most do nothing to prevent heart attacks, strokes or premature death from cardiovascular causes (Annals of…