By: Joe Graedon October 14, 2024 50 Comments
    Unbearable Itching After Stopping Antihistamines…

    This website is devoted to helping people make informed decisions about their health. To do that, people need information from health professionals and other patients. Over the years, more than 30 mil…

    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: Joe Graedon December 8, 2022 11 Comments
    Medical Jargon Baffles, Demeans and Damages Pati…

    I hate jargon. I especially hate medical jargon. It creates a barrier between patients and health care professionals. An article in JAMA Network Open (Nov. 30, 2022) is titled "Accuracy in Patient Und…

    By: Joe Graedon January 6, 2020 28 Comments
    Do Doctors Know About Zyrtec Antihistamine Withd…

    We first heard about the cetirizine – Zyrtec antihistamine withdrawal phenomenon a decade ago from a reader of our syndicated newspaper column: “I have had terrible trouble trying to stop taking Z…

    By: Terry Graedon May 5, 2014 8 Comments
    Chronic Hives Disappeared with the Elimination o…

    Q. About three years ago I developed chronic hives--raging carpets of hives, mysteriously appearing mostly between the hours of 6 pm and 6 am. We couldn't figure out what was causing them. When my doc…

    By: Terry Graedon March 17, 2014 53 Comments
    There Is Help for Horrible Hives

    Hives are red itchy bumps on the skin, known in doctor-speak as "urticaria." They are often caused by an allergic reaction that lasts for a few hours or a couple of days. An antihistamine such as diph…

    By: Terry Graedon March 3, 2014 34 Comments
    Is There a Natural Remedy to Calm the Itch of Ch…

    Q. I have a chronic case of hives. When I was first diagnosed, seven weeks ago, I was given a steroid shot and a six-pack of prednisone and told to take Benadryl at night and Zyrtec during the day. My…