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Will Special SLS-Free Toothpaste Prevent Canker …
Do you pay attention to the kind of toothpaste you use, beyond the flavor? The American Dental Association (ADA) wants you to use a toothpaste with fluoride to prevent cavities. But many visitors to t…
How Can You Use Beets for Better Blood Pressure?
With concerns about contaminated antihypertensive medications, many people are interested in ways to lower their blood pressure without drugs. There is a wide range of options: exercise, weight loss, …
Don’t Let Gas Ruin Your Marriage
Everyone produces gas, but not everyone experiences it the same. Some people make excessive quantities, while others find the smell extremely embarrassing. We have heard from a few readers who say thi…
Show 1382: What You Need to Know About Prostate …
What do you want to know about prostate cancer? This week, Joe and Terry Graedon welcome your questions about the latest screening tools and treatments for prostate cancer. Almost 300,000 men are diag…
What Are the Dangers of Bird Flu in Animals or H…
Bird flu is no longer limited to birds. The H5N1 strain of influenza was first detected in barnyard geese and chickens in the late 1990s. An outbreak in Hong Kong in 1997 made 18 people sick and six o…
Which Toxic Chemicals Are Hiding in Household Pr…
We usually take the most common household products for granted. However, perhaps we should be actively questioning their safety. An analysis of more than 100 consumer products reveals that a surprisin…
Beware Counterfeit Weight Loss Drugs
When people are desperate to lose weight they often go to great lengths to achieve their goal. That was true over a decade ago when people were hot to buy orlistat (Xenical, Alli). Nowadays, people ar…
Bacteriophage Viruses Protect your Gut Microbiom…
Most people have heard about the importance of the gut microbiome. That usually means the range of bacteria found primarily in the large intestines. However, we also host a large number of viruses alo…
Will Drug Shortages Endanger Your Life?
One of the most under-reported health care problems in the US has to do with shortages of essential medications. We have been concerned about this crisis for more than a decade. In the November, 2011 …
What Are Metoprolol Side Effects When Prescribed…
Metoprolol is one of the most prescribed drugs in the United States. At last count, nearly 90 millions prescriptions were dispensed annually. It has FDA approval to treat high blood pressure and heart…
Do Statins Lower CoQ10 Levels? Can Supplements C…
Doctors prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins as an essential step in treating heart disease. Many physicians also prescribe them for prevention. While many people take these medicin…
NasalCrom Is a Forgotten Allergy Treatment That …
People who suffer from allergies rarely get the respect they deserve. Complain about arthritis, chest pain or diabetes and you will get lots of sympathy. Describe your drippy nose or ask about effecti…
Why Don’t Vitamin D Supplements Work as Ex…
If you are taking big doses of vitamin D in the hopes that it will ward off all sorts of health problems, you may be disappointed. Most research has not demonstrated that taking high doses of vitamin …
Can We Stop Deceptive Drug Ads on TV?
You are doubtless fed up with prescription drug advertising on television. Based on our informal poll of reader comments, just about every "regular" person dislikes these commercials–patients, physi…
Coconut Macaroon Cookies Are a Favorite Home Rem…
We love it when readers share home remedies that work for common health concerns. One of our all-time favorites is coconut for the runs. A reader recently wrote that the effects of a colonoscopy prepa…
Preventing Deadly Drug Interactions Harder Than …
If I told you that over 2 million people were harmed while flying on an airplane and 100,000 people died each year in airplane crashes you would be astounded. You might be reluctant to get on an airpl…
Why Playing Outside Is Good for Kids
We've long suspected that children who spend more time playing outside are less likely to become nearsighted. That's been shown in a number of studies summarized below. If we'd had any doubts, evidenc…
Can Tylenol – Acetaminophen Raise Blood Pressu…
Nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) are among the most popular drugs in the pharmacy. That’s because there is a lot of pain out there. Whether it’s from headaches, arthritis or backaches…
Show 1381: How to Eat Less Plastic
Chemists use compounds such as bisphenols and phthalates to help make plastic packaging strong and durable. In this episode, two experts describe how these chemicals get into our food and how we can m…
Sitting Sabotages Good Health
Some health experts have taken to calling sitting the new smoking. In other words, a sedentary lifestyle puts you are significant risk for poor cardiovascular outcomes. How Can We Counteract the Risks…
Will a Potassium Salt Substitute Lower Your Bloo…
When epidemiologists and cardiologists give advice about hypertension, they often recommend that we cut back on salt (Journal of the American College of Cardiology, Oct. 11, 2016). Strict salt restric…
How Helpful Are Beta Blockers After Heart Attack…
Beta blockers are among the most trusted and most prescribed drugs in the pharmacy. This category of medications includes atenolol (Tenormin), carvedilol (Coreg), metoprolol (Lopressor, Toprol) and th…
How Safe Is Your Pain Reliever? Acetaminophen, I…
Almost everyone takes a pain reliever now and again. It might be for a headache, a muscle strain or arthritis. Occasional use is considered reasonably safe. But regular use of most OTC analgesics pose…
Does Prevagen Help to Improve Memory?
The Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General filed a consumer protection complaint against the maker of Prevagen in January, 2017. They charged the marketers of Prevagen with making…
Eggs Are Bad – No, Eggs Are Good – Huh?
Starting in the 1960s, Americans were told that eggs were evil. Dietitians warned that too much cholesterol would clog coronary arteries and contribute to heart attacks. Eggs became a sinful food and …
What Is the Best Approach to Overcome Constipati…
How healthy is your digestive tract? Unless it is functioning appropriately, you may not feel as well as you would like. Many readers have written to ask how to overcome constipation. Some also offer …
Is Celecoxib Safe To Prevent Nighttime Urination…
There is nothing more annoying than waking up in the middle of the night with a strong urge to pee. Well, actually there is. Waking up to discover that you have had an accident in bed is uncomfortable…
How Does Red Yeast Rice Compare to Statins?
Tens of millions of people take statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs. Many physicians believe such drugs are dramatically effective against heart disease. We will not deal with that controversial to…
Do You Need a Continuous Glucose Monitor Without…
The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that 84 million American adults have prediabetes. That means one-third of us have blood sugar that is somewhat higher than it should be–above …
Show 1380: Avoiding Lyme and Other Tick-Borne Di…
In this episode, two experts draw on the latest research about avoiding Lyme disease and other infections that may be transmitted through tick bites. Why are these conditions so difficult to diagnose?…
What Could a Ketogenic Diet Do for You?
Diets come and diets go with amazing predictability. The standard American diet has shortcomings, so people are frequently eager for an approach to nutrition that will be healthful. A ketogenic diet h…
Does Red Yeast Rice for Lowering Cholesterol Hav…
Has your doctor told you that your blood pressure is rising or your cholesterol is too high? Many people prefer to treat such conditions naturally if possible. But just because a treatment is natural …
Why Is It So Hard to Diagnose Pneumonia Correctl…
A study published in JAMA Internal Medicine, March 25, 2024, has uncovered some very disappointing stats. The researchers analyzed the medical records of 17,290 hospitalized older adults across 48 Mic…
Are You At Risk for COVID Infection? Pemgarda Fo…
There’s a lot of COVID vaccine hesitancy these days, largely due to reports of adverse reactions. We get it. A lot of people are worried that the vaccines are more dangerous than catching COVID. But…
Smartphone App Helps Researchers Diagnose Fronto…
Frontotemporal dementia occurs when the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain atrophy and can no longer function properly. Behavior may change, with personality changes indicating a lack of empathy …
Paradoxical Excitation from DPH Sleeping Pills
When you think about sleeping pills, you probably imagine medications that make you drowsy. After all, the whole point of sleeping pills is to help you fall asleep easier. In recent years "PM" pain re…
What Are the Health Benefits of Nattokinase?
No one is surprised that pharmaceutical firms span the globe. With research and marketing, they can present their products as familiar and desirable, no matter where they were originally developed. Na…
How to Repel Chiggers with Powdered Sulfur
Chiggers are small mites that lurk on grasses and bushes waiting for a warm-blooded creature to come by and offer them a meal. The bites are not dangerous but they can be horribly itchy. The secret in…
Will PPIs Protect You from Esophageal Cancer?
There are guidelines from the American Gastroenterological Association (Gastroenterology, March, 2017). They inform physicians that best practices require prescribing proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) to …
What Can You Do for a Kitchen Burn?
A kitchen burn or other minor household burn is painful. They usually cause redness and sometimes blistering. Cold water is the standard first aid recommendation. In fact, cold tap water is just the r…