The People's Pharmacy

In this episode, four guests share their diverse perspectives on LASIK eye surgery. This procedure surgically changes the shape of the cornea with the goal of helping people see better, ideally without eyeglasses or contact lenses. Experts estimate that ophthalmologists perform about 700,000 of these in the US each year. We are told that most […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we explore the power of cocoa compounds to help heart health. Our first guest is Harvard’s Dr. JoAnn Manson, lead investigator of the COSMOS trial. That stands for Cocoa Supplement and Multivitamin Outcomes Study. This very large, randomized placebo-controlled study looked at the effects of a multivitamin […]

This week, we talk with renowned author Temple Grandin. She reveals why she thinks visual thinking is underappreciated. Most importantly, she describes how we could change our educational system to better utilize a wide range of mental skills. Practical Applications of Visual Thinking: Most of us are not aware of how our brains work. Often, […]

In this week’s episode, learn about healthy eating for two. Most people realize that diet is especially important during pregnancy, but they may not know which foods are most nutritious. Researchers report that following a Mediterranean diet and practicing mindfulness around meals can both have health benefits during pregnancy. Mediterranean Diet for Those Eating for […]

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 actually have anything to do with the heart, the name makes sense. The pain is generally behind the sternum, in the center of the […]

In this week’s episode, sleep expert Dr. Jade Wu will join us in the studio to answer your questions about overcoming insomnia without medication. Email us [[email protected]] or call 888-472-3366 between 7:10 and 8:00 am EST on Saturday, March 4, 2023. Why Does Sleep Matter? Adequate sleep is a critical pillar of good health. During […]

In this week’s episode, we explore a range of practical approaches to staying healthy even in the midst of an epidemic or pandemic like COVID. Our guest offers evidence-based advice on what lifestyle changes can make a difference. Practical Strategies for Staying Healthy: Dr. Roger Seheult was already scouring the medical literature even before COVID-19. […]

In this week’s episode, food allergy expert Dr. Edwin Kim will join us in the studio to answer your questions about dangerous food allergies in real time. Email us [[email protected]] or call 888-472-3366 between 7:10 and 8:00 am EST on Saturday, Feb. 4, 2023. Dealing with Dangerous Food Allergies: Dangerous food allergies have been increasing […]

Our interview this week is all about repurposing medications. Hundreds of rare diseases don’t have effective treatments. Even some common conditions lack approved therapies. The research to develop new medications to manage or cure them is costly and time-consuming. Is there a way to teach old drugs new tricks? That could allow us to repurpose […]

When the COVID-19 pandemic began, it seemed there were only two outcomes from an infection. Either you died (as far too many people did) or you survived and moved on. Now, physicians, researchers and a growing number of patients are coming to grips with symptoms that persist months or possibly years after the initial infection. […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, our guest describes the causes and consequences of silent inflammation. Usually, inflammation (redness, swelling, heat, pain) is a tool the immune system uses to fight infection. But what happens when it gets out of control? The Dangers of Silent Inflammation: A number of factors might help explain […]

More than two years of living through a pandemic has really increased anxiety for a lot of people. If we define anxiety as worry or unease about an imminent event with an uncertain outcome, it’s easy to see why. However, it really isn’t healthy to feel anxious all the time, even when outcomes are uncertain. […]

Virtually everyone in the US has been exposed to PFAS chemicals. That stands for per- and polyfluoroalkyl substances found in fire-fighting foam, nonstick coatings, food packaging and waterproofing or stain resistant chemicals used on clothing, furniture and carpets. Pesticides are also an important source. These are also referred to as “forever chemicals” because they persist […]

Jane Goodall is an eminent naturalist who spent years studying chimpanzees in their natural habitat. It was she who first reported that we humans are not the only primates to make and use tools. She transformed our understanding of these animals. Now she is an elder stateswoman speaking out for action to help reverse climate […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we talk with two scientists who have been studying how eating cherries affects our physiology. Both are experts in sports medicine who have done some intriguing research that may convince you to include tart cherries in your diet. Tart Cherries for Precovery: First we speak with Dr. […]

We hear a lot about the obesity epidemic in the United States and around the world. Scientists acknowledge that this has occurred too rapidly to be explained by changes in genetics. Instead, nutrition scientists often turn to the energy balance model: people eating more calories than they expend. However, this dietary dogma on weight gain […]

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, approximately 50 million American suffer from debilitating chronic pain. Despite that number, in 2016 the agency issued stringent guidelines limiting opioid prescriptions to a bare minimum. Such drugs are often the first line for treating pain. Unfortunately, although this was an effort to reduce drug overdose […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we consider how to maintain a healthy balance in our gut microbiome. Each of us carries a vast collection of microbes in our digestive tracts. Although we usually think first of bacteria, there’s also an enormous number of viruses that feed on the bacteria. Could these bacteriophages, […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week we’ll be taking your questions live. We have invited two distinguished dermatologists to discuss problems affecting the hair and nails and tell you how to have healthy hair and nails. Green Nail Syndrome: For years, listeners have been calling in questions about nail fungus that makes toenails […]

Examining the Basis of Neuroscience Dogma: This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, our guests discuss the evidence supporting widely accepted ideas about Alzheimer disease and depression. Neuroscience dogma holds that Alzheimer disease results from the accumulation of beta-amyloid plaque in the brain. Moreover, nearly any psychiatrist, when asked, will tell you that SSRI […]

This week, an exciting interview from our archive airs on Oct. 8, 2022. A healthy young medical student, David Fajgenbaum, had been a student athlete in college and maintained his extraordinary level of fitness through much of medical school. Because of his enthusiasm and athleticism, his friends called him The Beast. When he suddenly found […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we speak with scientists studying the potential of psychedelic compounds to help heal mental illness. Recreational use of drugs like LSD during the 1960s gave these compounds a bad reputation. As a result, funding disappeared, and research withered. Over the last decade or so, however, investigators have […]

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 nationally recognized expert in esophageal diseases and has helped write numerous treatment guidelines for gastrointestinal illnesses. Detecting Digestive Tract Tumors: Two of the most common cancers […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we talk with Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Matt Richtel. His latest series for The New York Times takes a long look at the mental health crisis affecting American teenagers. This is not a tale of COVID disruption, although COVID has made it worse. This is a story of […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we talk with one of the world’s leading experts on indoor air quality. If we had been paying more attention to air when the COVID-19 pandemic began, we might have saved millions of lives. Improving air quality is still critical to our health. Not only is SARS-CoV-2, […]

Cassandra Quave is an explorer and an ethnobotanist uncovering potential ways that plants can benefit human health. She has a particular interest in multi-antibiotic resistant infections. Not only do these pose a grave risk for people around the world; her professional interest is also personal. When she was three years old, she suffered a post-surgical […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we learn where the most germs are lurking in our homes and workplaces. Public toilets often make people nervous, but in fact, says Dr. Chuck Gerba, cafeterias and break rooms are much more likely to harbor dangerous pathogens. What will help us in avoiding germs? Hint–keep on […]

Modern medicine looks back on many old treatments with a great deal of disdain. A classic example is the lobotomy. In the mid-twentieth century, lobotomy was employed to treat serious mental illness. One of the earliest developers of this procedure, Dr. Egas Moniz, received the Nobel Prize in 1949 for this approach to treating depression, […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we explore the impacts of negative attitudes toward aging and how to fight back against ageism. In the US, many people hold negative stereotypes about growing older. These beliefs can affect our health as we age. Why Are Negative Stereotypes About Aging So Destructive? Psychiatrist Robert Butler […]

This week on our nationally syndicated public radio show, Dr. John Abramson describes the impact of Big Pharma on American health care. In the US, we spend more on healthcare than any other country (both overall and per capita). However, our health metrics are mostly mediocre. Compared to other wealthy countries, they are abysmal! Big […]

On our nationally syndicated radio show we take questions from listeners about how to save money on prescription medications. As with nearly everything else, drug prices have been rising. First, we speak with health and medicine investigative reporter for Consumer Reports Lisa Gill about five ways to save on prescription drugs. How many of her […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, learn how to cope with tear problems. This is an extremely common eye disease, but that doesn’t mean it is trivial. An estimated 16 million adults in the US suffer with dry eyes, and suffer is the right verb for many of them. What Is Dry Eye […]

Dr. Robert Lustig has been warning us all about the hazards of sugar since 2009, when his YouTube lecture “Sugar: The Bitter Truth” went viral. As a pediatric neuroendocrinologist, he spent much of his career treating the causes of obesity in children. Now, he turns his impressive expertise to helping adults as well as children. […]

For many months now, people have been dealing with the pandemic, which has brought both grief for the lives lost and anxiety about the threat of infection. At the same time, fires and floods have made it clear that climate change is not a fuzzy future concern, but an urgent issue. The economic impact of […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week you’ll learn about a cardiac risk factor you may never have heard mentioned. Although scientists identified lipoprotein a as an important problem in the 1970s, your doctor may never have measured your level. We ask one of the country’s leading experts why Lp(a) has been overlooked for […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we talk with Dr. Aaron Carroll, who is a Distinguished Professor of Pediatrics at Indiana University School of Medicine and the Chief Health Officer of Indiana University. Despite rising infection rates, many of the precautions common last summer are melting away. There are no mask mandates on […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we have a guest live in the studio. Podiatrist Jane Andersen will be ready to answer your questions about foot problems and what you can do about them. Fixing Your Foot Problems: Has the pandemic been hard on your feet? Some foot doctors report seeing 20 to […]

After more than two and a half years have we learned anything about how an airborne virus like SARS-CoV-2 is transmitted? Judging from the way people have been acting lately and the way public health authorities have been responding to the latest COVID-19 surges, the answer is not much! An article in JAMA (June 7, […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we with an international expert about managing the microbiome. How does the microbiome interact with our immune system? Each of us has trillions of microbes living in our digestive tract. The exact number and type of species varies from one person to the next, so in essence […]

We are heartbroken that Dr. Paul Farmer, with whom we spoke in this episode, died suddenly on Feb. 21, 2022. He was a true hero. Our condolences to his family and colleagues. We are airing this interview in memoriam. In 2014, an Ebola epidemic broke out in three countries of West Africa–Liberia, Guinea and Sierra […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, our guests discuss “forever chemicals” (PFAS) used in a wide range of products. How do they affect our health? What Are PFAS, or Forever Chemicals? Scientists refer to a large class of synthetic chemicals, per- and poly-fluoroalkyl substances, or PFAS, as “forever chemicals.” A Dupont chemist created […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show this week, we consider the benefits of two dietary supplements against autoimmune diseases. Although health care providers are sometimes skeptical about the value of supplements, the VITAL trial represents gold-standard research. In fact, this large, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial demonstrated that vitamin D and marine omega-3 fatty acids each reduce […]

For many years, possibly even centuries, some people who unexpectedly survived a life-threatening event have recounted amazing experiences. Between the time they appeared to die and when they revived, they often encountered places and beings unlike those of everyday life. What should we make of such near death experiences? Reports from the Operating Room: Occasionally, […]

In the midst of a pandemic, many people feel isolated. When you are not even supposed to shake hands, much less hug or kiss, how can those who live alone meet their needs for sexual intimacy? Is it possible to date without running a high risk for COVID-19–or a sexually transmitted infection? How can people […]

In our nationally syndicated radio show we are live this week for the first time in more than two years. First, we speak with biologist Simone Pika about her very interesting observations of chimpanzees treating wounds. Wild chimps at the Ozouga Chimpanzee Project in Gabon have been observed catching insects, mashing them between their lips […]

Our nationally syndicated radio show this week (initial broadcast 4/2/22) offers interviews with two guests who have thought deeply about addiction. In the US, this is a serious public health problem. We have been fighting the war on drugs since the early 1970s. However, we haven’t seen much benefit from this effort. More people die […]

There are at least two pandemics raging through the world at this time. The first is obesity. The second is, of course, COVID-19. Diabetes sits uncomfortably at their intersection. In a vicious cycle, diabetes makes COVID-19 infections more likely and more dangerous. Meanwhile, COVID-19 can trigger diabetes or make it worse. A new study in […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we learn about the most common neurological disease humans suffer. Just in time for the Migraine World Summit, we will discuss new treatments for migraine headaches. Recent advances include methods for prevention as well as relieving symptoms. What Are the New Treatments for Migraine Headaches? For decades, […]

This week on our nationally syndicated radio show, we learn how heartbreak can have physiological consequences on the heart and other organ systems. Broken Heart Syndrome, also called Takotsubo, is a form of stress cardiomyopathy. The effects of stress hormones due to an emotional blow or a serious illness can weaken the heart muscle. A […]

Do you add thyme to your chicken soup? Basil and oregano to your pasta sauce? These herbs are staples in most kitchens, and they help good cooks make their meals extra-tasty. We love using herbs and spices ourselves when we cook. Consequently, we were dismayed to read that some cooking spices are contaminated with heavy […]