by Virginia Hopkins The phone rang at 5 a.m. on a Sunday, but I somehow incorporated it into a dream and didn’t wake up. It was my 84-year-old mother on the other side of the country, leaving a message that she’d probably had a stroke and was about to be put into an ambulance and […]
by Virginia Hopkins Q: I’ve been reading that REM sleep helps with memory and erases stress from that day. As a college student I really need a good memory and have a lot of stress, but there’s not much info about what increases or decreases REM sleep. Do you have any suggestions? A: REM sleep, […]
If you’re over the age of 65, the drug most likely to send you to the emergency room is the blood thinner Coumadin (warfarin). According to research done by the Centers for Disease Control and published in the New England Journal of Medicine, Coumadin is responsible for 33 percent of emergency room visits among older […]
With the change of season and dry indoor air, flu season begins. Here are some tips to help you stay healthy through the holidays. Flu Fighters: How to be an inhospitable host. The Flu and Pneumonia Does the Flu Shot Work? Drugs that can Harm the Immune System and the Lungs Enjoy the holidays in […]
Goofy looking guy steps out of an elevator with flames coming off his jacket and says: “I ate breakfast and got heartburn. Third day this week. So I took my heartburn pill and some antacids. We’re having Mexican tonight, so, another pill then. Unless we eat later then pill later. If I get a snack […]
After I posted the article Save Your Liver – Just Say No to this Drug, which is about the dangers of the drug Tylenol (acetaminophen), I received a number of comments and emails asking for advice about natural alternatives for treating pain. Short-term or Acute Pain There’s a big difference between short-term or acute pain, […]
The FDA announced a label revision for the 5-alpha reductase inhibitor (ARI) prostate and hair loss drugs, including finasteride (Proscar) and dusteride (Propecia). The revision follows the results of two large studies that looked at using these drugs for preventing prostate cancer. Both studies found that while the ARIs lowered the risk of low grade […]
Does niacin help slow the progression of heart disease and reduce the risk of dying from it? Yes, if you give it to the right group of people and take it in the right form and dose. Last week it was announced that a large and expensive study (AIM-HIGH), funded by U.S. taxpayers and Abbot […]
The heartburn drugs known as proton pump inhibitors or PPIs have already been proven to increase the risk of osteoporosis, vitamin B12 deficiencies, and pneumonia. Some of the best-known PPIs include Nexium, Prilosec and Prevacid. Vitamin B12 deficiencies, especially in the elderly, can cause anemia, fatigue, depression dementia and irreversible nerve damage. Now an FDA […]
People diagnosed with Parkinson’s may really be suffering from the side effects of prescription drugs or Drug-induced Parkinsonism (DIP). Every year about 50,000 Americans are diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease. The consequences of the diagnosis are not just the progression of a terrible disease, possibly leading to placement in a nursing home, but also the side […]