The People's Pharmacy

Gluten has become a household name in the last few years, with many crackers, cereals and other food products advertised as gluten free. What Is Gluten, and Should You Be Avoiding It? In the past, the only people who paid much attention to gluten were those with celiac disease. This condition was thought to be […]

Playing a sport, leading an active lifestyle or taking an unexpected tumble can lead to joint injuries such as a sprained ankle or a torn rotator cuff in the shoulder. Sometimes joints just start complaining because of accumulated wear and tear. Sports medicine specialists often need to evaluate the best methods for overcoming pain and […]

More than a million Americans suffer from inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Crohn’s disease and ulcerative colitis are usually considered autoimmune conditions, although it is not necessarily clear what may trigger the immune system to attack the lining of the digestive tract. Find out about the symptoms of IBD and how it is distinguished from IBS, […]

Most of us have experienced the frustration of a phone tree that seems designed to keep us from speaking to the person who could actually do what needs to be done. Have you ever considered the impact of an insurance pre-authorization requirement on a physician’s work day? We speak with Dr. Danielle Ofri about a […]

Most people are familiar with tick-borne diseases such as Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever or Lyme disease. But other diseases transmitted by ticks and fleas and biting flies may be flying under the radar. One such organism is called Bartonella. More Than Cat Scratch Fever Bartonella is known as the cause of cat scratch fever, but […]

People often hold fast to their favorite dietary dogma and get annoyed if it is challenged. But lately there has been a great deal of controversy about the best diet for good health, especially for people with diabetes or heart disease. One sign of a possible paradigm shift is the publication of three different articles […]

Tune in to our radio show on your local public radio station, or sign up for the podcast and listen at your leisure. Here’s what it’s about: Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is better known as Lou Gehrig’s disease. What does a diagnosis of ALS mean, and how do doctors and patients work together to improve […]

Tune in to our radio show on your local public radio station, or sign up for the podcast and listen at your leisure. Here’s what it’s about: Hot summer temperatures can be uncomfortable for anybody, but for some folks they may be downright dangerous. Which drugs require extra caution because they make a person more […]

What can we learn from people who have experienced spontaneous remissions of serious cancers? Doctors recognize that such remissions sometimes occur, but they rarely study them. The problem is that remissions are uncommon and unpredictable, and consequently difficult to study. The Research Psychotherapist Kelly Turner interviewed more than a thousand people who had undergone a […]

Do you take antibiotics for granted? Many of us do. After all, these drugs have been saving lives for decades, serving as magic bullets against deadly infections such as pneumonia, gangrene or blood poisoning since the middle of the 20th century. Superbugs Sneer at Antibiotics: Unfortunately, the bacteria that cause infections have been evolving and […]