December 14, 2006 12:38 PM

Lisa Ryckman on home remedies

Mark_Wolf(Q) Who are the People's Pharmacists?
Lisa_Ryckman(A) Joe Graedon is a pharmacologist, and his wife, Teresa Graedon, is a medical anthropologist. They've written a bunch of books, including the bestseller "The People's Pharmacy" (what else?) they write a newspaper column called -- that's right -- The People's Pharmacy," and they have a radio show -- The People's Pharmacy.

Lisa_Ryckman(P) They've spent much of the last 30 years evaluating prescription drugs, over the counter drugs, dietary supplements and home remedies.

Mark_Wolf(Q) What's their criticism of prescription drugs?
Lisa_Ryckman(A) They say that many of the meds endorsed by the FDA don't live up to expectations, that there's insufficient testing by drug companies which then cleverly market to docs who prescribe them to us.

Mark_Wolf(P) But the government wouldn't approve them unless they were safe and effective, would they? WOULD THEY?
Lisa_Ryckman(P) Well, yes, they would. Take the example of Vioxx.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) It was estimated that as many as 160,000 people suffered heart attacks while taking Vioxx, and an FDA Safety Officer estimated that as many as 40,000 people died as a result.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) The Graedons asked Dr. Robert Temple, one of the FDA's most senior scientists, why the FDA hadn't detected the problem with Vioxx before the manufacturer took it off the market, and he said that MedWatch, the FDA's suveillance system, can't detect common health problems. It catches unusual things like liver injury or strange blood disorders.
Mark_Wolf(P) How reassuring.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Have any of their home remedies been indepdently tested?
Lisa_Ryckman(A) Indeed they have. Vicks Vapo Rub, for example, was tested and found to be effective for fighting toenail fungus.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) They adknowledge that many of these remedies haven't undergone scientific scrutiny. But they're cheap, and if they don't help you, they probably won't hurt you, either.

Mark_Wolf(Q) I was intrigued by their recommendation about using Vicks, vinegar, cornmeal and Listerine to treat fungus-infected toenails but they say to soak your feet for an hour a day. No wonder so many people opt for Lamisil even though it carried a warning about possible liver damage.
Lisa_Ryckman(A) They actually suggest soaking your feet in cornmeal for an hour a week -- other soaks might need more frequent soaks, however. The Listerine is applied daily, as is the Vicks. So that's not a big deal.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) Think of it this way -- take Lamisil and risk liver damage AND the possibility that it won't even work for you. Or rub Vicks on your toes every night, and leave your liver alone.

Mark_Wolf(Q) They certainly love their Vicks and vinegar.
Lisa_Ryckman(A) Indeedy. Although it's actually their readers who love those so much. Vicks is pretty much a miracle cure if it actually works for all the ailments people use it for: calluses, chest congestion, chigger bites, coughs, cracked fingertips, dandruff, fire ant bites, skin/nail fungus, headaches, hemorrhoids, leg cramps, mosquito bites, poison ivy, scaly skin, sore heels and tennis elbow -- among others.

Lisa_Ryckman(P) There were some other good suggestions: I actually tried putting black pepper on a bleeding cut (I can't use a knife to save my life), and it stopped the bleeding and the pain.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) There were some other good ideas I didn't have room for. One of them is using Cornhusker's Lotion as a personal lubricant. Talk about inexpensive!

Mark_Wolf(Q) They say you don't have to reach for the Tums when you have heartburn?
Lisa_Ryckman(A) Nope, although that's one of their top remedies. Three others they believe are just as good: stimulate saliva production by chewing gum; sip chamomile or ginger tea; or drink baking soda dissolved in water.
Mark_Wolf(Q) Black pepper on a bleeding cut? Sounds like torture.
Lisa_Ryckman(A) I know -- I thought so, too. But their reader insisted that it not only stopped the bleeding, but the pain, too. When I sliced my finger open, I decided to try it (of course, I had to grind some black pepper first, and I bled all over the place in the meantime. I'm going to have to get a can of pre-ground stuff for emergencies).

Mark_Wolf(Q) Explain how a ring of keys can fix a nosebleed.
Lisa_Ryckman(A) I can't -- and neither can the Graedons. They said that when they heard about this, they thought it was so ridiculous that they almost didn't mention it. But after they put it out there, they heard from so many people that it works that they couldn't ignore it. And when they tried it themselves, it really did work!
Lisa_Ryckman(P) They did some investigating and traced the keys remedy to colonial America and the British Isles.
Mark_Wolf(P) I won't beleive it until I see it on Grey's Anatomy.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) Apparently, what you do is, put a string through a ring of keys and drop it down the bleeder's back, under their shirt. Nuns and grade-school teachers love this one.

Mark_Wolf(Q) The absolute greatest cookie I've eaten are the coconut macaroons served at the Century Plaza Hotel in L.A. back in my TV critic days. Now the Graedons say coconut is effective against diarrhea?
Lisa_Ryckman(A) Yes -- they've heard from lots of people who found it helped them curb diarrhea triggered by gastrointestinal diseases like ulcerative colitis or Crohn's, or chemotherapy. But a little goes a long way -- eat too much, and you'll have the opposite problem.

Mark_Wolf(Q) Finally, I knew their book had credibility when I saw it included duct tape. For what medical purpose do they recommend man's greatest invention?
Lisa_Ryckman(A) This is another remedy that has been scientifically tested. Duct tape has been shown to be very effective at removing warts. Researchers compared two groups of kids with warts -- one group had the standard liquid nitrogen therapy, and the others had a tiny piece of duct tape placed on the wart for six days.
Lisa_Ryckman(P) After that, the parents removed the tape and soaked the wart in water, then sanded it down with an emery board. Then they reapplied the tape for another six days and repeated the procedure. The liquid nitrogen worked for 60 percent of the kids -- and the duct tape worked for 85 percent. Not only that, some untreated warts disappeared, too. So researchers speculated that the duct tape triggered the immune system somehow. Go figure.

Lisa_Ryckman(P) Thanks for the chat, MW. Time to go stock up on black pepper and Listerine!
Mark_Wolf(P) And DUCT TAPE!!!