Q. I am totally fed up with The People’s Pharmacy. The home remedies and unscientific nonsense you put on your website and air on your radio show is not worthy of my time.
I love it when you talk about double-blind, placebo-controlled gold-standard medical treatments. But this other stuff is the opposite of randomized controlled trials. I am turning off the radio and ignoring the rest of your drivel.
A. We are sorry you are so dismissive of home remedies and other natural approaches to healing. We too love double-blind, placebo-controlled studies, but we also welcome fascinating stories about home remedies. We happen to think that common sense and experience play a valuable role in healing.
Let’s take a moment to analyze some pharmaceutical disasters of recent years. All these drugs were approved by the FDA with gold-standard randomized controlled trials (RCTs).
• Bextra (valdecoxib) was a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug [NSAID] that was supposed to be a wonderful new advance against arthritis (osteo and rheumatoid) and painful menstrual cramps. It got the green light from the FDA in 2001. It took until 2005 for the FDA and the manufacturer to discover that it was causing heart attacks and strokes as well as potentially fatal skin reactions. The drug was pulled from the market in 2005.
• Vioxx (rofecoxib), like Bextra, was supposed to be a big advance in the treatment of arthritis and pain. It was approved in 1999 after RCTs demonstrated effectiveness. The drug was pulled in 2004 because of concerns about heart attacks and strokes. Some experts calculate that over 100,000 people were adversely affected by Vioxx. How many died remains controversial, but the estimates put the number in the thousands.
• Baycol (cerivastatin) was a statin-type cholesterol-lowering drug in the same class as atorvastatin, lovastatin and simvastatin. The FDA approved Baycol (based on RCTs) in 1997. It was supposed to be a strong competitor for Lipitor. A significant number of deaths brought on by muscle breakdown and kidney failure (rhabdomyolysis) were attributed to the drug. It was pulled from the market in 2001.
This short list of drug disasters just scratches the surface. We could tell you about the diabetes drug Rezulin (troglitzaone) that disappeared in 2000 because of liver toxicity. Another popular diabetes drug, Avandia (rosiglitazone), was pulled from the European market because of increased risk of heart attacks and strokes. Oh, and let’s not forget phenylpropanolamine (PPA) that was taken by millions in over-the-counter cold, allergy and weight loss products. It bit the dust in 2000 after being on the market for decades.
Do you wonder why so many Americans are getting suspicious about FDA-approved drugs that pass “gold-standard” clinical trials?
Home remedies rarely get scientific scrutiny, but if your cut stops bleeding after you apply ground black pepper, do you really need a randomized controlled trial. If your leg cramps stop waking you up in the middle of the night after putting a bar of soap under the bottom sheet, why not be grateful? If your arthritis pains disappear and you can climb stairs without pain or exercise again thanks to gin-soaked raisins or Certo added to purple grape juice, why not be thankful instead of so darn skeptical. These remedies are inexpensive, low-risk and are purpoted to help a lot of folks (see some stories below).
You might be surprised that many such remedies do have some scientific support. You will find lots of research and references for hundreds of helpful treatments in The People’s Pharmacy Quick & Handy Home Remedies from National Geographic. You may scoff, but lots of People’s Pharmacy fans find these approaches helpful:
“Hello Joe and Terry,
“In the past you have used one of my husband’s testimonials for the therapeutic use of grape juice and pectin. My husband Max is still using it and swears by it. His knees feel great and we continue to listen to your show – we learn something every Saturday! Kudos to the both of you for continuing to talk about topics that affect so many.”
Juliette
“For some reason, the last 2 years my knees have ached terribly when I lie down in bed. No pain at all when standing, walking, sitting – just lying down. I figure it’s some kind of arthritis, but really don’t know what is causing it.
“Your soap remedy kept popping up in your newsletter, so 6 months ago I finally decided to try it for my knees. It was amazing! In one night, the pain was totally gone.
“On vacation, I spent a few nights in another bed with no soap & guess what – knees ached again. So I bring my soap with me now. I replace it every time I need a new bar in the shower.
“I won’t sleep without it! Thank you for all your wonderful tips!”
N.K.
“I was listening to your radio program Dr. Charles talked about the use of vinegar for heartburn. Unfortunately, he did not indicate the type of vinegar or dosage.
“The same day I heard the broadcast, I experienced heartburn. My choices of vinegar were aged balsamic or dark chocolate balsamic. Obviously, I chose the dark chocolate and took about ½ teaspoon. The taste was very pleasant (usually I use if for dipping fruit or bread). To my amazement, within a couple of minutes, my heartburn was gone. Good By Tums!”
“Thank you for such a great program.”
Cheryl
If you would like to learn more about all these remedies and hundreds more, check out Best Choices From The People’s Pharmacy. There are over 800 scientific references to support our recommendations. And check out our books and some of our free publications here.
We do love randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials. But we also value grandma’s practical wisdom and people’s personal experiences. Share your own story below.
