2001 December

You probably already knew that ginger can treat an upset stomach. But in Ayurvedic and Traditional Chinese Medicine, ginger has been used as an anti-inflammatory agent for thousands of years.

About a month ago, I wrote to you about a host of markers for assessing your risk of heart disease – and about how the mainstream's sole focus on cholesterol puts thousands of people in danger. At that time, I talked about homocysteine, coenzyme Q10, platelet-activating factor, and thromboxane, all substances that can be detected in blood tests to help provide a more comprehensive picture of your true risk. Now new research is adding another factor to that list – and suggesting that the addition might provide the most powerful predictor of all.

Researchers in Sweden polled more than 1,900 people between the ages of 18 and 74 about their use of common prescription and OTC analgesic drugs. And here's what they found: the people who regularly took acetaminophen or aspirin were two and a half times more likely to have chronic kidney failure as compared to people who did not use those drugs.

A new study tells us that common, over-the-counter medications – several that are probably in your home right now – could contribute to cognitive decline. Benadryl, Genihist, Sominex, Sleepinal – these common OTC medications all have the same active ingedient, known as diphenhydramine hydrochloride. A recent study shows that this drug can be very dangerous for people ages 70 and over – even after just one dose.

Pain-free walking. For most of us, it's just a way of life… something we never really think about. But for some, it's a distance measurement used to assess the progression of intermittent claudication. This debilitating condition results from lack of blood flow to the legs and feet caused by narrowed blood vessels.