The People's Pharmacy

Too many of us assume that aging automatically brings debility and cognitive decline. So it is a pleasure to talk with a centenarian who is ready to share the secrets to living a long healthy life. Secrets to Living a Long Healthy Life: Dr. Gladys McGarey is 102 years old. She spent her childhood in […]

If you are like us, you welcome the first warm days of the season with joy. And then you start to fret. How can you avoid tick bites? Many people recognize Lyme disease as a serious health threat from deer tick bites. However, fewer are aware that a bite from a completely different tick, the […]

Millions of Americans take dietary supplements, and most of us assume that they are safe. While that is probably a reasonable rule of thumb, there are some situations that require more vigilance. In particular, we need to beware of herb and drug interactions. Even your doctor may not know about the hidden harms. How Risky […]

Physical activity is a key pillar of good health. Fewer than a fourth of American adults move their bodies enough to keep them healthy. The rest of us may spend too much time sitting in front of a computer or television screen. We recognize we need more exercise. But just as we wouldn’t try to […]

Are you getting enough fresh air? More than a century ago, Florence Nightingale insisted that hospitals needed good ventilation to get lots of fresh air. That would keep patients from spreading dangerous respiratory infections like tuberculosis. Although she didn’t use the term, she was describing the concept of sick buildings. Over the last year and […]

You may not have thought much about long illness, but chances are you know someone who is suffering with one. The CDC estimates that some chronic condition afflicts as many as one in six American adults. That could be more than 130 million people. What counts as a long illness? Now, as experts declare that […]

This week’s episode begins with an interview. We talk with Dr. Craig Hopp of the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health about why doctors so often dismiss home remedies as old wives tales. Then he describes how we could evaluate remedies without randomized controlled trials. Natural products may offer leads for new drug development. […]

We have multiple nervous systems. You are probably aware of the nerves that help move your arms to throw a ball or move your legs to jump. No doubt you also know about the fight-or-flight response triggered by a fright. The oddly named sympathetic nervous system is in charge of that. Many of us don’t […]

Have you ever wondered what makes for a meaningful life? Philosophers have debated this for centuries, but now science has something to add. The current director of the Harvard Study of Adult Development shares the findings from this long-running, in-depth research on the factors that lead to happiness and a meaningful life. 80+ Years of […]

In this episode, four guests share their diverse perspectives on LASIK eye surgery. This procedure surgically changes the shape of the cornea with the goal of helping people see better, ideally without eyeglasses or contact lenses. Experts estimate that ophthalmologists perform about 700,000 of these in the US each year. We are told that most […]