Community ClicksQ: My primary-care doctor wants to put me on statins to lower my cholesterol, and that scares me to death.
Several family members and friends who have been put on statins have become incapacitated at some point.
My cholesterol runs between 200 and 220, and my doctor wants it below 200.
A friend told me that you have suggested ways to lower cholesterol without drugs.
In a recent column, you discussed the side effects of statins, but gave no hint of a natural remedy.
Is what my friend told me true?
What do you suggest?
A: We have dozens of recommendations, from using a cholesterol-lowering bread spread such as Benecol or Promise activ, to taking fish oil or consuming nuts, grapefruit, grape juice, chocolate or cinnamon.
We discuss the details on these remedies, along with psyllium and red yeast rice, in our Guide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health, which also describes pros and cons of statins and other cholesterol medicines.
For a copy, send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. C-8, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Some people with high cholesterol and heart disease really benefit from taking a statin.
Since your cholesterol is only mildly elevated, you may be able to get it down with natural approaches.
Q: I get nosebleeds when the furnace runs a lot in the winter.
I think it is the dry air.
My doctor recommended that I use Vaseline in my nose to keep it moistened.
I think I read in your column that you should not put too much Vaseline in your nose because it could irritate the lungs. Is this really true?
A: We recently saw a suggestion in Consumer Reports (March 2010) that “a pea-sized dollop of petroleum jelly inside the nostrils” could prevent nosebleeds.
Used rarely, this approach might not be dangerous.
We have heard from lung specialists that petroleum jelly can migrate from the nose to the lungs.
As it builds up, it could cause an inflammatory condition called lipoid pneumonia.
If you look at the label of Vicks VapoRub, a product containing petrolatum, it states clearly “Do not use in nostrils.”
A water-soluble moistener such as K-Y Jelly might be a better choice.
We heard from another reader: “Please reprint the article about not using Vaseline in the nose because it can cause pneumonia.
“That article may have saved my life, and others need to know.”
Q: I have been taking Crestor.
It lowered my cholesterol very well, but my blood sugar went out of control.
My HbA1c went from 6.8 to 7.3 in just a short while, and my morning blood glucose numbers went from 110-130 to 161-217.
I stopped taking Crestor a few days ago, and my numbers are already starting to drop.
This morning, the reading was 144, and my midmorning blood sugar was only 96 instead of in the low 200s.
I think I am going to stick with niacin instead of other drugs.
Niacin does not affect my blood glucose.
A: Others have reported similar problems with statin drugs (www.peoplespharmacy.com).
A large clinical trial (JUPITER) noted that patients taking Crestor were more likely to be diagnosed with diabetes than those on placebo (New England Journal of Medicine, Nov. 20, 2008).
Q: My favorite home remedy is sauerkraut for canker sores.
If I feel one coming on, I put a wad of chopped sauerkraut on the area, hold it there for a minute, then chew it and swallow.
I do this three or four times a day for two to three days.
At least 95 percent of the time, the sore disappears.
For me, that is a miracle, since I have been plagued for many years.
A: Canker sores (aphthous ulcers) are mysterious.
Trauma to the mouth from sharp food can trigger a sore.
So can immune suppression (chemotherapy) or a deficiency of folic acid, vitamin B-12 and iron.
More than 20 years ago, we heard about a canker-sore remedy from the 1930s.
A dentist recommended swishing sauerkraut juice in the mouth several times a day, swallowing about a tablespoon.
Perhaps the bacteria that ferment cabbage into sauerkraut provide helpful nutrients.
One study demonstrated significant improvement in canker sores among people who took 1,000 micrograms of vitamin B-12 daily (Journal of the American Board of Family Medicine, January/February 2009). People who don’t like sauerkraut might try vitamin B-12 supplementation.
Q: Please stop criticizing the drug companies that make antidepressants.
They are trying to help while you just fuss.
I took Zoloft for six years and never had any desire to commit a violent crime.
This drug helped control my emotional highs and lows.
Blaming antidepressants for violent behavior makes no sense.
A: Two decades ago, Newsweek magazine featured a huge pill on its cover with the headline: “Prozac: A Breakthrough Drug for Depression.”
Earlier this month, Newsweek’s cover story was a debate over the effectiveness of antidepressants like Prozac.
It may be hard to understand why experts are arguing about the benefits and risks of antidepressants after 20 years.
Part of the reason is that an analysis covering many studies suggests that modern antidepressants like paroxetine are no better than placebos for relieving mild to moderate depression (Journal of the American Medical Association, Jan. 6, 2010).
Many people benefit from medications such as citalopram, fluoxetine, sertraline and venlafaxine, but doctors are warned that some patients taking them may experience suicidal thoughts or “irritability, hostility, aggressiveness and impulsivity.”
We summarize the pros and cons of current antidepressants and offer a range of nondrug approaches in our Guide to Dealing With Depression.
For a copy, send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. E-7, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Or download it for $2 at www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: You have been writing about problems with heartburn drugs.
A prominent naturopathic doctor told me to use DGL.
I take one tab twice per day and have not had any heartburn since starting this regimen.
This is excellent information for those who do not want to take drugs that could be potentially harmful.
A: DGL is deglycyrrhizinated licorice. That means the medicinal herb licorice has had the glycyrrhizin taken out.
This ingredient is primarily responsible for the adverse effects of licorice, such as increased blood pressure.
DGL has been used to help heal stomach ulcers and is often recommended to ease heartburn.
We did not find medical studies supporting this approach, but we appreciate your experience.
