Community ClicksQ: I have to travel in a couple of weeks and stay in a hotel for several days.
I have been reading and hearing a lot about the bedbug epidemic in New York, Washington and Baltimore.
Do you know of any way I can make sure I do not pick up any bedbugs while I am travelling and bring them home with me?
A: We don’t have any tips that are completely foolproof, but you can stack the odds in your favor.
Before you leave, check the online ratings of the hotel where you plan to stay.
People who have found bedbugs in a hotel room usually complain about them.
When you arrive at the hotel, leave your luggage at the door and take five or 10 minutes to inspect the room.
Pull back the sheets and look at the mattress and the box spring. Look in the seams of any upholstered furniture, and check the drawers of the nightstand.
If you do find bugs or droppings (smaller than poppy seeds), ask the hotel clerk to move you to a room with no history of bedbugs.
Don’t set your luggage on the floor, the bed or upholstered furniture.
Use the luggage rack, and pull it away from the wall.
Don’t unpack into the drawers if you can avoid it.
Keep your suitcase closed.
When you pack to go home, inspect your luggage and your clothing.
If you are not sure about an item, seal it in a plastic bag so that it can be washed in hot water or run through a hot dryer.
Things that can’t be washed should be dry-cleaned.
A homemade bedbug detector is described on www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: Is there any blood pressure medicine that does not give you a cough or make you feel exhausted?
I am almost ready to give up on blood pressure pills.
A: Some people are quite susceptible to cough as a side effect of ACE-inhibitor blood pressure drugs such as lisinopril, enalapril and ramipril.
Cough is less common with drugs such as Cozaar and Diovan.
Beta blockers such as atenolol and metoprolol can cause fatigue.
High blood pressure increases your risk of heart attacks and strokes, so don’t give up.
We are sending you our Guide to Blood Pressure Treatment, with information on the pros and cons of the various types of medications, plus nondrug approaches.
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. B-67, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
It can be downloaded for $2 from our website: www.peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: My wife was taking Ambien for insomnia.
She also was having stomach pain that her doctor could not diagnose.
Recently, she stopped taking the medicine so she could remain alert during a period when our grandchildren were staying here.
Two interesting things happened: Her stomach pain and upset went away, and she started being able to sleep without the pills.
A: Stomachache has been reported as a side effect of Ambien (along with nausea, diarrhea and dyspepsia).
Many visitors to our website complain about heartburn and reflux as side effects of this drug.
Doctors don’t always think about a sleeping pill causing digestive difficulties.
We’re glad your wife figured this out for herself.
Q: Black pepper works great to stop bleeding!
I build cabinets.
While moving a large cabinet on rollers across a gap in my concrete floor, the cabinet slipped back into the gap and onto my middle finger, just as I was standing up.
Not only did it bust open, but the action of standing up almost ripped it in two.
I bandaged the finger, but the next morning it was still bleeding.
My cousin told me about your suggestion of black pepper on cuts, so I tried it.
It stopped the bleeding.
Thanks for this simple remedy.
A: We first heard about using black pepper to control bleeding from an RV camper in 1996.
Her brother-in-law Wendall was a woodcarver and had learned from his carving buddies to put black pepper on minor cuts.
During a road trip, a coffee cup fell out of a cupboard and hit him on the head.
It bled profusely, but the bleeding stopped when they applied ground black pepper.
We have subsequently heard from many other readers who have tried this remedy successfully.
We have even used it ourselves.
Of course, a serious injury requires medical attention rather than a home remedy.
Q: I am continually intrigued by all the various home remedies I read in your column.
As a borderline diabetic, I am especially interested in nondrug approaches to help keep my blood sugar under control.
What can you tell me about cinnamon or any other herbs that might be helpful?A: There are a number of natural products that can help lower blood sugar, and cinnamon is one of them.
Several studies have shown improved insulin sensitivity and blood sugar control with this spice.
You can find more details about cinnamon and other nondrug approaches to blood glucose control in our book Favorite Home Remedies From The People’s Pharmacy (www.peoplespharmacy.com).
Last year, a report showed increased improvement when test subjects took a cinnamon extract over a long period of time (Journal of the American College of Nutrition, February 2009).
The overweight volunteers took either 250 mg of a cinnamon extract (Cinnulin PF) or a placebo twice daily.
Q: I have arthritis in my hands and my back.
I heard that gin-soaked raisins would help the pain.
Is that true?
If so, what is the recipe for mixing, and what is the dose?
I would prefer something without alcohol.
A: We have heard for years that gin-soaked raisins help some people with arthritis pain.
Here is one example: “I am completely convinced that taking a teaspoon a day of gin-soaked raisins has done what the chiropractor could not do for my feet and ankles.
“I have a gardening business and MUST walk, shovel, rake and move around on uneven ground.
“I was in such pain it was becoming difficult to work, but this is my only source of income.
“Ibuprofen didn’t really help, but the raisins turned the condition around.”
Another reader offered this possible alternative to gin for soaking the raisins: “Mix two parts vinegar to one part honey.
“I just made some for my arthritic daughter to try.
“I used ¼ cup honey and ½ cup apple-cider vinegar, poured it into a ½-pint jar and added golden raisins until the jar was full.
“At nine or 10 raisins a day, that should be plenty for her to see if it works or not.”
