The People's Pharmacy Podcast

In this episode, Joe & Terry speak with two scientists studying mosquito preferences. Why are some people mosquito magnets while others barely get bitten? A range of factors influences mosquito behavior and may explain why mosquitoes bite you and leave your neighbor alone. Learn how to outsmart them.

Why We Worry About Mosquito Bites:

You may think of mosquitoes as annoying insects with itchy bites. That’s certainly a reas...

This week, our guest in the studio is veterinarian Dr. Chuck Miller. 

You may have already thought about One Health without realizing it has a name. This is an interdisciplinary approach to promoting the health of animals as well as humans that share an environment. If you have companion animals that move between inside and outside, your already know that protecting them from ticks and fleas als...

In this episode, Joe & Terry speak with two physicians who have examined ways that artificial intelligence might contribute to patient care. Can AI help with better diagnoses? Is robotic surgery better? Could AI save lives or is it more likely to cause trouble?

We begin our conversation with Dr. Jonathan Chen, who has found that chatting with a robot made him...

In this episode, our guest, award-winning science journalist Carl Zimmer, describes the hidden dangers in the air we breathe. He begins with the concept of the aerobiome–the collection of living things from ground level to the stratosphere. While that includes eagles and dragonflies, the most insidious inhabitants are those we can’t see. Often, we are totally unaware of their presence. Yet bacte...

This week, the topic is lead. A hundred years ago, chemists discovered that adding lead to gasoline decreased engine knock and gave the cars of the day more power. It remained a popular additive for decades. At the same time, companies were adding lead to house paint to help it last longer. We know now that lead exposure harms children, but what about adults? Could lead in our environment have contributed to the horrific toll of he...

This week, two scientists discuss the evidence on using vitamin C to treat colds and as part of the treatment for cancer. For years, the medical establishment has maintained that such claims could not be considered seriously. But new studies vindicate Linus Pauling, the Nobel Prize winner who postulated that vitamin C would help.

In 1970 the Nobel Prize-winning chemist, Dr. Linus Pauling, published a paperback book titled Vitamin C...

In this week’s episode, find out what everyone gets wrong about weight loss. Why don’t diet and exercise work very well? Do official guidelines and weight loss drugs offer a clearer path to success?

With nearly three-fourths of American adults either overweight or obese, we can’t ignore the problem any longer. For decades, people have acted as though packing on extra pounds was simply a matter of poor willpower. “Eat less and exerc...

In this episode, investigative journalist Gardiner Harris delves into the dark secrets of one of the country’s most admired pharmaceutical firms. Johnson & Johnson sold talcum powder–Johnson’s Baby Powder–for decades even though it contained asbestos, an acknowledged carcinogen. How did the company maintain its superb reputation for so long?

Johnson’s Baby Powder was as American as apple pie. The company counted on the emotional as...

This week, Joe and Terry discuss liver health with two specialists. You may not have spent much time thinking about your liver. It is, however, an absolutely essential organ. When the liver is working properly, every part of the body gets the nutrients it needs and no parts are exposed to damaging toxins. These are among its superpowers. Find out why you should love your liver.

Nutrients don’t go directly from the intestines to the...

Our senses feed us a tremendous amount of information all the time, but we don’t have the bandwidth to pay attention to more than a small fraction of it. That’s where the unconscious brain is so valuable, juggling millions of bits of information while we focus our conscious attention on what seems important.

This week, a renowned neurosurgeon shares what he has learned in decades of working to restore ailing brains. His new book co...

In this week’s episode, a functional medicine expert will describe how to adjust your lifestyle to achieve the longest healthiest life possible. Is your biological age greater or less than your chronological age—the one you celebrate with birthday cake? How can you increase your chance of enjoying vibrant good health as you grow older?

Your Longest, Healthiest Life:

The idea that food is a powerful tool to transform our he...

This week, neuro-otologist David Kaylie of Duke Health will help us understand how balance disorders disrupt patients’ lives and what doctors can do to help.

Dr. Kaylie is a neuro-otologist who manages the whole range of disorders of the ear, hearing and balance. He is particularly interested in the impact balance disorders have on patients’ perceptions of their well-being and interactions with the world. Why are balance disorders ...

Pharmacists stand ready to help people review their supplements, herbs and medicines to see if there are potential interactions, redundancies, adverse reactions or other problems. Technically, everyone on Medicare is entitled to a comprehensive medication review annually. Some pharmacists like to conduct that as a “brown bag review,” in which the patient brings in everything they are taking–OTC med, prescription drugs, herbs, vitam...

We are finally emerging from an especially severe flu season. After a few years during and right after the pandemic in which there was relatively little influenza, this year was challenging. Preliminary data from the CDC suggest that between 40 million and 75 million Americans suffered from influenza or flu-like illnesses between October and March. As many as 1.2 million had to be hospitalized. The influenza viruses (there are many...

If your feet don’t feel good, you won’t either. Just imagine stubbing your toe. Ouch, that hurt! But stubbed toes generally recover fairly quickly. Some other common foot problems are likely to cause more long-lasting pain. Some of these may result from participation in sports, such as sprained ankles or stress fractures. What is the best way to handle these injuries so they won’t cause persistent problems?

This week, Dr. Jane Ande...

Of all our senses, the sense of smell often gets short shrift. Aside from Marcel Proust’s evocative description of the link between odor and memory, we don’t think much about smell. Scientists have discovered, however, that much of our social interaction relies on olfaction at a subconscious level. It plays a largely unconscious role in our choice of mates as well as in the timing of sexual acti...