People's Pharmacy

For more up-to-date information on drugs, herbs and home remedies visit The People's Pharmacy Home Site at peoplespharmacy.us

Acupressure May Work For Insomnia

Posting Date: 11/15/2004

Q. I would like to share an acupressure tip that helps me sleep. Tape a dried kidney bean to the inside of your right wrist. I locate this point between the two tendons by measuring the width of three fingers from the wrist crease.

This gives me around eight hours of very sound sleep. If I have to get up to go the bathroom I still go right back to sleep. This approach is cheap, safe and better than anything I have used in the past.

A. You are describing a traditional acupressure point called the ?Inner Gate.? Pressing on this spot is reported to help reduce anxiety, slow the heart and promote sleep. A randomized study using sham acupressure points for control demonstrated that such techniques can be effective against insomnia.

Q. I?ve read in your column about coconut cookies for diarrhea. I had chronic diarrhea for over a year, and the coconut macaroons did nothing for it. Someone then suggested I try shredded coconut.

I put two or three teaspoons on my breakfast cereal every day for a couple of months. Now I don?t have to use it. You can buy it in the grocery store, and it really worked for me!

A. Biochemist Mary G. Enig, Ph.D., has proposed that the fat in coconut called lauric acid may be the active ingredient. Its antibacterial activity may help control inflammation and chronic diarrhea.

Other readers have reported similar success. Too much coconut can be constipating, though, so anyone who tries this should be cautious with the ?dose.?

Q. I have toenail fungus. I used to be able to control it by taking an oral antifungal drug called Diflucan. I had to stop that when I started on Lipitor because the two can interact badly.

Now my wife has the fungus, too. She blames me, of course.

Do you have any home remedies to control this problem? I understand permanent eradication is not feasible.