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Soap For Restless Legs

Posting Date: 01/31/2005

Dietary changes can also help. Studies have shown that reducing the amount of carbohydrates (sugar, bread, rice, pasta, potatoes, etc) lowers triglyceride levels.

Q. I heard on a health show that an herb may help prevent the onset of migraine headaches. It was pronounced ?butter?..? but I did not catch the full name. Do you know the correct name of that substance?

A. The name is ?butterbur,? or Petasites hybridus. A study published in the journal Neurology (Dec. 28, 2004) compared standardized butterbur root extract to placebo. Over the four-month study, the higher dose of the herb (75 mg tablets twice a day) reduced migraine attacks by almost 50 percent, compared to 26 percent for placebo.

Side effects were primarily digestive upset, especially burping. The tablets used in the research were Petodolex brand, from the German manufacturer Weber and Weber.

Q. A few days ago I read in your column about Vicks VapoRub being used on the soles of the feet. I misplaced the article. Please tell me what is the benefit?

A. A nurse told us several years ago that she was able to calm nighttime coughs by applying Vicks to the soles of her children?s feet. She then put socks on them to protect the bed sheets. Others have reported similar benefit, but we cannot explain why it would work.

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In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of this newspaper or e-mail them via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org. Their newest book is The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (St. Martin's Press).

2005 King Features Syndicate, Inc.