People's Pharmacy

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Open: Light for Depression #540

Posting Date: 04/23/2005

Phototherapy has been touted as a non-drug approach to treating

depression. But how good is the evidence? We talk with an expert who

has reviewed it.

There's also a report based on animal research that the yellow spice

turmeric, used in curry powder and mustard, may fight the formation of

beta-amyloid plaques in the brain linked to Alzheimer's disease. It's

too early to extrapolate from mice to humans, but adding some curry to

your diet might be a pleasant way to get a bit more turmeric.

Recent research published in the New England Journal of Medicine showed

that some marathon runners can load up on too much water. This reduces

sodium levels in the body to the danger zone. We'll hear from a woman

who experienced the frightening effects of hyponatremia. (Her story is

in the LA Times.)

Guest: Dr. Robert Golden, professor and chair of Psychiatry, and

vice-dean of the School of Medicine, the University of North Carolina,

Chapel Hill.

Dr. Gregory Cole, Associate Director of UCLA Alzheimer's Disease

Research Center, and professor of Medicine and Neurology, UCLA.

Carol Krucoff, science and fitness writer

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