People's Pharmacy

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Sour Cherries Worked Against Gout

Posting Date: 07/11/2005

No studies demonstrate that colon cleansing results in better health. While pets do sometimes pick up intestinal parasites, modern sanitation makes this unlikely in people in the U.S. If a stool test reveals parasites, appropriate medication is needed.

We are sending you our Guide to Constipation with a discussion of internal cleansing and tips for staying regular. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. GG-30, P. O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.

Q. Does cocoa powder from the grocery store have the same health benefit as dark chocolate? If so, how much powder might one take every day for a good health effect?

A. Powdered cocoa rich in the antioxidant compounds (flavanols) found in chocolate offers many of the same health benefits. Cocoa compounds help keep blood vessels flexible and prevent blood platelets from clumping together to form blood clots. They also help discourage inflammation.

A recent study found that dark chocolate increased dilation of an artery in the arm (American Journal of Hypertension, June, 2005). The scientists conclude that chocolate consumption may help protect the cardiovascular system.

Drinking one cup daily made with high-flavanol powdered cocoa should provide some benefits. Alkali processing destroys many of these compounds, so buy cocoa not processed with alkali.

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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.