People's Pharmacy

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Will Lemon Conquer Nail Fungus?

Posting Date: 07/25/2005

Consumer Lab also tests dietary supplements. Its most recent report shows that some dietary supplements have less omega-3 or omega-6 fatty acids than the labels claim. Neither site evaluates curcumin, though.

Q. I have heard you mention Angostura bitters as a treatment for flatulence. What?s the dose? Or should I just have an old-fashioned every morning?

A. Skip the old-fashioned (which contains bourbon as well as bitters). According to the Angostura bitters label, the dose for flatulence is one to four teaspoonfuls after meals. You could put it in water.

Q. Which is safer to take every other day: Phillips Milk of Magnesia or tea with senna leaf in it?

A. No one should use a laxative for more than a week at a time without medical supervision. If we had to choose between the two, however, we?d pick milk of magnesia. Magnesium hydroxide is less likely to irritate the digestive tract than a stimulant laxative such as senna.

Q. My son has frequent nosebleeds. Can you tell me how to use cold keys down the back of the neck? Is there a drugstore product that would help?

A. Placing keys against the back of the neck and then dropping them down inside the shirt is an old remedy that sometimes works. Nosebleed QR is an OTC product containing potassium salt and hydrophilic polymer. It usually stops a nosebleed in less than a minute. More information is available at 800-722-7559.

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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).