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

Does Medicare Drug Plan Suit Everyone?

Posting Date: 11/28/2005

In another study, researchers substituted protein, half of it from plant sources, for some of the carbohydrate in a diet to lower blood pressure. People eating that diet were able to lower blood pressure, cholesterol and triglycerides (Journal of the American Medical Association, Nov. 16, 2005).

Not everyone can control cholesterol with diet alone. In some cases, blood fats rise on a vegetarian diet. Since the body makes cholesterol, eliminating it from the diet may actually increase internal production of cholesterol. In such cases, people may need another intervention in addition to diet.

Q. I would like to try pomegranate juice for its health benefits. Will it interact with Lipitor?

A. Pomegranate juice can lower blood pressure and delay atherosclerosis. But it interacts with drugs much as grapefruit juice does (Drug Metabolism and Disposition, May 2005). Grapefruit juice can raise blood levels of some cholesterol-lowering drugs, including Lipitor, Zocor and Mevacor (lovastatin) and increase the risk of side effects.

We would like to send you our Guide to Grapefruit Juice Interactions, so you can gauge what other medicines pomegranate juice may affect. Anyone who would like a copy may download it from our new Web site www.peoplespharmacy.com or send $2 with a long (no. 10) stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. J-91, Durham, NC 27717-2027.

* * *

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.com. Their newest book is The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies (St. Martin's Press).

2005 King Features Syndicate, Inc.