The People’s Pharmacy
Q: A friend shared her happiness with your arthritis remedy of marinating golden raisins in gin. I am an alcoholic. Does the alcohol evaporate out, or is this a prescription to resume my illness?
A: We don’t recommend this remedy for people like you. Although most of the alcohol does evaporate, having gin on hand to soak the raisins might be too much of a temptation.
Some people have found that soaking golden raisins in apple cider vinegar and honey is a good alcohol-free substitute. On the other hand, there are many other remedies for arthritis pain that do not involve alcohol. You might want to explore some of those, which include Certo and grape juice or Knox Gelatine mixed with oatmeal.
Q: I would like to hear about spices (like caraway, cinnamon, sage and thyme) being used to alleviate cold symptoms either with or without vitamin C.
A: Certain spices have a history of being used to relieve cold symptoms. Sage tea is classic as a gargle for sore throats, for instance. Thyme tea can help control coughs. Caraway has been used in combination with some other ingredients to ease cough as well.
We’ve not seen research indicating that cinnamon could help conquer cold symptoms, although it is helpful in many other situations. For example, Ceylon cinnamon may assist in blood sugar control.
You can learn more about all these spices and numerous others in our book “Spice Up Your Health: How Everyday Kitchen Herbs & Spices Can Lengthen & Strengthen Your Life.” You’ll find it in the books section of the store at peoplespharmacy.com.
Q: Some time ago, you wrote about a frightening side effect of the toenail fungus treatment terbinafine. I resolved never to use it, since the person who wrote to you said it led to her husband’s death.
Instead, I have been applying Listerine to my infected toenails every day. The fungus disappeared in about three months, but I continue the treatment because it is an easy way to keep the nails clear. Others might want to know about it.
A: Thanks for sharing your experience. The woman who wrote to us about the oral antifungal drug terbinafine (Lamisil) reported that her husband had overcome nail fungus. Sadly, this medication resulted in myelodysplastic syndrome, an abnormality of the blood that later developed into leukemia.
Not everyone gets such good results as you did from applying Listerine to their toenails. However, we have heard from many others who found it helpful.
Q: I have a good friend who develops a skin reaction during spring pollen season. She gets red, itchy bumps on her skin. The only thing that has helped is to wipe them down with vodka.
A: We have never encountered such a remedy before. Most dermatologists discourage the use of topical ethanol-based products because they tend to dry the skin out. If any other reader has used topical applications of vodka for a skin problem, please let us know.
Q: I want to share my love of lemon water. I have read in your column that lemonade may be helpful against recurrent kidney stones, especially if they are composed of calcium oxalate. The trouble is that lemonade is high in sugar or sugar substitutes. Lemon water takes some getting used to, but it can be helpful.
A: Lemon juice and lemonade are good sources of citrate. It is thought that urinary citrate promotes fluid intake and discourages stone formation.
Unfortunately, there is not enough good research to prove that lemonade or lemon juice prevents stone formation (BJU International, December 2021).