The People's Pharmacy

Joe and Terry Graedon
  • 4.6 (1.2K)
  • Alternative Health
  • Updated Biweekly

Empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options. 921997

  1. May 29

    Show 1474: Treating the Cause, Not Just the Symptoms, with Functional Medicine

    Over the years, we have spoken with scores of healthcare experts about chronic illness. Many of them attribute the problems to inflammation, which is after all a natural response to infection or injury. But not everyone has a system for locating and addressing the source of the inflammation. If you want to treat the cause, not just the symptoms of your disease, you might want to consider functional medicine. At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen: You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, May 30, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wunc.org).  Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on June 1, 2026. What Is Functional Medicine? Many people have heard of integrative medicine. We asked our guest, Dr. Susan Payrovi, how this differs from functional medicine. (She practices both.) According to Dr. Payrovi, while both approaches embrace lifestyle therapies, integrative medicine may focus on individual organ systems, just as conventional medicine does. Functional medicine, on the other hand, is more likely to focus on how the body works. What functional systems are involved when a person experiences fatigue, for example? If there is a problem with the way the body produces energy, how could that be resolved? If you are dealing with a problem caused by underlying inflammation, you could prescribe a potent anti-inflammatory or even a medicine that counteracts the immune system’s response to danger by blocking interleukins, for example. Or you could search upstream for the disturbance that is causing the immune system to overreact. Going upstream to find the cause is the functional medicine approach. Sending the Body Safety Signals If inflammation is a response to a danger signal, how can we let the immune system know that the body is safe? Lifestyle therapies offer some powerful interventions, even though they may sound very ordinary. Getting adequate sleep can make a huge difference for the immune system and lower inflammation dramatically. Stress management is another potent non-pharmaceutical approach. Consuming a diet rich in anti-inflammatory foods or even medicinal herbs could also contribute to a sense of safety and reduced inflammation. The Silo Problem of Modern Medicine We have spoken with many people who have struggled with a disease that manifests in multiple symptoms. They end up seeing a variety of specialists who don’t seem to communicate with each other. NO tool manages every condition. Too often, specialists pay attention only to the specific organ that they are assigned, and as a result, nobody puts the big picture together for a long time. The hope is that functional medicine would do a much better job for such patients, including those whose suffering has an emotional, psychological or spiritual aspect. Functional Medicine and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome One example where patients are demanding more of their medical care is chronic fatigue syndrome. Conventional medicine has a notoriously difficult time treating such patients. Coaching patients on small but important lifestyle changes is one approach that functional medicine can offer. Pacing and learning to prioritize are vital skills for such patients. Dr. Payrovi learned a lot about the value of such approaches in dealing with her own illness, multiple sclerosis. Finding a Functional Medicine Practitioner People looking for a functional medicine practitioner can consult the Institute for Functional Medicine. The organization lists practitioners on its website, ifm.org. So does the Academy of Integrative Health and Medicine, aihm.org. This Week’s Guest Susan Payrovi, MD, is a physician practicing Integrative and Functional Medicine at Stanford’s Center for Integrative Medicine. Dr. Payrovi is board certified in Anesthesiology, Hospice and Palliative Medicine, as well as Integrative Medicine. She has additional training in Functional Medicine and acupuncture. https://med.stanford.edu/profiles/susan-payrovi. Her website is drsusanpayrovi.com. Susan Payrovi, MD Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, June 1, 2026, after broadcast on May 30. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Download the mp3, or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    58 min

  2. May 21

    Show 1473: How Music Heals: The Neuroscience Behind an Ancient Medicine

    What do you conjure up when you think of music? Perhaps you imagine a singer-songwriter telling her story. On the other hand, you might imagine a parade with a marching band, an orchestra playing an outdoor concert or a mother singing her baby to sleep with a lullaby. Regardless of the format, music acts on the brain in unique ways. Neuroscientists are learning how music heals and why healers around the world have integrated music into their rituals for millennia. At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen: You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, May 23, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wunc.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on May 25, 2026. How Music Heals Dr.Elizabeth Margulis directs the Music Cognition Laboratory at Princeton University. This scientific endeavor is devoted to understanding how our brains react to music. One discovery is that music has a lot in common with infant-directed speech. It is highly repetitive with exaggerated pitch modulation. When people talk to babies, they may slow their words down a bit and raise the pitch of their voices. All of these properties make infant-directed speech a lot more like music than the rest of our everyday utterances. Caregivers around the world adopt this sort of “baby-talk” because babies pay attention longer when they do. Is music tapping into the same primal brain responses? Another characteristic of music is that it can trigger emotional responses. These are culturally conditioned; bagpipes do not have the same effects as Tibetan singing bowls. Howe er, the reminiscence triggered by music can be remarkably complete, putting us back in time not only to the place where we heard it before, but even to the bodily sensations that we experienced at that moment. Musical memories are exceptionally persistent. Older people with dementia who can no longer remember important facts about their own lives can often join in singing a popular song from their youth. The Downsides of Music Music may have social and political ramifications. Just imagine a chorus singing “We shall overcome,” and you will probably make assumptions about the singers and their values. As a result, we should not be surprised to learn that people may fight over music. Frequently entire generations have genre preferences such as hip hop or rock that are not shared by adjacent generations. How do we approach the music we love to hate? Can we understand how music heals even if we don’t like it very much or at all? Musical Daydreams Help Us Understand How Music Heals Dr. Margulis has studied and written about musical daydreams. What does she mean by this? As you watch a movie, you may appreciate the score. But even if you don’t notice it at all, the sound track influences how you understand the action on the screen. Likewise, when most people listen to a piece of music, they may create a visual to go with it. Dr. Margulis offers us an example of a snippet of music by Liszt that evokes for many people an image of a cartoon cat chasing a cartoon mouse. Needless to say, that is not what Liszt was thinking when he composed it, since cartoons did not exist at the time. Choosing Music for Healing Joe mentioned the unobtrusive but soothing music playing in the background when he has an acupuncture treatment. Dr. Margulis suggested that music activates motor areas of the brain, and that might help explain the benefit in this setting. We are still learning more about how music heals. This research may some day guide healthcare professionals in choosing music for their practices, even in the hospital. This Week’s Guest Elizabeth Margulis,PhD, is Professor and Acting Chair in the Department of Music, with affiliations in Psychology and Neuroscience. Dr. Margulis directs the Music Cognition Lab at Princeton University. Her research pursues questions that lie at the intersection of the humanities and the sciences. She was also trained as a pianist. Her most recent book is Transported: The Everyday Magic of Musical Daydreams.  Her website is https://www.elizabethmargulis.com/about This link takes you to the publisher’s page. Elizabeth Margulis, PhD, Princeton University The People’s Pharmacy is reader supported. When you buy through links in this post, we may earn a small affiliate commission (at no cost to you). Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, May 25, 2026, after broadcast on May 23. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Download the mp3 or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    1h 1m

  3. May 14

    Show 1428: The Hidden Power of the Unconscious Brain (Archive)

    In this episode, a renowned neurosurgeon shares what he has learned in decades of working to restore ailing brains. His new book covers a vast range of neuroscience. Our dilemma was what to pay attention to in all those options. In a sense, that is always the human situation. We are capable of conscious processing of approximately 200 bits per second (bps) of information. Our unconscious brain deals with as much as 11 million bps. At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream Saturday, May 16, 2026, at 7 am EDT on your computer or smart phone (wunc.org).  Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on May 18, 2026. (This show originally aired April 25, 2025.) The Power of the Unconscious Brain Our senses feed us a tremendous amount of information all the time, but we don’t have the bandwidth to pay attention to more than a small fraction of it. That’s where the unconscious brain is so valuable, juggling millions of bits of information while we focus our conscious attention on what seems important. One surprising outcome of the research on how our brains function is a re-assessment of what is going on when people are unconscious. For centuries, doctors thought there was really no brain activity while a person was comatose. Then, a few decades ago, a scientist was recording the brain waves of a patient in a coma. The activity was very peculiar, as if the person were watching a ball being lobbed back and forth across a tennis court. In actuality, a television set in the room was broadcasting a world championship match between Roger Federer and Rafael Nadal. The neuroscientist recognized that this individual was following the match and was not nearly as deeply unconscious as had been thought. Further research showed that this kind of unconscious brain activity is not uncommon. It may hold keys to determining who has the best potential for recovering from their coma. Freud and the Unconscious Brain If you hear the term the unconscious mind, you may think of Sigmund Freud. He really popularized the concept that some very important brain activity takes place outside of our conscious awareness. It still has a powerful influence on our behavior. By the way, if we recognize that our conscious attention is indeed a limited resource (200 bps, remember), we won’t try to multitask. Humans actually aren’t very good at multitasking; instead, we switch our attention from one thing to another. Some people can do that fairly easily, but for most of us, it is less effective than staying focused. Three Stages of Brain Development Evolution likes to build on what it’s already got in place, so it shouldn’t surprise us that we can track three different evolutionary stages to our human brains. The reptilian brain came first, of course, and is there as a base, operating mostly on reflex. It’s definitely an important part of the unconscious brain. The mammalian brain brings in emotions. The hormone oxytocin is relevant for this discussion. It is critical for birthing and nursing young. As it turns out, oxytocin can also be put to other uses, such as bonding mates together and creating friends. Finally, we have the primate part of our brain. We humans, like other primates, can exercise empathy because our mirror neurons allow us to relate to another creature’s experience. In fact, mirror neurons were discovered by scientists studying macaques and eating gelato. Listen for a great story! Speaking of empathy, we wondered about empathy fatigue. We started hearing about empathy fatigue during the COVID pandemic, when healthcare providers were overwhelmed by extreme demands with inadequate support. Research shows that “constant, repetitive exposure to the pain of others leads to empathy fatigue.” Lack of empathy can lead people to do terrible things. Wonders of the Unconscious Brain Our brains are full of clocks. To some extent, these are shaped by how we use them. Musicians who play percussion instruments can perceive time differences of just a few hundredths of a second. All of us are entrained to a 24-hour a day cycle, whether we observe sunrise and sunset or not. But if we are deprived of connection with that cycle, our internal clocks can’t keep good time, and our brains may get far off track. What About Premonitions? Some people think premonitions are a fantasy. Yet this is another area where our unconscious brain may be more capable than we imagine. Dr. Hamilton describes an experience in the Swiss Alps where he and his wife had a choice of which path to take down from the summit. One appeared to be a shortcut, and they did have some time constraints. But as soon as they had taken a few steps that direction, he had a premonition of something terrible. They took the other path and learned later that there had been a landslide on the shortcut that would have swept them helplessly down the mountain. According to Dr. Hamilton, some people have the ability to influence the output of random number generators. Those of us who can’t may wish to reject that idea, but it has been documented. The Princeton Engineering Anomalies Research lab has run many studies demonstrating an impact on random number generations, not to mention remote viewing. In this way, some of the hidden power of the unconscious brain appear as cerebral entanglements, analogous to quantum entanglements at the sub-atomic level of matter. This Week’s Guest Dr. Allan Hamilton, MD, FACS, is a neurosurgeon who has specialized in treating brain tumors. His extraordinary journey from janitor to Harvard-trained neurosurgeon is just the beginning of his remarkable story. A decorated Army veteran, he now holds four professorships at the University of Arizona and has been recognized as “One of the Leading Intellects of the Twenty-First Century.” As the only American honored with the Lars Leksell Award for pioneering scientific discovery in stereotactic neurosurgery, Dr. Hamilton’s groundbreaking work has revolutionized the field. He has had a life-long interest in the application of computer technologies to enhance surgical care and reduce avoidable medical adverse events. In addition, he has served on two White House Advisory Committees under two presidential administrations. Allan Hamilton, MD, FACS His expertise extends beyond medicine, having studied creative writing under Rod Serling and serving as a senior medical consultant for Grey’s Anatomy for nearly two decades. Dr. Hamilton’s seven non-fiction books have garnered numerous awards and international translations, offering insights that have inspired leaders across various fields. Dr. Hamilton’s 7th non-fiction book is Cerebral Entanglements: How the Brain Shapes Our Public and Private Lives. The People’s Pharmacy is reader supported. When you buy through links in this post, we may earn a small affiliate commission (at no cost to you). Listen to the Podcast: The podcast of this program will be available Monday, April 28, 2025, after broadcast on April 26. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Download the mp3, or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    1h 6m

  4. May 7

    Show 1472: Beyond Lyme: Stealth Infections from Flea and Tick Bites

    Tick season is well underway in many parts of the country. It seems that a mild winter and a warm spring have brought the nymphs out seeking blood. If that blood is yours, you may be exposed to a range of pathogens. What’s more, ticks are not the only creatures ready to bite you. Fleas are an even bigger problem when it comes to transmitting bacteria called Bartonella. That genus is responsible for cat scratch disease and trench fever. When the infection goes chronic, it’s called bartonellosis. What are the dangers of flea and tick bites? At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen: You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, May 9, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wunc.org).  Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on May 11, 2026. You can watch us interviewing Dr. Breitschwerdt on YouTube.   The Hazards of Flea and Tick Bites Ticks can transmit a dizzying number of pathogens, including viruses, bacteria and protozoa. Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever, for example, occurs when a tick injects Rickettsia rickettsii into a person through a bite. If not treated properly, it can be fatal. Fortunately, however, it usually responds to doxycycline. The NCSU laboratory has developed a reliable diagnostic test that picks it up quickly. Another tick-borne disease that has become familiar over the last few decades is Lyme disease. It is carried by deer ticks infected with Borrelia burgdorferi. If treated promptly, most people clear the disease, but sometimes it morphs into a stealth infection that is quite controversial. You may not think much about flea bites, but they too could be the source of a stealth infection. Fleas transmit Bartonella (and so do body lice, ants, pigeon mites, rat mites and sand flies). Cats can be infected (with three different species of Bartonella) and so can dogs (only two species). When people develop bartonellosis, it can cause liver disease and neurological problems such as headaches and memory loss. In some cases, infected people suffer seizures. Preventing Flea and Tick Bites Once Bartonella get into the body, it likes to hide. The bacteria can enter virtually any cell in the body and make itself at home. As a consequence, the immune system may have difficulty tracking it down and eliminating it. Antibiotics don’t always get to it, either. Treatments of entrenched infections need to be very intensive. So it is better to prevent flea and tick bites. One way is to make sure that pets are protected. Veterinarians can prescribe preventive medicine for them, either oral or topical. Another important step is to protect yourself. Wear effective insect repellent when outside or cover your long pants with permethrin-treated gaiters. And absolutely do not skip the tick check when you come inside. If you find a tick that has bitten you, remove it with tweezers, seal it in a plastic bag, date the bag and put it in the refrigerator. That could provide useful identification if you begin to feel ill over the next several days. When the type of tick is identified, it helps to point the infectious disease expert in the correct direction for what condition you may have. This Week’s Guest Dr. Edward B. Breitschwerdt is a professor of medicine and infectious diseases at North Carolina State University College of Veterinary Medicine. He is also an adjunct professor of medicine at Duke University Medical Center, and a Diplomate, American College of Veterinary Internal Medicine (ACVIM). Dr. Breitschwerdt directs the Intracellular Pathogens Research Laboratory in the Institute for Comparative Medicine at North Carolina State University. He also co-directs the Vector Borne Diseases Diagnostic Laboratory and is the director of the NCSU-CVM Biosafety Level 3 Laboratory. Dr. Breitschwerdt’s clinical interests include infectious diseases, immunology, and nephrology. https://www.galaxydx.com/about-us/meet-the-team/edward-breitschwerdt-dvm-dacvim-saim/ Dr. Ed Breitschwerdt, NCSU College of Veterinary Medicine Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, May 11, 2026, after broadcast on May 9. In this week’s podcast, we talk about developing treatments for these challenging conditions. A major focus for Dr. Breitschwerdt is prevention, so he and his colleagues are working on a vaccine that could prevent Bartonellosis. We also discuss the possibility that Bartonella might contribute to arthritis. Find out about the complications of another vector-borne infection, Babesiosis. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. This episode of our podcast was sponsored in part by MUD\WTR. Start your new morning ritual & get up to 43% off your @MUDWTR with code PPOD at mudwtr.com/PPOD

    1h 16m

  5. Apr 30

    Show 1471: Broken Bills: Why Americans Pay Twice as Much for Less Care

    Americans often boast of having the best health care in the world. It is certainly the most expensive health care. We pay twice as much as people in many other industrialized nations. Are we getting our money’s worth? Some population statistics, such as life expectancy, suggest we could be doing much better. How can we make sense of the complexity of American health care? At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen: You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, May 2, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wunc.org).  Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on May 4, 2026. Why We Pay Twice as Much for Health Care One reason Americans pay twice as much is the complexity of our health care services. We often call it a health care “system,” but it often doesn’t feel as coordinated as a system ought to be. Many other countries have universal health insurance coverage in one form or another (and there are many). That means the government has an incentive for keeping costs down. With so many different payers and players in the US, the incentives frequently go in the other direction. You may notice this if you examine an explanation of benefits from Medicare or a private insurance company. There may be a sizable gap between what the provider charged and what insurance approved. Who pays the retail price? Only people who don’t have insurance, who are usually those least able to manage a big bill. If you find yourself faced with a hospital bill and no insurance coverage, it is important to talk with the billing department. Nonprofit hospitals should have a mechanism for patients without coverage to negotiate a lower total or a longer time frame in which to pay. Even some for-profit hospitals and medical practices are open to negotiation, but starting the negotiation as early as possible is key. How Much Does an Emergency Cost? Nobody plans for a medical emergency. That is the nature of emergencies–they are unexpected. If you need an ambulance to get you there, if you have to be transferred to another hospital with a better ability to care for your problem, if the doctors must do multiple tests to make a diagnosis will all influence your bill. As a result, emergency visits could cost from tens of thousands of dollars to a million or so. With high-deductible health insurance, a person or their family could end up owing more than they can pay. That is how some cases of bankruptcy are rooted in high healthcare bills. We Pay Twice as Much Because Providers Make More In the US, doctors were once in the same category of professionals as teachers or firefighters. Those days are long gone. Healthcare providers here are compensated more generously than providers in many other places, such as Canada, Japan or Israel. Moreover, just as there are middlemen in the prescription insurance business (called pharmacy benefit managers, PBMs), health insurance has its own middlemen. The result is a great deal of complexity, very little transparency, and a lot of parties trying to make money on each transaction. That also leads to a great deal of administration, which further increases the cost. Why Don’t Market Forces Control Costs? Some analysts suggest that the free market should be able to control costs. But for market forces to work, you need competition and transparency. Over the last decade or so, there has been increasing consolidation in every sector of health care. Competition is limited in most areas. Moreover, transparency is in very short supply in health care. For years we have been talking about how hard it is to do comparison shopping for health services like MRI scans or colonoscopies. If consumers cannot compare costs or value, they cannot make the rational decisions that would help moderate prices. How Administrative Costs Increase Bills Part of every insurance premium goes to paying administrative costs. Insurers pay people to review claims (and deny some). Preauthorization also adds to administrative costs. Manage the Hospital Bill So You Don’t Pay Twice as Much as You Should Years ago, we interviewed Marshall Allen, who titled his book Never Pay the First Bill.  Our guest for the current episode counters always request an itemized bill. That way you can check it to make sure that simple items such as names, dates and insurance policy numbers are correct. Then look at whether the services billed are actually the services received. An estimated nine of ten hospital bills contain mistakes. The sooner you catch them and contest them, the less likely you are to have to pay them. To determine what you must pay, you may need to review the summary of benefits on your insurance policy. That lays out in detail exactly what the insurance will cover. What Can Patients Do So They Don’t Pay Twice as Much? Ask for an itemized bill and check it carefully in every detail. If you find a mistake, contest it. Sooner is better, even though you may be trying to recover from a serious illness. Ask the billing office about patient assistance or a negotiated payment plan. Check with the Patient Advocate Foundation. They may be able to help in an individual case. Find out if your state has a consumer assistance program in the department of insurance. Notify an intractable billing department that your story will appear in your social media feed. This should probably be the last step if the previous ideas don’t work. But hospitals really don’t like bad publicity, so it might give you leverage you wouldn’t have otherwise. This Week’s Guest Linda J. Blumberg, PhD, is a research professor at Georgetown University’s McCourt School of Public Policy. She is an expert on private health insurance (employer and nongroup), health care financing, and health system reform. Linda J. Blumberg, PhD, describes why we pay twice as much for healthcare Listen to the Podcast he podcast of this program will be available Monday, May 4, 2026, after broadcast on May 2. On this episode, Dr. Blumberg discusses the importance of the summary of benefits in your insurance policy in greater detail. You’ll hear about a situation in which an emergency department overcharged a patient egregiously; the summary of benefits was key in resolving the problem. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Download the mp3, or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify. Transcript of Show 1471: A transcript of this show was created using automated speech-to-text software (AI-powered transcription), then carefully reviewed and edited for clarity. While we’ve done our best to ensure both readability and accuracy, please keep in mind that some mistakes may remain. If you have any questions regarding the content of this show, we encourage you to review the original audio recording. This transcript is copyrighted material, all rights reserved. No part of this transcript may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form without prior written permission. Joe 00:00-00:01 I’m Joe Graedon. Terry 00:01-00:05 And I’m Terry Graedon. Welcome to this podcast of the People’s Pharmacy. Joe 00:06-00:27 You can find previous podcasts and more information on a range of health topics at peoplespharmacy.com. Medical bills can be mysterious or infuriating. How can you make sense of the complexity and pay a fair price? This is The People’s Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graedon. Terry 00:34 Here in the United States, we pay more for our health care than people in any other comparable country. Despite this, our longevity statistics are worse. Joe 00:46 We’ll talk with an expert about how we got ourselves into this mess and what we might be able to do about it. Terry 00:54 She’ll help us better understand medical billing and how to challenge mistakes. Joe 00:59 Coming up on The People’s Pharmacy, why Americans pay twice as much for less care. Terry 01:15 In The People’s Pharmacy Health Headlines: An estimated two-thirds of American adults drink coffee every day. Now scientists have an idea why coffee is so popular. Researchers recruited 31 coffee drinkers and 31 people who do not drink coffee for a detailed study. They compared the composition of their gut microbiota and found some striking differences. Then the coffee drinkers abstained from coffee for two weeks. During this time, the investigators noticed changes in their gut microbiota. After two weeks, coffee drinkers were once again provided with their beverage. Half the volunteers got regular caffeinated coffee, the other half got decaf. Neither researchers nor participants knew who got which beverage. Non-coffee drinkers did not participate in this part of the experiment. Coffee-drinking volunteers reported less stress and depression whether the coffee had caffeine in it or not. People drinking decaf had improvements in learning and memory, possibly due to the polyphenols. Those getting caffeine in their mugs reported less anxiety but better attention and vigilance. The scientists note that coffee is much more than a caffeine delivery mechanism. Coffee consumption also has an effect on the immune response. Joe 02:37 Vertigo can be a disorienting and disturbing symptom. A recent overvie

    1h 9m

  6. Apr 23

    Show 1470: Why Your Doctor Should Prescribe Exercise to Treat Depression, Cancer & Aging

    If you had to name one thing that could contribute to better health throughout the lifespan, what would it be? We think exercise, or at least physical activity deserves the top spot. Yet in 2025, fewer than half of adults met the guidelines for aerobic physical activity. And less than one-quarter were doing both aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercises on a regular basis. Perhaps your doctor should prescribe exercise. What could we expect as the benefits? At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, April 25, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wvtf.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on April 27, 2026. Would Your Doctor Prescribe Exercise for Depression? Earlier this year, the Cochrane Collaboration published a review of 73 randomized clinical trials of exercise as a treatment for depression (Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, Jan. 8, 2026).  Most of these compared physical activity to antidepressants or to psychological therapy for depressed patients. Some of them compared the exercise prescription to no treatment or wait list. Comparing exercise to no treatment revealed an advantage for exercise, although the quality of the trials left something to be desired. Ten trials compared exercise to psychological therapy. In addition, five trials weighed exercise against antidepressant medication. Neither comparison showed a clear tilt for or against exercise as a superior intervention against depression. Exercise in the Cancer Center Dr. Claudio Battaglini of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill was not surprised by this finding. The exercise program he oversees for cancer patients often results in lifting their spirits as well as improving their health. That may help explain the very high adherence in his program. Will Physical Activity Reduce the Risk of Cancer? According to a review of the evidence, regular physical activity can reduce the number of people who die prematurely. In addition, it helps with weight control, quality of life and bone health. Older people are less likely to fall or experience declining cognition if they exercise regularly. The review found that physical activity improves quality of life and promotes emotional benefits (European Journal of Cancer Prevention, Jan. 1, 2025). If oncologists should prescribe exercise, don’t cancer patients deserve to have their insurance company cover the cost? Insurers rarely blink twice at cardiac rehab. Although cancer rehab is also super-helpful, insurance companies often don’t choose to pay for it. What Role Could Coaching Play in Guiding Physical Activity? Lots of doctors tell their patients to get more exercise. The patient wants to and intends to, but perhaps they just don’t know how. What activity should they choose? What is the proper technique? How often and how much do you need to move? All these questions can be answered by a coach. The coach will take into account your objectives and preferences as well as your prior experience. What do you love doing? Are there any moves you should avoid to reduce the risk of injury? That’s why when doctors prescribe exercise, they should include coaching to provide this sort of guidance. If Doctors Prescribe Exercise, Will That Help Motivation? Many of us know we should be active, but we don’t always follow through. How can we get motivated to move? According to Dr. Jordan Metzl, the first step is to find something you love doing. For Joe, for instance, having the doctor prescribe exercise of runniing a mile a day is not going to work. But he’ll cover much more than a mile–and quickly–if he is playing a competitive game of tennis. Joe loves tennis. Terry is not a runner either. On the other hand, karate club is a highlight of her week, and she has worked to achieve some skill in it. Dr. Metzl advocates for finding the activity that gets you excited and making it a priority in your life. If you are having fun, that is a great motivation. Reducing the Cost to Act Another thing to consider is overcoming the cost to act. If your activity requires a lot of preparation that feels like a chore, the cost to act is high. If you can make it easier and break down that barrier, you are much more likely to accomplish your exercise. External rewards can also play a role. Joe loves winning, so he likes to play with guys at about his same level of skill. That way, he has a chance to win if he tries. For Terry, there was a progression through belt levels in karate, from yellow to green to blue, and so on. Now, she looks forward to closing the rings in the fitness app on her watch. When Doctors Prescribe Exercise, Does That Give You a Push? For Dr. Metzl, the idea of pushing yourself and maybe your friends is a positive notion. We asked him about people who dig in their heels when pushed. What approach do they need to perceive and pursue their goals? He summarized the three ingredients of healthy motivation as knowledge, emotion and belief. That’s knowledge of the benefits of activity, an emotional response of appreciating and enjoying activity and a belief that you can achieve your goal. This Week’s Guests Claudio Battaglini, PhD., FACSM, is Professor in the Dept. of Exercise and Sport Science at The University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He is also Director Emeritus of the Get REAL & HEEL Breast Cancer Research Program and Co-Director of the Exercise Oncology Research Laboratory. Jordan D. Metzl, MD is an internationally recognized sports medicine physician, bestselling author, and fitness instructor who practices at the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York City. He lectures around the world and founded the first physician-led online fitness community, IronStrength, with more than 50,000 members. He created the Ironstrength Workout, a functional fitness program for improved performance and injury prevention that he teaches in fitness venues throughout the country. An elite athlete himself, Dr. Metzl is also a 40-time marathon runner and 14-time Ironman finisher. Dr. Jordan Metzl, author of Push, runs the New York City Marathon 2025 Dr.Metzl’s latest book is Push: Unlock the Science of Fitness Motivation to Embrace Health and Longevity The People’s Pharmacy is reader supported. When you buy through links in this post, we may earn a small affiliate commission (at no cost to you). Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, April 27, 2026, after broadcast on April 25. On this episode, Dr. Metzl talks about the joy of teaching medical students to offer an exercise prescription and the challenge of getting specialties other than cardiology to integrate physical activity into their rehab process. Dr. Battaglini discusses the contrast between cardiac rehab, which is covered by insurance, and cancer rehab, which is not. He also describes the value of swimming, especially for older people with sore joints. Walking is good exercise and easy for most people. What if the weather is bad? Perhaps an indoor walk around the mall would be a good alternative, and if you can recruit some friends to join you, so much the better. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free.

    1h 18m

  7. Apr 23

    Show 1188: The Healing Potential of Psychedelic Drugs: New Day!

    Many indigenous peoples around the world have developed traditional uses for psychedelic compounds. In Western medicine, these were mostly unknown until Albert Hoffmann synthesized LSD (lysergic acid diethylamide) in 1938. He later tried to figure out how it might be used after having an extraordinary personal experience. By the mid to late 1960s, psychedelic drugs like LSD or psilocybin had become a cultural phenomenon. By 1970, medical research on such drugs was essentially shut down. A personal note: I worked in the Neuropharmacology Laboratory at the New Jersey Neuropsychiatric Institute from 1967 to 1969. My mentors were Dr. Carl Pfeiffer and Dr. Leonide Goldstein. Both were actively involved in basic research into psychedelic compounds such as LSD and psilocybin. Dr. Pfeiffer’s first paper on the topic was published on March 14, 1957 in the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences. I tested these hallucinogenic compounds in rabbits and rats using a quantitative EEG technology that Dr. Goldstein brought to the US from France. One of our papers was published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (Oct. 1969). I share this in an effort to provide full transparency so that you will understand I was involved in basic psychedelic research before it was unacceptable to conduct such investigations. What Scared the FDA and the NIH? After 1970, if a researcher wanted to perform research on psilocybin or LSD, the FDA was not supportive. Neither were funders such as the NIH or private foundations. The memory of the 1960s with the slogan sex, drugs and rock and roll created a no-fly zone for scientific investigation after 1970. That was when the federal government passed the Controlled Substances Act (CSA). The CSA made LSD and related compounds Schedule 1. The meant that LSD and related hallucinogens were categorized like heroin with “no currently accepted medical use and a high potential for abuse.” This made scientific research virtually impossible. But over the last decade or so, there has been increasing interest in the use of such compounds to ease the anguish of post traumatic stress disorder, the existential crisis of a cancer diagnosis, drug dependency or even schizophrenia. But the hallucinatory potential of such drugs continues to discourage many researchers from studying such compounds. President Donald Trump Signs the Psychedelic Drugs Executive Order On April 18, 2026, President Trump signed an executive order titled: “Accelerating Medical Treatments for Serious Mental Illness“ For the first time in decades, investigators will be encouraged to conduct research into the therapeutic potential of hallucinogens such as psilocybin, MDMA and ibogaine. Health and Human Services (HHS) will be encouraged to fund research into psychedelic programs. And eligible patients will able to access such compounds for therapeutic purposes under the “Right to Try Act.” Here is the dramatic reversal: “The FDA and Drug Enforcement Administration shall facilitate and establish a pathway for eligible patients to access psychedelic drugs, including ibogaine compounds, under the Right to Try Act (21 U.S.C. 360bbb-0a), including any necessary Schedule I handling authorizations for treating physicians and researchers, consistent with 21 U.S.C. 823, and any applicable waiver authority under the Controlled Substances Act.” What Does This Mean? First and foremost, it means that psychedelic drugs can now be studied without fear by researchers at prestigious medical institutions. Agencies can now fund such research. The head of the Food and Drug Administration, Dr. Marty Makary, is on the record encouraging the FDA to accelerate review of such compounds. There is growing evidence that psychedelic compounds may help people dealing with severe mental health conditions. You will see research and have access to interviews with investigators that have been studying these drugs for years. Yes, there has been research, even if it was not sanctioned by federal agencies. Current Research on Psychedelic Drugs Over the past decade or so, investigators have been conducting research on the healing potential of psychedelic drugs. Dr. David Nichols, an international authority on these compounds, describes the history of this research. His son Charles Nichols, a pharmacologist, studies the molecular and behavioral effects of hallucinogens in animal models. The Healing Potential of Mystical Experience Dr. Matthew Johnson, associate director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine, has conducted a number of clinical trials utilizing psilocybin. He and his colleagues have been exploring the possible uses of psychedelic drugs as medicines for people with life-threatening cancer. They have also examined the possible benefits of a single dose of psilocybin for smoking cessation and overcoming alcohol misuse. Their research was highlighted in an episode of the CBS television show “60 Minutes.” How Psychedelic Drugs Affect Existential Crises When people are diagnosed with terminal cancer or other life-threatening conditions, many become extremely anxious or depressed. While this reaction may seem rational in the face of a frightening diagnosis and foreshortened life expectancy, it can interfere with people actually appreciating the days, weeks or months they have left. Dr. Johnson and other scientists have found that a session with psilocybin that results in a mystical experience can alter people’s lives dramatically. They have far less anxiety and depression and seem to find more purpose in their lives, along with other positive changes. How does this work? Dr. Johnson’s most recent publication (with colleagues) explores the nature of these mystical experiences (PLoS One, April 23, 2019). Our Radio Show Guests David Nichols, PhD, is an adjunct professor at the Eshelman School of Pharmacy at the University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill. David Nichols had an active research program at Purdue University for 38 years prior to his retirement in June 2012. His research interests focused in two areas: the study of hallucinogens (psychedelics), where he was recognized as an international authority, and also discovery of novel D1 dopamine receptor full agonists, which showed efficacy comparable to levodopa in both animal models of Parkinson disease, and in human Parkinson patients. In 1993 he founded the Heffter Research Institute, which has encouraged and supported modern clinical studies of the psychedelic agent psilocybin (from “magic mushrooms”) for treatment of depression, anxiety, and various addictions. His general interests continue in the medicinal chemistry and pharmacology of CNS-active agents. Charles Nichols, PhD, is Professor of Pharmacology at Louisiana State University Health Sciences Center in New Orleans. As David Nichols’ son, he did not begin his career with the intention of studying hallucinogens. However, his current research interests include the molecular and behavioral effects of such compounds on the brain. Matthew W. Johnson, PhD, is Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Associate Center Director of the Center for Psychedelic and Consciousness Research at Johns Hopkins School of Medicine. The photograph of Dr. Johnson is courtesy of Johns Hopkins Magazine. The website is https://hopkinspsychedelic.org Listen to the Podcast: The podcast of this program is available for free. The show can be streamed online from this site and podcasts can be downloaded for free. Download the mp3 Want More? Here is our radio show # 1317: Psychedelic Compounds for Healing You can listen by clicking on the arrow inside the green circle under the photograph of Bryan Roth, MD, PhD at the top of the page. It’s super easy! You will learn about conditions that may respond to psychedelic compounds: Cluster Headaches Substance Use Disorders Depression and Distress Would You Consider LSD If There Were No Hallucinations? Investigators at University of California, Davis have modified LSD so that it does not cause hallucinations. The new compound, called JRT, appears to have some therapeutic benefit, however. That’s because it increases neuroplasticity. So far, the drug has only been tested in animals, but the initial responses appear promising. The hope is that JRT will have fast-acting antidepressant activity and may even be helpful against schizophrenia (Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, April 14, 2025). The authors of this research point out that current treatments of schizophrenia leave a lot to be desired. They don’t work very well: “…for addressing the negative and cognitive symptoms, and evidence suggests that they are unlikely to rescue morphological or synaptic deficits.” One of the negative symptoms of schizophrenia often includes the term anhedonia, which is described as an inability to feel pleasure or joy. It is also characteristic of depression. Another negative symptom of schizophrenia is avolition. It means an inability to get motivated to participate in goal-directed activities. That’s psych talk for profoundly disturbing blahs. People just cannot mobilized to get going or stay going. Social activities are just overwhelming. Then there are the “impairments in attention and working memory.” It is hard to function when you have brain fog, little to no motivation, and few, if any, feelings of joy or happiness. JRT and Neuroplasticity: The researchers who helped create the new compound called JRT suggest that this nonhallucinogenic compound promotes “neuroplasticity” in the brain. So does LSD. What is neuroplasticity, you ask. It is, according to Wikipedia: “…the ability of neural networks in the brainto change through growth and reorganization. Neuroplasticity refers to the brain’s ability to reorganize and rewire its neural connections, enabling it to adapt and function in ways

    58 min

  8. Apr 16

    Show 1469: Fresh Air & Sunlight: How Some Hospitals Are Rediscovering This Healing Secret

    Hospitals can be pretty overwhelming. Sometimes you may feel like you need a map to find your way around the maze, not to mention a trusty guide to get you to the department or health professional that could actually help you overcome illness. In addition, being hospitalized often means being deprived of fresh air & sunlight. Could that be a mistake for proper healing? At The People’s Pharmacy, we strive to bring you up to date, rigorously researched insights and conversations about health, medicine, wellness and health policies and health systems. While these conversations intend to offer insight and perspective, the content is provided solely for informational and educational purposes. Please consult your healthcare provider before making any changes to your medical care or treatment. How You Can Listen: You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EST on Saturday, April 18, 2026, through your computer or smart phone (wunc.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on April 20, 2026. Striving for Person-Centered Care Wouldn’t it be great if healthcare facilities were specifically designed around the individuals they are supposed to serve? Fifty years ago, a group of physicians and former patients started Planetree to do exactly that. At first, Planetree provided information at a time when patients were rarely told what was wrong or how it could be addressed. There was also a Planetree ward in a hospital in the Bay Area that operated on principles of transparency and person-centered care. Over the next several decades, Planetree developed as a network of more than 300 health care facilities in 30 countries that strive to provide a home-like environment for healing. The main value is person-centered care, in which they strive to treat the whole person as well as that individual’s family or significant others. We invited Planetree President Michael Giuliano to tell us about it. He mentioned that one feature is getting your care summary in real time, so you can ask questions and correct errors before you leave the clinic or office. Fresh Air & Sunlight Built In One of the things that sets a Planetree hospital apart from other facilities is the way the values are visible in the architecture. Planetree planners put a premium on access to nature and outdoor space, though of course each facility does it a bit differently, according to its own plan. Rooms are set up so that people have access to fresh air & sunlight. That makes them feel more comfortable, certainly. Might it also promote healing? How Do Fresh Air & Sunlight Promote Healing? More than 150 years ago, Florence Nightingale set standards based on what she observed of soldiers healing from battle wounds and horrible infections during the Crimean War. This was, of course, before the development of antibiotics, so nursing care was paramount. Nurse Nightingale insisted on the primacy of fresh air & sunlight for her patients. Was this just a quaint old-fashioned idea, or is there modern scientific support? The Power of Near-Infrared For more information on the science of fresh air & sunlight (yes, there is science), we turn to Dr. Roger Seheult of MedCram.com. https://www.medcram.com/ He began by describing the brand new Footscray Hospital in West Melbourne. The design is something of a modern take on Florence Nightingale’s hospital plan, since the architects figured out how to get natural light and real ventilation in every room. They prioritized fresh air & sunlight in this $1.5 billion hospital because of their healing properties. People exposed to sunlight leave the hospital sooner because they recover more quickly. So the patient gets better and goes home faster, the hospital has a better bottom line and the insurance company pays less. Everybody wins! Probably a good part of the credit goes to near-infrared light. We can’t see it, but it penetrates our bodies and they react. Exposure to near-infrared at 850 nanometers improves mitochondrial function. You could get this from a device, but it is cheaper and arguably more pleasant simply to go outside and allow sunlight to fall on your skin soon after sunrise (or before 10 am) or just before sunset (probably after 4 pm). An Amazing Story About Fresh Air & Sunlight We’d be tempted to call this an unbelievable story, but Dr. Seheult provided all the details and checked the medical records himself, so we believe it. He told us about a 15-year-old boy with a serious blood cancer, acute lymphoblastic leukemia, ALL. This type of cancer undermines the immune response, and this young man had come down with a terrible fungal infection, mucormycosis. The fungus did not respond to medication, and it rampaged through his left lung. Ultimately, his doctors proposed removing the lung as a last-ditch method of controlling the infection. Unfortunately, when they found that the fungus had invaded his right lung, they were out of options. They figured he probably couldn’t survive much more than two days, so they asked him his last wishes. All he wanted was to go outside; at this point, he’d been cooped up in the hospital for two months. They fixed up a wheelchair to hold all his drips and took him outside. The next day, they did it again. The youth didn’t die as expected. Instead, he recovered completely, over time. We can’t put sunlight in a bottle, but perhaps oncologists and other doctors should consider writing prescriptions to cover it. This Week’s Guests Michael Giuliano is the President of Planetree International, a mission-driven non-profit organization setting the global standard for person- centered excellence across the continuum of care. Michael joined Planetree in 2022 as Chief Operating Officer (COO) following a decade of leadership roles in Australia’s public and private healthcare sectors. https://www.planetree.org/team-member/michael-giuliano Michael Giuliano, President of Planetree International Dr. Roger Seheult is an Associate Clinical Professor at the University of California, Riverside School of Medicine. He is also an Assistant Clinical Professor at the School of Medicine and Allied Health at Loma Linda University. He is quadruple board-certified in Internal Medicine, Pulmonary Diseases, Critical Care Medicine, and Sleep Medicine through the American Board of Internal Medicine. His current practice is in Beaumont, California. He is a critical care physician, pulmonologist, and sleep physician at Optum California. Dr. Seheult lectures routinely across the country at conferences and for medical, PA, and RT societies. He is the director of a sleep lab and the Medical Director for the Crafton Hills College Respiratory Care Program. He is co-founder and presenter for MedCram.com, a site that offers concise and easy-to-follow medical videos on a range of topics. Roger Seheult, MD, MedCram, Loma Linda, UC-Riverside Listen to the Podcast The podcast of this program will be available Monday, April 20, 2026, after broadcast on April 18. On this episode, Dr. Giuliano discusses billing as part of person-centered care. You can stream the show from this site and download the podcast for free. Download the mp3, or listen to the podcast on Apple Podcasts or Spotify.

    1h 7m
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Empowering you to make wise decisions about your own health, by providing you with essential health information about both medical and alternative treatment options. 921997

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  • Creator
    Joe and Terry Graedon
  • Years Active
    2007 - 2026
  • Episodes
    524
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2018 Joe and Terry Graedon
  • Show Website
    The People's Pharmacy

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