Ginger may interact with other medications
Q. I’m disappointed that you did not mention ginger in your comments on acid reflux. My reflux became really bad when I stopped hormone-replacement therapy. Acid-suppressing drugs worked great, but after two months I couldn’t stop them without the heartburn recurring.
One night, I took colleagues to dinner at a Korean restaurant. Someone ordered Persimmon Punch, a concentrated cinnamon-ginger drink, for dessert. A few sips later, I felt fantastic.
After one month of adding about 3 tablespoons of the cinnamon-ginger drink to my tea in the morning and at night, my low-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels had dropped 30 points, blood sugar dropped 10 points, and the heartburn was under control.
This cinnamon-ginger tea has sugar, unfortunately. A simpler alternative is to add a piece of candied ginger to tea.
The ginger is amazing for heartburn, and the Chinese have used it for centuries for motion sickness. Are there any potential problems with long-term use?
A. We have not seen any studies identifying long-term adverse reactions to ginger. A few studies suggest that components in ginger might have the potential to interact with certain other medications. We’ll be sure to mention it in future discussions of heartburn.
Q. I read your column a year ago about stopping a nosebleed by dropping keys down the person’s back. This past Christmas, with the whole family gathered, my sister got a nosebleed.
I had been waiting for some time to try this remedy, so I got my mom’s car keys and dropped them down my sister’s back. The nosebleed she’d had for about five minutes was gone instantly. The cold shock made her really tense up, which might be why it worked.
A. Thanks for sharing your experience. We continue to be impressed with reports of such success.
Q. For years I suspected that my thyroid gland was not working well, though my doctor found nothing wrong. I lacked energy, had no sex drive and was always constipated. My cholesterol levels were high despite a vegetarian diet.
When my hair started thinning, that was the last straw. An endocrinologist diagnosed me as “borderline” hypothyroid and put me on Armour thyroid. I have more energy, and my sex drive is improved. Will my other symptoms go away? How long will it take for my hair to grow back?
A. A sluggish thyroid gland can account for a wide range of symptoms, including hair loss, dry skin, fatigue, depression, high cholesterol levels and constipation. In a case reported in The Lancet (Feb. 5-11, 2005), hair growth recovered dramatically with six months of treatment for thyroid insufficiency. The patient’s blood pressure and cholesterol levels also dropped, with no treatment other than levothyroxine.
We are sending you our Guide to Thyroid Hormones so that you can understand the tests your doctor uses to monitor your condition and consider the pros and cons of Armour versus Synthroid or Levoxyl. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (60 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. T-4, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Q. I’ve read that licorice can cause salt retention, excess potassium loss and elevated blood pressure. Is the Italian liqueur Anisette flavored by licorice?
A. Anisette might taste like licorice, but it is flavored with anise. There should be no licorice-like danger.