A radio interviewer recently asked me which three people had the greatest impact on my life - and how it has been turning out. There are so many - some dead for centuries. However, those aren't the people she was interested in. Of course, I needed to pick actual contemporary people - ones who directly [...]

There are many (legal) drugs - too many - and they all pose a threat to health, even when used according to the approved instructions. Before I share the top three worst, I want to reiterate my basic concern about excess drug use. Of course, the people taking the drugs are at risk for harmful [...]

Question: I see that you suggest LDN for MS. Recently someone sent an article on the MS Society website that advises against its use. I certainly don't take everything they say as gospel. In fact I sometimes do the complete opposite of what they suggest, but would like to know what your thoughts are on [...]

Allow me to play devil's advocate. I'm concerned about medical testing, almost all of it. Some recent discussions about ALCAT allergy tests have me thinking more about what I think might be the 800 pound gorilla in the room. Testing is becoming more ubiquitous and it seems related to a belief system that everything important [...]

Question: I heard this past week that on the onset of a migraine, it helps to have magnesium. Do you know anything about that? Larry's Response: Yes, there's evidence that migraines respond to magnesium. The difficulty is in taking a magnesium supplement that does not also cause severe stomach distress. I suggest the best approach [...]

A news article regarding shortages of medicines at hospitals was sent to me, and the sender asked my thoughts. I wanted to share those with you. Here's a situation that has been in the making for many years. We have reached a place in modern medicine where the focus has shifted from that of healing, [...]

"By the time I graduated from medical school I had never seen an autistic individual," she says. "... To be honest, the first autistic child that I encountered was my own... Five years ago we were diagnosing one child in 150, which is almost a 40-fold increase in incidence. Now in Britain and some countries, [...]

I won't try to stop you if you want a flu shot. There is something unsettling about the notion of reducing my personal risk for a disease or a disaster. Risk is a relative term that only applies to groups. If all is held equal in a group, changing one element can increase or decrease [...]

Bill W. is the founder of Alcoholics Anonymous (AA) and he was a proponent for using relatively large amounts of niacin (vitamin B3). He found that taking three grams each day lifted the fatigue and depression that had plagued him for years. He offered the vitamin to about 30 of his friends and within 6 [...]

We received a call from THE regulatory agency last week. I was being "invited" to a conference call scheduled for this morning at 11:00 am eastern time. I was out of town and missed the first call. Being the persistent bureaucrats, they called again yesterday and spoke to my wife. She asked what the topic [...]

It happens every day and it is escalating. A doctor tells you that you "have" something and that there are treatment options, which usually means choices of drugs, surgery, or maybe even doses of radiation. Rarely, if ever, is the new diagnosis approached with a review of diet, exercise, spirituality, emotional life, or even clean [...]

Archie told me his cholesterol and TSH (a test used to determine if the thyroid is functioning properly) numbers were high and that the doctor was considering a couple of approaches. Instead of "treating" the cholesterol with a drug, Archie decided to ignore it for the time being and focus his attention on the thyroid [...]

Oscar told me that he had restless leg syndrome - and that it got so bad sometimes that he couldn't sleep. His doctor ordered clonazepam - trade name, Klonapin, a very potent anxiolytic (used to treat anxiety). It is in the category of drugs called benzodiazepines. These are often prescribed as muscle relaxants and sleep [...]

As we get more "seasoned" some of our joints can become a little creaky. Of course, it is common to reach for a bottle of pain reliever or a jar of rub to help relieve the aches. For the long haul, exercise is the superior method for relieving pain and strengthening joints - especially those [...]

"The Pareto principle." This is a name used to describe the 80/20 rule we hear so often. Pareto was an Italian who observed in 1906 that 80% of the land in Italy was owned by 20% of the population. From that beginning, economists have devised a rule of thumb that 80% of sales, for example, [...]

Clearly, children react to drugs differently than adults. There are fewer drugs available for children in the OTC arena. That's a good thing. While I basically oppose the use of drugs for children, I am aware that there are times when it is necessary to use them. For example, when severe pain strikes it seems [...]

The best way to assure quality medical care is to return to the system that required people to pay for their own health care. After decades of demanding that someone else pay the bills, the entire field of medicine has become jaded and inefficient. Of course, there are some wonderful professionals, but they are becoming [...]

Question: I've been taking 4 Aleve (Naproxen) a day from my doctor's suggestion to releive arthritic pain in my hips and knees. But the pain seems to have gotten worse over these last 2 months. The pain at night keeps me awake. I am thinking I should stop taking them. Is there a backlash from [...]

Question: My husband suffers from uric acid kidney stones and episcleritis, which we understand are related, and is currently taking potassium citrate. Are the stones a metabolic disorder? What else can or should be done to prevent re-occurence? What else should he change? Any and all help will be GREATLY appreciated!! Larry's Response: Elevated uric [...]

Question: I need some advice on my menopause symptoms that are still a big problem. I'm now on Noriday from a recommendation by my doctor. But I ache all over, feel suffer fatigued, I'm still depressed... Am I to accept this as just my age? I'm only 51 years old! Larry's Response: I understand your [...]