Pomegranate used to treat diarrhea

Q. My grandmother administered, with great success, a pomegranate “infusion” for treating diarrhea. She would cut the fruit in half, boil it in water and reduce it. It’s nasty-tasting but effective, and we continue to use it in our family.

A. We have heard from a few other readers that pomegranate juice can help. A Caribbean remedy uses the dried red pomegranate peel to make a type of tea to treat diarrhea. It sounds like your grandmother’s remedy is a variation on that theme.

Q. My primary-care doctor wants to put me on statins to lower my cholesterol, and that scares me to death. Several family members and friends who have been put on statins have become incapacitated at some point.

My cholesterol runs between 200 and 220, and my doctor wants it below 200. A friend told me that you have suggested ways to lower cholesterol without drugs. In a recent column, you discussed the side effects of statins, but gave no hint of a natural remedy. Is what my friend told me true? What do you suggest?

A. We have dozens of recommendations, from using a cholesterol-lowering bread spread such as Benecol or Promise activ, to taking fish oil or consuming nuts, grapefruit, grape juice, chocolate or cinnamon.

We discuss the details on these remedies, along with psyllium and red-yeast rice, in our “Guide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health,” which also describes pros and cons of statins and other cholesterol medicines. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $3 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped (61 cents), self-addressed envelope to: Graedons’ People’s Pharmacy, No. C-8, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027. It also can be downloaded for $2 from our Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.com.

Some people with high cholesterol and heart disease really benefit from taking a statin. Since your cholesterol is only mildly elevated, you may be able to get it down with natural approaches.

Q. Recently, a reader wrote you touting blackstrap molasses as a treatment or cure for hemorrhoids. I am a hemorrhoid sufferer. I’ve used over-the-counter medications and the prescription ointment Proctosol without much success.

My problem seems to flare up when I eat certain foods, especially spicy dishes, and engage in vigorous exercise, such as running or bike riding.

I decided to try blackstrap molasses, taking 1 teaspoon twice a day. Remarkably, in less than a month, I have found relief!

The condition has improved at least 75 percent, with only occasional minor irritation. The burning, itching and even blood spotting have all but disappeared.

Believe me, I was skeptical about this remedy, so even after some initial relief, I purposely ate foods that normally cause a flare-up. Much to my surprise, there were no outbreaks. Has anyone else reported success?

A. Your testimonial is the first we have received. We, too, would be interested to learn of others’ experience.

Q. I have had restless legs and charley-horse cramps for years and tried everything I could. I did not want to take the prescription drugs I see advertised and found something else that works.

I take a magnesium tablet at bedtime (30 mg calcium, 134 mg magnesium, 5 mg zinc). With this, I have little RLS and can actually stretch my legs in the morning without cramping.

A. Thanks for the recommendation. This should cause no trouble and might help somebody else. People with kidney problems should avoid extra magnesium.

XIn their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of The Vindicator or e-mail them via their Web site: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Favorite Foods From The People’s Pharmacy: Mother Nature’s Medicine.”

2010 King Features Syndicate Inc.