Q. Quite a while back, I read in your newspaper column about using a mixture of Listerine and baby oil to cure dandruff. You did not provide the ratio for this mixture.

I began massaging old-fashioned amber Listerine into my scalp for 30 seconds every morning. Since I didn’t have any baby oil on hand, I left it out. Ever since that time, I have never had any dandruff. I have advised others, and it worked for them, too.

It leaves no odor, just takes care of the dandruff. My only problem was when I tried blue Listerine, it gummed up my hair. If I stick with the original, all is fine.

A. Dermatologists blame dandruff on a fungus called Malassezia globosa. Overgrowth of this yeast can cause a reaction resulting in itching and flaking.

Amber Listerine contains thymol, menthol and eucalyptol in an alcohol base. These herbal oils give the product a distinctive aroma and flavor. They also discourage the growth of yeast. We suspect that is why so many People’s Pharmacy readers tell us they rely on Listerine to control dandruff.

The Food and Drug Administration has not approved Listerine for this purpose. However, long ago, the company advertised its mouthwash as a cure for “infectious dandruff.”

Q. I read the breathless announcements about bempedoic acid and how effective it is at lowering cholesterol. This is all well and good, but what we care about is how effective it is at preventing heart attacks and strokes!

I would love to know the NNT for primary and secondary protection as well as mortality outcomes.

Cardiologists are dogmatic that lowering cholesterol is desirable, but what we care about is not getting sick and dying.

A. The NNT (number needed to treat) is a very useful way of understanding the power of a medication. As you point out, avoiding a heart attack and staying alive is more important for patients than controlling lipid levels. The NNT defines how many people would need to take a medication for one person to avoid the undesirable outcome.

Researchers published data on primary prevention in JAMA (July 11, 2023). There were 4,206 people in the study who did not have cardiovascular disease when it began, although they had high cholesterol and were at high risk. Based on the published data, 125 people without heart disease would need to take bempedoic acid for three years so that one person could avoid a heart attack.

To avoid death from cardiovascular causes during those three years, 77 people would need to take the medicine. And to avoid death during the study for any reason, the NNT is 62.5. There was no protection from stroke.

The study actually included many people who had cardiovascular disease before it began. Those results, which could be considered secondary prevention, were published in the New England Journal of Medicine (April 13, 2023). The NNT in this situation for a fatal or nonfatal heart attack was 91 over three years, but there were no lives saved.

You can learn more about bempedoic acid and other approaches to lowering blood lipids in our “eGuide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health.” This online resource is located under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features, 300 W. 57th Street, 41st Floor, New York, NY 10019, or email them via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. Their newest book is “Top Screwups Doctors Make and How to Avoid Them.”