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Q. I take a small amount of concentrated cherry juice mixed with unsweetened pomegranate juice each morning.
My systolic blood pressure has fallen from over 140 to about 125.
That has taken about two months, but it's worth the wait.
A. A small study years ago found that pomegranate juice daily could reduce the activity of angiotensin converting enzyme by 36% (Atherosclerosis, September 2001). ACE inhibitor high blood pressure drugs like lisinopril lower blood pressure through their effect on the same enzyme.
Two ounces of pomegranate juice lowered systolic blood pressure by an average of eight points.
A meta-analysis of 53 randomized controlled trials found that pomegranate could reduce weight and body mass index as well as blood pressure and total cholesterol (Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, October 2025).
You can learn more about natural approaches to blood pressure control in our "eGuide to Blood Pressure Solutions."
This online resource can be found under the Health eGuides tab at www.PeoplesPharmacy.com. You will also find out about medications that help control high blood pressure.
Q. My daughter got a rash under the skin fold beneath her breasts. I told her to put milk of magnesia on the irritated spot, and it helped. I learned it from your newsletter. Thank you for this inexpensive and effective remedy.
A. Readers have told us that topical milk of magnesia (magnesium hydroxide) can help a range of skin problems. People have used it, as your daughter did, for under-breast rash. Others have found it helpful for poison ivy, diaper rash, acne and seborrheic dermatitis.
A review of research found that this remedy can also ease atopic dermatitis (Dermatologic Therapy, September 2018).
Q. Around 1980, I was working at a major ad agency in Tucson. We had a big presentation for a possible new client scheduled for the next day when it was obvious to all that I was coming down with a cold. The office manager sent me home with some homework.
I was to take 1,000 milligrams of vitamin C each hour. She said this was the "prescription" her own doctor had given her and that it stopped her cold in its tracks.
I did as I'd been told (except I took 500 milligrams each half hour). That afternoon, she called to check on me, and I told her that I felt fantastic. No more cold.
I have taken this vitamin C dosage at the first sign of cold symptoms ever since. I have not come down with a cold in so many years that I cannot even recall my last cold.
A. Linus Pauling proposed that ascorbic acid could be helpful in treating colds in his book, "Vitamin C and the Common Cold" (1970). Since then, scientists have been arguing about whether this might be true.
An article in the Polish Archives of Internal Medicine (Jan. 30, 2025) summarizes the evidence from randomized controlled trials. According to the research, vitamin C rarely prevents colds.
However, taking at least 1 gram daily can significantly shorten the duration of a cold and reduce the severity of the symptoms. Higher doses appear to work better.
We interviewed the lead author, Dr. Harri Hemila, for our People's Pharmacy radio show. You can listen to the free podcast. Search for "Show 1431: Vitamin C Studies on Colds & CANCER Vindicate Linus Pauling."
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."