by Leigh Ann Otte, Managing Editor

If “rub it” seems like sissy advice for your throbbing cluster headaches, aching back or worrisome arthritis pain, perhaps “burn it” will do the trick?

Capsaicin creams and sprays burn away the pain, so to speak, with the same chemical that makes peppers hot. These medicines make your body use up the substance triggering your pain. Integrative medicine physician Andrea E. Gordon explains in our article “Capsaicin Treatment: How Hot Peppers May Help Burn Away Headache and Arthritis Pain.”

Of course, the question is, is the cure worse than the treatment? In some cases, maybe; in others, maybe not, says Dr. Gordon. One thing’s for sure: Don’t get it in your eyes. “Capsaicin oleoresin is an oily extract used in pepper self-defense sprays!” Dr. Gordon says.

You can find capsaicin treatments in your pharmacy, but some applications require a health-care provider’s supervision. (Read the article for more on that.)

Have you tried capsaicin cream or spray? What was it like? Did it work?

Pssst … sign up for our free e-newsletter! You’ll get fascinating articles delivered once a month.

by Leigh Ann Otte, Managing Editor

Did you know that properly stored honey never spoils? Yep, and it may help wounds from spoiling too. Integrative physician Robert Pendergrast explains:

[Honey] has strong antibacterial activity, mainly because of its low water/high sugar concentration: It literally sucks all the water out of bacteria.

Honey seems to be an effective wound treatment in certain situations. Of course, there are important precautions and guidelines. Find out more by checking out our article. It also covers whether a nighttime dose of honey can treat children’s coughs and whether bee stings—yes, stings—can treat arthritis. (Do be sure to read the precautions. For example, never give honey to a child under 12 months because of botulism risk.)

MyFamilyDoctorMag.com, giving a whole new meaning to “licking your wounds” …

Pssst … sign up for our free e-newsletter! You’ll get fascinating articles delivered once a month.

by Leigh Ann Otte

Today, 4/20, is National Pot Smoking Day. Yeah, it’s unofficial. But around the country, people will be smoking marijuana at 4:20 p.m.

So we thought this would be the perfect moment to examine a different side of this illegal drug: the medical one.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

The most popular article in our latest e-newsletter took on a simple, long-time first-aid remedy: hydrogen peroxide. Believe it or not, it may do your cuts more harm than good.

After our managing editor tweeted a link to it, Twitter follower Ross Kennedy asked, “What about gargling with diluted peroxide?” Good question.

I’m not aware of any well-done studies that have shown that gargling with peroxide helps prevent infections. It probably doesn’t hurt, as long as it’s well diluted. (Otherwise, it can cause a burn.) One study did suggest that gargling with plain old water might help keep you cold-free. But the validity of its findings has been questioned.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Acupuncture got an official seal of approval from a respected medical organization this year. It effectively treats tension-type headaches and helps keep away migraines—even better than other preventive treatments—they said.

The Cochrane Collaboration is in independent, well-respected, nonprofit organization that analyzes evidence-based medicine (available studies) to to come up with recommendations of whether interventions work.  They are strict, conservative and not easy to please, and it’s hard to get their approval.  So if they think some treatment works, the evidence bears them out.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

A government survey recently revealed that 38 percent of adults and 12 percent of children used complementary or alternative medicine (CAM) in the U.S. in 2007.  But how did they define CAM? What is conventional medicine?  And why do people use CAM, anyway?

These and more answered by your favorite family doctor :).  OK, second best, I’ll give you my opinions.

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

Patients need to be informed. That’s what my blog and magazine are all about. But sometimes, how you think about that information can physically affect you.

The placebo effect, or placebo response, has been known for years. A placebo is a treatment that has no active ingredients–no logical reason to have any effect, a sugar pill. The placebo effect is when this inactive treatment provides active results. For instance, placebo has helped alleviate pain, lower blood pressure; the list could go on. That’s why the best medical studies compare the active treatment to placebo (placebo-controlled).

It can happen to anyone, and I see it frequently. If someone thinks a treatment will cause an effect, it can. There are loads of studies, some showing actually physiological changes in the body–the power of positive thinking, mind over matter.

But what happens when the opposite effect occurs?

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by James Hubbard, M.D., M.P.H.

My unscientific, personal observation is that every woman eventually has a bladder infection that starts Friday afternoon after their regular doctor has closed.

Well, that may be an exaggeration, but the women who do have the burning, frequent and urgent urination, certainly don’t want to wait until Monday for relief so they come to the minor emergency clinic, where I occasionally work on weekends.

But is there anything you can you do at home? Does cranberry juice help? What if you’re a man with these symptoms?

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