Best Medical Podcast on iTunes - period!
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“Joe and Terry Graedon have been medical journalists for many years - and they both come from a solid medical and academic background in connection with University of North Carolina. Joe teaches Pharmacology there and Terry has a Phd in Medical Anthropology (I'm not sure if she teaches there presently). The podcast is taken from their syndicated radio show which is broadcast all over the country through the UNC public ratio station. Terry and Joe are very knowledgeable and show a genuine concern for helping people, as well as a commitment to uncovering the latest in medical science and research. Joe is also a tennis player and seems to be very athletic and I appreciate the fact that exercise is a big part of his life. I can relate! They talk periodically about the obesity epidemic in this country and in the world - and the fact that most chronic health conditions in the US are the result of unhealthy diet and lifestyles. You would think people know this by now, but with 67% of the US overweight and 34% obese, and with the rising Type II Diabetes rates among children and adults, I don't think a lot of people have gotten the message yet!
I discovered their podcast about two years ago and really look forward to the shows. The information is solid, well researched, and they reference high quality "double blind" trials. The guests are experts in their fields and for the most part are very good. They have MD's, Phd scientists, other licensed health professionals as well as some great medical journalists as guests. The website is excellent and deep. A side feature of the show is their website and their books on "home remedies" for various ailments and conditions. Joe and Terry and their listeners / web site visitors offer their comments and opinions on various home remedies, for such things as mosquito bites, burns, arthritis, and many other issues and ailments.
Overall, the show is a great balance between conventional Western medicine and what might be called alternative medicine and an occasional dose of tried and true sensible home remedies. With a strong but not preachy emphasis on prevention through diet and exercise and avoidance of bad lifestyle choices. I trust that the studies quoted in the show are of the highest quality - Terry and Joe spend a lot of time reviewing studies and the studies they select to discuss differ greatly from the typical "crawler" on the latest medical study shown on your typical broadcast or cable TV channel. Regarding the studies quoted, I notice that Joe and Terry put a great emphasis also on reporting on the conclusions of what is called the "Cochrane Collaboration," where panels (a colloquium) of internationally respected scientists review the entire body of studies on a given issue to come out with an evidence based conclusion about the usefulness of the subject of the study - the procedure, diet, supplement, drug, practice, lifestyle activity, etc. I believe it was the Cochrane Collaboration, for example, that recently showed that statins are of little benefit for those who have not already had a significant heart "incident" and do not provide any preventative benefits for those without SIGNIFICANT heart disease risk. This kind of news has been a major blow to the pharma companies trying to sell statins to every man, woman and child in the world.
I find that the show emphasizes prevention and a healthy lifestyle over everything else and has a healthy skepticism for "treat the symptoms" prescription drug-oriented types of approaches from a certain segment of the the money-hungry hospital, doctor, and pharma industries – unless studies show that there is evidence that the drugs or procedures actually work. And if they do work, Joe and Terry don't hesitate to report that - they really do have an evidence-based balanced and unbiased approach.
Another thing I appreciate is that Joe and Terry acknowledge the amount of money that pharmaceutical companies throw into the marketing and selling of their drugs and the efforts they make to convince doctors and the general public to use them. Many drugs, after approval, have been found to be harmful after being unleashed to the public. Joe, as a pharmacologist, periodically provides some good insight about the history of certain drugs that have been approved prematurely and which were later taken off the market because of adverse side effects not discovered during their initial trials (for example, Vioxx). Terry and Joe also seem to have a healthy understanding that doctors and hospitals have a financial incentive to pile on tests and unnecessary procedures where there is no significant benefit. And often this unnecessary "intervention" puts the patient at more risk than if nothing at all were done. Their healthy balanced reporting on the benefits and excesses of the "health industry" is very refreshing.
I like that fact that Terry and Joe are trying to educate everyone to take more control of their own health care and not just be passive recipients of whatever drug or procedure or test is sold to them by so called medical "experts." This is by far the best health and medical information podcast I've heard on iTunes.
from Derek in Santa Barbara, CA”Read full review »
DerekSB via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
08/28/12
More reviews of The People's Pharmacy
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“The People's Pharmacy offers a cornucopia of fabulous advice for healing yourself: mind and body. In this age of rampant drug use, the prescribed kinds, they provide a refreshingly counter-cultural view. Shows usually include an interview with someone who has done ground-breaking...”Read full review »
BuffaloNic via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
09/06/08
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“Love the show. Always informative and too the point. Like how the show covers new news in health every episode too. Keep up the great work”
DebC via ·
10/23/13
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“I share what I learn with family and friends. Thank you!”
P.Turk via Apple Podcasts ·
United States of America ·
01/10/11
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