Hi, I'm Joe Graydon.

I'm Terry Graydon.

Welcome to this podcast of the People's Pharmacy, where we bring you the stories behind the health headlines.

This podcast is brought to you by Redux Industries, makers of utterly smooth body cream.

800-345-7339 on the web at utter cream.com.

Many people take a handful of pills every day for blood pressure, cholesterol, or diabetes.

What happens if they interact?

This is the People's Pharmacy with Terry and Joe Graydon.

Most people assume that their medicines are both safe and effective,

but every drug comes with the potential for causing adverse reactions.

Today we talk with Dr. Russ Altman of Stanford University Medical School.

Whenever we use a medication, there should never be an assumption that it's 100% safe and nothing bad could happen.

A recent study by the Chicago Tribune found that over half of the 255 pharmacies surveyed dispensed deadly drug combinations without any warnings. How can you protect yourself?

Coming up on the People's Pharmacy, learn about hazardous drug interactions.

First, the news. In the People's Pharmacy

health headlines, regular use of pain relievers like ibuprofen or neproxin might increase a woman's

risk of hearing loss. That's the finding from analyzing more than six years of data from the nurse's health study.

In this research, almost 56,000 women answered questions about their use of over-the-counter

pain relievers. Those who used a non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug or acetaminopin,

at least twice a week, had a 9 to 10% increased chance of developing hearing loss.

There was no connection between hearing and aspirin use. A 10% increase in risk is pretty modest,

but considering how many people use an insed on a regular basis, it could still end up with a lot

...