The People's Pharmacy

Joe and Teresa Graedon, whose bestselling The People's Guide to Deadly Drug Interactions argued quite convincingly that it's not always wise to put the lime in the coconut and mix them both up, are the hosts for this 3-part studio show looking at the rather disparate subjects of "Home Remedies and Rainforest Medicine," "Heart Health & Nutrition" and "Deadly Drug Interactions." In the first part, the Graedons demonstrate a few home remedies (arthritis aches? Soak golden raisins in gin and eat as necessary for pain--no joke) and talk with Dr. Mark Plotkin about medicines coming out of the rainforests. The second segment looks at general nutrition (eat leafy veggies, avoid foods with trans fats) and fields questions for Dr. Walter Willett, and the last half-hour features the Graedons solo talking about and answering audience questions relating to drug interactions. While there are some excellent suggestions, tips, and heads up on new research, the format is less than optimum. The Graedons seem slightly robotic in front of the camera, the audience questions tend to be repetitive and sometimes off the stated subject (half of the "heart" questions for Willett concerned breast cancer), and the three segments seem to be pretty unrelated. Still, the information is good, the price is right and the Graedons' The People's Pharmacy bestselling books are well known, so consider this a strong, optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (R. Pitman)