Question: I recently heard part of a medical segment on the news regarding the effects of dark-colored fruit juices like grape or cranberry on iron absorption. I regularly drink cranberry juice, and I am also being watched for hemochromatosis. Do you know of any connection?
Answer: We tracked down the story you heard and found it in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (Nov. 5, 2002). The scientists discovered that antioxidant compounds in dark juices such as red grape and prune block the absorption of iron. Light-colored juices like pear, apple, grapefruit, orange and white grape increase iron absorption.
Hemochromatosis is a condition in which excess iron builds up in the body and damages organs such as the heart and the liver. For people such as yourself, limiting iron absorption is desirable, so you might want to drink more red grape and prune juice. Tea also prevents iron absorption. Unfortunately, the scientists did not study cranberry juice, so we don't know how it affects your iron balance.
Question: Do you have any natural remedies for insomnia? I have suddenly become unable to sleep at night. I drink hot milk before I go to bed, but it doesn't help. I just lie there, watching the minutes tick past.
I never had this problem before. As soon as my head hit the pillow, I was asleep. I hesitate to take sleeping pills.
Answer: Taking a hot bath at least an hour before bedtime might be helpful. As your body cools down, it triggers chemical messengers that promote drowsiness. A high-carbohydrate snack like cereal, crackers or cookies before bed can also help. Go light on the milk.
We are sending you our Guide to Getting a Good Night's Sleep. It describes other natural approaches to combating insomnia and discusses the pros and cons of sleeping pills. Anyone who would like a copy, please send $2 in check or money order with a long (No. 10), stamped, self-addressed envelope to: Graedons' People's Pharmacy, No. I-70, P.O. Box 52027, Durham, NC 27717-2027.
Herbs that have been used for sleeping problems include St. John's wort, catnip, hops and valerian. Chamomile tea is also a time-honored remedy at bedtime.
Question: We were intrigued by your report about coconut macaroons. My husband, who has Crohn's disease, had a flare-up with diarrhea for three months (sometimes going as many as 14 times a night). Medication was unable to cure it.
He was very skeptical about the cookies but decided it wouldn't hurt to try them. To his amazement, eating two Archway coconut cookies a day kept this problem under control. In fact, he had to lower the "dose."
My husband's gastroenterologist does not believe in nonmedical cures but knows how difficult it was to stop the last bout of diarrhea. He'd like more information on the research associated with this cookie.
Answer: So far, we only have anecdotal reports similar to yours. Several years ago Donald Agar discovered that two Archway Coconut Macaroons daily relieved his decades-long diarrhea caused by Crohn's disease.
Some scientists have suggested that coconut fat has antibacterial activity and that this might explain the effect. We would welcome any research that would examine whether coconut has a measurable impact on chronic diarrhea, and if so, how it works.
In their column, Joe and Teresa Graedon answer letters from readers. Write to them in care of King Features Syndicate, 888 Seventh Ave., New York, NY 10019, or e-mail them at pharmacy@mindspring.com or via their Web site: www.peoplespharmacy.org. Their newest book is "The People's Pharmacy Guide to Home and Herbal Remedies" (St. Martin's Press). © King Features Syndicate Inc.