Tonic thwarts marauding mosquitoes

BY JOE GRAEDON, M.S., AND TERESA GRAEDON, Ph.D.

Q. I am very sensitive to mosquito bites, and mosquitoes LOVE me. If I get one bite, I have 10. A friend suggested a shot glass of tonic water each day. While she was on her honeymoon in a tropical country, a local told her about this.

I tried it, and it works! When I lived in Colorado, I took liquid B complex to ward off mosquitoes, but since moving back to the East Coast, only tonic water works for me.

A. Thanks for the tip. We’ve not heard before of drinking tonic water to discourage mosquitoes, and we could find no scientific studies to support this strategy.

We did hear about a slightly different remedy from another reader: “I used to get covered with bites whenever we went camping. A friend told me to drink 2 teaspoons of apple-cider vinegar in a cup of hot water daily.

“I start a week before departure and continue it while we are camping. I have used this remedy for years, and mosquitoes leave me alone.”

Q. About three months ago, I started taking red yeast rice to reduce my cholesterol. I am 52 and very active. (I walk, run and do Zumba classes.)

In the past two weeks, I have been plagued with muscle pain in my upper arm and legs. I never had these problems before.

I realized last night that it might be the red yeast rice. Does it often cause this type of problem?

A. Red yeast rice (RYR) is frequently promoted as a natural way to lower cholesterol. This fungal product contains several natural statins.

Many others report similar side effects from RYR. One wrote: “My doctor suggested I could lower my cholesterol with niacin and then a good-quality red yeast rice with CoQ10. Both LDL and HDL scores improved a lot, but a recent blood test showed elevated creatine kinase (385).

“I am concerned that RYR damaged my muscles like statins can. Should I be concerned?”

We are sending you our Guide to Cholesterol Control and Heart Health for pros and cons of standard approaches as well as nondrug ways to lower blood lipids.

Creatine kinase is a marker of muscle breakdown. Elevations are worrisome, whether due to statin drugs like atorvastatin and simvastatin or to red yeast rice.

Q. I have had ringworm on my scalp for several years and cannot get rid of it, no matter what I try. I wonder if there is a way to remedy this.

I also suffer from toenail fungus. Is there a reason why my body loves fungus so much? Could I add something to my diet to help?

A. Despite the name, ringworm is not a worm but a fungal infection. It produces itchy red patches that sometimes blister and ooze, and it is usually treated with antifungal medications.

We offer you this tip for natural ringworm treatment from another reader: “When I was a child in kindergarten 65 years ago, I got ringworm. My grandmother took a fresh black walnut, cut it and rubbed the juice from the green skin of the nut on the ringworm site. It went away in a few days.”

Sometimes fungus is an indication of elevated blood sugar. Try cutting back on sugar and starch to see if that helps.

Email Joe and Teresa Graedon via their website: www.PeoplesPharmacy.com.

2012 King Features Syndicate, Inc.