Sweet oil treats earaches

Dear Dr. Gott: I can’t believe that my hint was not on the top of a hints list. I guess you have never had an earache or a child with frequent ones, but I sure have.

Sweet oil in the ear canal knocks the pain away almost immediately. In fact, this has been proven in our household. The treatment with sweet oil has worked better and a whole lot faster than the eardrops that the doctor has prescribed.

Dear Reader: I have received several letters from readers who have had astonishing reductions in earaches simply by applying two or three drops of warm sweet oil into the affected ear canal.

To give you related information, I am sending you a copy of my Health Report “Ear Infections and Disorders.” Other readers who would like a copy should send a long, self-addressed, stamped envelope and $2 to Newsletter, P.O. Box 167, Wickliffe, OH 44092. Be sure to mention the title.

Dear Dr. Gott: A question for physicians who prescribe Lipitor and other cholesterol-lowering medications: Why aren’t people told about red yeast rice and omega-3 fish oil for lowering cholesterol?

I was given Lipitor and had an allergic reaction, with my skin burning and itching after only one 10-milligram dose. That is the reason I called the health food store and found out about alternative ways to lower my cholesterol.

When I told my doctor, she said yes, that it would help lower my cholesterol, and when I was tested it already had started lowering it.

Dear Reader: Red yeast rice is effective in lowering blood cholesterol levels because it contains a natural form of Vasotec, a statin drug that resembles Lipitor. It is not a magic cure; in fact, it carries the same side-effect profile (liver inflammation and muscle damage) attributed to the prescription counterparts.

Omega-3 fish oil, although less effective, appears to be a safer choice. Doctors prescribe statin drugs because, in most instances, they are effective.