Didn’t your mother remind you to “wash your ears” when you were a child? Most mothers did. And if you’re anything like me, you still like to keep them clean. But for most of us, a wash-cloth and Q-tips are about as deep as our ear-care thoughts go.

Q: I saw your very informative page on the web, www.tahoma-clinic.com, regarding the actual cause of heartburn. I have been suffering from chronic heartburn problems for the last five years and have eaten antacids and acid blockers like candy without any relief. After reading your article, I tried taking betaine HCl (with pepsin) tablets after each meal, and this has remarkably improved my condition. Thanks for helping me solve this problem, which my uncle (a doctor of internal medicine) wasn’t able to fix.

Q: What dose of bugleweed and motherwort tinctures should be used for someone with Graves’ disease? I have ordered herbs from Gaia to use for a 25-year-old who went from hypothyroidism to Graves’ disease over a 12-month period. Thank you.

Eli Lilly’s relaunching of the antidepressant Prozac under its new name -Sarafem-is still bothering me. According to the advertisements on television, Sarafem is meant to help women who suffer from a form of severe PMS called premenstrual dysphoric disorder. But with side effects ranging from headaches and nausea to hallucinations and violence, Sarafem is one of the last medicines I’d ever want to give a young woman. Luckily, there’s a much safer treatment option available for women who suffer from this severe type of PMS: L-tryptophan.

Kava is a widely used, clinically proven herbal treatment for relieving the symptoms of anxiety. It has been a wonderful alternative to prescription drugs for many people. But you may not be able to buy it in the very near future. Several months ago, health authorities in Germany threatened to forbid the sale of products containing more than tiny amounts of kava (Piper methysticum) after 24 cases of liver damage linked to the herb were reported.1 And it just so happens that the FDA is also currently examining the evidence at hand and reviewing the status of kava.

Infertility is not just a physical problem. It’s frustrating, heart-wrenching, and extremely expensive. Unfortunately, infertility is on the rise-and has been for decades. Couples are spending tens of thousands of dollars a year on specialized testing and procedures in their quests to have babies. Ironically, there’s been a safe treatment available in local natural food stores since the 1940s that costs less than $20 a bottle was found effective in one trial in up to 75 percent of women who tried it!

Diabetes is in the news quite a bit these days. It’s becoming more and more common, and odds are you know at least one person with the disease and may very well be at risk yourself. Finding effective methods of treatment and prevention for diabetes in the face of this potential epidemic is more important than ever. Now, a new study proves that we don’t have to rely on patent drugs to help fight this killer.

IN THIS ISSUE: (Blood) sugar and spice: Could the secret to controlling diabetes be in your cupboard?; The $20 treatment for infertility that could save years of heartache and financial drain; Keeping kava under lock and key: Could the government “force” you to take prescription tranquilizers by banning this effective alternative?; Say goodbye to mood swings, tension, and irritability with an old favorite-ultra-safe L-tryptophan; Tips on treating Graves’ disease from our own herbal expert–Kerry Bone; Increase your stomach’s natural acids and get rid of heartburn completely!; Listen up! Your ears could harbor an important link to dry skin, an enlarged prostate, and even heart disease