New generic Viagra should help consumers save cash
Q: The last time I filled a prescription for Viagra, they wanted $400 for six pills. That’s insane. I pushed the prescription back across the counter and walked out.
A: Depending upon the pharmacy, Viagra (sildenafil) could cost as much as $65 to $80 per pill. A generic version has just become available because the patent on Viagra has expired. That means substantial savings.
Greenstone, a subsidiary of Viagra-maker Pfizer, will sell an authorized generic sildenafil for approximately half the price. That means you are getting the same quality at a reduced price. It’s still not cheap, however.
Brand-name Viagra from Canada costs even less. According to Pharmacy Checker.com, the per-pill price ranges from about $14 to $20 from a legitimate Canadian source.
Q: As a middle-age, fair-skin redhead, I have had several run-ins with precancerous and basal skin cell cancers. I see my dermatologist every six months, and usually have many “rough” precancerous spots “burned” off, particularly from the back of my hands.
My friend’s son lives in Australia, and she told me about studies there showing that niacinamide supplements reduce the incidence of precancerous cell growth. My dermatologist wasn’t really familiar with these studies, but said it can’t hurt to try.
I’ve been taking 500 mg of niacinamide supplements daily for the past year, and have had zero recurrence of these rough spots on my hands. It has been a truly remarkable change for me. Have you heard anything about taking niacinamide to prevent some skin cancers?
A: Your friend is right that Australian dermatologists and scientists have done most of the studies in this arena. One recent review of the research concludes that nicotinamide (another name for niacinamide) holds promise for preventing both melanoma and nonmelanoma skin cancers (Photodermatology, Photoimmunology & Photomedicine, online, July 5). Another summary concludes that nicotinamide acts in several ways to reduce actinic keratoses (your rough spots) and nonmelanoma skin cancers (Australasian Journal of Dermatology, August). Thank you for letting us know of your success.
Q: Can you recommend a natural alternative to help reduce blood sugar levels? At my last lab test, my fasting blood sugar was 119, though it should be under 100.
The doctor wants to test my HbA1c, but I would first like to try to bring down my sugar level naturally. I do not eat a lot of sugar or desserts. I do, however, eat white pastas and white rice, which I know then turn to sugar. Do you think cinnamon bark would help? Any ideas would be appreciated.
A: Your recent fasting blood sugar result was a wake-up call. There are a number of tactics you might want to try before the test for HbA1c, which is a measure of blood sugar over several weeks rather than at a moment in time.
In addition to adding cinnamon to your daily diet (preferably in a water-based extract), you may want to reduce your reliance on pasta and rice. Vegetables such as cauliflower and squash might be reasonable substitutes that wouldn’t raise blood sugar much.
You also might want to finish your meal with a salad dressed with vinaigrette. Vinegar helps to prevent blood sugar spikes after eating (Diabetes Research and Clinical Practice, May).