At what point do you start labeling something as a poison?

How about if it increases stroke risk by 27 percent?

Or increases heart failure risk by 25 percent?

Everyone knows that not getting enough sleep can make you cranky, but did you know it will also make you fat… and possibly fatally ill?

I’ve been concerned about the health effects of plastics since I first learned about them back in the 1990s. Since then, research has shown that those handy plastic containers you put your food in contain dubious chemicals like bisphenol A (BPA) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) that can leach into your food.

Studies supporting natural-treatment alternatives for diseases are—as my Nana would have said—scarcer than hens’ teeth.

If you've been tempting fate with the endless cycles of the drugs-and-insulin approach to battling diabetes, you've got plenty enough to worry about.

Dear Pharmacist,

My medication label suddenly warns not to eat grapefruit, but is this a serious interaction? Reason I ask is because I love to eat it, and nothing has happened to me so far.

What exactly does it take for a drug to be pulled from the market? How many people have to be made sick? How many people have to die?

As an M.D., I’ve been thoroughly trained to believe that drugs—both prescription and over-the-counter—are the best option for patients. After all, they can treat everything from an infection to heart disease to depression. And they often do so quickly, which means that both doctors and their patients are happy. But there’s just one problem. These miracles of modern medicine aren’t necessarily safe.

It seems so bland. Harmless. A “healthy” fat-free, cholesterol free food that’s relatively low in calories and fills you up. Seems like the perfect healthy-diet food.

Except…it’s not.

What if there were a drug that dramatically reduced the risk of heart disease, cancer, and diabetes?