Vitamin, Mineral & Herb Remedies
Dietary supplements can be surprisingly helpful for many common disorders. There is substantial science supporting the use of herbs, vitamins, minerals and other supplements.
What Can A Woman Do To Kill Her Sex Drive?
This article was written several years ago in response to a question from a visitor to this web site. Since that time we have received nearly 400 comments from other visitors to this page. Many are he…
Hot Flashes Melt Away with Rhapontic Rhubarb Sup…
Q. I read a question from a reader who wanted to know how to stop hot flashes without taking estrogen. I myself tried absolutely everything, believe me. Finally a friend told me about Estrovera, which…
Vitamin D Supplements May Help Prevent Recurrent…
Q. My son is suffering his fourth ear infection this year. I am concerned and I am wondering if there is something I can do to keep him from getting these repeated infections. Would putting alcohol in…
Calcium Supplements May Be Counterproductive for…
Women have long been advised to take high doses of supplemental calcium to protect their bones, but a new study from China suggests that this may not be good advice for all. More than 300 women were r…
Leaves from the Garden Relieved Her Menstrual Cr…
Q. I experience severe menstrual cramps when I start my period. After I read about a tea of dandelion leaves and parsley as a remedy for bloating experienced with PMS, I tried it in desperation. I a…
Do Glucosamine and Chondroitin Send Cholesterol …
Q. I am 60 years old and have never had a problem with cholesterol in my life and no sign of it in my family either. All of a sudden a couple of weeks ago when I had my annual physical they called a…
Will Magnesium Put You to Sleep?
Q. What can you tell me about using magnesium as a sleep aid? I think I read about it in your newspaper column but could not find the information again. Do you have a guide you can send me? A. Magnesi…
Dietary Supplement Lowers PSA
A dietary supplement containing pomegranate, broccoli, green tea, and turmeric has lowered PSA levels in men who have been treated for prostate cancer. The double-blind study of more than 200 men was …
B Vitamins for Better Brain Function?
B-complex vitamins might be able to delay the development of dementia in some older folks whose memories have begun to slip. A study in the United Kingdom tested the regimen in 156 people at least 70 …
Suffering With Hot Flashes & Night Sweats
Q. Here I am - 20 years older - and back to the same problems which caused me to start taking hormonoe replacement therapy (HRT) in the first place. After consulting with my nurse/doctor in October, I…
Fighting Depression with Vitamin D
Q. My 18-year-old son became depressed. I did some research before taking him to the doctor, so I encouraged her to check his vitamin D level. Lo and behold it was below the normal level at 20 ng/ml. …
Vitamin D Pills Triggered Acid Reflux
Q. My blood level of vitamin D (16) is very low. A few years ago I was prescribed 50,000 IUs once a week, but I had to quit after just one month. It caused severe acid reflux that took me several mont…
Ginkgo May Raise Risk of Cancers
Ginkgo biloba is a popular herbal medicine that is reputed to improve cognitive functioning. Even though randomized controlled trials do not show that it prevents dementia or Alzheimer's disease, mill…
Supplements to Ease Nerve Pain
Nerve pain (polyneuropathy) is hard to treat. Even heavy-duty narcotics may not ease the pain adequately. This is bad news, especially for people with diabetes. Up to 16 percent of them may suffer wit…
Memories of Cod Liver Oil
Q. My father grew up on a small island in Norway in the 1940s. In winter the teacher in their one-room schoolhouse gave each child a tablespoon of cod liver oil daily. When my father told this story, …
Cinnamon Capsules Counteract Carbs
Q. I have been using cinnamon in capsules to help keep my blood sugar in normal range. I always take one or two before a high-carb meal. I use a costly one called Cinnulin, which is water-extracted. I…
Fish Oil Flip-Flops Infuriate Reader
Q. I am quite confused and annoyed about reports that fish oil isn't beneficial. I've heard for years that fish oil supplements are good for all kinds of things, like depression and anxiety, skin and …
Are Your Vitamin Supplements Up To Snuff?
If you take a multi-vitamin every morning, chances are you pop it in your mouth and gulp it down with your juice without giving it a second thought. Millions of Americans take vitamins, minerals or su…
She Needs Help to Dampen Sexual Desire
Q. I have a friend who has become religious. She's not married and she would like to stay celibate, but she does have a very large libido. She's wondering if there is anything that could help her keep…
Corners of Mouth Healed with Vitamin B
Q. In a stressful period of life as a young mother of two and finishing chiropractic school, I pushed further into a vegetarian diet. During exams (more stress), I developed angular cheilitis. I immed…
Reversing Male Pattern Baldness Naturally?
Q. My son is 23 years old and developing male pattern baldness. I heard that saw palmetto might work like Propecia and block an enzyme that causes the problem. He wants to try saw palmetto but I am af…
Task Force Disses Calcium and Vitamin D Pills
For years women have been told to take high doses of calcium along with some vitamin D to keep their bones strong. The wisdom of this approach has been questioned in recent years. The U.S. Preventive …
Women at Risk from Calcium Supplements
Calcium supplements may increase the risk of dying from heart disease in women as well as men. The National Institutes of Health-AARP Diet and Health Study tracked more than 200,000 men for more than …
Vitamin D Pill Variability Hints at Poor Quality…
The vitamin D that people buy in a pharmacy or health food store may not deliver what it promises. Researchers at Kaiser Permanente Center for Health Research in Portland, Oregon, purchased 55 bottles…
How Good Are Your Supplements?
The dirty little secret is out. No one is minding the store when it comes to vitamins, minerals, herbs or dietary supplements. Are you taking a multi-vitamin? What about specific nutrients like vitami…
Overdosing on Vitamin D?
Q. Months ago I heard about the benefits of vitamin D. I ran an experiment on myself and found that a persistent pain in my back went away after I took 2800 IU of vitamin D three times. Now a friend h…
Are Calcium Supplements Killing People?
Millions of men and women swallow a big calcium pill every day because they have been told it is good for their bones. That advice may be misguided, especially in light of research suggesting that hig…
Celery Seed Extract for Gout
Q. I read your column about gout and tart cherries. Celery seed extract works better and quicker. I take two capsules a day, morning and evening with food. If my gout flares up I double the dose. The …
Fighting Off Colds & Flu With Vitamin D!
Is there a way to ward off colds & flu? For decades, mothers and grandmothers in northern climates dosed children with cod liver oil during the winter. They had no scientific studies to support th…
Neuropathy: Natural Treatments for Nerve Pain
Neuropathy is one of those words that tells you very little. Broken down it stands for nerve (neuro) and disease (pathy). But nerve pain doesn't tell you much about the cause of the distress. When ner…
Beware Cod Liver Oil for Dry Skin!
Q. My skin is in terrible shape. Every winter about this time my hands start cracking and peeling and they look terrible. The dryness makes my skin feel like sandpaper and the itching is unbearable. I…
Vitamin D Solved Pain Problem
Q. About five years ago, I began to suffer severe pain in my left hip and leg. It was agonizing when I lay in bed. I had to crawl on my hands and knees to climb stairs. Physical therapy did not work. …
Citrus Pectin May Protect Arteries
The plaque that causes atherosclerosis results from an inflammatory reaction that results in the formation of scar tissue inside blood vessels, a process known as vascular fibrosis. Researchers have n…
Vitamin Makes Urine Yellow
Q. I take a multivitamin after breakfast. I notice that my urine turns bright yellow for several hours afterwards. What causes this change in color and is it dangerous? A. Riboflavin (vitamin B2) can …
Insomnia: Vitamin D Solved Sleep Problem
Q. A few years ago I was plagued with insomnia. I was exhausted, anxious and barely functional but never sleepy. Only sleeping pills knocked me out, but I hated the side effects. I read about vitamin …
Is Supplement Safe for Depression?
Q. I'm wondering what information you have about SAMe as a treatment for depression. I've been taking it for six months along with a daily B vitamin and have gotten great results. I would like to know…
Should You Take Vitamin Pills?
A year ago many health professionals were gleeful that vitamin supplements had finally been proven useless and maybe even dangerous. That's because of the Iowa Women's Health Study (Archives of Intern…
Carrot Juice Can Turn Skin Orange
We have three similar carrot questions to share: Q. I've heard that too much vitamin A can be dangerous. I drink 4 ounces of carrot juice every day (it's delicious) and I'm wondering if that might acc…
How Much Vitamin D Is Enough?
Vitamin D has become one of the hottest nutrients in pharmacies and health food stores. That's because epidemiological studies have suggested that low levels of this hormone are linked to weakened bon…
Probiotics Against Colds
College dormitories are breeding grounds for colds and other upper respiratory infections. The young people in them live in close quarters and are often sleep-deprived. But research suggests that prob…