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.
Can You Lower Blood Pressure with Nitric Oxide?
Nitric oxide is a gas originally thought to be important to human health only as an air pollutant. In the 1980s, however, scientists began to realize that this molecule plays many important roles in h…
Is Sunshine the Best Source for Vitamin D?
Vitamin D has long been known as the sunshine vitamin because skin creates this hormone when exposed to ultraviolet light. However, winter in northern latitudes does not allow much vitamin D to be cre…
Clindamycin and C. Diff Infection: A Devil’s R…
The FDA has a black box warning in the prescribing information for clindamycin (Cleocin). That represents the highest alert for physicians and patients about this antibiotic. It says in part: “Becau…
Why Choose Certified Organic Probiotic Products?
FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb, M.D., recently announced that the agency will be “modernizing and reforming FDA’s oversight” of dietary supplements. In essence, he has admitted that the F…
Rat Poison Is Not Relevant to People
We recently answered a question from a reader about vitamin D3 used in high concentrations as a mouse or rat poison. At the toxic levels found in the bait, vitamin D3 can lead to kidney damage, heart …
Will Rosemary and Turmeric Help Your Arthritis P…
People with arthritis pain face a difficult dilemma. Arthritis is a chronic condition, but the usual NSAID pain relievers such as ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) and naproxen (Aleve) should be used only …
FDA Cracking Down on Dietary Supplements for Dem…
The Food and Drug Administration has just taken action against many companies that advertise their dietary supplements for dementia. The commercials often imply that these products could be used to tr…
Why KayaBiotics from Germany? Certified Organic!
We are delighted that Kaya Biotics has decided to extend its relationship with The People’s Pharmacy. This German company is now underwriting our nationally syndicated public radio show. We are very…
Should You Take Magnesium to Boost Vitamin D?
We don't usually think of nutritional supplements acting in concert, but that is due to a failure of imagination. Food hardly ever supplies a single nutrient. A reader recently alerted us to an intere…
Will Magnesium Improve Your Vitamin D Level?
People with a low vitamin D level may benefit from increasing their magnesium intake. The relationship between these two nutrients is more complex than you might think, however. Vitamin D Level Dips i…
How Will You Get Adequate Vitamin D?
You may have heard that vitamin D is known as the sunshine vitamin. That is because skin exposed to sunlight makes this crucial hormone. However, when nights are long and days are short and cold, we c…
Is There a Natural Remedy for Cold Sores?
During cold season, many people suffer from outbreaks of cold sores, also called fever blisters. Perhaps when the immune system is busy fighting off another infection, the herpes simplex virus that ca…
Did Turmeric Help Man Overcome Dupuytren’s…
Middle-aged and older men sometimes suffer from a condition known as Dupuytren's contracture. Their fingers may curl in to the palm. They may find it difficult if not impossible to open the hand fully…
Can Fish Oil Really Help Your Heart?
Most physicians agree that eating fish is good for the heart. There is less consensus about fish oil supplements. These are among the most popular supplements on drugstore shelves. People take them to…
Vitamin D Strikes Out Against Heart Attacks and …
Millions of Americans are low in vitamin D. They are at higher risk for a range of health problems, from asthma to osteoporosis, hypertension, rheumatoid arthritis and cancer. These individuals may b…
Will Pumpkin Seed Oil Help Your Urinary Problem?
How often do you have to get up at night to visit the bathroom? Some people sleep through the night with no difficulty but others have their sleep disrupted because they need to urinate every few hour…
Could a Magnesium Supplement Conquer Your Leg Cr…
Nighttime leg cramps can be quite a challenge. They may well wake you with pain in the middle of the night, and easing the pain can take time. We have written about a number of home remedies that may …
Will Alpha-Lipoic Acid Help Your Nerve Pain?
Nerve pain (neuropathy) can be excruciating, and the medications doctors prescribe to alleviate the pain don't always help a great deal. However, alternative medications such as alpha-lipoic acid can …
Januvia Joint Pain | A Disabling Side Effect
Sitagliptin (Januvia) is a type 2 diabetes drug that has been on the market for more than a decade. It belongs in a class of drugs called gliptins or DPP-4 inhibitors. These meds enable the body to ma…
Do People Who Eat Fish Grow Old More Healthfully…
Does eating fish or taking fish oil make any difference for your health? For decades, researchers have touted the anti-inflammatory benefits of the omega-3 fatty acids found in fish oil. They have sug…
Will Fish Oil Supplements Ease Your Anxiety?
Fish oil has gotten a lot of bad press lately. After a decade or two of enthusiasm for its benefits in preventing heart disease, arthritis and dry eyes, scientists concluded that there is little or no…
Should You Take Vitamin D Supplements for Strong…
Vitamin D is essential for strong bones. When young children don’t get enough vitamin D, they can develop a bone deformity called rickets. This nutrient acts as a hormone in the body. It is vital fo…
Could a Supplement Help You Lose Belly Fat?
Belly fat (aka abdominal adiposity) is not just a matter of looking unattractive. A disproportionately large waistline can indicate excess visceral fat that increases the risk of type 2 diabetes, he…
Is Melatonin Safe for Night Shift Nurse?
People who do shift work put their bodies through a lot of stress. Most of us adapt to getting up in the morning and going to bed at night. If we are reasonably regular about the times, our body clock…
Can You Cool Your Hot Flashes with Maca?
Just because menopause is a natural part of life doesn't mean it is easy. Some women have intense hot flashes for only a few years, but others may suffer for a decade or more. Estrogen is the gold sta…
How Are Vitamin D and Rheumatoid Arthritis Linke…
Vitamin D (the sunshine vitamin) is essential for good health. Human beings can make this hormone when skin is exposed to sunlight. In addition, vitamin D is found in a few foods: oily fish (and espec…
Should You Take Probiotics with Antibiotics? New…
Health professionals in the U.S. have been slow to embrace probiotics. European doctors have been recommending probiotics with antibiotics for a long time. For reasons that puzzle us, American physici…
Do Vitamin D Pills Lower Your Chance of Cancer?
Epidemiological studies have shown that people with low levels of vitamin D are more susceptible to various cancers. What can you do to reverse your risk? The answer is not clear. We do not know if …
Multivitamins No Help Against Heart Disease
Are multivitamins no help against heart disease? Millions of Americans take multivitamins, perhaps as many as 40 percent of older adults. A new study suggests that mixed vitamin and mineral formulatio…
Will Benfotiamine Ease Your Foot Pain?
Have you ever dropped a heavy can of food on your toe? The nail turns purplish-black and the foot hurts like crazy. After a few days, though, the pain calms down and only hurts when you wiggle or stub…
Can Cod Liver Oil Relieve Your Knee Pain?
Knee osteoarthritis can really interfere with mobility. Doctors prescribe pain relievers such as diclofenac (Cataflam, Voltaren) or meloxicam (Mobic), but patients should not take such NSAID medicatio…
Can Women Lower Breast Cancer Risk with Vitamin …
Vitamin D levels may be important as a way for women to lower breast cancer risk. That is the conclusion from an epidemiological study (PLOS One, June 15, 2018). Which Women Had a Lower Breast Cancer …
Why Won’t the Vitamin Wars Ever End?
Experts still cannot agree about vitamin and mineral supplements. Many health professionals maintain that they are a total waste of money and could be dangerous. Others say that vitamin insurance is e…
Show 1124: Should You Be Taking Vitamin Suppleme…
What is the value of vitamin supplements? There is no consensus on whether most people would benefit. Much of the research on multivitamins does not show a strong effect in preventing cardiovascular d…
Is Fish Oil Really Useless for Dry Eyes?
Fish oil has a reputation for helping ease the symptoms of dry eye, but a recent study found it was no more helpful than the olive oil placebo the scientists used. (Both groups–those taking fish oil…
Will Zinc Help Woman with Unwanted Facial Hair?
What can you do about unwanted facial hair? Many women struggle with this problem. One reader did some online research, but the results were confusing. Could a supplement help solve this problem? Zinc…
Should Reader Worry About His Anticancer Supplem…
Once cancer patients finish treatment, do they put that entire episode behind them and just move on? Some do, but most find that periodic checkups to make sure the cancer has not returned remind them …
No Study Support for Fish Oil Soothing Dry Eyes
Fish oil is one of the best sources of omega-3 fatty acids. These compounds have anti-inflammatory activity, and doctors have hoped that fish oil supplements would prove useful against a wide range of…
Will Curcumin Pills Ease Your Knee Pain?
Who would guess that the yellow spice in curry would become controversial? For centuries, people have been using turmeric to add color and flavor to their food, and in traditional Ayurvedic medicine, …
Are You Wasting Your Money on Curcumin?
If you have ever shopped for supplements online, you may have wondered if you are wasting your money. Ever since 1994, when Congress passed the Dietary Supplement and Health Education Act (DSHEA), FDA…