Should You Be Taking Vitamin Supplements?
Many medications can interfere with good nutrition. If you are taking pills for certain conditions, perhaps you should be taking vitamin supplements.
Are Calcium Pills Hardening Your Heart Arteries?
Millions of women routinely pop calcium pills to build strong bones. Instead, they may be creating calcified coronary arteries. What to do?
Can You Help Nerve Pain with a Diet Rich in ALA?
Might you control neuropathy by consuming a diet rich in ALA (alpha lipoic acid)? One reader reports better success with diet than supplements.
Should You Take Turmeric to Ease Pain?
Readers report great results using turmeric to ease pain. Before you start swallowing pills, though, be aware of possible side effects.
Could Too Much Vitamin D Lead to Hair Loss?
A reader taking high-dose vitamin D wonders if that could lead to hair loss. Shedding has been linked to excess vitamin A.
Cinnamon May Offer a Surprising Way to Reverse Prediabetes
A small placebo-controlled trial found that some people taking cinnamon capsules were able to reverse prediabetes.
Can You Overdose on Vitamin D?
Can you overdose on vitamin D by spending time in the sun and taking supplements? Excessive doses of supplements can indeed lead to toxicity.
Can You Prevent Alzheimer Disease with L-Lysine?
Data linking herpes virus infections (HSV-1) with a higher risk of dementia offer hope that taking L-lysine might prevent Alzheimer disease.
Why Vitamin D for COVID-19 Saves Lives
When is the last time you had your vitamin D levels monitored? How much is necessary to create adequate levels of Vitamin D for COVID-19?
Too Much Potassium Poses Danger
When blood tests show too much potassium, you are at risk for heart rhythm changes. Figuring the cause may require some detective work.
Is Fish Oil Linked to Heart Rhythm Changes?
How risky is fish oil or purified EPA in Vascepa when it comes to heart rhythm changes called atrial fibrillation? Learn about absolute risk!
How Much Magnesium Is Enough?
Getting the optimal magnesium dose every day can be tricky since too little is very dangerous but too much can cause unpleasant GI symptoms.
Do Turmeric Supplements Have a Downside?
Many people take turmeric supplements for their anti-inflammatory benefits, but a recent case shows that such pills can also trigger autoimmune hepatitis.
Do Statins Lower CoQ10 Levels? Can Supplements Correct That?
Cholesterol-controlling statins lower CoQ10 levels, but supplements do not reliably reverse muscle side effects.
Can Vitamin C Help Combat COVID-19?
For decades, doctors dismissed vitamin C as worthless against the common cold. But could vitamin C help combat COVID-19? Trials are underway!
Will a Big Dose of Vitamin D Give You Leg Cramps?
Will taking a big dose of vitamin D alleviate nighttime leg cramps or trigger them? The answer may vary from one individual to another.
Do Glucosamine and Chondroitin Increase Your Cholesterol?
Glucosamine and chondroitin supplements taken to alleviate joint pain may increase your cholesterol. What else can you use for pain relief?
St. John’s Wort Can Lift Mood, But May Damage Eyes
One side effect of St. John's wort, photosensitivity, can be harmful to vision. People may wish to consider other ways to manage depression.
Do Gut Microbes Contribute to Symptoms of Lactose Intolerance?
People with lactose intolerance may suffer significant digestive distress when they consume dairy products. Gut microbes contribute.
Will Elderberry Extract Help You Recover from Flu?
Elderberry extract has antiviral activity in laboratory tests, but there are too few good clinical trials to show if it works for the flu.
Vitamin B12 Helps Ease Nerve Pain of Diabetes
A year-long study indicates that taking 1 mg methylcobalamin supplements daily can reduce the nerve pain of diabetes.
Will Precious Saffron Save Your Eyesight?
Some scientific studies back up a reader's claim that saffron supplements can help keep macular degeneration from running rampant.
Natural Approaches for Irritable Bowel Syndrome
There are a number of natural ways to ease symptoms of irritable bowel syndrome such as bloating, stomachache, diarrhea or constipation.
Zinc for the Common Cold
Scientific studies show the benefits of zinc for the common cold are modest but real. They don't yet show the best dose.
What Is the Story on Calcium Supplements?
Studies suggest that calcium supplements don't prevent osteoporosis and broken bones, and may even have troubling side effects.
Can Treated Licorice (DGL) Ease IBS Symptoms?
Irritable bowel syndrome may be explained by an imbalance in gut microbes. One reader reports DGL helped ease IBS symptoms.
Will You Breathe Easier If You Take Less Iron?
A reader having trouble breathing found a simple solution: take less iron. The supplement had built up to excessive levels.
What Supplements Could Help Ease IBS Symptoms?
Readers looking for supplements to ease IBS symptoms have found probiotics and enteric-coated peppermint oil can help.
Can You Take Quercetin for Your Allergies?
Plants make some compounds to defend themselves that can be helpful for people, too. Should you be taking the flavonol quercetin for your allergies?
Magnesium Supplement for Irregular Heart Rhythm
A young man with an irregular heart rhythm reversed it with magnesium taurate supplements. What a relief he felt!
Do Omega-3 Supplements Improve Cognitive Performance?
Young adults were able to improve cognitive performance on a range of tests when they took EPA-rich fish oil for six months.
Will Vitamin B1 Keep Mosquitoes from Biting You?
Studies have not shown that taking vitamin B1 pills keep mosquitoes from biting, but new research suggests that a topical form is effective.
Does Vitamin D Help Prevent Colorectal Cancer?
Data from two different studies show that vitamin D may help prevent colorectal cancer, especially among younger individuals.