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.
Get Magnesium Just Right to Prevent Dementia
Most people would like to find a way to prevent dementia, but the picture is complex. Lifestyle factors such as exercise, diet and sleep have all been suggested as possible paths to keeping our brains…
Will Magnesium Help You Sleep Better All Night?
Have you ever wakened far too early and resigned yourself to tossing and turning until time to get up? This scenario is common. We were pleased to learn that one reader found a simple supplement could…
What Makes Turmeric So Wonderful?
A few years ago most Americans had never heard of turmeric. If they had, they thought of it as an exotic ingredient in curries and other Indian dishes. Now, turmeric and curcumin, one of its active in…
Licorice Led to Life-Threatening Loss of Potassi…
You may have heard someone express the opinion that natural medicines are safer than synthetic ones. That isn't always the case, however. Sometimes botanical medications can have scary side effects. L…
Glucosamine a Bust in New Analysis
A study published in the Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (online, July 28, 2017) concluded that glucosamine lacks evidence of effectiveness. Although the researchers don't come right out and say it, …
Can You Lower Your Cholesterol with Bergamot?
How do you control your cholesterol? Many people take a statin medication such as atorvastatin or simvastatin to keep their blood fats within normal range. On the other hand, you might prefer a more…
Is Your Confusion Due to a Vitamin Deficiency?
As we grow older, our mental lapses bother us more and more. Could losing the car keys be the first sign of Alzheimer's disease? Is forgetting the PIN for the ATM an early warning flag for dementia? O…
How Can You Counteract Muscle Pain from Statins?
The doctors' debate over statins has become heated lately. You can read what we have written about that here and here. If you prefer, you can listen to our interviews with leading cardiologists here. …
Is Cinnamon Toxic to the Liver?
How do you know when an herb, spice or supplement is safe? It makes sense to do some reading on anything you are planning to take before you begin swallowing it. Many people are taking cinnamon to con…
How Good Is L-lysine Against Cold Sores?
Cold sores are painful. They are also unsightly. Perhaps more alarming, there is some research to suggest that cold sores may increase the risk for Alzheimer's disease (see this link). Could L-lysine …
Supplements Are No Substitute for Good Diabetes …
Diabetes is reaching epidemic levels, not only in the US but around the world. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), approximately 30 million Americans have diabetes. By f…
Will Magnesium Help Prevent Broken Bones?
Keeping bones strong calls for life-long attention. During childhood and adolescence, bones increase in density and strength until early to mid-adulthood. To avoid broken bones in later years, we need…
Extra Vitamin D No Benefit for Kids with Colds
People with low levels of vitamin D appear more susceptible to upper respiratory tract infections (Zhang et al, PLOS One, Dec. 9, 2016) and even pneumonia (Haugen et al, Pediatric Research, online Jul…
Show 1086: Why Dogs Are Good for Babies’ H…
Dogs and Babies' Health: Most young kids love their dogs. New research shows that even babies too young to play with the pet benefit from a dog in the house. What is the story on pets as probiotics? …
Should You Take Vitamin D for Your Sunburn?
What do you do for a sunburn? Most people just suffer for several days, although some have favorite home remedies such as Listerine, Greek yogurt or green tea. Some research suggests that a diet rich…
Too Little Vitamin D Could Be Deadly
Low levels of vitamin D in the blood are linked to increased mortality. That is the conclusion of a large population-based Norwegian study. How did they discover that too little vitamin D might be dea…
What Is the Risk of Red Yeast Rice?
One of the pillars of heart disease prevention is keeping blood fats, especially cholesterol, under control. But doctors don't always agree on the best way to achieve this goal. Most recommend a healt…
How Good Is Pharmaceutical-Grade Chondroitin?
In the US, chondroitin sulfate is usually sold as a dietary supplement and taken in conjunction with glucosamine to treat arthritis pain. Most well-controlled trials in this country have shown that th…
Can You Safely Take Fish Oil with Blood Thinners…
Many of us make a clear distinction between the drugs we take and the vitamins or supplements we use. It seems logical enough for our brains, but our bodies don't recognize categories like that. An…
Will Overdosing on Vitamin B6 Cause Irreversible…
Most people think of vitamins as benign nutrients. If a little is good then a "lottle" is better. In other words, the more the merrier. Most of the time people do not get into trouble if they take a l…
Why Don’t Vitamin D Supplements Work as Ex…
If you are taking big doses of vitamin D in the hopes of staving off all sorts of health problems, you may be disappointed. Most research has not demonstrated that taking high doses of vitamin D suppl…
Will Magnesium Prevent Your Painful Leg Cramps?
Many people complain about painful leg cramps that wake them at night. The pain they cause can be excruciating, even making grown-ups cry. Their doctors have nothing they can prescribe for this probl…
Where Is the Synergy Against Heart Disease?
Both exercise and adequate vitamin D have been identified independently as contributing to good cardiovascular health. But could the combination offer special advantages against heart disease? How Do …
How to Ease Statin-Induced Muscle Pain
Statin-type cholesterol-lowering drugs are an important part of every cardiologist's tool box. They lower cholesterol, which is a significant risk factor for heart disease. People who already have hea…
Is There Any Science to Support Glucosamine for …
For decades we have been agnostic about the use of glucosamine for arthritis. Some readers praised this dietary supplement while others denounced it. We remember when New York Times health columnist J…
How Can You Get Omega-3 Benefits with No Fishy B…
We have written numerous times about omega-3 benefits, which range from delaying macular degeneration or preventing diabetes to easing stiff joints and promoting heart health. Some people make sure t…
Are There Natural Remedies for Nerve Pain?
Physicians find neuropathy difficult to manage. This nerve pain can easily become chronic if it is not interrupted early in its course. When pain originates in the nervous system itself, relatively f…
How to Get to Sleep Without Weakening Your Bones
Sleep can be elusive, and many people have great difficulties getting enough. The problem is not that people don't value sleep: most have heard that inadequate sleep may predispose us to health prob…
Popular Supplements Failed to Prevent Dementia
Vitamin E and selenium do not appear to help prevent dementia. Many people may be disappointed in these results from a clinical trial of these popular supplements. But is there reason to remain hopefu…
Does Suboptimal Vitamin D Put Athletes at Risk f…
Vitamin D is critical for muscle as well as bone strength. A study of elite college football players found that nearly half of them had suboptimal vitamin D levels. This may make them more vulnerable…
Should You Take Fish Oil to Protect Your Heart?
If you have heart disease, you've probably read lots about statin drugs to lower cholesterol. You may have seen recommendations about eating a Mediterranean-style diet for heart health. But should you…
Will Vitamin D Supplements Really Protect You fr…
Avoiding colds and flu is challenging. Physicians will tell you that vaccination is the only protection against influenza. Frequent hand washing is the other standard recommendation. Unfortunately, im…
Can You Get the Vitamin B12 You Need from Seawee…
Americans are accustomed to being told to just eat a well-balanced diet. The implication is clear that if they did so, they wouldn't need to take any dietary supplements. But "a well-balanced diet' is…
Magnesium Strikes Out as Cure for Nighttime Leg …
Nighttime leg cramps cause a great deal of misery. These painful involuntary muscle contractions can wake you from a sound sleep. The pain they cause can be excruciating, even making grown-ups cry. Do…
Vitamin D Has an Impact on Ulcerative Colitis
Serum levels of vitamin D make a difference for people with ulcerative colitis. That is the conclusion of a new study from Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center. Ulcerative colitis is a condition in w…
Will B Vitamins Help Antipsychotic Drugs Work Be…
Antipsychotic drugs are the mainstay of treatment for people with schizophrenia. Such medications may control hallucinations in the first few months of treatment, but long-term benefits are less obv…
How to Use Magnesium to Get to Sleep
Americans aren't getting enough sleep. Shift work, late night television and various health problems such as sleep apnea or restless legs syndrome can all contribute to inadequate rest. Sleep depriva…
Is Vitamin D Good for Colds? Will it Battle the …
Grandmothers in Scandinavia have been forcing children to swallow cod liver oil for hundreds of years. They knew it acted as a tonic in the winter to keep colds and other upper respiratory tract infec…
Taking Vitamin D to Prevent Chronic Headaches
If you suffer from chronic headaches, you would probably do nearly anything to prevent them. We know people who don't drink wine or eat chocolate because doing so might trigger a migraine. One reader…
Will Correcting Vitamin D Deficiency Help a Sore…
Have you ever discovered that a seemingly simple change made a big difference in a long-standing problem? We are always pleased to hear from people who have found a way to tackle such a puzzle. This r…