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.
How to Ease Indigestion Without PPIs
Q. Because of concerns about side effects of PPI acid-suppressing drugs, I have switched to Tums. I rely on two or three of these antacids to control my heartburn. Is that safe? What else could I do? …
Did Ginkgo Biloba Keep His Mind Sharp?
Wouldn't you love to know how to keep your mind sharp and your memory intact even as you grow older? Most of us worry about losing our edge. One reader is convinced he has the answer. Indeed he might,…
Is Mail Order Safe for Summertime Supplements?
Ordering medications and supplements by mail is convenient and usually cost effective. In fact, some insurance plans demand that you use a mail-order pharmacy for prescriptions. But is it reasonable t…
Can You Trust Your Multivitamin?
It can be challenging to get all the nutrients you need from food, especially if you are taking medications. That's because many medicines can interfere with vitamin and mineral absorption. Some, like…
How to Ease Arthritic Knees with Natural Remedie…
Osteoarthritis puts its victims in a dreadful double bind. The nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) that are the standard pain relievers for arthritis, such as diclofenac (Voltaren), ibupro…
Should You Take Biotin and Resveratrol for Your …
Psoriasis is a chronic skin problem in which the immune system makes skin cells turn over much faster than normal. The result is frequently red, itchy patches on elbows, knees, scalp or other areas of…
Will Fish Oil for the Heart Contribute to Prosta…
For decades health professionals focused primarily on cholesterol (especially LDL cholesterol) as the chief culprit in heart disease. Now, other blood fats are considered important, especially triglyc…
How to Get a Good Night’s Sleep with an He…
As people learn about the possible downsides of using sleeping pills for a long time, many are searching for a better, safer way to get a good night's sleep. People with serious, long-standing insomn…
Did Turmeric Cause a Frightening Nosebleed?
We often write about the benefits of natural remedies. It is important to remember, however, that nearly any compound that has desirable effects might also have some effects that are unwanted. Many bo…
How to Raise Vitamin D Without Suffering
Vitamin D is critically important to maintain healthy metabolism as well as to keep bones strong. Many studies demonstrate the hazards of low circulating vitamin D levels, but few show that trying to…
How to Fight Depression with a Simple Supplement
Depression is common, possibly the most common mental illness. According to the CDC, this potentially crippling condition affects almost 8 percent of Americans over 12 years of age (CDC, MMWR, Jan. 6,…
How to Maximize the Benefits of Magnesium Supple…
For years we have been hearing that Americans shouldn't waste their money on supplements. Nutrition experts explain that if we ate a well-balanced diet, we wouldn't need any supplements. We'd get a…
L-Lysine Remedy for Cold Sores Scorned By Scient…
Cold sores, also known as fever blisters, can be unsightly and uncomfortable. There are prescription antivirals like acyclovir or valacyclovir that may help speed healing. Many of our readers also rep…
Popular Herbal Remedy Goldenseal Can Make the To…
Sometimes taking a supplement that is intended to improve your health can backfire. That is what happened to this reader who decided to take the herbal remedy goldenseal for greater immune system str…
How to Prevent Colds by Taking Supplements
People have been searching for centuries for a way to prevent colds. That, we've been told, was one of the motivations for dosing children with cod liver oil in the 19th and early 20th centuries. Non…
Could Cayenne Lower Your High Blood Pressure?
Many people prefer to treat chronic health problems by natural means. They hate taking pills, and the specter of side effects makes them nervous. After all, any effective medicine has a range of acti…
What Is the Story on Calcium Supplements?
When the medical experts change their minds, it can be confusing for the rest of us. One such flip-flop that has puzzled a lot of people concerns calcium supplements. For years, doctors urged their ol…
Boosting Vitamin D Did Not Keep Seniors from Fal…
Vitamin D is crucial to bone health, but also may be essential for muscle strength. Previous research has indicated that older people with too little vitamin D in their systems are more susceptible to…
Aloe Vera Gel Lowered Fasting Blood Sugar
People who want to control their blood sugar with natural products have quite a few to choose from. Keep in mind, though, that herbs and spices that can lower blood sugar might well interact with pr…
Too Much Vitamin D Resulted in Lingering Leg Pai…
Is it possible to get too much vitamin D? Nutrition advisors such as registered dietitians have worried about this for years because vitamin D, like vitamin A, is fat soluble. As a consequence, it cou…
Chondroitin Stacks Up Against Celecoxib for Reli…
A small study just presented at the American College of Rheumatology meeting shows that the dietary supplement chondroitin sulfate is about as effective as the drug celecoxib in alleviating the pain a…
Turmeric Raises the Risk for Severe Bleeding
We commend any effort to control health problems with nondrug approaches such as food choice, exercise, meditation, stress relief and so on. But we caution that it is critical to understand that even…
Is Magnesium a Miracle Mineral?
The body needs minerals to function. Without adequate levels of sodium, potassium, calcium and magnesium we would perish. Doctors often encourage patients to cut back on sodium and increase calcium. P…
Bad Reactions to Dietary Supplements Can Lead to…
How safe are dietary supplements? Many people assume that products such as vitamins, minerals or botanicals are safe because they are natural. Emergency Department Visits Due to Dietary Supplements: T…
Berberine Lowers Blood Sugar AND Cholesterol
Q. I have looked into berberine and think it may be a winner. Have you researched it? I am taking it for pre-diabetes and my wife is considering it for lowering cholesterol. Some studies I found equat…
Novel Use of Biotin to Tame Tinnitus
Tinnitus can be a terrible trial. Although the condition is not considered serious by most health care professionals, patients often report that the ringing, buzzing, chirping or whining noises that …
Cranberry Pills Prevent Urinary Infections
Years ago, we were excited when a placebo-controlled trial substantiated the "old wives' tale" that drinking cranberry juice could ward off urinary tract infections (UTIs) that kept recurring in elder…
Vitamin D Supplements Fall Short in Boosting Bon…
Despite recommendations from public health authorities for people to consume their vitamin D through pills rather than sun exposure, a new study casts doubt on the value of vitamin D supplements. The …
Benefits and Drawbacks of St. John’s Wort
Like many of our readers, we are always delighted to learn that a natural product may work as well as a pharmaceutical for a particular problem. It is always important to remember that most compounds…
Is Ginseng Safe for Cancer Patient?
Mixing alternative remedies such as herbs with prescription drugs for treating serious problems such as cancer can be risky. It is always a good idea to check with the oncology team to see if they kno…
Which Vitamin Supplements Do You Really Need?
How do you know which vitamin supplements you might need to take? This is a question that is, rightly, of great concern to many people. It is especially urgent when considering the many pronouncements…
Knee Pain Responded to Turmeric
People with chronic joint pain have difficult decisions to make. Do they take a pain reliever on a regular basis and risk the sometimes serious side effects, or do they limit their activities to what …
Bitter Melon Lowers Blood Sugar
Type 2 diabetes is usually treated with medications, but the risk/benefit ratio of the newer ones may be dubious (as we wrote here and here). That's especially the case when the expense is factored …
Are Americans Taking Too Much Vitamin D?
Many studies have revealed that a surprisingly high proportion of Americans have low levels of vitamin D circulating in their blood stream. (We have written about this observation previously.) Researc…
Can You Overdose on Ginger?
The acid-suppressing drugs known as proton pump inhibitors are intended for treating serious acid reflux known as gastroesophageal reflux disease, or GERD. In practice, though, medicines such as esome…
Garlic Keeps Her Bladder Infections at Bay
Recurrent urinary tract infections can be very hard to fend off, so we are interested in this reader's success with a simple supplement. Women who are susceptible to this problem will recognize the in…
Turmeric Is as Good as Gold for Health
Most Americans have never heard of the spice turmeric. And yet, millions consume it on a regular basis without realizing it. That's because this Asian spice provides the color in yellow mustard. Turme…
Has the FDA Turned its Back on Supplements?
Is the FDA doing its job of protecting the public health when it comes to vitamins, herbs and dietary supplements? Recent evidence has emerged suggesting that the agency has let us all down. There are…
Overcoming Vitamin D Deficiency Banished Pain an…
The symptoms of vitamin D deficiency can be extremely varied, and there is also disagreement over the best regimen for correcting it. Sometimes people have great success with supplementation, as this …
State Attorneys General Call for Federal Oversig…
Attorneys general from 14 states are begging the US Congress to do something about regulating herbal supplements. Their petition was given urgency by the recent results from a study conducted at the r…