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 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…
Can You Lower Blood Pressure with Olive Leaf Ext…
High blood pressure raises the chance that a person will experience a stroke, a heart attack or kidney problems. It is no wonder, then, that many people are interested in controlling hypertension. Sid…
Is Lack of Vitamin D Behind Your Chronic Headach…
People who are deficient in vitamin D may be more prone to chronic headaches, according to a Finnish study. The study was designed for other purposes, but it found an intriguing link between the two. …
Will Magnesium Prevent Horrible Muscle Cramps?
Are you taking a medication that could be leaching magnesium out of your body? Prescribers don't always think to warn people of that possible side effect. When magnesium drops too low, the consequence…
Could Magnesium Supplements Be a Miracle for You…
It is a truism that we need a well-balanced diet for good health. Ideally, we would routinely be eating the vegetables, fruits, whole grains and legumes that could provide all our essential vitamins a…
Can You Avoid Cold Sores by Taking L-Lysine?
Cold sores, which are sometimes called fever blisters, crop up on the lips or on the face near the mouth. In addition to being painful, they are unsightly. Cold sores are caused by the herpes simplex …
Could Fat from Fish Be Good for Your Brain?
The old wives used to claim that fish is brain food. Now a group of high-powered California scientists seem to have confirmed this idea, studying a fat from fish. What Is the Relationship Between Fat …
How to Head Off a Migraine with a Supplement
Migraine headaches can have a dreadful impact on a person's quality of life. In addition to the pain, which can be debilitating if not excruciating, these episodes often bring on nausea, vomiting and…
Is There a Treatment for Ridged Fingernails?
Do you bite your fingernails? Are they long and strong, or do they split or break? Fingernails draw our attention, although only a few nail conditions actually seem to interest dermatologists as indi…
What Is Kratom and Why Does the DEA Want to Ban …
In the last few years, Americans have become very interested in an herb that would previously have been considered exotic. Kratom has gained popularity as a substitute for narcotics that are increasin…
Will Extra Vitamin C Prevent Colds?
Every winter, millions of people suffer with congestion, coughs, fever and other symptoms of the common cold. They may lose days from work. (If they don't take time off, they spread the virus causing …
Is the Calcium Added to Almond Milk Helpful or R…
Certain sacred cows in health keep showing up time and again. Take calcium supplements as an example. Even doctors who are extremely skeptical of the value of vitamin and mineral supplements in genera…
Why You Should Take Magnesium for Strong Bones
The usual recommendations for keeping bones strong are a bit too simplistic. Generally, women are told to take high-dose calcium supplements. (Men can also get osteopenia-decreased bone mass-and oste…
Curcumin Eases Both Depression and Anxiety
Curcumin is the active ingredient in the yellow spice turmeric. Numerous studies have confirmed its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory activity. Could it help against depression and anxiety? Studying…
Could Calcium Supplements Be Bad for You?
People who take calcium supplements are more likely to end up with calcium in their arteries. That is the conclusion from a new study that took 10 years to complete. The Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosc…
Are Calcium Pills Hardening Your Heart Arteries?
The latest flip-flop in health has to do with calcium. For decades, doctors, nutrition experts and registered dietitians have been urging women to take calcium supplements to strengthen their bones. A…
Can You Overdose on Vitamin D?
Doctors generally assume that North Americans are so well nourished that they never need to worry about supplements. In fact, they sometimes fuss that people who take vitamin pills could overdose on …