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.
Reducing Cancer Risk With Vitamin D and Magnesiu…
Scientists have linked low levels of vitamin D to a higher risk for cancer, especially colorectal cancer. What do they say about minerals? Is there a role for them in cancer prevention? A new study pu…
Quercetin Is a Natural Way to Relieve Spring All…
Spring brings warmer days, butterflies, blooming flowers and–pollen. If your spring allergies are bothersome, you might be looking for a natural approach to alleviate itchy eyes, sneezing, hea…
Can Your Gut Microbiome Affect Your Memory?
A decade ago, no one would have imagined that the bacteria in your digestive tract could in any way interact with your brain. We assumed that the brain and the belly were completely isolated. But ther…
Can You Boost Your Resistance to COVID-19?
COVID-19 has infected more than 100 million people around the world and killed more than 2.2 million. In the US, those figures are currently 26 million infected with more than 442,000 deaths. You know…
Should You Take Calcium Supplements for Leg Cram…
Many people complain that they are often awakened by severe nighttime leg cramps. They may have tender muscles in the morning as a consequence, but the biggest problem is the pain along with the sleep…
Show 1208: Keeping Kids Healthy in the Age of Co…
Schools are closed and kids are home so that they don’t catch COVID-19 and spread it to family members. Of course, parents don’t want their children to get sick, either. How are we keeping kids he…
What Can You Do to Control Arthritis Pain?
Shelter-at-home restrictions have meant widespread cancellation of exercise classes. Participants miss their workouts, and they also miss the camaraderie and community they find in class. Some readers…
What Can Help You Stay Sharp as You Age?
Do you know how to stay healthy? Chances are you are aware that exercise and diet are keystones of good health throughout your life. You and your health care provider may also be paying attention to y…
Do Green-Lipped Mussels Ease Arthritis Pain?
Have you thought of taking a medicine that helps your dog or cat? Taking veterinary medicine could be a big mistake. People and animals may respond differently to medications. However, one couple was …
Should You Avoid Coffee When You Take Your Vitam…
Do you know how to take your vitamins? Readers often ask us if they should swallow their supplements in the morning or midday, and whether juice or water is the preferred beverage. One reader is wonde…
Boswellia Boosted Pain Relief from Glucosamine
We are puzzled by the research on supplements such as glucosamine and chondroitin. These compounds have a reputation for easing joint pain. In Europe, they are prescribed as pharmaceuticals and meet c…
Are There Benefits from Taking Ginseng?
For the past 30 years, Americans have been turning to herbs to prevent or treat health problems. Sometimes plant-based medicines have reputations that may not be supported by scientific research. One …
Do Ginseng Supplements Raise Blood Pressure?
Ever since the mid-1990s, Americans have been exploring the potential benefits of herbal medicines. Many have been experimenting with ginseng, perhaps because it holds an important place in traditiona…
Do Vitamin D3 Pills Cause Digestive Distress?
Vitamin D is a crucial compound. When levels of this vitamin (which is also a hormone) are low, people are more prone to strokes or heart attacks, diabetes, COPD, macular degeneration and a number of …
Can You Prevent Dementia With Grape Seed Extract…
The three top health worries are heart disease, cancer and dementia. Heart disease and cancer are certainly worrisome, but let's focus for now on dementia. We have written about the possibility that c…
Coffee as an Herbal Remedy and a Special Treat
Have you considered coffee as an herbal remedy? Does that get your attention? Or do you need your morning coffee first? You may not think of coffee as an herbal remedy, but we’d like to suggest that…
Vitamin B12 Lack Led to Balance and Memory Probl…
If you have experienced trouble with your balance, you might have told yourself you're getting older. (Always true, but not always an explanation.) Or perhaps you have attributed a parent's forgetfuln…
Should You Take CoQ10 for Atrial Fibrillation?
The use of supplements has been controversial for years. Could supplements slow aging and prevent heart disease? Are supplements useless for promoting health? To get an answer, we need to examine the …
Where Can You Learn About Home Remedies?
This article is about home remedies. But we want to issue one special caveat as the nation is in the throes of a terrifying pandemic. We know of no home remedies to prevent or cure COVID-19. We are ev…
Can SAM-e Help Ease Your Back Pain?
The pain of arthritis can be very difficult to manage. Arthritis does not take vacations. On the other hand, common pain relievers such as diclofenac (prescription), ibuprofen or naproxen can be dange…
Will Taking Pycnogenol Help Heal Eczema?
Eczema is a very common and often extremely annoying skin condition. Sufferers complain of a red itchy rash along with very dry skin. They may have particular trouble with places where the skin folds …
Will Taking Fish Oil Protect You from Heart Dise…
Does eating fish or taking fish oil protect people with heart disease? That has been a slippery question over the past several years. A year ago, the VITAL study results suggested that people fare no …
What Are the Pros and Cons of Biotin for Strong …
Biotin is a naturally occurring vitamin found in foods such as beef liver, eggs, salmon or pork. Some plants are also good sources of biotin, although levels are lower in sunflower seeds, sweet potato…
Show 1187: Are Supplements Really a Waste of Tim…
Last summer, a major review of research on supplements to improve heart health concluded that most do nothing to prevent heart attacks, strokes or premature death from cardiovascular causes (Annals of…
Do Selenium Supplements Cause Leg Cramps?
Most people who take supplements do so not expecting any type of unanticipated reaction. Occasionally, however, they get an unpleasant surprise. One reader reported that selenium supplements were link…
Raspberry Powder to Fight Travelers’ Diarr…
Whether you term it Delhi Belly or Montezuma's Revenge, travelers' diarrhea is no joking matter. You don't even have to be trekking through rough terrain in undeveloped places. Researchers recently fo…
Flip Flops on Fish Oil: Omega 3 Fats Now Have He…
Are you fed up with flip flops? The latest U-turn on dietary supplements has to do with omega 3 fats. There was a time when Americans were told that little golden footballs containing some kind of fis…
Will MSM Improve Hair Growth?
Is there anything you can take to improve hair growth? Some supplement manufacturers claim that their nutraceuticals can help achieve thick, healthy hair. Our readers embrace one popular supplement th…
What Dose of Vitamin D Is Good?
In the early part of the 20th century, when vitamin D was discovered, scientists found that it prevented rickets. Since then, low levels of vitamin D have been implicated in a range of health conditio…
What Can Vitamin K2 Do for You?
The early 20th century was the Golden Age of vitamin research. Scientists identified previously unknown compounds and named them in order: vitamins A, B, C and so on. The B vitamins turned out to be a…
Can Magnesium Relieve Muscle Cramps at Night?
Muscle cramps at night are sleep-stealers. They can wake you from a sound sleep with sudden horrifying pain and a tight spasm. Mostly, such nocturnal cramps afflict the calves, but some people report …
How Well Does Vitamin D Help Fight Osteoporosis?
Vitamin D has a reputation for building strong bones, so you might expect that taking supplements would help fight osteoporosis. Unfortunately, a study published in JAMA suggests that might be unreali…
Can Turmeric Relieve Your Aches and Pains?
Do you have trouble getting relief for your aches and pains? Lots of people take common pain relievers like ibuprofen (Advil, Motrin IB) or naproxen (Aleve) to manage joint and muscles discomfort. Whi…
What Time Is Best to Take Melatonin?
How do you deal with sleeplessness? Although people frequently take sleeping pills such as zolpidem (Ambien, Intermezzo, Zolpimist), zaleplon (Sonata) or eszopiclone (Lunesta), they may become depende…
Are Diets and Supplements Useless for Your Heart…
Most people believe that a good diet is a cornerstone of vibrant health. Many also take supplements as dietary insurance to make sure that they get the nutrients they need. A massive new review of 277…
Diabetes Risk No Lower with Vitamin D Supplement…
People with very low levels of vitamin D are known to be at higher risk for developing type 2 diabetes. A study demonstrates that vitamin D supplements don’t alter diabetes risk (New England Journal…
Will Flaxseed Save Nails Damaged from Psoriasis?
Many people assume that ugly nails indicate a fungal infection of the nail bed. While this is frequently a reasonable conclusion, psoriasis can also cause nails to become discolored, crumble or separa…
Will L-Arginine Help Your Blood Pressure?
If you've ever browsed the supplement shelves of your local health food store, you may have encountered l-arginine. This amino acid is found in proteins you may consume on a regular basis. Nuts and se…
Will Cannabidiol Relieve Chronic Pain?
People with chronic pain often have difficulties trying to get relief. Doctors used to prescribe narcotics, but the opioid crisis has made many physicians reluctant to do so. NSAIDs, either prescripti…
Will Taking Krill Oil Help Your Dry Eyes?
Is there any value in taking supplements? Doctors have been debating this question for years. While many specialties have been extremely skeptical about the value of dietary supplements, ophthalmologi…