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.
Do Statins Lower CoQ10 Levels? Can Supplements C…
Doctors prescribe the cholesterol-lowering drugs called statins as an essential step in treating heart disease. Many physicians also prescribe them for prevention. While many people take these medicin…
Why Don’t Vitamin D Supplements Work as Ex…
If you are taking big doses of vitamin D in the hopes that it will ward off all sorts of health problems, you may be disappointed. Most research has not demonstrated that taking high doses of vitamin …
Does Prevagen Help to Improve Memory?
The Federal Trade Commission and the New York Attorney General filed a consumer protection complaint against the maker of Prevagen in January, 2017. They charged the marketers of Prevagen with making…
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…
What Is the Story on Calcium Supplements?
When medical experts change their minds, the rest of us may become confused. One such flip-flop that has puzzled a lot of people concerns calcium supplements. For years, doctors urged their older pati…
Will Vitamin Supplements Prevent Heart Problems?
Does it make sense to take vitamin pills? Keep reading to learn more about a systematic review from several years ago. First, though, we want to address some very confusing recent research that implie…
Can Magnesium Pills Counteract Recurrent Headach…
People who suffer recurrent headaches may find themselves in a bind. Taking medication day after day can actually lead to rebound headaches if the dose is missed. No wonder people would like to know h…
Show 1378: Rediscovering the Power of Medicinal …
This week, two guests describe their work with the healing power of medicinal herbs. They draw upon family histories of herbalism along with their own studies of how to use botanical medicines. You ma…
Could a Daily Multivitamin Help You Stay Sharp?
A common multivitamin may provide some protection against cognitive decline as we age. Findings from the COSMOS study were published last year in the journal Alzheimer’s & Dementia. This year th…
Embrace Cocoa Flavanols for National Nutrition M…
March is National Nutrition Month! By now, you may have heard the prominent news around the benefits of flavanols. The Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics (AND), the world's largest organization of nut…
Is It Safe to Take Red Yeast Rice for High Chole…
Statisticians have shown that people with elevated levels of LDL cholesterol are more likely to develop clogged arteries and coronary artery disease (Heart, Lung & Circulation, March 2018). If sen…
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 indic…
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 …
Will Elderberry Extract Help You Recover from Fl…
Natural approaches to healing are getting extra attention right now, as people try hard to stay out of doctors' offices if they can. After all, if you don't have COVID-19, you don't want to go anywher…
Should You Be Taking Vitamin Supplements?
Vitamins were among the most exciting discoveries of the early 20th century. Since then, however, doctors have been expressing a lot of skepticism about the value of taking vitamin supplements. Last y…
Will You Lower Your Cholesterol With Milk Thistl…
Is your cholesterol high? If you have a family history of high cholesterol, particularly if you had parents or siblings who died of heart disease, your doctor will do as much as possible to help you c…
Will Vitamin D Help You Avoid Infection?
Does vitamin D improve resistance against viruses such as the SARS-CoV-2 virus that causes COVID-19? British researchers suggest that adequate vitamin D levels might help people avoid infection. They …
Magnesium Supplement for Irregular Heart Rhythm
Do you have an irregular heart rhythm? Even premature ventricular contractions (PVCs) that are not believed to be dangerous can be disconcerting. A person is justified in becoming alarmed over more se…
Vitamin B12 Vanquishes Canker Sores
Canker sores are not contagious. Usually, doctors explain them as the result of some trauma in the mouth, such as accidentally biting your tongue or scraping the inside of your cheek with a sharp piec…
Angular Cheilitis (Perleche) Home Remedies
Have you ever suffered with painful cracks at the corners of the mouth that just wouldn't go away? Some people also complain of redness, wrinkling, crusting or fissuring. Cold weather can make cracks …
Do Turmeric Supplements Have a Downside?
The yellow spice turmeric is extremely popular both as a food ingredient and as a supplement. When it is used to flavor food like yellow mustard or curry, turmeric is considered safe. Some case report…
Turmeric and Curcumin for Arthritis
Turmeric and its most active ingredient curcumin have gotten plenty of attention for their anti-inflammatory properties. We have heard from readers that this yellow spice used in curry powder and must…
Fish Oil for Sore Joints
People with joint pain due to arthritis or inflammation often find themselves between a rock and a hard place. Common nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) such as diclofenac, ibuprofen or nap…
If You Take Zinc, Will Your Feet Not Stink?
Do your feet smell bad? Many of the remedies for unpleasant foot odor are topical: soak the feet in a solution of baking soda, vinegar, Epsom salts or very strong tea. Any of those approaches may be q…
Stinging Nettles Soothe Seasonal Allergy Symptom…
Allergy season may differ depending on geography and what plants grow in the area. Seasonal allergy symptoms usually trouble people most during autumn or spring seasons. Many people use antihistamines…
Will Fish Oil Reduce Your Risk of Heart Disease?
Could fish oil reduce your risk of heart disease? This question has been puzzling scientists for decades. Some studies have shown benefit, while others have been inconclusive (Circulation, April 11, 2…
What Accounts for Blood Tests Showing Liver Fail…
Liver failure is a frightening situation. This organ protects your body from toxins and provides many enzymes crucial to the digestive process. Consequently, when blood tests show liver failure, patie…
Aloe Vera Gel Lowered Fasting Blood Sugar
Many people want to control their blood sugar with natural products. Fortunately, they have quite a few to choose from. However, herbs and spices that can lower blood sugar might interact with prescri…
Show 1346: The Roots of the Herbal Industry
Until 1994, when Congress passed legislation on dietary supplements, most people using herbal medicine made it themselves or got it from a friend or family member with a green thumb. Before that time,…
Why Home Remedies Deserve Respect
Before there were pharmaceutical companies, drug commercials on television, pharmacists or physicians, there were herbs and home remedies. There is archeological evidence that our stone age ancestors …
New Guidelines on Flavanols Can Help Improve Hea…
For generations, children have been urged to eat their fruits and vegetables. Now, the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics has issued guidelines that support this advice (Advances in Nutrition, Oct 3, …
Vitamin D Supplements for Babies May Boost Kids&…
Vitamin D is an essential nutrient for both children and adults. Long ago, scientists dubbed it the "sunshine vitamin" because skin can synthesize it in the presence of sunlight. Doctors in northern c…
Natural Ways to Get Your Cholesterol Down
Cholesterol is only one of numerous risk factors for heart disease. However, physicians can't do much about some of your other risk factors, such as your family history. They can prescribe medications…
Is Fish Oil Linked to Heart Rhythm Changes?
Could a supplement that people take for heart health actually lead to heart rhythm changes? Most people take fish oil with the expectation that it will lower their likelihood of a heart attack or stro…
Curcumin from Turmeric Helps People Manage Their…
Recently, there has been a great deal of excitement about prescription drugs to promote weight loss. Drugs such as Wegovy and Ozempic are expensive, however, and they are not available everywhere. Tha…
Probiotic Can Help Prevent C. Diff Due to Antibi…
Have you ever experienced a bad bout of diarrhea after finishing a course of antibiotics? This reaction is not uncommon. Now, researchers are beginning to recognize that often this problem is caused b…
Study of Vitamin D Supplements Results in Disapp…
Millions of Americans are low in vitamin D, but taking vitamin D supplements may not do any good. A study of vitamin D supplements published in The New England Journal of Medicine (online, Nov. 10, 20…
Are Gummies a Good Way to Take Supplements?
What vitamins and minerals do you take? Do you prefer pills, capsules, drops, softgels, chewable tablets or gummies? There may be differences in how well your supplements work, depending on their form…
St. John’s Wort Can Lift Mood, But May Dam…
About twenty years ago, people who were reluctant to take prescription antidepressants were excited to learn that the herbal medicine St. John's wort (Hypericum perforatum) could help alleviate mild t…
Breaking the Nail-Biting Habit
Ask people who bite their nails why they do it and you are likely to get a range of answers: stress, boredom, anxiety, excitement. Sometimes a hangnail or roughness can trigger the urge to bite. It is…