In the last few weeks two awfully designed studies regarding vitamin supplementation created some negative headlines around choosing to supplement.

One study published in JAMA wrongly concluded that “vitamin E” increases the risk the prostate cancer.  Problem was they weren’t using Vitamin E, just a portion of it.  The use of only 1 portion of the Vitamin E class of molecules (in this case alpha-tocopherol) leads to other well documented deleterious consequences.  This study was a faulty design with faulty assumptions whose mistake was made countless times in studies over the past 20 years regarding Vitamin E metabolism.  But for some reason previous data was ignored.  There are additional faults with this study and the hyperbole conclusions spun by the mainstream media ‘health writer’ pundits is extraordinary.   I’ll blog on this soon. Read the rest of this entry

During pregnancy there are several supplements that show clear benefit in addition to a healthy non-junk food diet:  Vitamin D, Fish Oils (prefer high DHA) and probiotics.

Here are a few articles posted in the past about the benefits of probiotics during pregnancy:

• Reduce infant dermatitis
• Reduce atopic dermatitis
• Reduces incidences of eczema
• Given to infants it can reduce colic

A recent literature review of probiotics during pregnancy evaluated all the gold standard studies which means they are double-blind, placebo controlled.    What they found was that probiotics given during pregnancy reduced the incidence of eczema in their children from ages 2-7 years old.   What is interested is that it was only for the lactobacillus genus and not other strains such as bifidobacteria or products that contained a mixture of strains. Read the rest of this entry

You have probably seen the recent headlines about a study just released that correlated calcium supplementation with an increase risk of heart attacks and strokes.  This certainly confuses people because it has been drilled into us through the media and many doctors that calcium can only be good for us.   I find that some people are afraid to stop taking calcium because of what they have learned.   When I suggest to my patients that they stop taking calcium because it is probably causing their digestive issues and constipation their response is usually  “where am I going to get my calcium?”   A very understandable response given what we have been told.

There are a couple of problems with the mantra of “take a calcium supplement”.   One is the form of the calcium.    A large number of people buy calcium from GNC or CVS and it is most often partially (or fully) comprised of calcium carbonate.  This can be a gastrointestinal nightmare for some.   Also it isn’t the best way to get the calcium to where it needs to go?  You may have read it is very absorbable, but is it bioavailable?  Most likely it is not very usable by the body except for the most calcium deficient individuals which is often the elderly.   Sure research shows taking calcium is beneficial, but it is not without its unwanted side effects.

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I am not a huge fan of the algae Spirulina. It has been questioned to potentially cause vitamin B12 deficiencies. From a Chinese Medicine perspective it would be good for someone that is robust as the Spirulina can be very cooling and cleansing. Read the rest of this entry

It is said that 61% of the US population do not meet the minimum RDA requirements for magnesium. However that  is comparing to the government RDA standard which many say set too low a threshold, therefore the dietary inadequacies may even be higher.  In my clinic I have observed considerable improvement in many symptoms when we simply add minerals or a magnesium supplement to a patient’s regiment.  There are many possible mechanisms of action why adding magnesium supplementation improves health. (Note -  most magnesium supplements sold OTC use magnesium oxide which is one of the worst forms to take as a supplement because it needs a lot of stomach acid to be absorbed into the blood stream. Also the magnesium levels you see on a blood test are not the best indicator of magnesium stores.   You need a specialized test which lyses the red blood cells to determine if you are deficient in magnesium). Read the rest of this entry

Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS) seems to be an all too common complaint of so many people. The three typical ways IBS presents itself is: constipation dominant (IBS-C), diarrhea dominant (IBS-D) or alternating diarrhea and constipation (IBS). I’m going to generalize here, but Read the rest of this entry

A recent review study looked at fish oil supplementation as a primary prevention method of age related macular degeneration. (Age-related macular degeneration :An eye disease with its onset usually after age 60 that progressively destroys themacula , the central portion of the retina , impairing central vision.) Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) rarely causes blindness because only the center of vision is affected. However, injury to the macula in the center of the retina can impair the ability to see straight ahead clearly and sometimes make it difficult to read, drive, or perform other daily activities that require fine central vision. Read the rest of this entry