Category: Herbs & Supplements
Pycnogenol – Does maritime pine bark extract live up to the hype?
Prescribed medicines are somewhat resistant to fads. Marketing can certainly drive demand and use, but long-term use tends to be driven by effectiveness. Some medicines used routinely today are decades old (e.g., penicillin for strep throat) because nothing better has been identified. Other drugs may be used for decades, only to largely disappear as newer, more effective treatments are introduced (I’m thinking...
#Oatzempic – The viral oat-based alternative to Ozempic?
Can the Oatzempic diet deliver Ozempic-like weight loss?
Widespread Use of Dietary Supplements Linked to Liver Damage
Millions of Americans are taking herbal remedies that may be toxic to the liver.
Elderberry (What is it good for)
Accumulated evidence does not demonstrate that elderberry has meaningful beneficial effects.
The NCCIH embraces the quackery that is “functional medicine”
The process of "integrating" quackery with medicine continues apace as the National Center for Complementary and Integrative Health embraces the quackery that is "functional medicine."
Magnesium oil: Not so magical
Despite the hype, there is no evidence to show magnesium oil is effective for any purpose.
No Benefit to Daily Multivitamin Use
A 20-year analysis of almost 400,000 generally healthy adults shows that vitamins do not help you live longer.
Amazon goes where the FDA does not
Amazon has implemented new quality standards for some dietary supplements.
Collagen Supplementation: Hype and Hope
Collagen is an expensive protein supplement - nothing more.
What are “Adaptogens”?
The multi-billion dollar “snake oil” industry is nothing if not good at marketing. This is probably because this is not one or even a small number of companies, but likely thousands of companies and millions of individuals crowdsourcing many different marketing strategies. Those that work tend to prosper and proliferate, spawning variations. The rhetoric has been evolving in this way for at...