Readers Suggest More Integrative Physicians for Our Online Guide

How could we have left out naturopathic physicians, readers wondered? We wonder ourselves. Here’s an update. In August we brought you a list of leading integrative physicians who have excellent, easily digestible newsletters, blogs, or websites on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) available to patients and the general public. In this update, we add NDs… Continue reading Readers Suggest More Integrative Physicians for Our Online Guide

Flawed Testosterone Analysis Spurs Misleading Media Headlines

By Blake Gossard, Kira Schmid, ND, Luke Huber, ND, MBA, Steven V. Joyal, MD The age-related decline of men’s testosterone levels is inevitable. Unless aging men replace their diminishing testosterone, they could succumb to any of the numerous health problems linked to low testosterone levels: frailty, muscle loss, weight gain, impaired cognition, fatigue, loss of… Continue reading Flawed Testosterone Analysis Spurs Misleading Media Headlines

Federally-Funded Analysis Attempts to Undermine Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

By Blake Gossard, Kira Schmid, ND, Luke Huber, ND, MBA, Steven V. Joyal, MD Readers of Life Extension Magazine® are well aware of the recent track record of the United States Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF). In May 2012, this taxpayer-funded group recommended that men avoid life-saving PSA blood tests. In the December 2012 issue of Life Extension, the fundamental flaws that drove this ill-advised proposition… Continue reading Federally-Funded Analysis Attempts to Undermine Vitamin and Mineral Supplements

What Supplements Are

Dietary supplements refer to a broad range of products that fill gaps in our diet and provide natural health care remedies. Multivitamins, omega-3/fish oil, vitamin D, vitamin C, and calcium are just a few of the thousands of products that more than 150 million Americans regularly consume. Congress has defined “dietary supplement” as a product… Continue reading What Supplements Are

Catch 22

Decades of research has affirmed that natural products are safe and effective, and in many cases, can be a desirable alternative to pharmaceutical drugs for promoting health, alleviating symptoms, and curing disease. However, regulators such as the FDA have created a “Catch-22” that prevents dietary supplement manufacturers from informing consumers about potential health benefits and… Continue reading Catch 22

Current Science

Supplements vs. Pharmaceuticals “Let food be thy medicine and medicine be thy food.” –Hippocrates (Father of Western Medicine) Like food, dietary supplements are one of the safest things we put in our bodies. Products like multivitamins, omega-3/fish oil, vitamin D, vitamin C, and calcium can be used to fortify your health or treat ailments and… Continue reading Current Science

How Supplements Are Regulated

Dietary supplements are zealously regulated by multiple federal agencies in order to ensure products are safe and that product labels are truthful and accurate. Claims that dietary supplements are unregulated completely overlook the extensive regulatory framework that governs the industry, and ignore the industry’s lengthy record of safety and benefit to consumers. In 1994, Congress… Continue reading How Supplements Are Regulated

Crispy, Golden…and Potentially Dangerous!

Grass-fed, organic, free-range. But are you undermining those benefits with the way you cook your food? Last week we told you about the research indicating that, although not essential, it might be a good idea to cook mushrooms before eating. This week we discuss what happens when you cook other food at higher temperatures. Advanced… Continue reading Crispy, Golden…and Potentially Dangerous!

Nutritionists Excluded in New Federal Bill

A new Senate bill introduced last week by Sen. Jeff Merkley (D-OR) called the “Older Americans CARE Act” provides funding for programs that support the elderly. The bill states that those services can be provided by “a nurse, registered dietitian, case manager, health coach, or social worker.” As introduced, “nutritionist” is not included in that… Continue reading Nutritionists Excluded in New Federal Bill