2009 won't be a walk in the park for many. Rule 1: Protect your health!

A New Year is a always a great occasion to reflect on the year just passed and set goals for the year about to arrive.

It’s always been the perfect time of year to re-commit to losing excess weight, getting into better shape, getting that blood pressure down, stop smoking, clean up your diet or start taking some supplements. These are all worthwhile, achievable goals.  But, suddenly, protecting your health has taken on a new urgency and importance.  Suddenly, even with the best health insurance in the world, taking your health for granted, or taking avoidable risks with your health is a very risky proposition. (more…)

Supplements may help with high blood pressure, but it's not just a matter of popping a few pills.

Dear AllStarHealth,

Help! My doctor’s told me that I have to go on a blood pressure medication.  I just looked up the side effects and I think it went up a few more points! I just hate the idea of taking prescription drugs. Are there any supplements I can take instead? I currently take a women’s multi and extra calcium.

Rachel,

Woodstock, NY (more…)

The research studies of today form the basis for the supplements we’ll be buying tomorrow.  So we’re always looking at what’s coming over the horizon. A periodic search of PubMed and other databases takes a long time but always reveals some surprising (and unsurprising) trends and developments in the fields of nutrition and health.  So we’ve summarized some interesting recent findings into a One Minute Research Roundup. Got a minute? Get caught up on what may be coming down the nutrition pike. (more…)

For healthy-looking skin, what goes into your body is more important than what goes on it.

People spend billions of dollars each year on skin care products of every description, all in hopes of achieving clearer, healthier or younger-looking skin.  But before you spend another dime on an overpriced/overhyped moisturizer, think about this; any skin you can see is dead tissue, and as such, there isn’t much you can put on it to make meaningful, long term changes in its health or appearance.  To achieve that, you’ve got to cultivate good skin from the inside out. Here’s your simplified guide to good-skin nutrition. (more…)

Many supplements have similar-sounding names, leading to confusion and disappointment with results.

With thousands of dietary supplements on the market and more emerging every day, there are a growing number of similar-sounding products making it all too easy to buy the wrong product for your needs.  For example, there’s calcium ascorbate, calcium pyruvate and calcium d-glucarate,  but none of these is actually a calcium supplement.   Here’s a guide to help you sort out the most  commonly-confused supplements. (more…)

Mailbag: Supplements From Sea

Q: I think we have a few too many ‘nutrition experts’ in the family! Last time we got together we had seafood, and afterward the Big Debate was about which is best; fish oil, salmon oil, krill oil, or cod liver oil. I couldn’t keep up with all the crosstalk about mercury and omegas, and all the technical details. Could you straighten me out on which is best, or at least give me something that will settle this so they can argue about something else next time?

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A stress herb that lowers cholesterol, another body blow for fructose, and a big sigh of relief for popcorn lovers. Find out what else is new in our roundup of the latest nutrition research.

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