Dietary supplements and complementary medicine

Prevention: Do some vitamins and dietary supplements do more harm than good?

Antioxidant supplements generally do not help prevent cancer and other life-threatening conditions. Too high doses of the antioxidants vitamin A, beta-carotene and vitamin E may even increase the risk of dying sooner. more...

After surgery: Can ginger help prevent nausea and vomiting after an operation?

Low doses of ginger supplements before surgery cannot prevent nausea and vomiting afterwards. Doses of at least 1g might be able to help some people, but more research is needed to be sure. Ginger is not likely to cause major adverse effects. more...

Babies with high risk of allergy: Could prebiotics in infant formulas make a difference?

Infant formulas containing prebiotics might be able to prevent the development of eczema in babies who are at high risk of allergies, but they have not been tested enough to be sure. So far, none of the breast milk substitutes has been shown to provide better protection than breastfeeding. more...

Bowel cancer: Can calcium prevent it?

Trials have shown that calcium supplements can prevent bowel polyps. There is still no final answer on whether or not this also prevents bowel cancer. more...

Common colds: Can vitamin C prevent or relieve them?

Taking vitamin C every day to try to prevent colds does not protect most people from colds. It only slightly shortens the amount of time that they are ill. Starting to take vitamin C at the first sign of a cold does not affect the course of the cold. more...

Common colds: Does echinacea work?

It is not clear whether echinacea extracts can prevent colds. Some echinacea products might help to reduce the length and severity of a cold if taken at the very beginning. Because the available products are very different to one another, more research is needed. Adverse effects are rare. more...

Depression: Does hypericum (St John’s wort) help?

Some St John’s wort products can relieve mild to moderate depression in the short term. They have not been proven to have the same effect in severe depression, though. Adverse effects are less common with St John’s wort products than they are with some other antidepressants. But there may be drug-drug interactions. more...

Diarrhea: Can probiotics help?

Probiotics - including lactic acid bacteria in particular - can make diarrhea stop about one day earlier. In rare cases they can lead to serious infections in people who have very weak immune systems. more...

Neck pain: Does manipulation or mobilisation help?

Manipulation of the neck or upper back could possibly relieve chronic neck pain in the short term. But the scientific evidence for this is weak. If it does help, the effect may wear off within several weeks or months. more...

Premenstrual syndrome: Can dietary supplements help relieve the symptoms?

Calcium and vitamin B6 (pyridoxine) may be able to relieve mood swings, breast soreness and other symptoms some women regularly experience in the days leading up to their periods. more...

Water and labour pain: Does getting in a bathtub or jacuzzi help?

Getting into water in labour is really just a matter of preference for a woman. There are not very strong medical reasons either for or against birthing pools during labour. more...

Nausea in pregnancy: What might help to reduce the symptoms of morning sickness?

For some women who experience nausea and vomiting in pregnancy it might be worth trying ginger or acupressure, even if it is not absolutely clear whether these measures are helpful. If the nausea is only mild, it is good for you to pay attention to your body’s signals and then, for instance, avoid the foods that make you more nauseous. more...

Acute respiratory tract infections: Can Umckaloabo or Kaloba relieve symptoms?

There is some weak evidence that in respiratory tract infections an extract from the root of the Pelargonium sidoides could shorten the length of the illness and relieve symptoms. Yet this remedy can have adverse effects, for example gastrointestinal problems. more...