Heart and brain nutrient also protects your hearing

Patients and readers often ask me what they can do for ear-related diseases of age. These include Menierre’s disease, as well as hearing loss and balance. It’s a tough problem. But there are a few things you can consider.

 My colleague Jonathan Wright has written up the hormone aldosterone as a potential treatment. It’s a highly active hormone that requires a prescription and monitoring. But if it works, it’s sure worth it. I’ll have more on this hormone in the future. But today, I wanted to tell you about a study on a very popular supplement that has promise to help your hearing loss. It’s our great friend CoQ10.

Why low-dose vitamin D doesn’t work most of the time

Taking low dose vitamin D supplements under 400 units per day has no benefit. At least that’s what “an influential panel of experts” says. The panel presented their opinion on NPR radio’s blog site (referenced below).

According to one of the panel members, Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo of the University of California in San Francisco, “This is the first recommendation we have looking specifically at the prevention of fractures and the prevention of cancer.” So is this a helpful recommendation, or is it just another misguided attempt to convince us that vitamin supplements are useless?

A “green” way to lose weight

You probably know that I’m a huge fan of green tea. Not only is it one of my favorite drinks (along with water), it’s a beverage that has a number of health benefits. And, as an extract, has even more powerful benefits. But now there’s another “green” extract that could be extremely healthful as well. In fact, it could help you lose those unwanted pounds.

According to a new study, green coffee beans may provide you with an easy way to lose weight. In the study, a University of Scranton team followed 16 overweight or obese people consuming just different doses of ground green coffee beans or a placebo.