Maybe you take some echinacea when you feel a cold coming on or sip a little chamomile tea to soothe an upset tummy. Smart moves. But which natural health boosters should you take regularly—and when?
The answers are extra important during tough financial times, when more and more Americans are buying vitamins and supplements as they struggle to afford traditional health care.
And because women are the biggest users of supplements, it’s critical that they know which ones really work. To make safe and effective buys, try this age-targeted advice from leading women’s-health experts.
Your 30s
Calcium You may not realize that your bone health starts waning in your late 30s. That means it’s never too early to maximize bone density with calcium, says Mary Jane Minkin, MD, clinical professor of obstetrics and gynecology at the Yale School of Medicine.
“Calcium may also ease menstrual cramps because it appears to regulate muscle contractions,” she says. Shoot for a total (through diet and supplements) of 1,000 milligrams a day during your 30s and 40s, and 1,200 to 1,500 in your 50s and beyond. Dr. Minkin recommends taking the cheapest brand that agrees with your stomach—the antacid TUMS E-X 750, whose active ingredient is calcium carbonate, works well and contains 300 milligrams of calcium per tablet ($5.49; Drugstore.com). If you love chocolate, try Viactiv; it contains 500 milligrams of calcium and just 20 calories per piece ($11.49).
Magnesium and Iron If you feel cranky at the end of your cycle, 200 milligrams of magnesium may help relax you, says Roberta Anne Lee, MD, vice chair of the Department of Integrative Medicine at Beth Israel Medical Center in New York City. But you don’t need to take it every day. Daily iron pills might make sense, experts say, because plenty of women are iron-deficient as they age; they either don’t get enough iron from their diets or are low because of blood loss during their periods. Ask your doc to check your iron level with a simple blood test. If it’s low, aim for 18 milligrams of iron a day to keep your energy up.
Next: Omega-3 supplements
Comments (11)
It would have been nice if the article discussed both genders, otherwise label the headline to mention something like “Vitamins for Women.”
THis article is ridiculous. Taking calcium supplements can actually cause bone loss b/c your body thinks it has too much calcium. Just ingest it in your diet. And replens isn’t even a natural substance!
Herbs have the potential to harm as well as to heal…safe and natural are not synonymous. It’s probably important to note that licorice can raise your blood pressure and thus be dangerous for some. Black Cohosh deserves some caution as well.
This article is poorly written and the reader should take caution before acting on the advice here. First, never begin a supplement program without discussing first with a qualified professional…there are interactions to watch out for! You also don’t want to assume that just because you have stress or hot flashes that the recommended supplement is the right one for your particular pattern/symptoms. Second, I cannot believe that a physician is actually recommending TUMS as a calcium supplement! This is the worst possible advice! Wrong type of calcium and TUMS comes with its downsides.
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This article has some strange content. I am familiar with many upsides of eating flaxseed but promoting it sheerly as a source of fiber is a little weird when it has so many other significant health benefits that could be mentioned. You can find fiber in lots of other things. Vitamin B12 absorption is not easily achieved through supplements generally but that is not mentioned in the article and is made to sound like B12 deficiencies can be easily remedied. Overall I think this is a poor quality article.
I would like to have the food and drink list that was featured on the show shown on Oct. 8th, 2009.
The segment featured two women who were to guess the correct foods from the super market. Thanks1
Now all the replyes have me confused.!
what happened to the goji berry
http://www.tibetangoji.ca
I always opt for a natural remedy if at all possible. Sometimes pills are unavoidable tho.
Please notify me with more natural healing medicines
This website has help me and my family a whole lot.
Thank you so much.
Great article.
Fascinating.
Italian women eat licorice every day. In fact, licorice bars are full after lunch — and have been for decades. There must be something to it since Italians are the 2nd longest lived people (after Japan).