Nutrition & Supplements

Nutrition and Supplements: A wide range of articles by Virginia Hopkins, John R. Lee, M.D. and other guest authors on the subject of nutrition and supplements.

Home Test Kits for Hormones, Vitamin D and More...
This is where to find hormone tests and test kits, including those for menopause, fertility, ovulation, pregnancy, PMS, stress cortisol, thyroid, cholesterol, male menopause, prostate and more. You'll also find test kits for osteoporosis, your water, for pesticides, for lead, for electromagnetic fields, and more.

The (Processed) Food Pyramid
The USDA food pyramid is built by the processed food industry, so take their nutrition advice with a grain of salt.

When Good Vitamins are Bad
It may seem obvious that taking vitamins is good for your health, but that s not always the case. Your vitamins can do you more harm than good.

Sunshine = Vitamin D
Getting a little sun every day, without sunblock, is important to vitamin D production.

Vitamin D - How Much to Take?
The RDA for vitamin D is way too low, but there is some scientific consensus about what's the right dose, depending on how much sunshine you get and where you live.

Vitamin D Nutrient Review
Vitamin D is an essential vitamin and an essential hormone.

Dietary Guidelines for Osteoporosis
Osteoporosis is a multi-faceted problem and not just a calcium deficiency disease. Dr. john Lee explains how a bone building diet and overall good nutrition can make all the difference in keeping bones strong.

Drugs that Cause Nutritional Deficiencies
Many common prescription and over-the-counter drugs can cause nutrient deficiencies.

Gallbladder Disease and Hormones
Women are twice as likely as men to develop gallstones, probably largely due to unidentified estrogen dominance and the excessive estrogen used in hormone replacement therapy (HRT).

Heartburn Drugs Can Cause Fractures
The acid-blocking heartburn drugs such as Prilosec and Nexium can cause bone loss leading to fractures and osteoporosis.

Soy and Hormone Balance
Is soy really a health food, or does it have too many antinutrients to qualify? And does it really help menopause symptoms? Dr. John Lee and Virginia Hopkins weigh in on whether soy is really the health food it is advertised to be and whether it helps menopause symptoms.

Use Caution with Soy Foods
Soy foods have become wildly popular in the U.S. as a health food, but Dr. John Lee explains why it's wise to eat soybeans in moderation and consider how the Japanese eat soy, which is to say almost always fermented, as in miso and tempeh, and eaten with fish and seaweed to offset the antinutrients found in soybeans.

What Your Doctor May Not Tell You about Heartburn
You don't need to take expensive drugs every day to avoid heartburn. Here are some of Dr. John Lee's commonsense solutions for reflux and heartburn.

Buyer be Aware: Diet Pills Spiked with Drugs
With diet pills spiked with dangerous prescription drugs it's time to avoid products made in China, eat less and exercise more!

Carpal Tunnel and Yellow Dye No. 5
Eating foods that contain yellow dye no. 5 (tartrazine) can deplete vitamin B6 and cause or aggravate carpal tunnel syndrome.

Children and Vitamin D
Infants and toddlers are at risk of vitamin D deficiency if mothers are vitamin D deficient. Nursing mothers in particular need to pay attention to their vitamin D levels.

Do Antioxidants Cancel the Benefits of Exercise?
Taking too many antioxidant vitamins may cancel out the benefits of free radicals, which have important jobs in the body.

Does MRSA Bacteria in Pigs Endanger our Pork Chops?
A strain of the deadly MRSA bacteria has found its way into pigs. Does that mean pork chops put us at risk for infection?

More Evidence that Vitamin D Protects Against Breast Cancer
A new study shows that women with low vitamin D levels are at a higher risk for breast cancer, but women on HRT aren't as well protected.

Red Meat is Not the Villain
Research keeps warning us away from red meat, but don't blame it on the meat--blame it on how we eat it.

Short Articles on Nutrition and Hormones
Short articles from the Hopkins Health Watch on how nutrition affects hormones.

Soy Foods and Menopause
Soy is widely touted as a cure-all for menopausal symptoms, but does it really work, and do you really want to eat that much soy?

What is Your Risk of Vitamin D Deficiency?
Adequate vitamin D levels are essential to optimal health. Find out if you might be at risk for a vitamin D deficiency and start getting more of the sunshine vitamin today!

Vitamin D and Weight Loss
Find out how vitamin D and weight loss go hand in hand.

Vitamin D Research and References
A select list of references on vitamin D if you want to get up to speed on the science and biochemistry of this important vitamin/hormone.

Vitamin D Testing Science and Biochemistry
For health care professionals and science geeks, here's the science and biochemistry of why it's so important to test properly for vitamin D.