Placebo

Trouble in the dietary supplement manufacturing industry may leave consumers wondering which products are safe and which actually deliver what is listed on the "supplement facts" label. There's no way to know for sure without sending the supplements to...

Already known as a popular herb for its reputed energy-boosting effects, American ginseng may help reduce symptoms of fatigue for cancer patients undergoing chemotherapy or radiation, according to a new study. Mayo Clinic researchers found that after...

Boonsboro resident Bill Gormley wasn’t being extra careful on Friday the 13th, saying he doesn’t buy in to the idea of the date bringing bad luck. “It’s all coincidence,” said Gormley, 64. “If you walk under a...

A birth control gel for men sharply lowered sperm counts with few side effects, researchers reported Tuesday. The gel, containing testosterone and a synthetic progestin called Nestorone, will require substantially more testing, but it has the potential to...

Back pain. Eighty percent of us have it at some point, and it's notoriously hard to treat because the source of the pain can involve the muscles, ligaments, joints or tendons. Yoga, acupuncture, massage, herbs and spinal manipulation can be effective,...

Vitamin E supplements increase the risk of prostate cancer in healthy, middle-aged and older men, according to research published today that strengthens the evidence that some micronutrients, often marketed as antioxidants, are ineffective at preventing...

The pounds continue to melt off for 37-year-old Cecelia Hylak-Reinholtz, one of the women I interviewed for this piece about the long-discredited hCG diet. When the article appeared in the Chicago Tribune in August, Hylak-Reinholtz had dropped 100 pounds....

Bonnie Addario didn't even know there was a word for what was happening to her. As if lung cancer weren't bad enough, the 54-year-old had lost 30 pounds off her normally 130-pound frame. Her life was limited to her husband's Barcalounger, where she had to...

The claim: Nivea My Silhouette! Skin cream can significantly reduce consumers’ body size. One television ad states that the product “helps redefine the appearance of your silhouette and noticeably firm skin in just four weeks.” The...

There’s a very interesting and unusually civilized debate going on over at the Atlantic.com, where David H. Freedman has written a boldy-headlined piece called “The Triumph of New Age Medicine.” In the essay, Freedman explores why...

Imagine having the fountain of youth as close at hand as the bathroom. We're not there yet — but there's a burgeoning number of at-home, high-tech beauty gadgets that claim to smooth wrinkles, whiten teeth and remove hair without the need to...

Struggling with the black dog of depression? The supplement aisle abounds with options for people seeking a non-medicinal remedy — but figuring out what works and what doesn't can be a challenge for consumers and experts alike. That's because...