When traditional therapies no longer work, natural remedies may be the only relief for headaches.

The good news is that a handful of supplements have proven to be effective in a number of small studies. Though supplement makers don’t have the big bucks to do large scale studies, smaller studies have convinced some specialists—and many patients—that some of these alt meds are worth a try, especially since they come with a low risk of side effects. Caveat: Always discuss your treatment with a doctor, and don’t take these supplements without consulting a doctor if you are pregnant or breastfeeding.

These are a few of the natural remedies that may calm your headaches.
Read on to see why they work and which will work best for you.

Vitamin B2
Vitamin D
Magnesium
Butterbur
Feverfew and Ginger

It takes more than a little sunshine to correct a vitamin D deficiency.

“Clearly solar exposure is an influence — there is no doubt about that — but you cannot predictably say that a certain amount of exposure will normalize vitamin D deficiency,” said Dr. Gallo, chief of dermatology and professor of medicine and pediatrics at the University of California, San Diego, in an interview with Medscape Medical News.

Food sources such as sardines with the skin and bones, eggs with yolks, and beef liver among a few others.

A supplement may be necessary if you can’t consume a diet rich in vitamin D.

Screening for deficiency or insufficiency of vitamin D is easily done in your doctor’s office.

Your physician can recommend the best supplement for you.

Lactose intolerance can be confused with lactose allergies.

Whatever your ailment you can still enjoy dairy products. There are many brands of lactose-free dairy products and lactose digestive aids.

Many people who are lactose intolerant (or malabsorptive) can eat yogurt and have no gastrointestinal issues because of the active live cultures, like lactobacillus bulgaricus.

Hard cheeses like parmesan, Swiss, cheddar and colby have smaller amounts of milk sugar and great quantities of milk solids which make them easier on the digestive system.

Lactose intolerance has several causes. In rare cases, it is caused by a rare-autosomal recessive trait, in which the body cannot create the enzyme lactose at all. Primary lactase deficiency tends to occur in adults, in which they lack the lactose persistence gene. Just as it sounds, the body loses its ability to produce the enzyme lactase over time.
However, as humans “domesticated” dairy animals and continued to consume dairy products, the gene for lactose persistence has prevailed for survival. In many cultures, dairy products from various mammals, such as cows, sheep and goats, can feed more individuals than the meat of the animal alone.

The benefits of vitamin D for weight loss are becoming clear.

Although the best source of vitamin D is from the sun it appears in a recent study that supplements can contribute greatly to weight loss.

According to a recent randomized, controlled trial on vitamin D out of Tehran University in Iran, overweight women receiving regular doses of vitamin D at amounts higher than the typical recommended daily allowance (RDA) fared much better than a placebo group at losing weight. And despite being an observational study, the findings suggest that vitamin D is a causative factor in this accelerated weight loss, rather than a correlative factor.

Among 77 overweight women randomly assigned to receive either 1,000 international units (IU) daily of vitamin D or a placebo, the vitamin D group lost five more pounds than the placebo group after a 12-week trial period. The vitamin D group also experienced improved lipoprotein and cholesterol ratio scores, which confirms a number of other studies that show vitamin D helps to improve cardiovascular health and prevent heart damage.

.

Inspiration or instigation?

Some people feel that this advertising campaign goes too far in making the point.

How often should we be eating cheese?

Never? Wow. This is a long way from the “everything-in-moderation” message. And it’s also out of synch with mainstream nutrition advice. Federal dietary guidelines say it’s OK to eat small amounts of saturated fat — not more than 10 percent of daily calories. And heck, cheese does have two things our bodies need: protein and calcium.