Watch out, vampires! We can’t get enough of garlic’s health benefits

Garlic has been in use at least since the beginning of recorded history. It’s been found in ancient Egyptian pyramids and Greek temples. Ancient medicinal texts show beneficial uses in Egypt, Greece, Rome, China and India. The Greek physician Hippocrates prescribed garlic for a number of conditions. Garlic was fed to Greek soldiers to give them courage for war and Olympic athletes to increase their performance. In ancient China and Japan, it was used as an aid for digestion and respiration and as a food preservative. In India, it was used for digestive diseases, parasites, arthritis and heart disease. In Europe in the Middle Ages, it was used as a treatment for the plague.

Ask your doctor: 'Are supplements safe to take with my Rx?'

Many of you can probably recall that questionnaire you received at your doctor’s office inquiring whether you take any dietary supplements. If you are like most people, you do not include all the supplements or vitamins you take, and might jot down a few easy ones like vitamin C even if you take others.