1 in 5 people use herbs and other dietary supplements to improve their health and well being. But with all the conflicting information out there, it can be hard to tell: Are supplements good for you, or not?

On this episode of Health Matters, Dr. Brent Bauer talks about the possible benefits and pitfalls of taking supplements, and how to go about choosing the best products for you.

Buy Dr. Bauer's new book, Mayo Clinic Guide to Holistic Health, today.

Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.

Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

Constantly tuning into the news can feel stressful, and sometimes... inescapable. Even when you turn off your TV, you'll still find out what's going on - online, through friends, or through social media. So how can we find ways to be calm when it feels like we're constantly being bombarded?

On this episode of Health Matters, clinical psychologist Adam S. Anderson talks about how our bodies are wired to seek information, why negative, sensationalist news can feel addictive, and how we can adjust our relationship to the news by implementing healthy habits.

Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.

Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.

Awkward. Taboo. The stuff of juvenile comedy. That's how many people would describe hemorrhoids, if they even talk about them at all. And if the emotional discomfort isn't enough, they're also pretty physically uncomfortable.

But for something we don't talk about, a LOT of us experience them. One in two people will experience a hemorrhoid by the time they reach 50.

On this episode of Health Matters, gastroenterologist Dr. Sarah Umar — also known to her Mayo Clinic patients as the Queen of Hemorrhoids — joins us to answer all our burning questions about hemorrhoids.

Find us online at Mayo Clinic Press for more health and wellness articles, podcasts and books.

Do you have feedback, questions or topic suggestions? Email us at mcppodcasts@mayo.edu.