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They say two heads are better than one. Evidently the adage applies to osteoarthritis supplements as well: A new study reports that sufferers who took glucosamine and methylsulfonylmethane (MSM) had better results than patients who took either supplement alone. Scientists at Nizam’s Institute of Medical Sciences in Hyderabad, India, studied 118 people who took either 500 milligrams of glucosamine, 500 mg of MSM, 500 mg of a combination of both, or a placebo three times a day for 12 weeks.

Those who took the combo reported only about half as much pain as the people who took either supplement alone, and got relief faster.

Glucosamine is often paired with chondroitin; if you want to cover all your bases, some supplements combine all three.

The next time a cough keeps your little one awake at night, don’t reach for medicine: New research suggests that simple sugar syrup—or even water—can ease symptoms just as well. What’s more, the nondrug alternatives are a lot safer.

Doctors at the Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine in Hershey asked parents of 100 sick children to rate their kids’ coughs and sleep quality over two consecutive nights. The first night, the children were given no medication; the second night they were divided into three equal groups to receive either a diphenhy-dramine syrup, a dex-tromethorphan syrup, or a placebo syrup of sugar and water.

By every measure, the sugar syrup performed nearly identically to the drugs. The authors suspect it may help by triggering the placebo effect. “I believe any liquid would do just as well,” says lead author and pediatrician Ian Paul.

Whatever accounts tor the results, the researchers advise parents to avoid giving cough medicine to children. They don’t do much good, they sometimes cause allergic reactions and other side effects—and having them around the house brings the risk of accidental overdose.

The last thing you’d think to suggest to someone with anorexia is to exercise. In fact, many eating disorder treatment programs don’t include exercise, since it can become one more thing a person obsessed with staying thin is likely to overdo. But a new study suggests that the right kind of activity can actually help.

Conducted at the Renfrew Center, a treatment facility for eating disorders in Philadelphia, the research followed 254 anorexic women for six months. Half got psychological counseling and engaged in a fitness program that included yoga, Pilates, strength training, and gentle aerobics such as jumping rope, wheelbarrow races, and whiffle ball; the other half participated in psychotherapy alone. By the end of the study, the women in the combo group had gained 40 percent more weight than those who got just talk therapy.

How did exercise help? “The program helps people learn to be physically active in a way that isn’t focused on changing their bodies or losing weight,” says Rachel Calogero, a research associate at the Renfrew Center and coauthor of the study. “I wish more treatment programs would incorporate this kind of training.”

With infectious disease rates rising over the past decade, scientists have been scouring our everyday environment for potentially overlooked sources of germs. Researchers at the University of Colorado at Boulder found one such microbe hideout in a seemingly innocuous.
In five soap scum samples taken from four different vinyl shower curtains, researchers found all sorts of organisms, including Sphingomonas bacteria, which can lead to urinary tract infections, pneumonia, and abscesses, and Methylobacterium, which can also cause pneumonia as well as skin ulcers, inflammation of the cornea, and bacteria in the bloodstream.

The researchers think these pathogens are mainly a risk for people with troubled immune systems. But even if your immune system is strong, it’s not a bad idea to keep the cooties on your shower curtain in check. A well-directed spray of 10 percent bleach solution should do the trick.

I take TUMS for calcium; if I get a little sun every day, do I need to take vitamin D, too?

answer:
TUMS are an inexpensive and  convenient source of calcium, but they don’t include vitamin D, which is crucial for absorption.

In theory, you can get the vitamin D you need from sunlight; all it takes is 10 to 15 minutes of sunscreen-free sun exposure at least two times a week. But for many people this isn’t simple: If you live in a northern region, or even in an area with lots of air pollution, you may not be exposed to enough of the UV light that’s required, especially in winter. People with dark skin, the elderly, and those with celiac disease have an especially hard time with this.

If you suspect you’re not getting enough, you may want to supplement. The current recommendations for vitamin D intake (from food and supplements) are 200 international units (IU) daily for adults under 50,400 IU for people ages 51 to 70, and 600 IU for those over 71.

One more thing: TUMS don’t contain aluminum, which some studies have linked to Alzheimer’s disease, but other antacids may; check the labels before you buy.

Just about every component of furniture can emit low doses of gases known as volatile organic compounds or VOCs. Such exposures can irritate the eyes, nose, and throat, cause headaches, and exacerbate asthma. The most common is formaldehyde, found in composite wood products such as press board, particleboard, and medium-density fiberboard.

To avoid VOCs, choose solid wood pieces whenever possible, and select upholstered items with removable covers you can wash before use. Air new furniture outside for as long as you can, and keep windows open for at least 48 hours after you move it in. “The more air you can get circulated around it, the better. If nothing else, you could always cultivate a taste for antiques.

My child keeps getting ear infections and our doctor wants to insert ear tubes. Can any alternative therapies help?

answer:
You’ve got a good shot. Though most mainstream doctors haven’t yet turned a friendly ear, research suggests that recurrent ear infections can be caused by intolerance to certain foods and treated by eliminating those foods.

“It’s virtually malpractice that every pediatrician isn’t trying this approach,” says physician Bill Manahan of the University of Minnesota Medical School in Minneapolis. “It’s such an easy first step.”

One of the best studies tested 104 kids with recurrent ear infections and found that 81 of them had at least one food allergy. Cutting the offending foods from their diet for four months helped 86 percent of those kids—and when the foods were reintroduced, 94 percent had a new bout of illness.

Typical culprits are dairy products, wheat, chocolate, and soy, says Manahan. He suggests identifying foods your child eats a lot of and eliminating each completely—one at a time—for two to three weeks. If that helps, enforce the taboo for a few months, then reintroduce the foods one by one every four days or so.

Eight to 10 grams per day of the natural sweetener xylitol, in the form of gum or syrup, may also help; shop for it at xylitolstore.com. And some kids have gotten good results from craniosacral therapy or homeopathy.