I’ve spent more than 30 years in the supplement industry, which means I’ve watched an enormous number of “next big things” come and go. Superfruits, exotic botanicals, miracle antioxidants, whatever the current headline promises. Early on, I chased a lot of them. At some point I stopped, and the reason is worth explaining, because it … Read more
You’ve probably seen the term “oxidative stress” on supplement labels and health articles for years. It’s used constantly and explained almost never. Since it sits at the center of so much cellular health — and so much marketing — it’s worth understanding plainly, so you can tell real information from noise. Start with the basics. … Read more
The supplement world runs on testimonials. Dramatic before-and-after stories, glowing personal accounts, someone swearing a product changed their life. I’ve been in this industry over 30 years, and I want to tell you why I treat those stories with caution — even the ones about products I use and believe in. The core problem is … Read more
I have a background in physics and chemistry, not medicine. But evaluating research isn’t really about credentials — it’s about a handful of habits you can learn and apply to anything. Since I write about science here and ask you to take some of it seriously, I think it’s only fair to show you how … Read more
Modern health advice is overwhelmingly organized around symptoms. Tired? Here’s an energy product. Achy? Here’s something for that. Not sleeping? Here’s a sleep aid. Each one targets the thing you can feel. And there’s nothing wrong with relief — but if you only ever chase symptoms, you can spend years managing effects while the underlying … Read more
After three decades in the supplement industry, I’ve watched thousands of products come and go. Most make the same basic promise in slightly different packaging. Over the years I’ve boiled my own decision down to one question that cuts through nearly all of the marketing: does this address a mechanism, or does it just add … Read more
Walk down any supplement aisle and the message is everywhere: more antioxidants, higher ORAC scores, stronger free-radical protection. It’s an appealing story because it’s simple. Free radicals damage cells, antioxidants neutralize them, so more must be better. The problem is that the biology doesn’t actually work like a simple counter. I’ve spent over 30 years … Read more
If you’ve been reading this blog for a while — or if you’ve just found it and gone back through the archive — you now have a more complete picture of cellular health and redox signaling than most people ever develop. You understand that your body produces redox signaling molecules naturally, that production declines with … Read more
After writing about cellular health and redox signaling for several months, certain questions come up repeatedly. Here are the most common ones, answered as directly as I can. Is this just another supplement trend? No — and the distinction is important. The science of redox signaling is documented in thousands of peer-reviewed papers published over … Read more
Health decisions involve a kind of economics that most people haven’t explicitly thought through. Short-term fixes have immediate, visible payoffs. Take a pain reliever and the pain stops. Take a sleep aid and you sleep. Take an energy supplement and you feel more alert. These interventions are easy to justify because the benefit is immediate … Read more
