From Memios
The Longevity Letter
Practical writing and video on living strong and active into your 90s. No hype, no supplements to sell. Just what the evidence supports and what it looks like on an ordinary Tuesday.
579 items
SupplementsTurkey tail
Most evidence concerns the PSK extract given with chemotherapy after cancer surgery in Japan. A meta-analysis of 8,009 gastric cancer patients found a modest survival advantage.
2026-09-30 · 8 min read
SupplementsValerian
Disputed. The honest summary is that the evidence is weak and contradictory.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsVitamin B12
The clearest evidence concerns people who are deficient or at risk: long-term metformin use and long-term acid-suppressing drugs (PPIs and H2 blockers) are associated with lower B12 status.
2026-09-30 · 11 min read
SupplementsVitamin C
Vitamin C is an essential nutrient, so correcting a deficiency is genuinely curative - untreated scurvy is fatal.
2026-09-30 · 17 min read
ResearchWhat do the trials actually show for fibre, fluid, laxatives, movement, toileting and pelvic floor training?
The 2023 joint American Gastroenterological Association and American College of Gastroenterology guideline gives its strongest recommendations with moderate certainty to polyethylene glycol.
2026-09-30 · 25 min read
MedicationsZolpidem
The best evidence for zolpidem is short-term trial evidence in insomnia, and the measured effect is modest: pooled analysis of the trials submitted to the FDA found it shortened the time to fall asleep by about 22 minutes versus placebo.
2026-09-30 · 25 min read
SupplementsAndrographis
A systematic review of 33 trials (7,175 patients) found it improved cough, sore throat and overall symptoms of acute respiratory infections, but the trials were of poor quality.
2026-09-30 · 11 min read
MedicationsBaclofen
It is approved to reduce spasticity from multiple sclerosis and spinal cord disease, though a Cochrane review found the trial evidence for anti-spasticity drugs in MS poorly documented.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
SupplementsCat's claw
Limited evidence. It is promoted for arthritis, cancer, viral infections and immunity.
2026-09-30 · 10 min read
SupplementsChaga
Chaga is claimed to help with inflammation, immunity, blood sugar and cancer, but these effects come from laboratory and animal studies.
2026-09-30 · 10 min read
MedicationsDiltiazem
In a large trial in high blood pressure, diltiazem prevented heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular deaths about as well as diuretics and beta-blockers, with fewer strokes.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
SupplementsLavender, oral
The evidence for oral lavender comes almost entirely from Silexan trials, and nearly all of them were funded by its manufacturer.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read
SupplementsMaitake
A systematic review found a lack of systematic study of maitake's safety and effectiveness in people.
2026-09-30 · 8 min read
SupplementsMugwort
Mugwort has long traditional use for digestive and gynaecological complaints, and laboratory and animal studies report antioxidant, antispasmodic and other effects.
2026-09-30 · 11 min read
MedicationsNaproxen
The trial evidence shows naproxen relieves short-term pain well: in reviews of dental and surgical pain, about half of people got useful relief versus 15% on placebo.
2026-09-30 · 17 min read
MedicationsPrednisolone
The evidence depends on the condition. Steroids like it cut hospital admissions for acute asthma and treatment failure in COPD flare-ups.
2026-09-30 · 14 min read
SupplementsSage
Small trials suggest common sage may reduce menopausal hot flushes, and a few small studies report better memory scores, but the evidence base is small and often manufacturer-funded.
2026-09-30 · 13 min read
MedicationsSumatriptan
Well established. Large Cochrane reviews show it works for acute migraine.
2026-09-30 · 15 min read
SupplementsThunder god vine
Limited evidence. The strongest evidence is for rheumatoid arthritis.
2026-09-30 · 12 min read
MedicationsThyroid
Limited evidence. It replaces thyroid hormone in people with an underactive thyroid.
2026-09-30 · 12 min read
SupplementsTremella
Limited evidence. Most research on tremella is in cells and animals.
2026-09-30 · 7 min read
Supplements5-HTP
Limited evidence. The evidence is thin rather than absent.
2026-09-29 · 16 min read
MedicationsAcetaminophen; Hydrocodone
Limited evidence. In a single-dose dental-surgery trial it relieved pain better than placebo.
2026-09-29 · 11 min read
MedicationsAcetaminophen
The evidence is use-specific and does not uniformly support 'it works for pain.' For single-dose acute pain (e.g. after surgery), Cochrane review data give a number needed to treat (NNT) of about 3.6 for a 1000 mg dose.
2026-09-29 · 15 min read