South Florida Sun-Sentinel (Sunday)
Plant-based quercetin may be viable remedy for allergies
Q: I started taking quercetin after reading that it could help with allergy symptoms. The product I took contained vitamin C, magnesium and bromelain in addition to quercetin. My most bothersome allergy symptom was postnasal drip. It woke me up in the middle of the night. Taking quercetin stopped the drip and allowed me to sleep better.
A: Thanks for your interesting testimonial. Quercetin is a plant-derived flavonoid. It is found in a wide range of foods, including onions, apples, berries, tea and citrus fruits. A Japanese randomized controlled trial found that quercetin improved allergy symptoms, including eye itching, sneezing, runny nose and sleep problems, significantly better than placebo (European Review for Medical and Pharmacological Sciences, June 2022).
Q: Please address breakthrough bleeding for postmenopausal women. I experienced this December 2021 after my first Moderna booster in October. I had an ultrasound, a biopsy and a D&C (only after a pregnancy test
— at age 74!). My gynecologist could not tell me why I was bleeding again. I just read that 66% of the postmenopausal women in a COVID-19 vaccine study experienced this. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention does not seem to appreciate that bleeding in a woman’s 70s would cause any female concern!
A: We can certainly understand why you were upset. Vaginal bleeding after
menopause can be a sign of a serious problem such as fibroids, or in a few cases, uterine cancer. You were right to ask the doctor to check you.
When COVID-19 started, nobody knew what effects the vaccine might have on menstruation. Scientists have since learned that vaccination can alter the cycle for a few months, without affecting fertility. (COVID-19 infections may have a more severe and persistent effect.) The study you cite was a web-based survey (Science Advances, July 15,
2022). While 66% of the postmenopausal people in the survey reported bleeding after vaccination, that does not represent the proportion of people receiving vaccines who shared your experience.
Researchers at Kaiser Permanente reviewed the medical records of nearly
500,000 women at least
55 years of age (American Journal of Obstetrics and Gynecology, July
11, 2022). Prior to vaccination, 0.39% had postmenopausal bleeding. Afterward, 0.47% experienced this. The authors write: “However, in absolute numbers, the observed
increase represents fewer than 1 in 1,000 additional women diagnosed with bleeding after vaccination compared to before vaccination.” Q: I have arthritis, and my insurance would not pay for the prescription my doctor wrote. When I asked my pharmacist for a supplement to help my symptoms, he suggested glucosamine sulfate plus chondroitin sulfate plus MSM. I took this twice a day and then as my pain eased, I went to one a day. I couldn’t believe how well it helped my symptoms. A: Thank you for sharing your experience. We have heard from other readers who have also found these dietary supplements to be helpful for joint pain. A small randomized, controlled trial showed that the combination of glucosamine-chondroitin with MSM (methylsulfonylmethane) was better than placebo or GC alone (Acta Medica Indonesiana, April 2017).