Created: 7/2/2007 9:57:49 AM 
CHICAGO -- More men are turning to nutrient supplements these days.
The gold standard for the health of many Americans is regular exercise, good nutrition and supplements.
Women buy the most herbal products, but Art Gara is among a growing number of male customers.
"Today I bought some Co Q10 for the heart. I bought some green tea as an antioxidant," said Gara.
Now in most stores, right along with pills just for women there are shelves just for men.
Advocate Lutheran General Hospital's Dr. Don Novey is a national expert in complementary medicine.
"The classic men's issues are things like prostate health, they may have problems with male-patterned baldness," said Dr. Novey.
The remedies that most nutritionists agree upon for prostate health are saw palmetto and lycopeine.
For muscle building there is creatine.
For blood circulation and the heart, there's evidence that ginkgo biloba, omega fish oils, picnogenol and L-arginine work.
Flaxseed spread on your food may help protect against heart disease and cancer, and Dr. Novey says it may even slow hair loss.
"It's very useful for decreasing some of the male hormone effects that lead to male patterned baldness," said Dr. Novey.
Dr. Novey believes that it is crucial patients follow the directions on the bottles and tell their doctor they are taking them.
"If I had to make one comment, it's that herbs are drugs, and all the same rules apply," said Dr. Novey.
One other thing that Dr. Novey and nutritionist Neil Levin agree upon is supplements cannot cure serious diseases.
They're best used along with medicines you take or to try to keep from getting sick.
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