DEAR DR. BLONZ: Is it reasonable that pharmacists filling my prescriptions are trained in drug, nutrient and supplement interactions and that I can expect them to alert me if there are potential problems? What if I get my prescriptions filled at a large chain drugstore? -- D.N., Walnut Creek, California

DEAR D.N.: Clinical knowledge in such interactions is expanding as researchers continue to collect pertinent information. All parties involved in your health care should be aware of how a prescribed drug works in your body.

A pharmacist's approach is shaped by the school where they received their training, as well as the pharmacy's policies. In some cases, a patient will receive their prescription along with multiple pages of accompanying information that can be daunting to read through. At some pharmacies, you may not get a consultation with a trained pharmacist unless you request it.

I work on faculty at the University of California, San Francisco (UCSF), and its Doctor of Pharmacy degree students learn how medications work, along with possible interactions with other drugs, supplements and health conditions.

Health professionals must ask the right questions, and patients and their caregivers must provide complete information in response, so that the best care can be offered. Pharmacists may need to contact the prescribing physician for clarification when conflicting medications are prescribed. (Read more about how common medications interact with essential vitamins and minerals at b.link/tvvyrxfl. Online drug interaction checkers are available; inquire with your pharmacy chain, or check out b.link/quwac8.)

We must act as our own health advocates, which includes making a complete list of concerns to discuss with those entrusted with our health care.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I read about a company that sells water-soluble minerals that they promote as angstrom-sized, elemental minerals that are 99% pure in water. If true, wouldn't this be a far better way to get our minerals? I hope you can help shed some light on this subject for me. -- W.P., Anderson, South Carolina

DEAR W.P.: The angstrom is a tiny unit of measure (1 inch = 254 million angstroms) named after a Swedish physicist that is often used for measuring wavelengths of light. The promotion of the product you mention smacks of sales-talk puffery with little clinical evidence affirming that this form has been shown to be significantly better than others on the market.

Our bodies absorb minerals from foods -- people have been doing that for centuries! A healthful diet is primary, but a wide variety of mineral supplements can help fill any nutritional gaps. Don't be swayed by products promoted with such confusing language. Demand evidence from independent researchers -- ones who don't stand to profit from the sale -- before you buy.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I'd like your advice about shopping for fresh carrots. I tend to like those with fresh greens attached, but I read in an organic gardening magazine that when carrots are pulled from the ground, it's best to break off the tops as soon as possible. The article said that this preserves the nutrients in the root -- which is the part we eat -- because the plant pulls nutrients to the top and away from the root. Is it best to pick carrots with or without tops? -- L.L., Fresno, California

DEAR L.L.: We want a fresh carrot, and we also don't want the tops on for an extended period. Carrots that are slender, firm, bright and moist from periodic watering tend to be best, as opposed to large, tough, woody-looking ones. Carrots with healthy-looking tops indicate they're freshly picked -- these are usually iced and rushed to market. Otherwise, the tops wilt. As for carrots without tops, you have no idea how long those have been around.

A good option is a high-volume produce market that moves a lot of product, where you can have confidence that even the packaged, refrigerated fresh produce is not on the shelf too long. If packaged carrots without tops are your only option, check the stem ends for any spoilage, and ask the produce clerks how long the various carrots have been on the shelf. (Check b.link/vpzar8z for more on how best to store carrots at home.)

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I started taking Pycnogenol, as I thought this "miracle" antioxidant was the best for whatever ails you. I just heard that this might not be the case, and I wanted to ask what you thought. -- P.P., Seattle

DEAR P.P.: Pycnogenol is the trademarked name of a naturally occurring antioxidant substance derived from a maritime pine tree. I don't know the extent of what you heard, but it is dubious to suggest any substance is "the best" for anything that might ail you.

The key to health, good nutrition and effective antioxidant protection is to have naturally occurring teams of substances working together, which is what you get when your diet combines a variety of whole foods, each having evolved its own formula of protective substances. Our bodies produce their own antioxidant substances, but those systems rely on a diet that includes fruits, greens and other vegetables.

While supplements can help, well, "supplement" your food intake, the foundational focus to battle "whatever ails you" should be your healthful diet, as opposed to any "miracle" substance.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: I eat whole-grain cereal for breakfast and try to have five or six servings of fruits and vegetables daily. I also take a multivitamin that contains between 100% and 200% of everything. I eat most vegetables raw (such as cauliflower, broccoli, carrots, celery and lettuce). Is having them raw good, bad, or is there no difference? Also, I take my vitamins with breakfast -- is that OK?

I am at the top end of the "normal" bracket for cholesterol, so I am very careful with fats. I am 70 years old and in good health, and I hope to stay that way. -- W.J., Livermore, California

DEAR W.J.: You have an impressive set of habits! As for vegetables -- having them is what's most important, not whether they're raw or cooked. Typically, it is best to take supplements with a main meal, but this can shift if medications must be taken at mealtime and interactions are possible. (See the FDA piece at b.link/r5ktzx8t for more on mixing medications with dietary supplements.)

As for your cholesterol, what you are doing with your diet sounds great, but don't neglect exercise as another healthful element. If you have not been active, or if you have a health issue that impedes activity, touch base with your doctor before you start. You might ask for a referral to a physical therapist to help you chart a course back to a more active lifestyle.

DEAR DR. BLONZ: A popular catalog advertises a fat-freezer device that can reshape your body by destroying and dissolving fat cells. The promotion says you simply apply the fat-freezing pads to problem areas and select a 30- or 60-minute session. The cooling process decreases fat cell temperature, causing them to break apart and be eliminated from the body naturally. It is expensive, but is it for real? -- G.K., via email

DEAR G.K.: Wouldn't it be great if it were that simple to reshape our bodies? Fat cells (adipocytes) contain fatty acids, the body's primary location for energy storage. The device you describe uses cold temperatures (around 39 degrees F) low enough to cause fat cells to rupture (cryolipolysis) and liberate their fatty acid contents. The dubious element of the claim is that fat released this way can be considered "eliminated" from the body. Such a treatment may cause fat cell contents to be liberated, but not eliminated.

Fatty acids traveling in circulation are free to find a home in fat cells elsewhere in the body, which is similar to what happens after we eat. Dietary fats, or excess calories turned into fats, travel through the circulatory system until they get picked up by fat cells for storage. When we exercise, the energy demand stimulates the release of fatty acids from fat cells to travel to and provide energy for the working muscles. Once the exercise has ended, fatty acids still in circulation get picked up by other fat cells.

The fat-freezer device is not an energy demand -- it is just a release, and not an elimination, so these fats are free to travel until they find their new home in other fat cells of the body.

Send questions to: "On Nutrition," Ed Blonz, c/o Andrews McMeel Syndication, 1130 Walnut St., Kansas City, MO, 64106. Send email inquiries to questions@blonz.com. Due to the volume of mail, personal replies cannot be provided.