All Videos for Complementary Medicine

Turning the Clock Back 14 Years

Four simple health behaviors may cut our risk of chronic disease by nearly 80%, potentially dropping our risk of dying equivalent to that of being 14 years younger.



Magic Bullets vs. Promiscuous Plants

The pharmaceutical industry is starting to shift away from designing single target drugs to trying to affect multiple pathways simultaneously, much like compounds made by plants, such as aspirin and curcumin—the pigment in the spice turmeric.



Plants as Intellectual Property – Patently Wrong?

Barriers to patent natural commodities, such as the spice turmeric, keeps prices low—but if no one profits, where is the research funding going to come from?



Appropriating Plant Defenses

Plants and animals share similar biochemical pathways and signaling systems, which may explain why so many phytonutrients are beneficial to our physiology.



Fully Consensual Heart Disease Treatment

When doctors withhold dietary treatment options from cardiac patients, they are violating the cornerstone of medical ethics, informed consent.



Orange Aromatherapy for Anxiety

The smell of sweet orange essential oil may have anxiety-reducing properties without the potentially addictive, sedating, and adverse effects of Valium-type benzodiazepine drugs.



Who Shouldn’t Consume Curcumin or Turmeric?

Just because something is natural and plant-based doesn’t mean it’s necessarily safe. Those who are pregnant, have gallstones, or are susceptible to kidney stones may want to moderate their turmeric consumption.



Boosting the Bioavailability of Curcumin

Dietary strategies, including the use of black pepper (piperine), can boost blood levels of curcumin from the spice turmeric by up to 2,000%.



Turmeric Curcumin and Osteoarthritis

The yellow pigment curcumin in the spice turmeric may work as well as, or better than, anti-inflammatory drugs and painkillers for the treatment of knee osteoarthritis.



Turmeric Curcumin and Rheumatoid Arthritis

Randomized controlled trial comparing the safety and efficacy of drugs versus curcumin, the yellow pigment in the spice turmeric, for the treatment of autoimmune inflammatory rheumatoid arthritis.



Which Spices Fight Inflammation?

An elegant experiment is described in which the blood of those eating different types of spices—such as cloves, ginger, rosemary, and turmeric—is tested for anti-inflammatory capacity.



How Many Poppy Seeds Are Too Many?

Soaking and cooking poppy seeds can lower their morphine and codeine levels—but those undergoing drug testing may want to avoid them altogether.



Treating ADHD Without Stimulants

Exercise has been shown to be effective in controlling attention deficit and hyperactivity disorder symptoms, and carries only positive side effects.



Reducing Muscle Soreness with Berries

Anti-inflammatory phytonutrients in berries may explain why cherries can speed recovery after a marathon—by reducing muscle pain in long-distance runners.



Hot Sauce in the Nose for Cluster Headaches?

Daily application of capsaicin, the burning component of hot peppers, into the nostril on the affected side of the head of cluster headache sufferers results in an 80% therapeutic response rate.



Kiwifruit for Insomnia

Two kiwi fruit an hour before bedtime may improve sleep quality and duration, without the side effects associated with sleeping pills.



Fighting the Blues with Greens?

Natural monoamine oxidase enzyme inhibitors in fruits and vegetables may help explain the improvement in mood associated with switching to a plant-based diet.



More than an Apple a Day: Preventing the Most Common Diseases

Dr. Greger has scoured the world’s scholarly literature on clinical nutrition, and developed this brand-new live presentation on the latest in cutting-edge research on how a healthy diet can affect some of our most common medical conditions.



Lavender for Migraine Headaches

A placebo-controlled clinical trial of lavender essential oil aromatherapy shows it to be an effective migraine therapy.



Preventing & Treating Diarrhea with Probiotics

Probiotics may help prevent antibiotic-associated diarrhea, and appear to speed recovery from acute gastroenteritis.



The Lie That Heals: Should Doctors Give Placebos?

About half of doctors admit to intentionally deceiving patients by prescribing placebos, but might the ends justify the means?



Flaxseeds for Breast Pain

A tablespoon a day of ground flax seeds appears to improve ovarian function, and is considered a first-line therapy for breast pain associated with one’s period (cyclical mastalgia).



Flaxseeds vs. Diabetes

A daily tablespoon of ground flax seeds for a month appears to improve fasting blood sugars, triglycerides, cholesterol, and hemoglobin A1c levels in diabetics.



Was It the Flaxseeds, Fat Restriction, or Both?

Researchers set out to find out what it was about a flax seed-supplemented, lower-fat diet that so effectively appeared to decrease prostate cancer growth.



Flaxseeds vs. Prostate Cancer

What happens when men with prostate cancer and prostatic intraepithelial neoplasia (PIN) are placed on a relatively low-fat diet, supplemented with ground flax seeds?



Prunes vs. Metamucil vs. Vegan Diet

The average number of bowel movements a week is compared between those eating prunes, those taking a fiber supplement, and those eating a strictly plant-based diet.



Gerson-style Therapy vs. Chemotherapy

For decades, studies on Gerson therapy for cancer have questioned its safety and efficacy. But, what does the latest head-to-head trial of a Gerson-style regime, versus chemotherapy, show in terms of survival and quality of life for pancreatic cancer ?



Gerson Therapy for Cancer

Gerson Therapy is a largely diet-based alternative treatment for cancer. What have 65 years of medical research concluded about its efficacy and safety?



Plant-Based Bioidentical Hormones

Do compounded bioidentical hormones for menopause carry the same risks as conventional hormone replacement drugs, such as Premarin?



Saffron vs. Prozac

A head-to-head test of the spice saffron versus Prozac for the treatment of clinical depression.



Wake Up and Smell the Saffron

Even the scent of the spice saffron may reduce stress hormone levels, and ease the psychological symptoms of PMS.



Saffron for the Treatment of PMS

The spice saffron appears to improve both the emotional and physical symptoms of premenstrual syndrome.



The Wrong Way to Boost Serotonin

Tryptophan is the precursor to the “happiness hormone” serotonin, so why not take tryptophan supplements to improve mood and relieve symptoms of depression?



Human Neurotransmitters in Plants

The consumption of certain fruits is suggested as a potential treatment for depression, given the presence of psychoactive neurotransmitters such as serotonin, dopamine, and melatonin in many plant foods.



Uprooting the Leading Causes of Death

Death in America is largely a foodborne illness. Focusing on studies published just over the last year in peer-reviewed scientific medical journals, Dr. Greger offers practical advice on how best to feed ourselves and our families to prevent, treat, and even reverse many of the top 15 killers in the United States.



Treating Genital Warts with Green Tea

Now officially incorporated into the Centers for Disease Control STD Treatment Guidelines, the topical application of phytonutrients from green tea on external genital warts results in an astounding 100% clearance in more than half the patients tested—a testament to the power of plants.



Treating Gorlin Syndrome with Green Tea

Gorlin Syndrome, also known as basal cell nevus syndrome, is a rare genetic condition in which one’s body becomes covered in skin cancers. An astounding case is reported of a woman suffering from the syndrome, whose cancer progression was apparently reversed with topical green tea body wraps.



Chamomile Tea May Not Be Safe During Pregnancy

For the same reason aspirin should be avoided in pregnancy, chamomile has such powerful anti-inflammatory properties that regular consumption may result in a serious fetal heart problem—premature constriction of the fetal ductus arteriosus, which allows the fetus to “breathe” in the womb.



Some Dietary Supplements May Be More Than a Waste of Money

People taking dietary supplements may, in some cases, be paying to make themselves sick. This video covers folic acid, beta carotene, and green tea supplements.



Dietary Supplement Snake Oil

Supplement industry representative attempts to rebut a mea culpa editorial in an alternative medicine journal decrying the predatory nature of dietary supplement marketing.