All Videos for Side Effects

Lavender for Migraine Headaches

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



Lavender for Generalized Anxiety Disorder

In a double-blind study, lavender oil worked as well as the valium-like drug lorazepam (Ativan) for relief of persistent anxiety, though there are concerns about estrogenic effects.



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).



Plant-Based Diets for Breast Pain

Plant-based diets appear to offer relief from a variety of menstrual symptoms, including cramping, bloating, and breast pain (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.



Herbal Tea Update: Rooibos & Nettle

Rooibos (red) tea may reduce stress levels by suppressing adrenal gland function. Nettle tea is mineral-rich, but may have estrogenic side effects.



Clinical Studies on Açaí Berries

An independent review of the effects of açaí berries was recently published, including studies on immune function, arthritis, and metabolic parameters.



Erythritol May Be a Sweet Antioxidant – UPDATE: don’t eat! (See doc note below)

The natural sweetener erythritol does not appear to carry the adverse effects associated with other non- and low-caloric natural and artificial sweeteners, and may actually have antioxidant potential.



Diet Soda and Preterm Birth

Aspartame may be the reason that diet soda consumption during pregnancy has been linked to premature birth.



Aspartame-Induced Fibromyalgia

Case reports of fibromyalgia chronic pain sufferers cured, by removing the artificial sweetener aspartame (Nutrasweet®) from their diets.



Side Effect of Fenugreek Consumption

Fenugreek seeds may protect against cancer and improve muscle mass, but they can make your armpits smell like maple syrup.



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.



Prostate vs. Plants

All men should consider eating a prostate-healthy diet, which includes legumes (beans, peas, lentils, soy); certain vegetables (like garlic and onions); certain seeds (flax seeds); and the avoidance of refined grains, eggs, and poultry.



Diet Versus Drugs for High Cholesterol

Though official recommendations are to first treat high cholesterol with dietary change, many physicians jump right to cholesterol-lowering medications, such as statins, that can have an array of adverse side effects.



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.



Kiwifruit for Irritable Bowel Syndrome

A kiwifruit intervention was found to improve bowel function in those suffering from irritable bowel syndrome with constipation. This was accomplished without side effects, such as heart attacks and stroke associated with the primary drug prescribed to treat the condition, tegaserod.



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.



Bad Advice from Health Food Store Employees

Most health food store supplement aisle employees have little or no training and make wildly dissimilar recommendations. Even when they’re consistent, the levels of active ingredients in supplements may not be. We should not assume the multibillion dollar supplement industry has our best interests any closer to heart than the pharmaceutical industry.



Health Food Store Supplement Advice

Studies in the U.S. and Canada focus on what advice and supplements natural food store employees would offer a woman suffering from breast cancer.



Watermelon as Treatment for Erectile Dysfunction

Watermelon is a rich source of citrulline, which has been found to improve erection hardness in men with mild erectile dysfunction (impotence).



Pretty in Pee-nk

Beeturia, the passage of pink urine after beetroot consumption, is a reminder that phytonutrients circulate throughout our bloodstream—explaining the connection between “garlic breath,” and the use of garlic as an adjunct treatment for pneumonia.



Asparagus Pee

Young infants, and perhaps those with recurrent oxalate kidney stones, should avoid beets. But most commonly, the chief side effect is beeturia, the harmless passage of pink urine, though not all are affected—akin to the malodorous urine (“stinky pee”) that sometimes results from asparagus consumption.



Some Ayurvedic Medicine Worse than Lead Paint Exposure

Triphala, a combination of three fruits—amla, bibhitaki, and haritaki—is the most commonly used herbal formulation in Ayurvedic medicine, and may have powerful anticancer properties. Unfortunately, one in five Ayurvedic herbal dietary supplements were found contaminated with lead, mercury, and/or arsenic.



Amla vs. Diabetes

For a dollar a month, Indian gooseberry (amla) powder may work as well as a leading diabetes drug—without the side effects.



Power Plants

Many of the most powerful drugs in modern medicine’s arsenal came from natural products, from penicillin to the chemotherapy agents Taxol® and vincristine.



Trans Fat, Saturated Fat, & Cholesterol: Tolerable Upper Intake of Zero

The intake of trans fats, which come mostly from junk food and animal products; saturated fat, mostly from dairy products and chicken; and cholesterol, coming mostly from eggs and chicken, should be as low as possible.



Fast Food: Do You Want Fries with That Lipitor?

Cardiologists suggest that cholesterol-lowering statin drugs be given out free with fast food meals



Saffron vs. Aricept

The spice saffron was compared to donepezil (Aricept), a leading drug treatment for slowing the progression of Alzheimer’s disease cognitive impairment.