Dr. Greene’s Blog

Dr. Alan Greene

Dr. Greene is a practicing physician, author, national and international TEDx speaker, and global health advocate. He is a graduate of Princeton University and University of California San Francisco.

    Essential oils are the aroma, the essence, of plants like the lavender in this photo.
    August 26, 2019
    Are Essential Oils Essential?

    When it comes to food, the colors you see in plants provide powerful information. They often signal the rich nutrient density of the plant. When you look at a blueberry and see that color, you see del…

    The view from the ACT Telescope in the Andes Mountains.
    July 9, 2019
    Altitude Sickness & The Brain Stage of O2

    Podcast Transcript of Altitude Sickness & The Brain Stage of O2 Dr. Greene: (00:01) Hi, this is Dr. Greene MsGreene: (00:02) and Ms. Greene and greetings from Chile. Hola!. Dr. Greene: (00:06) Hol…

    CT Scans - Normal head CT image.
    June 18, 2019
    CTs, MRIs, Ultrasounds: Differences, Risk & Benefits

    CT scans, MRIs and Ultrasounds -- find out why each one is used and the associated risks.…

    Neuron in the brain on blue background. Neurons are key to The Brain Stage.
    May 22, 2019
    The Brain Stage: The Power & Promise of The Cephalic Phase for Health

    Brain Stage is a new concept developed by Dr. Alan Greene who connects the dots on centuries of observations and decades of studies in this groundbreaking talk. He explains what placebo-controlled tri…

    Child with cucumbers on her eyes to ease itchy eyes.
    March 10, 2019
    Itchy Eyes: Allergies are Crying Out for Attention

    Typically, when a child has itchy eyes, it's an allergic reaction to pollen, dust mites, or animal dander. Itchy eyes can be very uncomfortable and deserve treatment.…

    Fear, Measles, and Protecting our Kids
    March 5, 2019
    Fear, Measles, and Protecting our Kids

    Claims that the MMR vaccine might cause inflammatory bowel disease or autism continue to haunt parents. I’m asked about the connection every week. The group that began the controversy, researche…

    Boy blowing his nose. Stuffy nose and cough for kids.
    February 26, 2019
    Stuffy Nose and Cough Remedies for Kids

    Kids are not small adults. That may seem like something so obvious that it goes without saying. Yet for decades the doses for many medicines, including over the counter cough and cold medicines were s…

    Orange sky from smoke filled air as a result of wildfires. Smoke and asthma treatment are linked.
    February 4, 2019
    Where there’s Fire, there’s Smoke: Poor air quality, smoke and asthma treatment

    Following smoke exposure, traditional asthma treatment needs to be reconsidered. Here's why.…

    Toddler with big ears, sad face and drool. Does he need Garlic Oil for Ear Infections?
    January 14, 2019
    Olive Oil and Garlic for Ear Infection Pain

    Ear infections cause a great deal of pain. From my perspective, olive oil and garlic for ear infection pain should play a large role in the management of ear infections.…

    December 27, 2018
    Saving Lives in Nepal with One Heart Worldwide

    Maternal and infant mortality is a huge issue, world-wide. When I met Arlene Saman, the founder of One Heart Worldwide I was excited by the results they were seeing and I had ideas for ways to make th…

    Child sitting on a toilet. Your Gut Bacteria Gets Jet Lag Too.
    November 12, 2018
    Your Gut Bacteria Get Jet Lag Too

    Ever experience GI symptoms after travel? It may be more than a change in what you eat. Gut bacterial get jet lag, too.…

    Young Asian Girl listening to her teddy bear's heart with a stethoscope. Antibiotic Related ER Visits.
    August 28, 2018
    More than a Quarter Million Antibiotic Related ER Visits

    The Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that between the years of 2011 and 2015 nearly 350,000 children in the US were taken to the emergency department for adverse drug events c…

    A pile of button batteries. Swallowed button batteries can be a medical emergency.
    August 13, 2018
    Swallowed Button Batteries and Honey?!

    Button battery ingestion is a big deal. So much so that The National Battery Ingestion Hotline (NBIH) was created in 1982 to study and advise best practices. They look at all types of batteries but sw…

    Red Blood Cells - Decreasing iron Supplements
    August 5, 2018
    Oops. Decreasing iron supplements to every other day.

    Decreasing iron supplements to every-other-day has shown dramatically more iron was actually absorbed – enough more that it could end iron deficiency with 25% fewer doses.…

    What is the Child-Killing Virus?
    July 27, 2018
    Is There a Kind of Severe Hand-Foot-Mouth Disease?

    Hand-foot-mouth disease can be caused by any of several related viruses, most commonly by one called coxsackievirus A-16. In 2008, an epidemic of one type of severe hand-foot-mouth disease (also kno…

    Salmon Greenbeans and Potatoes made in a Brava Oven
    July 10, 2018
    “Easy” is the Secret to Family Meals: Five Tools I Use

    It’s no secret. I’m a fan of family meals. Eating together as a family while sitting around a table (in front of a TV doesn’t count) has been shown to reduce the odds that kids will …

    Toddler with big glasses sitting on a potty.
    February 9, 2018
    What’s Your Toddler’s Poop Telling You?

    Picture this scene: A mom walks into my office and pulls out her phone. She scrolls and turns the phone to face me. On the screen is a photo of a previously used diaper. She’s concerned because …

    Sick Asian boy with caregiver. 2018 the future of flu
    December 14, 2017
    2018: The Near Future of Flu

    The influenza virus continues to be wildly successful at growing and spreading in people around the world because it slightly changes its structure from time to time to avoid our body’s detectio…

    Scrabble Tiles spelling out the word family for famliy games.
    November 21, 2017
    Games, They Do a Family Good

    As a pediatrician, I’m regularly asked for the best developmental tools for kids. Family games are one of my favorite ways to stretch mental abilities and to enjoy time together as a family. Gam…

    Alan Greene, Jane Goodall, Cheryl Greene -- meeting Jane Goodall
    August 14, 2017
    Meeting Jane Goodall & The Chimpanzees

    After one of the hardest hikes of my life, I stepped into a small clearing and turned to see a full-grown male chimp perched in a tree just above and behind me. He was close enough to attack if heR…