Dr Greene's Blog

Alan Greene MD

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.

September 04, 2023

Great Food Can Improve Brain Development (Even Before Birth)

Mediterranean diet has been linked to better cognitive function, better memory, better mood, and better quality of life. This study shows the earlier you start the better. ...
May 24, 2023

Bridging the Gap: La Conexión’s Impact in the Philippines

From the Philippines: La Conexión bridges the gap in healthcare with ongoing support from remote healthcare experts to empower local healthcare providers and improve the overall well-being of these communities. ...
May 02, 2023

La Conexión: Global connections for better health

La Conexión – making connections between eager expert clinicians and local resources in underserved communities. ...
March 07, 2023

5 Things Parents Should Look for in Their Children’s Medical Records

Getting ahold of your children’s medical records has never been easier – or more important. Children’s medical records offer valuable information! ...
January 29, 2023

COVID-Bivalent Booster for Children: Should your child get one?

The COVID-bivalent booster may make it a bit less likely that children get sick but does the risk-benefit profile make it a good choice for your child? ...
January 09, 2023

Reducing Viral Spread in Schools: France Makes Proactive Move to Measure and Reduce CO2 Levels in School and Daycare

One way of reducing viral spread in schools is to keep CO2 levels in the “green” range. Measuring CO2 levels and taking steps to keep them below 1000 ppm can reduce viral spread, and boost energy and intellect. ...
October 05, 2022

TLC Todd-versations: Todd Linsky in Conversation with Dr. Alan Greene

Join Todd Linsky and Dr. Greene as they discuss everything from the pediatric roots of longevity to the importance of nutrition in health. ...
August 24, 2022

Cool Medical Tools

Dr. Alan Greene shares his most recent “Cool Medical Tools” with author, world traveler, and futurist, Kevin Kelly on the Cool Tools podcast. ...
July 20, 2022

Farm to Taste: Nourishing your microbiome

In this episode of Farm to Taste, we’ll take you behind the scenes of a 150-year-old pandemic that changed the way we think about food. ...
November 23, 2021

Dr. Greene’s Guide to Holiday Toy Selection

The sheer amount of trendy, expensive, and fancy toys can be overwhelming. Here is Dr. Greene’s Guide to Toy Selection for your child. ...
October 01, 2021

Surprising Infant Formula Ingredients

Dr. Greene is interviewed by Laura Modi about important infant formula including some surprising infant formula ingredients. ...
August 16, 2021

Free Universal School Meals: A Crucial Public Health and Social Justice Move for California and the Nation

Expanding free universal school meals is a massive win for public health and social justice. California is now the first state to provide free breakfast and lunch to all public school students for the next two years. Find out more … ...
May 18, 2021

Normal Toddler Behavior vs ADHD

An official diagnosis of ADHD can be hard to pinpoint especially in kids under the age of four. Learn how to tell the difference between normal toddler behavior vs ADHD. And the best ways to manage ADHD. ...
April 06, 2021

Vaccine FAQ: Autism, Immunity, Mercury, Safety, SIDS

Dr. Greene’s Vaccine FAQ addresses parents’ biggest questions and fears about childhood immunizations for their children. ...
December 22, 2020

Podcast: Mom Driven, Doctor Aligned

Join Dr. Greene, Agatha Relota Loczo, and their guests as they discuss important parenting and health issues. ...
December 14, 2020

Social-Emotional Health During the Pandemic

It’s important for social-emotional health to design ways to maximize physical proximity and face-to-face interactions, and to satisfy our brain’s need for both, in a time of masks and physical distance. Here are Dr. Greene’s insights and tips for families. ...
October 23, 2020

Getting Beyond 2020!

Today’s children will grow up in the shadow of the pandemic. They will form in an atmosphere of unrest. They will inherit the anxiety and uncertainty they see all around them. Unless we make some big changes. ...
October 05, 2020

When Will this $%!# Pandemic End?

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a worldwide effect for most of 2020. The question remains, when will the pandemic end?  ...
August 12, 2020

Don’t Boost Your Immunity – Optimize It!

Don’t boost your immunity to protect yourself or your children from infection. That’s wrong thinking. Instead, optimize it. Here’s how … ...
June 17, 2020

Allergies, Colds and COVID: How to Tell the Difference

As we begin to shift into the warmer months, common health concerns often jump from cold and flu to allergies. This is made all the more complicated by the presence of COVID-19, and the fact that we are still learning new information about this novel virus from day to day. ...
June 07, 2020

The Itchy, Bumpy Blues: How to Treat and Prevent Mosquito Bites and Related Conditions

For most children, mosquito bites result in pesky welts. But for some, the reaction is much more severe. And for others, serious diseases can result. In this article, Dr. Greene discusses ways to prevent and treat mosquito bites. ...
May 25, 2020

Chemicals and Pregnant Women: Taking Care of Your Unborn Baby

We are now able to detect toxic chemicals, at what were recently impossibly low levels to detect, that may already have been causing human disease. I’m hopeful that this will pave the way for great improvements in health — especially when you consider chemicals and pregnant women. ...
May 11, 2020

Caring for Babies and Small Children During COVID-19

In addition to common fears surrounding COVID-19, caring for babies can be especially worrisome. We want to remain certain that the littlest members of the house stay the safest. In this post, Dr. Greene addresses issues and answers questions about caring for babies and small children during COVID-19. ...
May 05, 2020

Whole Foods as First Foods

It may seem overwhelming at first, but in reality baby’s first food should be taken from a simple list of whole foods. Click here to find out which whole foods Dr. Greene recommends. ...
April 29, 2020

Screen Time in the Age of Quarantine

Many parents are curious to know how the rules change for screen time when children are barred from most of their regular activities. While getting fresh air and sunshine is of the utmost importance in this time, there is also cause to create flexibility around the use of electronic devices.  ...
April 28, 2020

6 Feet & A Mask: Hygiene Practice and COVID-19

The spread of COVID-19, or coronavirus, is one of the most frightening health scares of the last century. However, some of the best news to come of the ~3 million case studies we now have is that children are much less likely to get sick than adults. That being said, the best measures children and parents can take to keep everyone healthy at home is to maintain a safe distance in public and practice proper hygiene. ...
April 21, 2020

Keeping Kids Healthy in the Age of Coronavirus: Dr. Greene on The People’s Pharmacy

How are parents and grandparents keeping kids healthy during the time of COVID-19? What are they doing if their children do become ill? Dr. Alan Greene joins Joe and Terry Graedon on The People’s Pharmacy to discuss zinc, hydroxychloroquine, coenzyme Q10 and much more. ...
April 16, 2020

COVID-19 Podcast: Mom Driven, Doctor Aligned & HeyMama Join Forces

Transcript [00:00:00] Agatha: Hi! It’s Agatha Luczo. Welcome to “Mom Driven, Dr. Aligned”. Dr. Alan Greene and I were just on with the HeyMama Community doing a Q&A about COVID-19. Dr. Greene gave us such amazing advice and tips about how to deal with immunity health and how to take care of ourselves during this ...
April 13, 2020

COVID: Supplements, the Immune System, and Preventative Care

In the midst of a viral pandemic, with orders to “shelter at home” in effect, parents may be wondering what else can be done to protect the health of their families. Unprecedented circumstances often lead to feelings of a loss of control, which can sometimes generate a sense of fear, and even sadness. Minimizing unnecessary ...
April 10, 2020

Why OTHER Respiratory Viruses are More Important than Ever Before

This may change, but as of this writing, more than 90 percent of people tested in San Francisco for COVID turned out to have other respiratory infections — not COVID. That’s a huge percentage. Dr. Alan Greene explains why that’s so important and what you can do about it. ...
April 09, 2020

Wear A Mask Like a Pro

Masks are an important part of your COVID safety plan. Learn how to wear a mask like a pro from Eat Real’s Cheif Pediatrician, Dr. Alan Greene. ...
April 07, 2020

Simple Mask Safety Test

We’re sheltered in place. That’s a great thing. But we still need to go out occasionally for the essentials that can’t be delivered to our door. That means we need to start wearing masks as one strategy to help stop the spread of COVID-19. Since masks are in high demand, people are getting creative and ...
March 20, 2020

Viruses Are Not Quite Alive and Not Quite Dead, and Other Things to Know About COVID-19

What they are capable of is replicating and adapting, and each virus has a unique way of doing that. Viruses are programmed to detect particular surface proteins or channels on the outside of a cell, and make their way in via the favored route. A Cellular Doorway For COVID-19, the favorite avenue to cellular entry ...
March 15, 2020

Senna: The True Ex-Lax

Constipation is one of those not-so-exciting subjects that affects both children and adults from time to time, but because it is so common, it warrants a closer look. Bowel movements tend to occur about once a day after children have reached the age where their diet is largely comprised of solid food. Starchy foods, such ...
March 07, 2020

Zeitgebers & the Circadian Rhythm: Working With Environmental Cues to Encourage Healthy Sleep Habits

Many parents spend countless nights on exploratory journeys, devising ways to convince their children that sleep is a good idea. In nature, animals fall asleep naturally and easily. Their bodies respond to the environmental cues around them, such as the shift in temperature and change in light, that signal to their bodies that it’s time ...
March 03, 2020

Coronavirus & the Panic Pandemic

The coronavirus is causing quite a scare worldwide. Reactions to the news of it spreading have ranged from relative nonchalance to absolute terror, with the media, unsurprisingly, favoring the latter.  ...
February 18, 2020

 It Just Won’t Go Away: Reasons For a Lingering Cough

We’re used to coughing when we have a cold, but what about those coughs that seem to linger even after all other symptoms have disappeared? It turns out that what may seem like a nuisance can actually be the body’s innate intelligence at work. At the first sign of foreign invaders, coughing acts as a ...
February 12, 2020

Neophobia & the Battle to Try New Foods

Perhaps you have a picky eater at home. Maybe she takes after mom or dad, or maybe this is a quality uniquely her own. Whatever the case, it’s important to recognize that we can change our perception around this. Being particular about foods is indeed a feature and not a flaw. Neophobia Timing Around the ...
January 24, 2020

Ear Infections and the Antibiotic Epidemic

While antibiotics certainly are helpful when used appropriately, and have benefitted many people since their discovery, the concern is more that they are prescribed far more commonly than is medically necessary creating an antibiotic epidemic. ...
November 14, 2019

Epsom Salts Baths: A natural and effective muscle relaxant

In nature, there are some biological processes that are almost unstoppable. Once the process is started it creates a cascade of reactions and, like a freight train barreling down the track, stopping it takes an immense amount of effort. One of the most classic of these, and perhaps the strongest in human biology, is labor. ...
November 07, 2019

Teen Vaping: “I Did Not Have Sexual Relations with That Woman”

By some reports, as many as 20 percent of high school students vape. And they often begin in middle school. Juul is the top-selling e-cigarette brand (and very cuul among kids). A single Juul pod can contain as much nicotine as a pack of 20 regular cigarettes. Nicotine harms the developing adolescent brain. Moreover, e-cigarette ...
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 delphinidin-3-galactoside. When you look at a carrot and see that color, you see beta carotene. Our eyes are adapted ...
July 09, 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) Hola! We are on a surprising trip and today we went to see the Atacama Cosmology Telescope high in the Andes Mountains, which ...
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. ...
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 trials are really telling us and provides simple ways to improve health. ...
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. ...
March 05, 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, researchers from the Royal Free Hospital in London, have since done further research vindicating the MMR. But the fears continue. Another team of researchers has completed ...
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 set by just starting with adult doses and reducing them according to children’s smaller size. It turns out, this often does ...