DrCarney.com Blog

Despite new advances in medical technology, and U.S. healthcare costs exceeding that of other countries, Americans are sicker than ever before. It's estimated that 80% of adults are overweight, and more than 70% of office visits involve prescription drug therapy.

Tens of thousands of patients die every year due to unintentional drug overdose, drug interactions, or from the side effects from these drugs. The majority of today's office visits reflect lifestyle driven diseases such as heart disease, cancer, and diabetes. Tragically, these degenerative diseases are the leading cause of death, yet can largely be prevented through dietary excellence. 

We hope our recent blog on the Forks Over Knives documentary will encourage you and your family to watch the documentary together. The above five minute video gives a brief overview of why the film was made and the background of the scientists and doctors that were featured in the film.  It's never too late...

Dr. Jay Gordon, is a pediatrician that uses whole-food, plant-based nutrition as preventative medicine in his medical practice in California. He's a nationally recognized pediatrician, nutritionist, lecturer, teacher, magazine columnist, and the author of numerous books. 

We first learned of Dr. Gordon's passion regarding nutritional medicine from watching the Processed People documentary. Dr. Gordon is one of the many plant-based physicians that are featured in this documentary. The one minute video excerpt below highlights Dr. Gordon speaking about protein needs and how we don't need to consume animal products in order to be healthy. The above video clip was taken from the "Processed People" documentary.

Out of the thousands of hours that doctors receive in medical school training, you may be surprised to find out that most haven't had a single course in nutrition. Dr. Michael Greger says that, "Most medical schools in the United States fail to provide even a bare minimum of nutrition training." Due to their lack...

Dr. Joel Fuhrman has written an excellent article regarding our culture's obsession using rich, disease-promoting foods for celebrating special occasions, especially for Halloween. Dr. Fuhrman states in his article, "As parents we must protect our children from harm and give them the best opportunity in life to have a happy and healthy future. Science suggests...

According to a study published recently in JAMA Neurology, those who have trouble sleeping may have an increased risk of developing Alzheimer's disease. Seventy participants between the ages of 53 and 91 were studied  as part of the Baltimore Longitudinal Study of Aging. The  participants that slept the fewest hours and who had difficulty falling asleep...

One out of every six lambs raised for human consumption in the U.S. has been found to be infected with the Toxoplasma parasite. This parasite can affect the brains of humans. It is estimated that ten percent of Americans currently have these brain parasites and aren't even aware of it.  Illnesses such as Parkinson's, bi-polar disorder,...

Let's pretend it's lunch time. You're in a meeting and it won't end until 2:00, two hours past the time you're used to eating. How do you feel? Are you experiencing "stomach grumbling, headaches, light-headedness, irritability, fatigue, and inability to focus?"

At 1:00, are you now hoping no one will notice your nervousness, confusion, shaking, and anxiety? Most of us would assume that these uncomfortable symptoms are associated with hunger, since eating relieves the discomfort. Dr. Joel Fuhrman explains in his article that conventional wisdom would agree these are hunger symptoms, but Dr. Fuhrman disagrees. He says, "People are consistently led by these symptoms to consume more calories than they require and this widespread overeating behavior has led to an epidemic of obesity and a continual rise in preventable chronic diseases. Understanding the motivation behind overeating behaviors could be a key factor in reversing these trends."

If you have watched the impressive Forks Over Knives documentary, then you are familiar with Dr. Matthew Lederman, one of the many plant-based doctors featured in this film. In the live-stream Q&A video below, Doctors Matthew Lederman and Alona Pulde answer viewer's questions regarding plant-based nutrition. Topics in this one-hour presentation include: protein requirements, complete...

The word "fiber" may bring many thoughts to our minds. Helping us "stay regular" would be the most prominent thought for most of us. This is certainly true; however, fiber plays a much larger role in the prevention and reversal of disease, as Dr. Neal Barnard points out in this ten minute video.

Fiber is the indigestible substance which is resistant to digestive enzymes. Its role in removing toxic waste products is an important one. Carcinogens, for example, found in meat and dairy products, are moved along more quickly when sufficient fiber is available. This shortens the time it has to damage the lining of the intestines, which helps us avoid colon cancer. This would explain one reason why colon cancer rates are much lower in those consuming a plant-based diet.

What do holidays, birthdays, and family celebrations all have in common? If you answered food, you are correct! In today's culture, celebrating a special occasion without the typical American fare of gooey, weight-promoting desserts would almost be considered un-American. 

Meet Frances Greger, Dr. Michael Greger's grandmother (in the above two videos). Dr. Greger says that his grandmother "was given a medical death sentence at the age of 65."  Seeing his grandmother's health improve is what inspired Dr. Greger to pursue a career in plant-based medicine.