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Simon Mills clarifies what 'preclinical' studies mean (laboratory, animal studies) and cautions listeners that promising preclinical leads often do not translate into human medicines due to toxicity or ineffectiveness. He emphasizes the importance of human studies for reliable health insights.
Simon Mills discusses the scientific evidence supporting Vitamin D, Vitamin C, and Zinc as beneficial supplements for enhancing resilience against infections. He particularly highlights the widespread Vitamin D deficiency in less sunny climates and among individuals with darker skin, noting that doctors increasingly recommend its supplementation, especially during winter.
The host recounts a life-changing chocolate-making lesson in Peru, where he discovered the shocking amount of sugar in white and milk chocolate compared to dark chocolate. This experience led him to eliminate white chocolate from his diet, providing a clear example of sugar's prevalence in common foods.
Simon Mills explains how rosemary can enhance cognitive function. He describes how inhaling its volatile oils directly impacts the brain's olfactory lobe and limbic system. Citing historical knowledge and modern clinical trials, he suggests rosemary is a promising herb for long-term brain health.
Simon Mills explains arthritis as inflammation in joints caused by metabolic waste in areas with poor circulation. He provides actionable advice on how to use external warming remedies like mustard or cayenne pepper (capsicum) plasters. These plasters directly bring blood to the inflamed joint, effectively reducing pain by assisting the body's natural cleaning process without the discomfort of internal inflammation.
Simon Mills explains why green tea is beneficial for brain health, attributing its effects to polyphenols. He highlights that regular consumption of green tea is linked to reduced cognitive decline and Alzheimer's disease, citing studies from 2008 and 2011.
Simon Mills explains the evolving understanding of the blood-brain barrier, now called the neurovascular unit (NVU), as a dynamic interface. He reveals that plants, like green tea, are proving particularly effective in supporting this critical unit, which is vital for brain health and preventing conditions like dementia.
This clip provides practical advice on differentiating between acute and chronic inflammation, explaining when it's beneficial to let the body's natural defense mechanism run its course and when intervention might be necessary. It introduces the concept of "upstream" causes for chronic inflammation, specifically highlighting the gut as a primary factor.
This clip explains the concept of "eating your rainbow," detailing how different plant colors are produced by beneficial compounds called polyphenols. It highlights the critical role of the microbiome in processing these polyphenols for absorption and how they subsequently benefit various bodily systems, from blood vessels to the brain.
Simon Mills explains how the overuse of antibiotics, especially for viral infections where they are ineffective, contributes to the rise of antibiotic-resistant bacteria through natural selection. He emphasizes that every time antibiotics are taken, a small population of resistant bacteria is grown, highlighting the long-term health risks and the urgent need for alternative approaches.
Simon Mills clarifies the definitions of probiotics, prebiotics, and introduces the emerging concept of postbiotics. He explains how the microbiome converts plant-based nutrients, especially polyphenols, into beneficial 'medicines' for the body, highlighting that many benefits of polyphenols are actually postbiotic.
Simon Mills explains why organically grown plants are richer in beneficial compounds like polyphenols. He states that plants grown without pesticides must 'fight their own battles,' leading them to produce more of these defense mechanisms, which are advantageous for human health.
Simon Mills explains the physiological mechanism behind the warming sensation and therapeutic effects of herbs like ginger, turmeric, black pepper, and chilies. He clarifies that these don't cause actual burning but stimulate pain fibers, triggering a reflex response that opens blood vessels, increases blood flow (hyperemia), and loosens mucus, aiding in flushing out pathogens and providing warmth.
This segment explores the ancient medicinal uses of resins like Frankincense (Boswellia) and Myrrh, famously known as gifts to baby Jesus. The expert describes their physical properties and historical significance, linking Myrrh's value to ancient trade routes and highlighting their traditional use for various infections, particularly in the mouth and throat.
This clip explores the evolutionary basis of fasting, suggesting that intermittent eating is ingrained in our human design as hunter-gatherers. While acknowledging the fundamental principle of fasting as beneficial, the expert warns that extended fasts can be damaging if one's metabolism, digestion, or hormones are not in prime condition, advising professional guidance.
Simon Mills explains the broad application of warming remedies like ginger and cinnamon, highlighting how traditional medicine used the concept of 'heating up' to address various 'cold problems' such as headaches, joint pain, and menstrual cramps. He emphasizes that if a condition responds to external heat (like a hot water bottle), ginger can be used internally for a similar therapeutic effect.
Simon Mills explains the traditional classification of herbal remedies into 'warming' (stimulating circulation) and 'cooling' (stimulating digestion). He provides examples of warming herbs like ginger, fennel, cinnamon, and his favorite, cardamon, and introduces cooling remedies like mint and bitters, emphasizing how individuals can discover what suits their body's needs.
Simon Mills explains the historical use and benefits of bitter plants like wormwood (vermuth), dandelion, burdock, and even coffee (espresso without sugar). He reveals how these bitters were traditionally used as aperitifs to stimulate appetite and improve digestion by increasing digestive juices and blood flow to the digestive system, making them valuable for recovery from illness or poor appetite.
Simon Mills explains a surprising fact about curcumin absorption: it's not absorbed well into the bloodstream because it's toxic in high doses. Instead, its benefits come from its interaction with the gut microbiome, which breaks it down into active compounds. This highlights the crucial role of a healthy gut in processing plant-based medicines.
This clip highlights the evolving landscape of cancer care, where people are increasingly living longer with the disease. The expert explains how herbal medicine can help reduce cancer risk and, crucially, support patients in functioning better during and after conventional treatments like chemotherapy. It emphasizes poor diet (excess fat, carbs, sugar) as a major preventable cancer risk and the growing acceptance of diet correction in prevention.
This clip reveals the increasingly accepted understanding that cardiovascular disease is a form of long-term inflammation, not just about fat or cholesterol. It emphasizes food as the primary preventative measure and introduces specific herbal remedies like Hawthorne (Mayflower) for cardiovascular health and spices like ginger, cinnamon, and turmeric (curcumin) for their vascular and anti-inflammatory benefits.
Simon Mills answers the question 'How do you keep up with a fast-changing world?' by emphasizing the importance of human connection and reconnecting with nature. He advises focusing on closest relationships and finding strength in community as an antidote to a frightening world.
This clip warns about the critical public health issue of antibiotic overuse and resistance, emphasizing that the number of people dying from antibiotic-resistant infections is rising dramatically and is 'quite frightening'.
Dr. Simon Mills is introduced as a pioneer in natural medicine, emphasizing that many herbal remedies have an 'immediate effect'. He provides surprising examples like dark chocolate for brain and cardiovascular health, garlic as an antibiotic alternative, and rosemary for brain health (just by sniffing).
Simon Mills shares his core mission: to help people get stronger and cope with life's challenges. He uses a powerful metaphor, stating he can't control the 'sea and waves' of the world, but he can help individuals 'build a better boat' to navigate them more effectively.
This clip explores the 'lost wisdom' of plant medicine. It explains how, historically, communities relied on local healers and plants, but the shift to crowded cities brought new illnesses. This led to a demand for 'stronger stuff' (minerals, poisons), the rise of physicians handling dangerous substances, and the eventual discarding of 'soft' plant remedies, further accelerated by the pharmaceutical industry branding medicines into pills.
The host reflects on growing up only with conventional pills (cough syrup, paracetamol) and how this lack of exposure to plant wisdom leads modern Westerners to believe that plants 'don't work'. This clip sets the stage for the episode's mission to challenge and correct this common perception.
Simon Mills critiques modern medicine's approach to chronic conditions, likening it to 'fast food delivery' that 'deskills' individuals by promoting convenience over self-reliance. He specifically calls out the overuse of 'mostly unnecessary' acid reflux drugs (PPIs) and anti-inflammatories, arguing that inflammation is a crucial body defense that shouldn't be suppressed without addressing its underlying cause.
This clip argues that the distinction between 'medicine' and 'food' is artificial, proposing a spectrum where food itself holds medicinal properties. It highlights how the vibrant colors in fruits and vegetables (like raspberries, broccoli, oranges) possess valuable qualities for circulatory, gut, and brain health, a fact increasingly supported by scientific research.
Simon Mills describes his typical patients: individuals with chronic, complex conditions who have sought conventional treatments for years, often reaching a point where they're told 'nothing else we can do' and realize 'ibuprofen and quick pills ain't doing it anymore'. He explains his holistic approach, focusing on finding the root cause of 'poor performance' by tracing back to earlier life events (like childhood illnesses) and fine-tuning core bodily functions such as digestion, kidney, liver, circulation, and brain health.
Simon Mills explains the profound intelligence of the gut, highlighting that despite our conscious control residing in the brain, the digestive system makes 'intelligent decisions' about food processing. He describes the gut lining as being 'full of sensors' that orchestrate a 'major choreography' of metabolic and hormonal functions without our conscious awareness.
Simon Mills provides a practical, step-by-step guide on how to prepare a warming ginger and cinnamon tea. He details the ideal amount of ginger, how to grate it, how to identify the best type of cinnamon, and the simple process of combining them with hot water, concluding with the immediate warming sensation it provides.
This segment explains why the gut is central to immune health and chronic inflammation, emphasizing that most of our immune system resides there. It provides actionable advice on diet, recommending a plant-based approach and the specific goal of consuming 30 different types of plants per week for microbiome diversity. It also addresses the affordability of healthy eating.
Simon Mills introduces his 'garlic intensive' method for addressing disrupted gut flora and low-level lung or gut infections. He provides detailed instructions for consuming multiple raw garlic cloves over a Friday evening, explaining its powerful prebiotic and antiseptic properties. He cautions about the strong aroma and suggests it as a potent, occasional weekend remedy for improving microbiome health.
Simon Mills challenges the common approach to pain management with ibuprofen, explaining that while it effectively suppresses inflammation, inflammation is a vital bodily defense. He prompts listeners to consider the underlying cause of inflammation, suggesting that addressing metabolic strain or dietary factors (like switching to plant-based foods) can reduce the *need* for inflammation rather than merely masking the symptoms.
This clip redefines inflammation as a healthy, natural defense mechanism, using a military analogy to explain its function. It highlights the dangers of suppressing acute inflammation and encourages a deeper understanding of the body's healing processes, illustrated by the host's personal injury experience.
This segment dives into the specific benefits of purple-colored plants (anthocyanins) for eyesight, brain, and circulatory health, suggesting that modern diets may be "purple deficient." It then provides go-to vegetable recommendations, starting with root vegetables for their powerful prebiotic properties, followed by greens (like broccoli and cabbage family), and finally grains and legumes, emphasizing diversity for microbiome health.
This clip explores the nuances of the Keto diet, discussing its potential benefits like increased sharpness and energy from reduced sugar intake. It also addresses the mixed impact on the microbiome and highlights potential long-term strains on liver and kidney function, emphasizing the importance of individual assessment and the "no one-size-fits-all" approach to diet.
The expert shares compelling stories of helping women conceive using herbal medicine, emphasizing the role of stabilizing the menstrual cycle. He explains how practitioner-grade herbal extractions, some developed by women for women, contain natural compounds that interact with our hormone mechanisms, effectively re-timing cycles and improving fertility.
This clip features a live demonstration of Echinacea's potent effects, with the host describing the intense tingling sensation. The expert explains how Echinacea acts directly on white blood cells, stimulating the "front line" of the immune system in the mouth and throat, making it highly effective for upper respiratory infections, sinus, ear, throat, and gum problems.
Simon Mills declares dark chocolate (75% cocoa or more) a medicine, beneficial for brain and cardiovascular health due to its ability to improve blood flow within minutes. He recommends consuming 50-100 grams daily as a powerful health aid.
Simon Mills discusses omeprazole, a widely prescribed drug for acid reflux (GERD). He highlights its growing list of serious long-term side effects, including cancers and dementias, and explains the difficult rebound effect patients face when trying to stop using it. He then introduces a simple, plant-based alternative: the 'raft principle' using mucilage-rich plants or products like Gavaskon.
This clip highlights the serious, growing problems associated with long-term use of a widely prescribed drug (later identified as PPIs), including increased risks of cancers and dementias, and the difficulty patients face in discontinuing the medication.
This clip debunks a common misconception: 'Antibiotics are useless for anything viral. They don't do anything for a virus.' Simon Mills explains that despite this, antibiotics are often given for viral problems, even by 'harassed doctors.' He emphasizes that health organizations like the NHS publicly advise against asking for antibiotics for viruses, as the body typically needs to fight them off naturally.
This clip issues a dire warning about antibiotic resistance, calling it the 'biggest threat we have'. It explains that hospital-borne infections are becoming increasingly resistant, making future operations a real risk due to the danger of acquiring untreatable infections. The clip cites the World Health Organization's growing alarm over this issue.
Simon Mills makes a provocative statement, identifying only five countries globally that are 'not big on herbal medicines': the UK, US, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand. He then challenges the listener to draw their own conclusions about the shared characteristic that binds these 'white English-speaking countries' together.
Simon Mills reveals astonishing facts about the human microbiome, stating it 'runs the show' to such an extent that organs like the kidney, heart, and brain only function *because* they work with it. He further explains that we have more microbial cells than our own human cells, possessing 100 times more genetic capacity, leading to the surprising conclusion that 'we're walking gut bags'.
This clip reveals the profound connection between diet, insulin resistance, and women's hormonal health, including menstrual cycle regularity, PCOS, and fertility. It explains how a low-sugar, low-carb (Keto) diet can improve insulin sensitivity, leading to more predictable cycles, and highlights the historical context of excessive sugar consumption as a modern burden on our systems.
Simon Mills clarifies his stance on antibiotics: he advocates for their careful and necessary use, not outright avoidance. He emphasizes that 'most responsible doctors' agree, wishing their patients wouldn't continually ask for unnecessary prescriptions.
This clip presents shocking statistics on antibiotic overuse: 236 million prescriptions in the US in 2022 (roughly 7 for every 10 people), with about 30% being unnecessary. It also highlights 30 million prescriptions in the UK in 2020, including 3.6 million for children. The World Health Organization declared antibiotic resistance a top global health threat in 2023, responsible for 1.27 million global deaths in 2019 and contributing to almost 5 million deaths, with figures rising dramatically since then. This creates a tangible risk of acquiring untreatable hospital infections.