3: The Getting Real with Hilary Show with Hilary Burns - Episode 33: The Getting Real with Hilary Show with Hilary Burns - Episode 3
UK Health Radio Podcast
Hilary Burns talks with Dr John E. Lewis about his research on Aloe Vera-based polysaccharides, brain health and cognitive function. The conversation links college alcohol use, long-term wellness and a nutrition-focused approach to supporting the brain alongside conventional care.
40:00•16 May 2026
Brain Health, Aloe Vera and Life After Heavy Drinking with Dr John E. Lewis
Episode Overview
- College drinking and drug use are linked with risky sexual behaviour, with many students more worried about pregnancy than infections.
- A nutrition-based supplement, later called Daily Brain Care, was tested in people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s over a year-long trial.
- Cognitive improvements were reported at 9 and 12 months on a standard dementia test, alongside powerful caregiver observations.
- Aloe Vera and rice bran polysaccharides are presented as complex nutrients that support immune function, inflammation control and adult stem cell production.
- John stresses that pharmacology treats disease, while nutrition supplies raw materials so the body can repair and restore itself as guided by its own biology.
“Please no one say that Lewis said you could use nutrition to treat disease… Nutritional science says you provide the raw materials that the cells need.”
What are the common struggles and victories in addiction recovery? This conversation between host Hilary Burns and Dr John E. Lewis brings a fresh angle by linking lifestyle, brain health and even college partying to long-term wellbeing. Hilary steers things from John’s life story into his research, starting with his move from Knoxville to Miami just days before Hurricane Andrew and the emotional shock of seeing the devastation.
From there, you’ll hear how a traditional academic path in physiology and psychiatry quietly shifted towards nutrition, exercise and supplements. The episode touches on alcohol and drug use in college, with John’s early HIV risk research confirming what many people in recovery already know: “students were more concerned about getting the woman pregnant… as opposed to” infections, while heavy drinking and drug use were simply normalised.
It’s a subtle reminder of how easily risky habits get brushed off as ‘just student life’. The heart of the chat is John’s work on Aloe Vera polysaccharides and a supplement now called Daily Brain Care. Backed by trials in people with moderate to severe Alzheimer’s and multiple sclerosis, he shares how caregivers reported loved ones talking and doing things “they had not done… for years”.
He carefully sticks to the line that “pharmacology treats disease”, while nutrition “provides the raw materials” the body needs. For anyone in alcohol recovery worried about brain fog, memory or long-term damage, this episode offers another way of thinking about healing. There’s detailed talk about immune function, inflammation and adult stem cells, but Hilary keeps it accessible, asking the questions you’re probably thinking yourself.
If you’re curious how science-based nutrition might support a clearer mind alongside sobriety, this chat gives plenty to mull over. What small steps could you take today to give your brain the best chance to heal?
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