Osher WISE

Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone
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Osher WISE (Well-being and Integrative Science for Everyone) is a public education program that offers courses on integrative health topics that are current and compelling. Our programming provides an opportunity for community members to become active, informed participants in their own journey to health and well-being.
 

What Should I Take? Making Informed Choices About Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicine

Wednesdays, October 7-28, 6:00-7:30 p.m. PT

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Osher WISE image 2026

What Should I Take? Making Informed Choices About Dietary Supplements and Herbal Medicine

Fall 2026 Course

Wednesdays, October 7-28, 6:00-7:30 p.m. PT

Approximately 1 in 5 adults uses a plant-based herbal supplement, and 1 in 2 uses a vitamin or mineral product. Many people do not tell their health care providers about the supplements they are taking. This communication gap can increase the risk of interactions with prescription medications, existing health conditions, and other treatments. As the use of dietary supplements continues to grow, it is important for people to understand how to evaluate these products, recognize their potential benefits and risks, and identify which supplements are supported by strong scientific evidence. Accessing reliable, evidence-based information can help everyone make safer, more informed decisions about their health.

This four-week course will help participants learn essential tips for dietary supplement selection and evidence-based information on the effectiveness and potential risks for supplements and herbals commonly used for longevity, heart health, bone health, and other uses.

Course Chairs

Cathi Dennehy Osher WISE

Cathi Dennehy, PharmD

Professor of Clinical Pharmacy

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General Rate

Full course (4 Classes): $120

Single class: $40

We are able to offer a small number of registrations at a discounted rate for students and individuals with limited financial resources. If registration cost is a hardship for you, you may request this discount by completing this form.

UC Employee Discount 

All University of California (UC) faculty, staff, and UC retirees are eligible for a 10% discount. Email [email protected] with your UC email to receive the discount code to apply at checkout. 

Full course registration refunds are available up to 72 hours before the date of the first class of the series; partial refunds are not available. Single class registration refunds are available up to 72 hours before the scheduled class date. In the event that Osher WISE must cancel an individual class due to unforeseen circumstances, per class refunds will be provided to all registered participants. Requests for refunds must be made via email to [email protected].

Please email [email protected] with any questions.

Previous Courses

2025-2026

Your Body, Your Power: Science and Strategies in Women's Health at Every Stage
Chairs: Judith Cuneo, MD, and Jeannette Lager, MD

  • Health in Adolescent Girls (video), Jenifer Matthews, MD, and David Becker, MD 
  • Fertility Optimization (video), Jennifer Ashby, DAOM, and Maren Shapiro Eger, MD
  • Sleep and Environmental Health (video), Ashley Mason, PhD, and Marya Zlatnik, MD
  • Menopause and Healthy Aging (video), Tami Rowen, MD, and Riley Bove

2023-2024

Lifestyle Strategies to Support Health and Well-being
Chair: Natalie Marshall, MD

  • Movement and Strength Training to Improve Metabolic Health (video), Natalie Marshall, MD
  • Mind-Body Medicine to Build Stress Resilience (video), Kavita K. Mishra MD, MPH
  • Brain Health, Neuroplasticity, and Aging: Supporting Cognition at Every Age (video), Nancy Isenberg, MD, MPH
  • Feeding Your Microbiome: Dietary Strategies for Wellness and Disease Prevention (video), Sean Spencer, MD, PhD

2022-2023

Holistic Approaches to Mental Health and Healing 
Chair: Jenifer Matthews, MD

  • Everything, Everywhere, All at Once: Integrative Approaches to Working with Teens with Anxiety, Depression, and Chronic pain (video), Lisa Wild, MFT, and Cristina Benki, PhD
  • Growing Health from the Soil Up: The Links between Earth, Farms, Food, and Well-being, (video), Daphne Miller, MD
  • Eastern View of the Mind: Comparing Traditional Chinese Medicine & Ayurveda Philosophy (video) Anisha Durve, DOM, Lac
  • Researching Psilocybin Therapy: Current Challenges and Future Prospects (video), Josh Woolley, MD, PhD
  • Room to Breathe: Therapeutic Yoga to Address Trauma (video), Chanda Williams, PhD
  • Acupuncture and Its Use for Mental Health, Expanding Our Consciousness, and Leading Us to a Path of Healing (video), Mitch Elkiss, DO

2021-2022

Transforming Cancer Care with Integrative Oncology
Chair: Kavita M. Mishra, MD, MPH

  • Integrative Oncology 101: Empowering Us to Reduce Risk, Support Treatment, and Promote Health (video), Kathleen Cavanaugh, NP, and Kavita Mishra, MD
  • Exercise and Cancer: Impact of Physical Activity (video), Natalie Marshall, MD
  • Nutrition and Cancer: Do’s and Dont’s (video), Donald Abrams, MD
  • Introduction to Integrative Palliative Care & Symptom Management (video), Brieze Bell, MD
  • Caring for Mind, Body, and Spirit: Approaches to Coping with Cancer Care (video, Jamie Cohen, PsyD, and Christina Weyer Jamora, RN, PhD
  • Integrative Cancer Care: Bringing Innovative Approaches into the Clinic (video), Jennifer Ashby, DAOM; Chloe Atreya, MD; Shannon Fogh, MD

Yoga for Self-Transformation: Awakening to the Possibilities Within
Chairs: Sudha Prathikanti, MD, and Priya Jain, MD

  • What is Yoga? Perspectives on Its Journey from East to West (video), Sudha Prathikanti, MD, and Priya Jain, MD
  • Body, Breath and Abundant Energy: Yoga for Vitalizing Physical Health (video), Ishwarya Chaitanya and Varsha Ravikumar
  • Cultivating Compassion and Resilience: Yoga for Enhancing Mental Health (video), Sudha Prathikanti, MD, and Kate Holcombe, CYT
  • Elevating Life Purpose and Meaning: The Science and Research on Yoga for Improving Transcendence and Spirituality (video), Sat Bir Singh Khalsa, PhD
  • Yoga for Transforming Consciousness: The Chakra System and Jungian Psychology (video), Patrick Mahaffey, PhD

2020-2021

Creative Expression for Mind-Body Health
Chair: Selena Chan

  • The Neuroscience of Creativity (video), Karen Chan Barrett, PhD
  • The Essential Role of Music Therapy in Pediatric Health Care (video), Matthew Logan, MA; Jennifer Goldhammer, MM; and Brianna Negrete, MM
  • The Role of Music in Dementia Caregiving Relationships (video), Theresa Allison, PhD
  • Movement is Medicine (video), Alissa Garcia-Sanchez, DPT
  • The Mandala of Healing (video), Sudha Prathikanti, MD
  • Art for Recovery (video), Amy Van Cleve

Family Health: Practices for Wellbeing During the Pandemic
Chair: David Becker, MD

  • Enhancing Neurodevelopmental Resilience from Conception to Adulthood (video), Robert Hendren, DO
  • Scientifically Proven Strategies of CBT: Empowering Parents with Knowledge and Tools to Effectively Manage Anxiety in the Family (video), Bridget Walker, PhD
  • Bringing Willingness and Values to Challenging Times (video), Walter E.B. Sipe, MD
  • State of the Pandemic: Risk, Prevention, and Treatment for Children and Families (video), Prachi Singh, DO
  • Pandemic Q&A: Integrative Therapy to Manage Anxiety and Reduce Stress (video), Dave Berger, MFT, PT
  • Cultivating Emotion Awareness and Fierce Compassion (video), Eve Ekman, PhD
  • Developmental Impact of COVID-19: Addressing Parental and Student Stress (video), Petra Steinbuchel, MD

2019-2020

Embracing Life Challenges: Finding Balance through Integrative Mental Health Care
Chairs: Sudha Prathikanti, MD, and Selena Chan, DO

  • The Mandala of Healing: Moving Toward a Whole Person Paradigm in Mental Healthcare (video), Sudha Prathikanti, MD
  • A Shamanic Journey: MDMA-assisted Psychotherapy to Guide Recovery from Trauma (video), Sylver Quevedo, MD
  • The Alchemy of Healing: The Pathways to Emotional and Spiritual Flourishing in the Classical Chinese Medicine Tradition (video), James Duffy, MD
  • Listening to One's Deepest Self: Opening to Transpersonal Dimensions of Healing (video), David Lukoff, PhD
  • Nature’s Remedies: Herbal Treatments for Emotional Distress (video), Geronima Cortese, RN, MPH
  • Exploring Physical and Emotional Dimensions of Pain and Loss: The Power of the Mind-Body Connection (video, slides), Selena Chan, DO

2017-2018

The Science Behind Optimal Metabolic Health and Nutrition: Adding Years to Your Life and Life to Your Years
Chairs: Elissa Epel, PhD, and Ashley Mason, PhD

  • Inside the Effects of Exercise: From Cellular to Psychological Benefits (video), Eli Puterman, PhD
  • Food and Fiction: What We Know, and What We Don’t about Nutrition and Supplements (video), Frederick Hecht, MD, and Chris Kresser, MS, Lac
  • FoodGate: The Break-in, the Cover-up, and the Aftermath (video), Robert Lustig, MD; Cristen Kearns, DDS; and Laura Schmidt, PhD
  • The Face of Food Addiction: Living Through and Beyond (video), Community Panelists
  • Sleep, Inflammation, and Metabolism: Sleep-worthy (video), Aric Prather, PhD
  • The Diet Trap: Why You Should Never Go on a Diet Again, and What To Do Instead (video), Sandra Aamodt, PhD, and Darya Rose, PhD
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