These 34 Health and Wellness Documentaries Streaming on Netflix Are Eye-Opening
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If you'd rather binge-watch a show or film that fills you with knowledge instead of the TV show everyone is talking about, let us introduce the best health and wellness documentaries on Netflix. Whether you want to know the truths about your food, watch an exposé on the pharmaceutical industry, learn how sustainability impacts your health, or unpack how health-related legislative battles turned out, this list really has you covered.
The following documentaries are by turn enlightening, scary, moving, and informative, and each of them is available to stream on Netflix now. Prepare to be outraged, educated, inspired, or all three.
The Mind, Explained
From memory to dreams to anxiety, The Mind, Explained reveals how your brain works through five short episodes.
What the Health
Examining the link between diet and disease, What the Health sheds light on what's at stake for the healthcare, food, and pharmaceutical industries (spoiler alert: it is billions of dollars).
(Un)Well
This six-part docuseries dives into the lucrative wellness industry, deciding if some of its most popular practices — essential oils, fasting, and bee-sting therapy to name a few — live up to their promises.
Heroin(e)
Oscar-nominated, Heroin(e) follows three women as they battle West Virginia's opioid epidemic.
Period. End of Sentence.
This powerful, award-winning documentary shows women in rural India, where the stigma of menstruation persists, as they make low-cost sanitary pads and move toward financial independence.
The Game Changers
This documentary follows UFC fighter James Wilks on his quest to discover the ideal diet for human health and performance.
Coronavirus, Explained
We've been experiencing a global pandemic for months, but this three episode series details the virus, the efforts to combat it, and how to manage the toll it takes on our mental health.
Reversing Roe
Diving into the decades-long battle to overturn abortion rights, this film features interviews with supporters and opponents of the Roe v. Wade decision.
The Truth About Alcohol
This documentary follows Javid Abdelmoneim, an emergency room doctor, learning about the benefits and risks of drinking alcohol.
Sex, Explained
In five parts, this informative docuseries explains everything you need to know about sex from sexual fantasies to birth control and beyond.
The C Word
Narrated by Morgan Freeman, The C Word aims to solve the mystery of cancer and discover how societal changes may need to be a part of prevention.
Weed the People
This inspiring film details physicians and parents demand for more research to be done on medical marijuana, citing their personal experiences with its healing potential.
Take Your Pills
In a hypercompetitive world, drugs like Adderall allow people to do more, faster, and better. This documentary asks "at what cost?"
The Milk System
Experts like farmers, scientists, and industry insiders expose the hidden costs and consequences of global dairy production while offering potential solutions.
Heal
Through inspirational and emotional conversations with spiritual leaders, physicians, and those with chronic illnesses, Heal looks into the link between the human psyche and physical health.
Ask the Doctor
Three friendly doctors bust medical myths and test treatments surrounding sleep, allergies, diet, sex, and more in this 12-part docuseries.
Attacking the Devil
Newspaper editor Harold Evans's ongoing fight to expose the truth about a dangerous drug and get its victims compensation is detailed in this harrowing documentary.
Social Animals
Instagram has taken over our world. This documentary looks at how it has impacted the lives of three teens across the nation.
Resurface
This inspiring documentary follows a suicidal war veteran in a surf therapy program that helps traumatized soldiers heal.
Extremis
This powerful documentary details the emotions that doctors, patients, and families who have to face end-of-life decisions.
My Beautiful Broken Brain
This inspirational film follows a woman's journey of setbacks and progress to relearn how to speak, read, and write after suffering a stroke at 34.
Froning: The Fittest Man in History
This documentary follows Rich Froning, Jr. through his rigorous training as he sets out to win an unprecedented fourth CrossFit Games title.
I Am Maris
I Am Maris shows a young woman's firsthand account detailing the healing power yoga had on her struggle with anorexia and self-acceptance.
Kiss the Ground
Following scientists and celebrity activists, Kiss the Ground unpacks how soil may be the key to combating climate change.
Rotten
Through six hour-long episodes, this docuseries explores the food supply chain, exposing what shapes the way we eat.
There's Something in the Water
This documentary film shows the struggle of Nova Scotia's minority communities fighting over the lethal impacts of industrial waste.
End Game
Academy Award nominated, End Game follows three stories of inspirational medical providers who aim to change the way terminally ill patients think about life and death.
The Bleeding Edge
Innovation can lead to great human advances, but rushing the process can lead to unforeseen consequences. This documentary looks at the fast-growing medical device industry and their rush to innovate.
Brave Blue World
New innovations across five continents are explored in this documentary's quest to build a future for sustainable water.
Cowspiracy
This documentary explains how factory farming is depleating the planet's natural resources and why envoirnmental groups are largely ignoring it.
Grass Is Greener
Experts in this documentary dive into America's complicated relationship with cannabis — how it both fueled music such as jazz and hip-hop while igniting a war on drugs fueled by racial injustice.
Fire in the Blood
This documentary sheds light on Africa's AIDS crisis and activists' battle to make life-saving HIV drugs more affordable.