The Doctor's Farmacy With Mark Hyman, M.d.

It can often feel like stress is all around us. Stress can come in many different forms. Socioeconomic stress is a real burden for many people, as is the stress of taking care of several generations within a family, or meeting the demands of our jobs. Stress can also come in the form of bad food and poor or inadequate sleep. In all its many forms stress leads to inflammation. And inflammation actually kills the brain cells that help us make good decisions, and it makes those in the fight or flight part of the brain grow. This leads to anger and opposition and supports negative behavior and decision making. Dr. Hyman explores how stress can lead us to make unhealthy choices in his recent conversations with Drs. Rangan Chatterjee, Austin Perlmutter, and David Perlmutter. They also share information about what we can do to stop the negative effects of stress in our lives. Dr. Rangan Chatterjee is regarded as one of the most influential doctors in the UK and wants to change how medicine will be practiced for year

What’s Wrong With The Business Of Politics And How To Fix It with Katherine Gehl | This episode is brought to you by Four Sigmatic and Thrive Market Politics is Big Business, there’s no way around it. We’re in an extremely divisive time, and we used to be able to get things done with a much more bipartisan approach. In the 60s, voting patterns were greatly blended, but they’ve only continued to move further apart since then. This hinders things like improvements to public health in favor of private gain. You know I always want to find the space for positive change, though, so I was excited to sit down and talk about solutions for improving our current political system on this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy with Katherine Gehl.  Katherine is a business leader, writer, speaker, and political innovation activist. She was president and CEO of Gehl Foods, a $250 million, high-tech food manufacturing company in Wisconsin with approximately 350 employees. Prior to joining Gehl Foods in 2007, Gehl held a range of po

Treating The Underlying Causes Of High Blood Pressure with Dr. George Papanicolaou | This episode is brought to you by AirDoctor Almost a quarter of the worldwide adult population has high blood pressure or hypertension. An additional third of American adults have what is called a pre-hypertensive condition. Hypertension is a leading cause of heart disease and can lead to kidney failure, stroke, dementia, and more. Conventional medicine typically treats hypertension with medications which is generally effective in reducing risk of these complications. However, these medications frequently come with unintended side effects. Functional Medicine, on the other hand, seeks to get to and treat the root cause of whatever is causing hypertension. In this episode, Dr. Hyman sits down with Dr. George Papanicolaou to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to treating high blood pressure. They discuss how things like diet, sleep apnea, insulin resistance, and more are often the driving forces of hypertension. George Pa

Many of us live in a constant state of low-grade dissatisfaction that we don’t need or deserve. Yet there are tools waiting within all of us that can connect us to our purpose—and show us how to share our unique gifts with the world. In his conversations with Reverend Michael Beckwith and Dr. Andrea Pennington, Dr. Hyman explores how we can connect to our highest selves through simple practices, even in the face of relentlessly hostile messages from society. Reverend Michael Beckwith is the Founder and Spiritual Director of the Agape International Spiritual Center, a trans-denominational community headquartered in Los Angeles, comprised of thousands of local members and global live streamers. In 2012, Rev. Michael Beckwith addressed the UN General Assembly during its annual World Interfaith Harmony Week. As co-founder and president of the Association for Global New Thought, he hosts conferences featuring harbingers of world peace including His Holiness the Dalai Lama, and had the distinguished honor of presen

Why We Have To Face Death To Be Fully Alive with Lauren Zander | This episode is brought to you by AquaTru and chili We could all use a little help figuring out life sometimes. Or even a lot of help! And when we are willing to ask for it and also ask ourselves some tough questions, we can live more deeply, openly, and joyfully. One of the big parts of digging into things that make us unhappy is thinking about the ultimate “Why?” And it really comes down to making the most of this precious life because we know death is coming eventually. This can be a scary topic, but it doesn’t have to be. In facing the idea of death myself and enlisting the help of a life coach, I’ve become happier, healthier, and more successful without fear of what comes next.  Today I’m excited to talk to my best friend and life coach, Lauren Zander, on The Doctor’s Farmacy. Lauren Handel Zander is the Co-Founder and Chairwoman of Handel Group®, an executive life coaching company. Her coaching methodology, The Handel Method®, is taught i

“I can’t breathe” has become a powerful phrase to symbolize the problem of systemic racism and unchecked prejudiced violence in our country. It’s also a powerful metaphor for the weight of how people feel when it comes to the social, economic, and healthcare inequalities that continue to thrive. And in the age of COVID-19, we keep hearing people say they can’t wait to get back to normal. But if this is what normal has looked like, do we really want it? It’s time for us to get more involved than ever before to create a new normal that includes social justice, civil rights, and compassion. On this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, I talked with John Grossenbacher about how to begin this reimagining of America and so much more. John is a Navy veteran, was the Captain of a nuclear attack submarine, and rose to be a Vice Admiral and Commander of the US Submarine Forces. Following the Navy, John became the Director of the Department of Energy’s Idaho National Laboratory (INL). INL is a sprawling industrial-scale res

Addressing The Underlying Causes Of Infertility with Dr. Elizabeth Boham | This episode is sponsored by Inner.U About 10% of women of reproductive age are struggling with infertility and that number is on the rise. Individuals struggling with infertility can often feel hopeless. And while there is no across the board explanation for what causes infertility, by looking at the underlying issues that may be factoring in, it can often be reversed.  In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to treating infertility. They discuss specific patient cases and share why it is important to consider a wide range of factors including toxin exposure, nutritional deficiencies, stress management, and more.   Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices functional medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnes

Meat That Is Good For You And The Planet with Fred Provenza | This episode is brought to you by Thrive Market, Joovv, and chili Eating a variety of phytonutrients is a powerful way to support optimal health, from things like colorful fruits and veggies. Another really cool side of phytonutrients is the impact they have on making animals healthier, too. In fact, animals who graze on a diverse variety of pasture, with lots of different kinds of wild plants, get an incredible array of phytonutrients. They will even intuitively mix and match their nutritional needs to what plants are available, making sure they get the right balance of vitamins and minerals. Animals who’ve been able to graze like this provide much healthier meat that passes more nutritional benefits along to us. Plus they get to live happier, more natural lives! Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I talk to Fred Provenza about the amazing world of phytochemicals and what they can do for animals and our own bodies.  Fred grew up in Salida, Colorado, wo

Before I became a doctor, I actually studied Buddhism. I wanted to understand the root of human suffering, and through that understand the way to creating happiness. I realized that by becoming a doctor, I could help people alleviate suffering in multiple ways. Better yet, through Functional Medicine, I could get to the root cause of why the body is struggling and correct it from the ground up. My interest in Buddhism was sparked when my sister took me, at just 15 years old, to a lecture by Professor Robert Thurman, the leading American expert on Tibetan Buddhism. My life has never been the same, and I was thrilled to sit down and tell him that on this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy.  Robert Thurman is the Jey Tsong Khapa Professor of Indo-Tibetan Buddhist Studies in the Department of Religion at Columbia University; President of the Tibet House U.S., a non-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and promotion of Tibetan civilization; and President of the American Institute of Buddhist Studies, a n

Prolozone and Nutritional Therapy for Osteoarthritis with Dr. George Papanicolaou | This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor Millions of Americans suffer from chronic joint pain, most commonly in the knee, due to osteoarthritis. Conventional medicine typically treats the symptoms of osteoarthritis but does not necessarily do anything to reverse it. Functional Medicine approaches these issues differently, treating and reversing chronic inflammation through lifestyle, diet, botanicals, targeted supplements, and more—including more “out of the box” therapies like ozone and prolozone. In this episode, Dr. Hyman sits down with his colleague, Dr. George Papanicolaou, to discuss their experiences treating chronic joint pain in patients with nutritional and prolozone therapy. George Papanicolaou is a graduate of the Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine and is Board Certified in Family Medicine from Abington Memorial Hospital. He is also an Institute for Functional Medicine Practitioner. Upon graduation from his

Like most of you, I’m feeling the heaviness of our national news. The injustice we continue to be reminded of through violent, devastating acts needs to stop. We cannot tolerate a system that ignores equality and deems it acceptable to ignore a human plea for air, for life. On April 4, 2018, on the 50th anniversary of Martin Luther King Jr.’s death, I was honored to be asked to speak at Riverside Church in Harlem.  The day was focused on MLK Jr.’s fight for civil rights and social justice for minorities and the poor. Today, in lieu of airing our previously planned episode, I am instead sharing that talk I gave at Riverside Church just over two years ago, as an acknowledgment of the targeting of Black lives in our society and the need for systemic change to protect Black health and Black lives. Martin Luther King Jr. once said, “Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter.” We can no longer be silent about this.

Over 40% of college students report feeling too depressed to function on a daily basis. Over 60% are overwhelmingly anxious. This was not always the case. COVID-19 aside, what is it about our modern times that is leading to stress instead of joy? One of my observations is that we’re meant to be human beings, not humans doing, yet we’re constantly just trying to get things done, to accumulate more possessions, to achieve power and success. But we can reframe our perspective of what matters and focus more on simply being—on sitting, listening, noticing—to improve our happiness and satisfaction in life. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Laurie Santos, is the perfect person to talk to about actively working on increasing our happiness.  Laurie Santos is a Professor of Psychology and the Head of Silliman College at Yale University, as well as the host of the critically acclaimed podcast The Happiness Lab. After observing a disturbing level of unhappiness and anxiety among her students, she began teaching a co

Treating Acne From The Inside Out with Dr. Elizabeth Boham | This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor Acne is the #1 skin condition in the United States, affecting not just millions of teenagers but an increasing number of adults as well. We spend over a billion dollars for prescriptions and over-the-counter (OTC) products to cure acne, yet at best these are short-term solutions. Conventional medicine deals with symptoms, so their solutions for acne include lathering on potions and lotions, and taking antibiotics or strong liver-damaging medications. Functional Medicine, on the other hand, addresses the problem’s root cause. From this lens, we can understand that numerous factors contribute to acne, including nutritional status, stress, toxicity, inflammation and hormonal and gut imbalances. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to treating acne and other skin issues. Dr. Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices Function

Kerry Kennedy - Is Your Food Grown by Oppressed Farmworkers? | Brought to you by Thrive Market, Athletic Greens, and Theragun Social injustice is all around us. With the age of COVID-19, we see it in the higher rates of illness in our most underserved communities. On a larger, everyday scale we see it in the exploitation of farmworkers we all rely on to produce our food. Of course, these are only two examples of many human rights issues that we all should be thinking about. We often make a mistake in thinking we’re too insignificant to help. We’re not politicians, lobbyists, philanthropists, so what could we possibly do? The answer is a lot—with each small step of activism we take, we send positive ripples out into our communities and the rest of the world. I was so excited to sit down with my good friend Kerry Kennedy to talk about human rights activism and how her family has historically been a part of producing positive social change.  Kerry is the president of Robert F. Kennedy Human Rights. Since 1981, s

Maintaining good health is front and center in most of our minds right now, and for good reason. As we take in the latest news on COVID-19 each day, it’s the perfect time to take a deeper look at why some of us are more susceptible to this virus. How can we collectively improve our immunity to combat this pandemic more successfully? How can we protect ourselves in the future? There are many ways. And you won’t be surprised that food and the policies that influence our food system are a huge piece of that puzzle.  Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy I talk with Senator Bill Frist, a politician, doctor, farmer, author, and much more. Senator Frist is a heart and lung transplant surgeon and former U.S. Senate Majority Leader. He represented Tennessee in the U.S. Senate for 12 years and was elected Majority Leader in 2003. He led passage of the 2003 Medicare Modernization Act and the historic PEPFAR HIV/AIDS legislation that has saved millions of lives worldwide.  As the founder and director of the Vanderbilt Multi-Org

Lyme disease and other tick-borne diseases often go undiagnosed or are misdiagnosed. This is partially because Lyme mimics other illnesses such as the flu, manifesting as diverse symptoms including headaches, muscle aches, stomach ulcers, constipation, and joint pain, making diagnosing and treating Lyme very difficult. Left unchecked, Lyme symptoms can worsen, creating a long-running inflammatory response and autoimmune illness. Lyme disease, or borreliosis, is caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi, which can proliferate to every area in your body. The good news is that with some work and effort, you can successfully treat Lyme disease. In this episode, Dr. Hyman sits down with Dr. Todd LePine to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to identifying and treating chronic Lyme and other tick-borne diseases. Dr. LePine graduated from Dartmouth Medical School and is Board Certified in Internal Medicine, specializing in Integrative Functional Medicine. He is an Institute for Functional Medicine Certified

The ketogenic diet has gained a lot of popularity in the past couple of years. If you’re not quite sure what it is, why it could be beneficial, or you’re well-acquainted with it and just want to learn more, this episode is for you. The ketogenic diet, or keto as it’s called, is a high-fat low carbohydrate diet. While some people take this to mean loads of conventionally raised meat and dairy, the true (and beneficial version) means lots of beneficial fats from things like avocados, nuts and seeds, and coconut; high-quality protein from clean sources like grass-fed meat and pasture-raised eggs; and plenty of non-starchy vegetables.  To hash out more of the details about keto and how it can support good health, I was excited to talk with my friend and one of the leading voices in the Paleo/Primal and keto movements, Mark Sisson. Mark is the founder of the popular daily health blog, Mark’s Daily Apple, godfather to the Primal food and lifestyle movement, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Keto Rese

Only 12% of us in the US are metabolically healthy—it’s pretty alarming when the healthy population is the minority. And in the age of COVID-19, it’s important to recognize that those with a chronic disease are at an exponentially higher risk of hospitalization than someone who is metabolically healthy. If we as a population were healthier (think less obesity, type 2 diabetes, cardiovascular disease, cancer, etc.), the evidence supports that we’d be faring much better throughout this pandemic. Of course, a major driver of chronic diseases and the risks they create is our food system. We can’t expect to be a resilient population if we aren’t feeding our bodies real food with real nutrients we can use to function optimally.  To dig into this topic further, I was excited to sit down with Dr. Dariush Mozaffarian on this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy. Dr. Mozaffarian is a cardiologist, Dean and Jean Mayer Professor at the Tufts Friedman School of Nutrition Science and Policy, and Professor of Medicine at Tufts M

Many of us wonder why we keep getting sick and repeatedly suffer from recurrent infections—whether it be sinus infections, ear infections, urinary tract infections, cold and flu, or a range of other infections. While conventional medicine typically treats these infections with antibiotics, Functional Medicine digs deeper to determine the cause of the infection and what can be done to eliminate it. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to breaking the cycle of recurrent infections and how to make ourselves more immune resilient.  Elizabeth Boham is a physician and nutritionist who practices functional medicine at The UltraWellness Center in Lenox, MA. Through her practice and lecturing she has helped thousands of people achieve their goals of optimum health and wellness. She witnesses the power of nutrition every day in her practice and is committed to training other physicians to utilize nutrition in healing. Dr. Boham has contributed to m

Food is political, whether we like it or not.   From the subsidies used to grow the crops that produce our massive amounts of ultra-processed foods, to school lunches, to the meals being served on our own dinner tables and even in the White House, the state of our food system is impacted by policy on an incredible scale. My guest on today’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy has played a very positive role in trying to impact those policies for the better to make America healthier as a whole. Sam Kass is the former Senior Policy Advisor for Nutrition in the Obama administration. After cooking for the Obamas in Chicago for two years, Sam joined the White House kitchen staff in 2009. During his White House tenure, he took on several additional roles including Executive Director of First Lady Michelle Obama’s “Let’s Move!” campaign and Senior White House Policy Advisor for Nutrition. As one of the First Lady’s longest-serving advisors, he helped the First Lady create the first major vegetable garden at the White Ho