The Dr. Hyman Show

Energy is such a major piece to overall wellness—we don’t feel very motivated to practice self-care and pursue the things we love if we simply don’t have the energy. So what does it really look like to have great energy, and what can we do in our own lives to create more of it? Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy is the perfect person to answer that. Ben Greenfield is a human performance consultant, speaker, and New York Times bestselling author of 13 books, including the wildly popular titles, Beyond Training and Boundless. A former collegiate tennis, water polo, and volleyball player, as well as a bodybuilder, 13-time Ironman triathlete, and professional obstacle course racer, Ben has been voted by the NSCA as America’s top Personal Trainer and by Greatist as one of the top 100 Most Influential People In Health and Fitness. Ben hosts the highly popular fitness, nutrition, and wellness website bengreenfieldfitness.com, a site with over a million monthly visitors, featuring articles, podcasts, and product reviews. His latest book, Boundless, is all about creating more energy to live the life of optimal health and happiness you deserve. This can happen through many different types of actions, so today Ben walks us through his extensive research and personal experience. *For context, this episode was recorded in January 2020. This episode is sponsored by Joovv and Athletic Greens. I recently discovered Joovv, a red light therapy device. Red light therapy is a super gentle non-invasive treatment where a device with medical-grade LEDs delivers concentrated light to your skin. It actually helps your cells produce collagen so it improves skin tone and complexion, diminishes signs of aging like wrinkles, and speeds the healing of wounds and scars. Check out the Joovv products at joovv.com/farmacy and use the code FARMACY at checkout. I use Athletic Greens in the morning as part of my daily routine. It’s really one supplement that covers so many bases and you’d be hard-pressed to find something else this comprehensive in one place. Right now Athletic Greens is offering my audience their Vitamin D3/K2 Liquid Formula free with your first purchase. Just go to athleticgreens.com/hyman to get your free bottle of Vitamin D3 and K2 with your first purchase.  Here are more of the details from our interview:  Ben’s new book and why he chose to focus on how to have a boundless amount of energy throughout the day (6:33) Why doing Turkish Get-Up kettlebell exercises is one of Ben’s favorite workouts (10:21) Traditional gym culture vs taking “movement snacks” throughout the day (14:40) Using light therapy to reduce wrinkles, care for your skin, create energy, and more (17:13) The benefits of creating a bit of stress to the system to activate a healing response, such as employing hot/cold routines and sauna (21:33) Why the Carnivore and Paleo Diets were developed in response to plant’s built-in defense mechanisms (25:53) Anti-aging, NAD, sirtuin activating compounds, and sirtuin activating foods (29:41) Assessing what the best diet is for you, fasting, the pitfalls of eating while stressed, and why we should all avoid late night eating (46:12) Eating meat, MTOR activation, and how to avoid high amounts of leucine and methionine (54:46) Methods for optimal sleep (59:01) Get Ben’s book, Boundless: Upgrade Your Brain, Optimize Your Body and Defy Aging at https://boundlessbook.com/ Find Ben online at bengreenfieldfitness.com and follow him on Facebook @BGFittness, on Twitter @bengreenfield, and on Instagram @bengreenfieldfitness

22 Apr 20201h 11min

People have never been more curious about strengthening the immune system than they are right now. The COVID-19 pandemic has got us all thinking seriously about our health and what it means to have immune strength, now and in the future. To get the most out of this trying time, we need to be open to looking at our health in ways we haven’t before. My guest today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Jeffrey Bland, is a pro at that, and for this reason and so many others he is considered the father of Functional Medicine. Dr. Bland has been an internationally recognized leader in the nutritional medicine field for over 35 years. He’s authored five books on nutritional medicine for the healthcare professional and six books on nutrition and health. With his wife, Susan, Dr. Bland founded The Institute for Functional Medicine in 1991, a nonprofit organization focused on educating healthcare practitioners on effective approaches to treating and preventing chronic disease by getting to the root cause.  Dr. Bland has always been a major inspiration for me. I was thrilled to have a video-call with him to discuss new ways of looking at optimal health and immunity in the face of this pandemic. In trying to better understand COVID-19, Dr. Bland went back to the basics of the immune system. He breaks down the processes at work, explains what the now often-heard phrase “cytokine storm” means, and talks about using food as medicine to promote immuno-rejuvenation. That means we’re not just supporting the current state of our immune system, we’re reviving it from the ground up. We talk about this and so much more on this week’s valuable episode.  Here are more of the details from our interview:  Acknowledging the psycho-physical effects of COVID-19 and the three zones of learning the disease offers (4:35) Dr. Bland’s article, Reflections on the COVID-19 Pandemic (8:17) The flexibility and adaptability of our immune system (12:21) Research from the HIV/AIDS epidemic showing dramatic effects of giving African women a simple multi-vitamin (16:35) Immuno-rejuvenation and why our focus should not be on supporting our immune system but rejuvenating it (19:31) How phytochemicals in plants impact human immune systems (24:03) Himalayan tartary buckwheat and its immunopotentiating compounds (28:06) How food influences the function of our immune system (40:30) My COVID-19 blog, A Functional Medicine Approach to COVID-19, and what we should be eating now to protect ourselves (48:31) Five significant changes Dr. Bland predicts in how we will see healthcare globally post-COVID-19 (50:59) The interrelatedness of our immune and nervous systems, and our control over the function of these systems (1:00:43) Find information on Dr. Bland online at jeffreybland.com, http://plminstitute.org/, and https://bigboldhealth.com/ Follow Dr. Bland on Facebook @jeffreyblandphd, on Instagram @drjeffreybland, and on Twitter @jeffreyblandphd

20 Apr 20201h 7min

We’ve all heard the fiendishly simple and completely untrue colloquialism that to lose weight you just have to eat less and exercise more. Or that it’s all about willpower and that it’s the individual’s fault if they are fat. Not only are these ideas completely unsupported by the scientific literature, but they also lead to a blame-the-victim mentality that tells people who are struggling with their weight, in a not-so-subtle way, that if they only tried harder they would lose weight. There is only one problem with this point of view: It’s just not true. What makes us thin, fat, or somewhere in between does indeed have something to do with how much we eat and exercise. But the oversimplification stops there. Complex forces that govern our survival control our weight and metabolism. In fact, there is no one simple reason why an individual may have trouble with his or her weight. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to weight gain and weight loss. 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 many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the functional medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.  This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor. We need clean air not only to live but to create vibrant health and protect ourselves and loved ones from toxin exposure and disease. Learn more about the AirDoctor Professional Air Purifier system at a special price at www.drhyman.com/filter In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Boham discuss: Common factors that contribute to weight gain such as blood sugar and insulin levels, environmental toxins, hormonal imbalances, mitochondrial Issues, and more. The value in getting a detailed personal history from patients, and how weight loss is often a side effect of a personalized medicine approach. The connection between the gut, food sensitivities, and weight. The relationship between inflammation and weight. What someone’s waist to hip ratio tells us. Time-restricted eating and intermittent fasting. Why when you eat matters. How sleep issues and sleep apnea can lead to weight gain. For more information visit drhyman.com/uwc Additional Resources: Dr. Hyman’s 10 Day Reset free resource guide  getfarmacy.com/free “A Functional Medicine Approach to Obesity: 10 Ways to Lose Weight & Keep It Off” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/04/03/a-functional-medicine-approach-to-obesity-10-ways-to-lose-weight-keep-it-off/ “How Toxins Make You Fat: 4 Steps to Get Rid of Toxic Weight” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2012/02/20/how-toxins-make-you-fat-4-steps-to-get-rid-of-toxic-weight/ “Top 5 Tips for Weight Loss” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/07/11/top-5-tips-for-weight-loss/ “Three Hidden Ways Wheat Makes You Fat” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2012/02/13/three-hidden-ways-wheat-makes-you-fat/ “Is Intermittent Fasting Right for You?” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/03/27/is-intermittent-fasting-right-for-you/ “Ketogenic Diets: Sorting Through the Pros and Cons” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/01/06/ketogenic-diets-sorting-pros-cons/ “8 Ways Nutrient Deficiencies Cause Weight Loss Resistance” https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/06/02/8-ways-nutrient-deficiencies-cause-weight-loss-resistance/ “Why Can’t I Lose Weight?” https://drhyman.com/blog/2017/08/10/cant-lose-weight/ “Why Can’t I Lose Weight? (Part II)” https://drhyman.com/blog/2017/08/16/cant-lose-weight-part-ii/ “UltraMetabolism™ Myth #1: Eat Less + Exercise More = Weight Loss” https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/10/26/ultrametabolism/ “Why Diet and Exercise Are Not the Key to Weight Loss and Health” https://drhyman.com/blog/2014/06/09/diet-exercise-key-weight-loss-health/ “Three Days, Real Food, No More Insulin” https://drhyman.com/blog/2019/05/20/three-days-real-food-no-more-insulin/ “The 7 Ways to Fix a Slow Metabolism” https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/05/26/the-7-ways-to-fix-a-slow-metabolism/ “Is Your Lack of Sleep Making You Fat?” https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/07/18/is-your-lack-of-sleep-making-you-fat/ “Big Government and Big Food Give the Same Weight Loss Advice?” https://drhyman.com/blog/2014/05/11/big-government-big-food-give-weight-loss-advice/ “The Most Damaging Food Lie We Have Ever Been Told” https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/02/07/damaging-food-lie-ever-told/ “Sweet Dreams: How to Sleep Better, Lose Weight, and Live Longer” https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/05/20/how-to-sleep-better-lose-weight-and-live-longer/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

17 Apr 202033min

We’re all going through this era of coronavirus—separately but together. I feel like humanity is taking one big existential breath; it’s a pause for us all to think about our previous normal lives, our currently abnormal lives, and how we want to reinvent life when this whole thing is over. And I know many of us have become confused by the different news outlets sharing different information. When it comes to deciding who is a reliable source, I know Katie Couric is always someone I can trust. I’m honored to have her chat with me for this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy.  Katie is an award-winning journalist, New York Times bestselling author and a co-founder of Stand Up To Cancer. Since its launch in 2008, Stand Up To Cancer has raised more than $600 million to support cutting-edge collaborative science and its research has contributed to six new FDA approved therapies. In 2017, she founded Katie Couric Media, which has developed a number of media projects, including a daily newsletter, a podcast, and digital video series. She has played a part in producing many documentaries, including Fed Up, which I was thrilled to be a part of. Couric was also the executive producer of Unbelievable on Netflix, is developing other scripted projects, and is currently writing her memoir. This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor and AquaTru. We need clean water and clean air not only to live but to create vibrant health and protect ourselves and loved ones from toxin exposure and disease. That’s why I’m teaming up with AquaTru and AirDoctor to offer you the AquaTru Water Purification System and AirDoctor Professional Air Purifier systems at a special price. Learn more at www.drhyman.com/filter. *For context, this conversation was recorded on 3/31/20. Here are more of the details from our interview:  The unprecedented nature of COVID-19 (6:16) Why now is not the time to turn to comfort foods (9:46) What Katie has been hearing from healthcare providers, psychologists, business leaders, and others she has been interviewing during the coronavirus crisis (12:03) The U.S. response to the COVID-19 pandemic (15:16) The devastating disruption to standard autopsy, grieving, and burial practices in COVID-19 deaths (21:26) Staying informed without obsessing over, or over-consuming, news updates (22:41) Finding power and a sense of control by focusing on where you can be of service (25:06) What our society will look like post-COVID-19 given our intense divisiveness, partisanship, current leadership, and media landscape (30:01) Practices to manage and cope with our current reality (41:32) Restoring national unity through leadership and empathy (48:42) Find Katie online at katiecouric.com. Sign-up for her morning newsletter, Wake-Up Call at https://katiecouric.com/newsletter/ Follow Katie on Facebook @katiecouric, on Instagram @katiecouric, and on Twitter @katiecouriic

15 Apr 202058min

There are so many questions about how coronavirus can impact our health, and rightfully so. This novel virus has completely changed the way we function as a society and brought about a feeling of uncertainty most of us haven’t ever experienced. But we’re in this together. There is, of course, a wide range of common concerns—from how to protect ourselves and families to what kinds of treatment options exist—but also many new conversations popping up around what supplements we can safely trust for immune strength, if it’s safe to go outdoors, how the virus attaches to surfaces, and so much more.  Last week I was lucky enough to sit down with Dr. Patrick Hanaway for a video-call to talk about these important questions from a Functional Medicine perspective. Dr. Hanaway is the Senior Advisor to the Institute for Functional Medicine, their COVID-19 Task Force Coordinator, and Co-Chair of the IFM Expert Advisory Board. In case you missed it, we’re sharing that as the latest episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy. *For context, this interview was recorded on April 8, 2020. In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Hanaway discuss: The role of supplements in treating COVID-19 and boosting your immune system What we know about taking things like vitamin D, elderberry, zinc, and other compounds to protect against COVID-19 Is IV ozone an effective treatment option for COVID-19? Why what you eat is more essential than ever Is intermittent fasting or the ketogenic diet a good way to boost immunity?  The potential effectiveness of using hot-cold interaction, such as sauna, to protect against COVID-19 How long is a person still contagious after having the virus and how long does antibody immunity last? Maintaining practices to ground yourself during this time Find additional information at: Institute for Functional Medicine  Ifm.org “A Functional Medicine Approach to COVID-19”  drhyman.com/c19 Special Episode: Medicine In The Age Of COVID-19 And Beyond https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/Medicine-In-The-Age-Of-COVID-19-And-Beyond

13 Apr 20201h 1min

Hormone imbalances are epidemic these days. For example, symptoms of premenstrual syndrome (PMS), like mood swings, irritability, depression, anxiety, fluid retention, bloating, breast tenderness, sugar cravings, headaches, and sleep disturbances, affect 75 percent of women. But just because you’re a woman doesn’t mean you have to live with these symptoms.  The real fact is that suffering related to menstrual cycles is unnecessary. You might never know this from conventional medicine, which seems to subscribe to the idea that women are destined to suffer throughout their reproductive life and beyond. However, there are actually many things you can do to fix hormonal imbalances.  In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman is joined by Dr. Elizabeth Boham to discuss the Functional Medicine approach to treating hormonal imbalances in women.  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 many articles and wrote the latest chapter on Obesity for the Rankel Textbook of Family Medicine. She is part of the faculty of the Institute for Functional Medicine and has been featured on the Dr. Oz show and in a variety of publications and media including Huffington Post, The Chalkboard Magazine, and Experience Life. Her DVD Breast Wellness: Tools to Prevent and Heal from Breast Cancer explores the functional medicine approach to keeping your breasts and whole body well.  This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor. We need clean air not only to live but to create vibrant health and protect ourselves and loved ones from toxin exposure and disease. Learn more about the AirDoctor Professional Air Purifier system at a special price at www.drhyman.com/filter In this episode, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Boham discuss: The prevalence of hormonal imbalances in women Using the birth control pill as medical therapy to address PMS, heavy bleeding, and other symptoms of hormonal imbalance What happens during perimenopause The interrelatedness of hormones and what causes them to be out of balance The role of our adrenal glands and how to support them The benefits of eating foods such as flax seeds, broccoli, and whole-food soy to support our hormonal health  Why maintaining balanced blood sugar is so important for hormonal health For more information visit drhyman.com/uwc Additional resources: “Getting to the Root: Perimenopause” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/02/16/getting-to-the-root-perimenopause/ “Lesson 3: Hormones and Neurotransmitters” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2012/10/17/lesson-3-hormones-and-neurotransmitters/ “Natural Approach to Alleviating PMS” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/04/25/natural-approach-to-alleviating-pms/ “Magical Magnesium” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2020/03/11/magic-magnesium/ “How Do I Naturally Balance Female Sex Hormones?” https://drhyman.com/blog/2015/08/14/how-do-i-naturally-balance-female-sex-hormones/ “How to Eliminate PMS in 5 Simple Steps” https://drhyman.com/blog/2010/09/17/how-to-eliminate-pms-in-5-simple-steps/ “Relationships, Menopause, and Health” https://drhyman.com/blog/2012/01/13/relationships-menopause-and-health/ “How to Get Your Mojo Back (Boosting Female Sex Drive)” https://drhyman.com/blog/2016/07/09/how-to-get-your-mojo-back-boosting-female-sex-drive/ “ULTRAMIND®: Key #2 Balance Your Hormones” https://drhyman.com/blog/2012/01/27/the-ultramind-solution-key-2-balance-your-hormones/ “A Functional Medicine Approach to Infertility” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/09/01/a-functional-medicine-approach-to-infertility/ “Clara’s Case Study: Overcoming Infertility” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/09/05/claras-case-study-overcoming-infertility/ “Overcoming Postpartum Depression” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/01/16/overcoming-postpartum-depression/ “Meditation: Connecting to the Wisdom Within” https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2014/04/10/meditation-connecting-wisdom-within/ Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

10 Apr 202033min

We’re all trying to make sense of the new world order. And while my wife and I stay at home and navigate these unusual times, we find routine and practice to be the core of our wellbeing. We’re meditating every morning, going for walks in the woods, and taking afternoon work breaks to check-in and find time to connect. These seemingly simple actions have become the parts of our day that keep us grounded and optimistic, so we actually even schedule them into our calendars.  One of my favorite people to talk to about the benefits of spiritual and wellness practices is Gabrielle Bernstein. I was so happy to connect with her over a video-call for this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy. Gabby is the #1 New York Times bestselling author of The Universe Has Your Back and has written six additional bestsellers, including Super Attractor which launched in September 2019. She was featured on Oprah’s Super Soul Sunday as a “next-generation thought leader” and The Oprah Winfrey Network chose Gabrielle to be part of the “Super Soul 100,” a dynamic group of 100 trailblazers whose vision and life’s work are bringing a higher level of consciousness to the world. Gabby provides a calm perspective to the crazy situation we find ourselves in. This episode is sponsored by Joovv and Four Sigmatic. I recently discovered Joovv, a red light therapy device. Red light therapy is a super gentle non-invasive treatment where a device with medical-grade LEDs delivers concentrated light to your skin. It actually helps your cells produce collagen so it improves skin tone and complexion, diminishes signs of aging like wrinkles, and speeds the healing of wounds and scars. Check out the Joovv products at joovv.com/farmacy and use the code FARMACY at checkout. Once you’re there, you’ll see a special bonus the Joovv team is giving away to my listeners.  I’m excited to share an exclusive offer from Four Sigmatic on their best selling Immune Bundle that has their Ground Mushroom Coffee and Chaga Elixir - just for Doctor's Farmacy listeners. Right now you can get up to 20% off on their Immune Bundle plus an additional 20% off at checkout. Just go to Foursigmatic.com/HYMAN to take advantage of this awesome deal. You’ll see the full discount applied at checkout.  Here are more of the details from our interview: Navigating our current circumstances by doubling down on our spiritual tools and practices (6:25) Scheduling time for spiritual practice for sustainable serenity (10:33) The daily spiritual practices and routines that Gabrielle and I are relying upon (14:59) Gabrielle’s Daily Design Method and why she and her husband practice it each morning (20:09) Why feeling good is the key to manifesting the life that you want and Gabrielle’s Choose Again Method (22:26) Gabrielle’s experience with postpartum depression, anxiety, insomnia, and suicidal thoughts (28:36) Voo breathing exercise to stimulate the vagus nerve (33:15) How we can pursue our dreams during this difficult and uncertain time (36:00) What it means to say, “The universe is always a yes” (48:04) Get Gabby’s free Positive Energy Meditation at https://gabbybernstein.com/positiveenergy/ Learn more about Gabrielle Bernssstein at https://gabbybernstein.com/ and follow her on Facebook @gabriellebernstein, on Twitter @gabbybernstein, and on Instagram @gabbybernstein Order Gabrielle’s latest book, Super Attractor at https://gabbybernstein.com/superattractor/

8 Apr 20201h 1min

Multiple times a day, even multiple times an hour, we’re hearing new information about COVID-19. Some of the most common questions I’ve received have to do with testing. We had our first case of novel coronavirus the same day South Korea had its first case. Yet they are much further ahead of us when it comes to testing, something that has helped them quickly control the virus in a way we haven’t been able to do in the US. They also rapidly took on measures like quarantining and tracing the transmission of the virus. Of course, there are so many different components that go into successful testing and quelling a pandemic of this size. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I hope to shed some light on those with my guest Dr. Steven Kleiboeker. Throughout our conversation, we cover who should be tested, when, and how, and what kinds of tests are currently available or soon will be. He is the Vice President of Research and Development for Viracor, and is responsible for the scientific direction and oversight of the company's research and development programs as well as the BioPharma and Clinical Trial Biomarker Services research services. Dr. Kleiboeker is board certified as a high-complexity laboratory director, technical supervisor, and clinical consultant by the American Board of Bioanalysis. Over his career, he has published more than 60 scientific manuscripts and serves on editorial boards and as a reviewer for several virological and microbiological journals. *For context, this interview was recorded on March 31, 2020. Here are more of the details from our interview:  What we know today about coronavirus, how and when is it transmittable, and why good hygiene is so important as a protective measure (2:29) The difference between the South Korean and American responses to initial cases, which were both reported on the same day (5:33) Issues with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s initial COVID-19 tests and testing protocol (7:53) The COVID-19 test that is currently approved for use (the RT-PCR test), what exactly it tests for, and why there is variation in how long it takes to get test results back (9:47) Issues with scaling-up the supply chain for all necessary components of coronavirus testing (13:53) The current approach to coronavirus testing and how it differs from what testing would look like in a perfect world (21:03) The roll out of coronavirus antibody testing, what antibody tests tell us, and can you get COVID-19 more than once? (28:46) What we could learn from quantitative testing, or knowing the viral load that an individual is carrying  (33:25) What should you do if you have COVID-19 symptoms? (36:29) Is it too late to do extensive testing to stop and slow the spread of COVID-19? (42:49)

6 Apr 202051min