The Dr. Hyman Show

While we are in an incredibly exciting time when it comes to preventing and reversing disease, issues such as misleading scientific research, imperfect policy, corporate financial interests, and other biases often act as roadblocks to enhancing the health of our population and our planet. Yet, when we recently reflected on a number of conversations from The Doctor’s Farmacy, we couldn’t help but hear a common and hopeful message. In this mini-episode, we revisit four conversations Dr. Hyman has had with guests on this podcast, each with a common refrain: Progress is being made and it’s happening fast! Michael Pollan is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore’s Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, and his latest book How to Change Your Mind, which is all about the new science of psychedelics. A longtime contributor to the New York Times Magazine, he also teaches writing at Harvard and the University of California, Berkeley where he is the John S. and James L. Knight Professor of Science Journalism. In 2010, Time magazine named him one of the one hundred most influential people in the world. Dr. Hallberg is a Medical Director at Virta Health and a Fellow of the Aspen Institute’s Health Innovator Fellowship and a member of the Aspen Global Leadership Network. She is also the Medical Director and founder of the Medically Supervised Weight Loss Program at Indiana University Health Arnett and an adjunct Professor of Clinical Medicine at the Indiana University School of Medicine. Dr. Hallberg is serving as Chair of the Board of Directors and Chair of the Scientific Advisory Council for The Nutrition Coalition. Dr. Hallberg is a diplomate of the American Board of Internal Medicine, American Board of Obesity Medicine, and The American Board of Clinical Lipidology and is a Registered Exercise Physiologist by the ACSM. She is also a Fellow of the Obesity Medicine Association and The National Lipid Association. David Wallace-Wells is the deputy editor of New York magazine and the author of the international bestseller The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, published in February 2019, which the New York Times called both “brilliant” and “the most terrifying book I have ever read.” Dr. Sonia Angell is a former Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), where she oversaw the Division of Prevention and Primary Care. Dr. Angell is a practicing physician, board certified in internal medicine, and on faculty at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Tune into Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Michael Pollan: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/MichaelPollan Tune into Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Dr. Sarah Hallberg: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrSarahHallberg Tune into Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with David Wallace-Wells: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DavidWallaceWells Tune into Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Dr. Sonia Angell: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrSoniaAngell

The gut and brain are strongly interconnected. That’s why in Functional Medicine we always take the gut into account, along with the rest of the body, when trying to understand a brain disease. Unfortunately, conventional medicine likes to look at each part of the body separately, which may be why doctors have a hard time effectively treating neurological diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, and ALS. Knowing that the gut affects the brain and understanding the far-reaching role of the microbiome has led this week’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy to approach neurodegenerative conditions with a whole new perspective. Dr. Jay Lombard is an internationally acclaimed neurologist, author, and keynote speaker specializing in neuroimmunological conditions and medical mysteries. Dr. Lombard integrates biological, psychological, and existential components in his holistic treatment approach. Dr. Lombard’s clinical experience revealed an interesting pattern: one patient with ALS also had small intestine bacterial overgrowth, then another who had ulcerative colitis, another had Crohn’s, and so on. He started seeing the connection between these bacterial imbalances and Clostridium difficile, or C. diff, and the link to neurological symptoms. This episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is brought to you by Thrive Market. Thrive Market has made it so easy for me to stay healthy, even with my intense travel schedule. I never let myself get into a food emergency. Instead, I always carry enough food with me when I’m on the go, for at least a full day. I order real, whole foods online from Thrive Market. Right now, Thrive is offering all Doctor’s Farmacy listeners a great deal: you will receive an extra 25% off your first purchase plus a free 30 day membership to Thrive. There’s no minimum amount to buy and no code at checkout. All you have to do is head over to http://thrivemarket.com/farmacy

Wellness is more than just eating right and exercising; feeling well means feeling whole, balanced, vibrant, and alive. And there are many moving pieces that we can tap into to feel empowered in our own wellness journey. In this miniepisode, Dr. Hyman sits down with his friend and life coach Lauren Zander to explore the importance of personal integrity, and how it relates to overall well-being. He also speaks with Dr. Shefali about reclaiming our connection to our innate authentic spirit, both in relationship to ourselves and our families Lauren Handel Zander is the Co-Founder and Chairwoman of Handel Group, an international corporate consulting and life coaching company. Her coaching methodology, The Handel Method, is taught in over 35 universities and institutes of learning around the world, including MIT, Stanford Graduate School of Business, NYU, and the New York City Public School System. Lauren is the creator of Inner.U: Learn to Human BetterR, the online coaching course that teaches the entirety of The Handel Method, which has been used by dozens of celebrities, CEOs, and entrepreneurs since 2004. She is also the author of, “Maybe It’s You,” a no-nonsense, practical manual that helps readers figure out not just what they want out of life, but how to actually get there. Dr. Shefali Tsabary, is a clinical psychologist, an international speaker and wisdom teacher. She has written two bestselling books, “The Conscious Parent,” and, “The Awakened Family.” Tune into Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Lauren Zander: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/LaurenZander Tune into Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Dr. Shefali: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrShefali

You may have heard about emotional intelligence, but have you really ever paused to think about where you fall on the spectrum, and how it’s influencing your relationships and place in the world? It actually impacts everything, from our family lives to our leadership abilities and careers. But it’s something we’re never taught in school and often pressured to ignore when it comes to “being professional.” Luckily, emotional intelligence is something we can work on and grow like many other parts of our lives—you probably won’t be surprised that meditation is one way to do just that. Personally, I have noticed that when I’m staying current with my meditation practice, I’m less easily triggered and more emotionally resilient, which allows me to be more present for my family and my work. This week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I had the pleasure of sitting down with my good friend Dan Goleman to talk about cultivating emotional intelligence through meditation, and why it matters more than you might think. Daniel is best known for his worldwide bestseller, “Emotional Intelligence,” and most recently co-authored the book, “Altered Traits: Science Reveals How Meditation Changes Your Mind, Brain and Body.” Goleman has been ranked among the 25 most influential business leaders by several business publications including TIME and The Wall Street Journal. Apart from his writing on emotional intelligence, Goleman has written books on topics including self-deception, creativity, transparency, meditation, social and emotional learning, eco-literacy, and the ecological crisis.

We’ve all heard the fiendishly simple and completely untrue colloquialism about how to lose weight: Just eat less and exercise more. The idea that all calories are created equal has been one of the most pervasive and damaging food lies in history. Not only is it completely unsupported by science, it develops a blame-the-victim mentality that tells people who are struggling with their weight that it is just a matter of willpower. In this mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Hyman talks with Gary Taubes about this topic and the history behind how science got it so wrong. Gary Taubes is co-founder and President of the non-profit Nutrition Science Initiative (NuSI). He’s an investigative science and health journalist, the author of The Case Against Sugar, Why We Get Fat and Good Calories, Bad Calories. Gary is a former staff writer for Discover and correspondent for the journal Science. His writing has also appeared in The New York Times Magazine, The Atlantic, and Esquire, and has been included in numerous “Best of” anthologies, including The Best of the Best American Science Writing. Find Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Gary Taubes: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/GaryTaubes

Sometimes the best ideas are the most simple. In an age where technology is ever-evolving and often responsible for the latest inventions, it can be easy to forget that even the most basic of ideas can add up to massive change. But it’s accessible, small steps that our food system needs now, more than ever, if we want to see a global shift. Food waste, in particular, is one of the biggest problems of our food system that desperately needs new solutions. Think of just one head of lettuce: It takes lots of water, manpower, and resources to grow, then it’s picked and transported in a refrigerated truck, moved to a refrigerated cooler, and you take your car to go to the market and buy it. That’s a lot of resources that are all for nothing if that head of lettuce goes bad and gets thrown in the trash before you have a chance to enjoy it. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy has the answer for this common problem, one that is making huge impacts on our food system from farm to fork. Kavita Shukla is the Founder and CEO of The FRESHGLOW Co. and the inventor of FreshPaper, a simple innovation taking on the massive global challenge of food waste by keeping food fresher, longer. FreshPaper is used by farmers and families across the globe, and The FRESHGLOW Co. has partnered with some of the largest retailers in the world, from Whole Foods to Walmart so that people everywhere can take advantage of this incredible product and the goodness of real food.

How much personal choice do we really have when it comes to our food choices? The science is clear—our processed, sugary, starchy diet is the single biggest cause of disease and death. And health outcomes are disproportionately worse in minority communities. There are social and cultural inputs at play and many reasons we need to begin looking at health beyond the individual to a community and population-based level. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman speaks with Dr. Sonia Angell about how when it comes to social determinants and what we view as cultural tendencies for food choices, much has been imposed from outside influences. He also speaks with Pam Koch about the need to move away from a system that overwhelmingly supports growing commodity crops such as corn, soy, and wheat, and move toward incentivizing the production and purchase of fresh fruits and vegetables. Dr. Sonia Angell is a former Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), where she oversaw the Division of Prevention and Primary Care. Dr. Angell is a practicing physician, board certified in internal medicine, and on faculty at the College of Physicians and Surgeons of Columbia University and New York Presbyterian Hospital. Pam Koch, EdD, RD. Pam teaches both Nutritional Ecology and Community Nutrition to master and doctoral students at Teachers College, Columbia University. She conducts research about the connections between a just, sustainable food system and healthy eating. She translates her research into curricula for schoolteachers and recommendations for policymakers. Find Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Dr. Sonia Angell: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrSoniaAngell Find Dr. Hyman’s full length conversation with Pam Koch: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/PamKoch

When it comes to looking at studies on nutrition, we need to ask the right questions. What type of study is it? Who funded it? What kinds of variables were and weren’t accounted for? And so much more. There is a lot of information out there to sort through in order to truly understand what the science says about diet and health. One of the most important things to remember, that is often taken out of context in the nutritional studies shared by the media, is that correlation does not equal causation. Part of being a Functional Medicine doctor is staying up to date with the latest research from sources I know and trust, and there’s no one better to break down the science than today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Chris Kresser. Chris Kresser M.S., L.Ac is the co-director of the California Center for Functional Medicine, founder of Kresser Institute, creator of ChrisKresser.com, and the New York Times bestselling author of The Paleo Cure and Unconventional Medicine. He is one of the most respected clinicians and educators in the fields of Functional Medicine and ancestral health and has trained over 1,500 clinicians and health coaches in his unique approach. Chris and I dive right into this episode, discussing good versus bad research and what to keep in mind when reading the latest news. Learn more about the ADAPT Health Coach Training Program at kresser.co/kresserinfo

Globally women are leading the way when it comes to caring for biodiversity, water quality and quantity, soil health, and other aspects of consciously producing food for an ever-growing population. They are also producing 43% of the world’s food, despite lesser accessibility to own land, receive loans, and other essential components of farming. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman talks with Danielle Nierenberg and Paul Hawken about the potential for women to fundamentally improve our broken global food system, and in doing so, significantly contribute to the reversal of global warming. Danielle co-founded the non-profit Food Tank in 2013, an organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. Prior to starting Food Tank, Danielle spent two years traveling to more than 60 countries across sub-Saharan Africa, Asia, and Latin America, meeting with farmers and farmers’ groups, scientists and researchers, policymakers and government leaders, students and academics, along with journalists, documenting what’s working to help alleviate hunger and poverty, while protecting the environment at the same time. Paul Hawken is an environmentalist, entrepreneur, author, and activist who has dedicated his life to environmental sustainability and changing the relationship between business and the environment. He is Executive Director of Project Drawdown, a non-profit dedicated to researching when and how global warming can be reversed. His book, Drawdown, outlines the most comprehensive plan to reverse global warming. Tune-in to Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Danielle Nierenberg: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DanielleNierenberg Tune-in to Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Paul Hawken: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/PaulHawken

Food impacts everything, which is why changing the way we eat and working towards a new food system can be so powerful and far-reaching. Cooking at home used to be the norm but it’s become the exception. Food marketing has convinced us our kitchens are holding us hostage and that true freedom is convenience, found in packaged and fast foods. In fact, 50% of meals are now eaten away from home. That’s why cooking at home is a revolutionary act. When we prepare our own meals, we can control what’s really going into our bodies, and we also get to buy ingredients that meet our standards and values, like humane treatment of farmworkers and animals. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy is one of my personal mentors and idols as a leader in the food movement. Mark Bittman is the author of more than 20 acclaimed books, including the How to Cook Everything series. He was a food columnist, opinion columnist, and the lead magazine food writer at the New York Times, where he started writing in 1984 and still writes occasionally. Mark is currently a member of the faculty of Columbia University’s Mailman School of Public Health and is writing a new cookbook called Dinner for Everyone to share how simple and delicious it can be to cook at home, no matter what your dietary preferences are. This episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is brought to you by Thrive Market. Thrive Market has made it so easy for me to stay healthy, even with my intense travel schedule. I never let myself get into a food emergency. Instead, I always carry enough food with me when I’m on the go, for at least a full day. I order real, whole foods online from Thrive Market. Right now, Thrive is offering all Doctor’s Farmacy listeners a great deal: you will receive an extra 25% off your first purchase plus a free 30 day membership to Thrive. There’s no minimum amount to buy and no code at checkout. All you have to do is head over to http://thrivemarket.com/farmacy

Epigenetics suggests that our behavior can influence which of our genes are turned on or off. This has been one of the biggest breakthroughs in medicine. Predisposition is not pre-destiny and a familial history of disease does not render you powerless. In this mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, we revisit two recent interviews in which Dr. Hyman and his guests discuss epigenetics and how things like food, movement, sleep, detoxification, and mindfulness influence our genes to create health or disease. Dr. Marwan Sabbagh is a board-certified neurologist and considered one of the leading experts in Alzheimer’s and dementia. He is on the editorial board for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease and BMC Neurology and is now editor in chief of Neurology and Therapy and is the author of The Alzheimer’s Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy, and The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Boost Brain Health. Dr. Sabbagh’s latest book is, Fighting for My Life: How to Thrive in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s. Alberto Villoldo is a medical anthropologist and psychologist. He is the founder of the world-renowned Four Winds Society and of the Light Body School. Alberto has authored several incredible books including his latest book, Grow A New Body. Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full-length interview with Dr. Marwan Sabbagh https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrMarwanSabbagh Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full-length interview with Alberto Villoldo https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/AlbertoVilloldo

When it comes to aging well, we all have to set our own standards and goals. That might mean playing with your grandkids on the floor, carrying groceries up several flights of stairs, or being able to be present emotionally and mentally for your spouse. Thinking of these detailed goals helps us reverse engineer our lives to achieve the quality and longevity in life we truly desire. It just takes a little thought and planning, and of course the right actions to make it happen. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Peter Attia, shares his own story of setting those kinds of goals, a process called backcasting, and how he overcame obesity and pre-diabetes by establishing a foundation of healthier aging. Dr. Attia is the founder of Attia Medical, PC, a medical practice with offices in San Diego and New York City, focusing on the applied science of longevity. His approach focuses on increasing lifespan by delaying the onset of chronic disease, while simultaneously improving “healthspan,” or quality of life. To do this, his practice applies nutritional biochemistry, exercise physiology, sleep physiology, techniques to increase distress tolerance, lipidology, pharmacology, and endocrinology.

Lack of community and strong social connection can have a disastrous outcome on your health, which is why taking the time to strengthen existing relationships and build your personal community is an integral part of any wellness plan. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman talks to Radha Agrawal about the importance of fostering a loving community, starting with going inward and acknowledging our own values and gifts and then taking those gifts out into the world to make friendships that matter. He also sits down with Marie Forleo to discuss the power of community and the idea that friend power is more powerful than willpower. Radha Agrwal is the Co-founder, CEO, and Chief Community Architect of Daybreaker, the early morning dance and wellness move-ment. She is also the author of Belong: Find Your People, Create Community, and Live a More Connected Life. Named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation and one of Inc.’s 500 fastest growing companies, Marie Forleo is the creator of the award-winning online show MarieTV and is also the founder of B-School, an online business school for modern entrepreneurs. Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full-length interview with Radha Agrawal https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/RadhaAgrawal Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full-length interview with Marie Forleo https://drmarkhyman.lnk.to/marieforleo

I often talk about the importance of high-quality restful sleep and getting the right amount when it comes to creating great health. But what about the role of dreaming? You might be surprised to learn that the way we dream can have a multitude of benefits on our waking life—specifically through lucid dreaming, or the act of knowing we are dreaming while we are, in fact, completely asleep. To dig into this intriguing topic further, I sat down with expert lucid-dreamer Charlie Morley on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy. Charlie is a bestselling author and teacher of lucid dreaming and shadow integration. He was authorized to teach within the Kagyu school of Tibetan Buddhism by Lama Yeshe Rinpoche in 2008 and has since developed a holistic approach to dreamwork called Mindfulness of Dream & Sleep, and has written three books which have been translated into 13 languages. In 2018 he was awarded a Churchill Fellowship grant to research mindfulness-based PTSD treatment and continues to teach on retreats for armed forces veterans. In this lively conversation, Charlie and I get into why lucid dreaming is such a powerful technique.

A few decades ago, most people didn’t know anything about gluten. Today there is an unmistakable trend of people going gluten-free in the hopes of solving all of their gut woes. Why is this? In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman explores this question with the world’s top gluten expert, Dr. Alessio Fasano. Dr. Fasano founded the Center for Celiac Research at the University of Maryland School of Medicine in 1996. In 2013, he moved the Center to Massachusetts General Hospital and renamed it the Center for Celiac Research and Treatment. He is chief of the Division of Pediatric Gastroenterology and Nutrition at MassGeneral Hospital for Children and professor of pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. Find Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Dr. Fassano here: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrAlessioFasano

Climate change is not moving as slowly as we’d like to think. In fact, half of all the damage done through burning fossil fuels has been just over the last 30 years. Unfortunately, every year is now more damaging than the last. The good news is that we are not at a point of no return. While we will never have the same climate we had before industrialization, we can make a positive impact on the future of climate change by taking action now. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is here to tell us how. David Wallace-Wells is the deputy editor of New York magazine and the author of the international bestseller The Uninhabitable Earth: Life After Warming, published in February 2019, which the New York Times called both "brilliant" and "the most terrifying book I have ever read." While the real truth about climate change can be scary, it’s a more important conversation than ever. Throughout our talk, David shares the history of climate change and the three major issues at hand: speed, scope, and severity.

For so long we were told that having low LDL cholesterol is the key to preventing heart disease, which led to doctors overprescribing statins to keep LDL low. Many people still believe that eating cholesterol and fat, especially saturated fat, causes heart attacks and that taking statin drugs provides a powerful way to reduce your risk of heart attacks. But is this really true? In this mini-episode Dr. Hyman sits down with internationally renowned Consultant Cardiologist and best-selling author of The Pioppi Diet, Dr. Aseem Malhotra. Dr. Malhotra has become one of the most influential and well-known health campaigners, and a pioneer of the lifestyle medicine movement in the UK. Together, Dr. Hyman and Dr. Malhotra discuss the effectiveness of statin drugs on heart disease, and Dr. Malhotra discusses why he believes that reducing insulin resistance may be the key to better heart health. Find Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Dr. Aseem Malhotra https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/AseemMalhotra

Many of us are in the middle of an identity crisis when it comes to what we eat. We’re pulled one way or another about macronutrients and labels, all the while missing the most important concept of all: food is medicine. We can align our foods to feed our health and get incredible flavor and variety all at once. We can cook our way out of illness and overcome the fear and overwhelm of dietary choices by getting more personal with our kitchens. There’s no one better than the world-renowned Chef David Bouley to dive into this topic with— he’s this week’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy. Among many accolades, Bouley earned several four-star reviews in The New York Times; seven James Beard Foundation awards for best restaurant and best chef; he was named “Best Chef in America” by Herald-Tribune; he received the TripAdvisor Traveler’s Choice Awards “The Best Restaurant in the United States” and #14 in the world; a 29 out of 30 rating in Zagat, and ranked #1 in New York City for many years. Chef Bouley is known as one of the most health-conscious chefs in the world, with a strong focus for diners with health concerns. He is currently contracted for a new book, Living Pantry, that will provide the building blocks for home cooking to deliver great taste and health benefits with easy execution.

Our children are being bombarded by powerful marketing messages from the food industry promoting unhealthy processed food-like substances. In fact, the food industry spends billions of dollars on marketing junk food to our kids every year. The average child in the United States sees over 6,000 ads for junk food and soda on TV and even more through social media. And poor and minority children are targeted more aggressively. In this mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Hyman speaks with researcher and family physician in the Bronx, Dr. Sean Lucan, and investigative reporter and Pulitzer Prize winner, Michael Moss, about Big Food’s addictive mission to hook the most vulnerable consumers - our children - and keep them coming back for more. You can find Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Dr. Sean Lucan at https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/SeanLucan You can find Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Michael Moss at https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/MichaelMoss

These days, we hear a lot about carbs versus fats. But what about protein? It’s become the forgotten macronutrient. The diet-wars have been tough on protein, as strict vegans and believers in Paleo strongly disagree on the best forms of it to consume. But protein plays an essential role in good health. So despite the emotional response it elicits in many, it’s about time we pay it more attention. Protein is responsible for the growth and maintenance of new tissue (the building blocks for a strong body!) and makes up certain hormones that act as messengers, as well as the enzymes that we need for metabolic reactions. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I talk with Dr. Gabrielle Lyon about the importance of protein and why we should shift our dietary focus. Dr. Gabrielle Lyon is an integrative physician who completed her fellowship in Nutritional Sciences and Geriatrics at Washington University, St. Louis. She is board-certified in Family Medicine and completed her undergraduate work in Human Nutrition Vitamin and Mineral Metabolism. Dr. Lyon works closely with current and retired Special Operations military operators as a part of the Task Force Dagger Foundation. Find more information about Dr. Gabrielle Lyon at her website https://drgabriellelyon.com/ Learn more about Dr. Lyon’s work with taskforcedagger.org

Emerging research is giving us a more comprehensive picture than ever before about the way our mind can impact our health. While science continues to reveal the dramatic impacts of stress on the immune system, more and more clinical research is also emerging around topics such as the immunology of joy and the immunology of gratitude. In this mini-episode, Dr. Mark Hyman speaks to Dr. Leonard Calabrese, an expert in immunology and rheumatology, about how the right practices to support these areas of life actually improve the immune system. Dr. Leonard Calabrese is a Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Vice Chair of the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases. He is the director of the RJ Fasenmyer Center for Clinical Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic and holds joint appointments in the Department of Infectious Diseases and the Wellness Institute. Dr. Calabrese has made significant contributions to science in the fields of chronic viral infections and autoimmunity and vascular inflammatory diseases of the brain. He has received numerous awards and honors for his contributions to the advancements of immunology and wellness. You can find Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Dr. Calabrese here: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrCalabrese

As we see the amount of information and technology we have access to growing, we also gain a stronger view of universal human tendencies that are overarching in time and culture. One of those that is particularly fascinating is our desire to change consciousness, to alter our brain and our mood, whether it’s with drugs, food, or even activities like meditation and breathwork. That’s one of the many reasons the emerging research on psychedelic-assisted psychotherapy is so interesting, especially considering it was completely written-off for decades after getting a bad rap in the 60s, despite having shown therapeutic promise in the 50s. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m joined by world-renowned author Michael Pollan to talk about the exciting reemergence of psychedelic therapy and the possibilities it holds for the future of healthcare. Michael Pollan is the author of the New York Times bestsellers Cooked, Food Rules, In Defense of Food, The Omnivore's Dilemma, The Botany of Desire, and his latest book How to Change Your Mind, which is all about the new science of psychedelics.

Ketogenic diets have gained significant popularity in the mainstream. However, ketogenic diets have actually been around in medicine for a long time. For example, they are used for treating intractable epilepsy when medications fail. Yes, that’s right, when meds fail we use food! Now mounting research has also found them to be effective in reversing type 2 diabetes, a disease previously thought to be non-reversible. Diabetes expert Dr. Sarah Hallberg has studied the impact of a low-carb, high-fat diet (essentially a ketogenic diet) in treating type 2 diabetes. Her results have been ground-breaking yet largely overlooked by mainstream media and the medical community. Why is this? In this mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Hyman explores this question with author, researcher and executive director of the Nutrition Coalition, Nina Teicholz and also talks to Dr. Sarah Hallberg about her research and the importance of acknowledging that type 2 diabetes reversal is possible. To listen to Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Nina Teicholz visit https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/NinaTeicholz To listen to Dr. Hyman’s full-length conversation with Dr. Sarah Hallberg visit https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrSarahHallberg

We don’t have any control over the cards we’re dealt, but we do have control over how we play them. Part of playing those cards right is believing we can have everything we want and figuring out exactly what it takes to get there. This week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Jon and Missy Butcher sit down with me to talk about their program Lifebook, that helps others do just that. And it really works! I’ve personally gone through their system to bring my own vision of a happy life to fruition and upend limiting beliefs and it’s changed my life in unbelievable ways. Jon and Missy are artist-entrepreneurs whose life together revolves around their amazing relationship, family, and work. Together, they have founded over a dozen companies, all organized around causes that matter. Their purpose and mission is to create the highest possible quality of life they can for themselves and the people they love while helping others around the world to do the same. To learn more and to enroll in Lifebook Online, please visit https://go.mindvalley.com/mark

Many of us were taught that eating dietary fat makes us fat and leads to heart disease. This assumption has been catastrophic for our health. In fact, fats are essential for optimal health, and saturated fat, specifically, is not the boogeyman we once thought. We know now that there is no monolithic saturated fat. There are many saturated fats, each with its own effects. The saturated fat in coconut, for instance is different from the saturated fat in butter. In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman talks with neurologist Dr. David Perlmutter about how saturated fat came to get such a bad rap. They dive into many of the ways the right saturated fats are beneficial to your health and discuss why, what Dr. Hyman calls “sweet fat,” is so harmful. *A Note on Fat: While a high fat diet does not work for everyone, we now know that fat is not the enemy it was previously made out to be. Some people do well with less fats and some do better with more fats. It is important to determine what work specifically for your body. **Please also note, we caught an error in the narration at the end of this episode. The final message is, "The kind of fat you eat is what matters most. Focus on eating a diet of whole foods and avoid processed junk. To hear Dr. Hyman’s full length interview with Dr. David Perlmutter please visit https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrDavidPerlmutter

Stem cells are a major player in the future of medicine. They have the potential to become many other types of tissue—they are essentially like a smart-bomb that we can use to target a specific problem. But the magic doesn’t stop there. Not only can stem cells home in on damaged cells and tissues, they then send signals to those damaged cells or tissues encouraging them to heal. As someone who is always trying to improve my own health, and since I want to live to be 120, I love to seek out the latest therapies and try them myself so I can truly understand the benefits and improve my longevity. 27 years ago I had surgery for a ruptured disk and I’ve been plagued with issues from that as I’ve aged (which I know many of you can relate to); I was excited to try stem cell therapy as a treatment option for my own pain and mobility. So today on The Doctor’s Farmacy podcast, I’m going to share my conversation with the very doctors I trusted to do my own stem cell makeover. Dr. Harry Adelson, Dr. Amy Killen, and Dr. Duckworth sat down with me at Docere Clinics in Park City, Utah to talk about regenerative medicine and what stem cell therapy can do for every part of the body from joints to hair and even our sex organs. Learn more about Dr. Adelson’s work by visiting https://docereclinics.com Learn more about Dr. Killen’s work by visiting https://doceremedical.com

We are living in a stressed-out, super-busy, hyper-caffeinated world, often pushing aside what matters most to us when things get hectic. And technology is everywhere—in our pockets, on desks, our nightstands, and even on our wrists. Yet, most of us have never given its role in our lives a second thought. In this mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Hyman talks to Marie Forleo and Cal Newport about making time for what’s most important to you by establishing an intentional relationship with technology. Named by Oprah as a thought leader for the next generation and one of Inc.’s 500 fastest growing companies, Marie Forleo is the creator of the award-winning online show MarieTV and the founder of B-School, an online business school for modern entrepreneurs. Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and writes about the impact of technological innovations on our culture. He is the author of six books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work. We are living in a stressed-out, super-busy, hyper-caffeinated world. And technology is everywhere—our pockets, desks, nightstands, kitchens, and even on our wrists. Yet, most of us have never given its role in our lives a second thought. Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full length episode with Marie Forleo: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/MarieForleo Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full length episode with Cal Newport: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/CalNewport

What if we could lift 150 million people out of hunger? By empowering women farmers with education, money, and other resources we could increase crop yields by 20 to 30% and do just that. And if you’re wondering why I’m specifically talking about women, it’s because on a global scale women do not have the same accessibility to own land, receive loans, and other essential components of farming. Yet, they are leading the way when it comes to agriculture. Today on The Doctor’s Farmacy I’m joined by Danielle Nierenberg to talk about the foundational role women play in agriculture all over the world and how we can all become better food activists. Danielle co-founded the non-profit Food Tank in 2013 as an organization focused on building a global community for safe, healthy, nourished eaters. To learn more about Food Tank, please visit https://foodtank.com/ and to find opportunities to get involved in your area, check out the Good Food Org Guide at https://goodfoodorgguide.com/.

We know that a diet comprised of foods from our industrial diet—one high in processed sugar, starch, refined fat, and low in whole foods, fruits, and vegetables—can wreak havoc on your physical health. But what does that same diet do to your mental health and quality of sleep? Are there specific foods and nutrients that are especially effective in combating depression and promoting better sleep? In this mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Mark Hyman talks with Dr. Drew Ramsey, a writer, farmer, and psychiatrist who practices nutritional psychiatry, and Shawn Stevenson, author of the international best-selling book “Sleep Smarter,” to find out what to eat to support your mental health and get quality sleep. Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full length episode with Dr. Drew Ramsey: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/DrDrewRamsey Listen to Dr. Hyman’s full length episode with Shawn Stevenson: https://DrMarkHyman.lnk.to/ShawnStevenson

We are all human first, after all, and connection can help us create the right systemic shifts. This week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I was joined by visionary Vishen Lakhiani to talk about the role of education in creating transformation. Vishen is the founder of Mindvalley University, a former computer engineer, and is noted for his ability to integrate information across the field of human transformation into unified models. His book, The Code of the Extraordinary Mind was a New York Times bestseller and hit the coveted number one spot on Amazon five times in 2017. Vishen also founded A-Fest, the transformational festival described as the “TED meets Coachella” of the industry, which is actually where I met my wife Mia.

We know all too well the visible forms of racism in our society. Less visible, however, is how our food system acts as the deadliest weapon used against the poor and minorities— keeping them poor, sick and fat, hijacking their brains and biology. The science is clear—our processed, sugary, starchy diet is the single biggest cause of disease and death—type 2 diabetes, obesity, heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, cancer, and even dementia. And your zip code is more important than your genetic code in determining your risk of disease and death. If you are African American you are 80% more likely to be diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, over 4 times as likely to have kidney failure, and 3.5 times as likely to suffer amputations as whites. I’ve explored these topics with a number of my guests on this podcast. This mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy includes portions of my past conversations on this podcast with president of Black Lives Matter for the area of Greater New York, Hawk Newsome, Columbia University and Teachers College researcher Pam Koch and award winning NIH funded investigator and practicing family physician, Dr. Sean Lucan.

I’m a big believer in the farm to table movement, but with one major caveat: you can’t skim the cream! What I’m saying is that we can’t cherry pick when it comes to our crops, growing the same ones over and over (even if they're grown organically), and assume that it is a sound ecological practice. Just like humans need a diversity of foods to get the right nutrients, soil needs a diversity of plants grown on it and even the right animal inputs in order to be nutrient dense, too. On this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, I’m joined by mastermind chef and regenerative agriculture advocate Dan Barber. Dan is breaking the conventional ways we eat, cook, and think about food. He is the chef and co-owner of Blue Hill and Blue Hill at Stone Barns, and the author of The Third Plate. He also co-founded Row 7 Seed Company, a seed company bringing together chefs and plant breeders in the development of new varieties of vegetables and grains. Dan has received multiple James Beard awards including Best Chef: New York City (2006) and the country's Outstanding Chef (2009). In this episode, it’s clear how mutually passionate Dan and I are about changing the current food system and doing so in a way that promotes health and supports the environment.

Our internal dialogue is intimately connected to our physical body, and our mitochondria are always eavesdropping on our thoughts. In fact, our mindset can be one of our strongest guiding forces. The overwhelming stresses in today’s world can create enormous strain on our nervous system, leading to burnout and breakdown. Through working on our mindset, we can lessen our reactions to stress. But it takes practice and loyalty to our intentions to make our good mindset habitual. Your thoughts have real and measurable effects on your overall health and wellbeing. Feeling we have a purpose in life and sharing our unique gifts with the world allows us to tap into more joyful living. And a major part of pursuing a sense of purpose is identifying what makes you feel your best. I’ve explored this topic with a number of my guests on this podcast. This mini-episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy includes portions of my past conversations on this podcast with Bulletproof founder and CEO, Dave Asprey and Reverend Michael Beckwith, Founder and Spiritual Director of the Agape International Spiritual Center.

In college, I read a book called The Soil and Health by Albert Howard. Little did I know, that book would forever change the way I viewed the relationship between dirt, food, bacteria, and human health.Emerging research continues to reveal the powerful influence of the microbiome on our health. Our microbiome is comprised of the trillions of bacteria, fungi, and even viruses present within the body. The balance of these microbes can make or break good health, and you won’t be surprised to learn the food we eat, and more specifically how it’s grown, is heavily correlated to our microbial composition. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy is Daphne Miller, a doctor bridging the gap between medicine and farming. Dr. Miller is a practicing family physician, Clinical Professor at the University of California San Francisco, and Founder of the Health from the Soil Up Initiative. She is the author of two books: The Jungle Effect: Healthiest Diets from Around the World and Farmacology: Total Health from the Soil Up. A pioneer in the “Healthy Parks, Healthy People” initiative, Miller helped build linkages between our medical system and our park system and writes her patients “park prescriptions” to get outdoors. She also developed a soil learning lab for health professional at Paicines Ranch in Hollister California.

The goal to age well and stay on top of my health led me to my guest on this episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. George Shapiro. Dr. Shapiro has been a practicing physician for 30 years, specializing in internal medicine, cardiovascular disease, and age management medicine. Dr. Shapiro was the recipient of the 10th Annual Alan P. Mintz, MD Award, for Clinical Excellence in Age Management Medicine, as he has become known nationwide as an expert in age management medicine, and leads one of the most prominent age management practices in the country as president of Cenegenics New York City. He has long been known as one of New York’s foremost cardiologists, specializing in regenerative medicine and improving longevity, including the genomics of cardiovascular disease and congestive heart failure. On today’s episode, Dr. Shapiro and I discuss the world of regenerative medicine and what the science says about healthy aging. One major issue of aging for many people is a decline in the endocrine system, altering hormones and for some leading to a loss of libido and sexual function. An aging endocrine system also greatly impacts metabolism and can create an excess of dangerous, inflammatory belly-fat. Dr. Shapiro shares his experience in helping patients rebalance hormones. We also dive into more of Dr. Shapiro’s work, like using peptides and exosomes as part of an anti-aging protocol and what kinds of testing he uses to get the full picture of physiological age. I also share my personal experience in working together with him to achieve the longevity I’m after.

For so long, we’ve been told that memory loss and dementia are just a normal part of aging. Though we now know it doesn’t have to be that way, and that there are many measures we can proactively take to avoid cognitive decline with aging, there are still 6 million people in the US who have Alzheimer’s or pre-Alzheimer’s and that number is expected to rise to 15 million by 2060. But emerging research is helping us look at new ways to treat and even prevent devastating diseases like this, giving people a newfound sense of hope. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Marwan Sabbagh, has spent the majority of his life pioneering this field. From the age of 8, he knew he wanted to be a doctor, and just ten years later at 18, he began researching Alzheimer’s. Dr. Sabbagh is a board-certified neurologist and considered one of the leading experts in Alzheimer’s and dementia. He is on the editorial board for the Journal of Alzheimer's Disease and BMC Neurology and is now editor in chief of Neurology and Therapy and is the author of The Alzheimer’s Answer: Reduce Your Risk and Keep Your Brain Healthy, and The Alzheimer’s Prevention Cookbook: 100 Recipes to Boost Brain Health. Dr. Sabbagh’s latest book, Fighting for My Life: How to Thrive in the Shadow of Alzheimer’s, was just released. ******************************************************************* If you're a fan of The Doctor’s Farmacy, we'd love your help. We have put together a brief survey to hear your feedback on the podcast, learn a bit more about our audience and continue to provide you with free content around the biggest issues of our time. It would mean a lot if you could take a few minutes to complete a short survey. You can do so by visiting www.drhyman.com/fan Thank you so much for your support!

Our food system is completely broken. The foods that nourish us, elevate our health, and prevent chronic illness are more expensive for farmers to produce and for consumers to buy than those that have been proven to create disease. They’re also destroying our environment and causing climate change at the same time. Children are being fed nutrient-poor sugary, starchy foods at school and we wonder why so many of them can’t focus and why they’re always sick. They are being led on a difficult, lifelong path right from the start. And then there’s the national economic burden of disease, which is only increasing as rates of type 2 diabetes and obesity do the same. In fact, one in three Medicare dollars is spent on diabetes, and poor food choices kill 11 million people every year. Over the next 35 years, it's going to cost the US a whopping 95 trillion dollars to deal with diseases that can be prevented by lifestyle and dietary choices. These are grim statistics, but the truth is that we CAN do something to elicit change. We can ban together to change the food system and promote better health for our global community. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Ohio Congressman Tim Ryan, joins me to talk about how we can change our food system, educational system, economy, environment, and public health with community-based solutions.

Years ago, I met a woman who changed my life. A mutual friend introduced us and we went to grab a cup of coffee; but I didn’t realize how life-changing that day would be. That woman was Lauren Zander, and though she’s now a best friend of mine, I was a bit scared in the beginning of our relationship. She saw right through my exterior persona and instantly challenged me to think about the things I didn’t want to address in my life—I was overworking, unhappy in my marriage, and worried so much about doing for everyone else that I wasn’t really being okay with myself. But those uncomfortable truths brought a lot of thought out in me, and months later Lauren finally convinced me to dive deeper into that darkness. Today, Lauren joins me on The Doctor’s Farmacy to talk about my own personal journey with life coaching—or what I call Functional Medicine for the soul—to discover happiness, success, and so much more. Lauren Handel Zander is the Co-Founder and Chairwoman of Handel Group, an international corporate consulting and life coaching company. Her coaching methodology, The Handel Method, is taught in over 35 universities and institutes of learning around the world, including MIT, Stanford Graduate School of Business, NYU, and the New York City Public School System.

When it comes to medicine, many of us want immediate results. What if just one dose of medicine could dramatically shift your perception, decreasing anxiety, depression, fear of death, addictive tendencies, and so much more? It might sound too good to be true, but the therapeutic use of psychedelics is showing us it’s possible. Now, I’m not talking about taking magic mushrooms at a Grateful Dead concert. The medicine used in psychedelic trials is created in a lab, carefully dosed for the patient, and administered in a specific setting with a trained guide who is present throughout the entire process. This highly controlled process can yield some pretty amazing results and we will be seeing much more science emerge on the safe use of psychedelics for a variety of disorders. This week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Anthony Bossis joins me to elaborate on using psychedelics to expand our sensory abilities and relax our experience with death and illness. Anthony P. Bossis, Ph.D. conducts FDA-approved clinical trials in the reemerging field of psychedelic research. He is a clinical psychologist and clinical assistant professor of psychiatry at NYU School of Medicine investigating the effects of psilocybin, a naturally occurring compound found in specific species of mushrooms.

These days, we hear a lot about fasting. Intermittent fasting, time-restricted eating, and water fasting are just some of the many terms being thrown around in support of better health. And we can’t forget about the high-fat, ketogenic, and low-carb approaches that are gaining in popularity as well. Which one is best? What does it all mean for our longevity, brain health, and overall wellness? My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy is here to sift through the terminology and confusion around fasting. Dr. Valter Longo is internationally recognized as a leader in the field of aging studies and related diseases. Known as a “Guru of Longevity,” Dr. Longo is currently Professor of Biogerontology and Biological Sciences and Director of the Institute of Longevity of the School of Gerontology at the University of Southern California in Los Angeles, as well as Director of the Oncology and Longevity Program at IFOM in Milan. He is also the Scientific Director of the Create Cures Foundation and the Valter Longo Foundation. Valter is the author of an extraordinary new book, The Longevity Diet. The culmination of 25 years of research on aging, nutrition, and disease across the globe, it provides an easy-to-understand, accessible and implementable road map to living well longer through improved nutrition.

Every time we eat, we have a chance to boost our brain function. In medical school, we’re taught the brain is immutable, that we can’t grow new brain cells or change the brain once dysfunction or injury has occurred. Now, we know that’s just not true. The decisions we make each and every day, like what we eat, how much sleep we get, and how often we move are all steps that can dramatically shift the health of the brain for the better. And there’s so much more we can do, too. Dr. David Perlmutter joins me on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy to talk about an empowered approach to supporting the brain, starting with food first. Dr. Perlmutter is a board-certified neurologist and four-time New York Times best selling author. He serves on the Board of Directors and is a Fellow of the American College of Nutrition and as a member of the Editorial Board for the Journal of Alzheimer’s Disease. His books include the #1 New York Times bestseller Grain Brain, The Surprising Truth About Wheat, Carbs and Sugar, with over 1 million copies in print. He is the editor of the upcoming collection The Microbiome and the Brain that will be authored by top experts in the field and will be published in 2019 by CRC Press. Dr. Perlmutter’s new book, Brain Wash, co-written with Austin Perlmutter, MD, will be published in January 2020.

Our food and healthcare systems are broken; they are not serving public health and are even putting certain communities at a disproportionate risk. We are up against social, economic, environmental, and political dysfunctions that contribute to chronic disease. Heart disease, cancer, and stroke are the leading causes of death, and premature death at that, in the US. These diseases all have several risk factors in common, like smoking, physical inactivity, and poor diet, which policy often views simply as personal choices. But you can’t make healthy choices if you don’t have healthy choices available. There are social and cultural inputs at play and many reasons we need to begin looking at health beyond the individual and on a community and population-based level. Today’s guest on The Doctor’s Farmacy is the perfect person to weigh-in on these issues. Dr. Sonia Angell is a Deputy Commissioner at the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH), overseeing the Division of Prevention and Primary Care. Throughout her career, she has overseen nutrition-related policy initiatives, including restricting trans fat use in NYC restaurants, launching the National Salt Reduction Initiative, establishing food procurement nutrition standards for NYC government agencies, and establishing sodium warning labels in chain restaurants and expanding calorie labeling regulations.

A new study published in the medical journal JAMA says, ‘Eggs are bad,’ but are they really? In this episode, we take a look at the specifics of the study. This particular study is an observational study; it does not prove cause and effect. An ideal nutritional study would take 10,000 people and have them eat eggs for 20 years, then take another 10,000 people, and for the same time period, keep them from eating eggs to see what happens. Of course, this would be incredibly difficult and very expensive to do. This recent study surveyed 30,000 people over a 17 year time period, with each person completed one questionnaire about what they’ve been eating. During the time this study was conducted, eggs were considered bad. We were told not to eat eggs; to avoid cholesterol. So people who were eating eggs were likely people who weren’t otherwise health conscious. It doesn’t mean the eggs caused the heart disease.

I never get tired of saying it: real food heals. Food has the power to prevent and reverse disease, and the more we know about it, the more power we have to curate a targeted diet to help us reach our health goals. The catch is that we have to choose the right foods, the ones that elevate us, and simultaneously ditch the poor-quality ones that harm us. There are powerful compounds in foods—like curcumin, genistein, catechins, lycopene, resveratrol, quercetin—that have medicinal impacts on the body. That’s why I call the grocery store the drug store; we can literally eat our medicine at every meal. My guest this week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. William Li, is here to tell us all about eating to beat disease and making the idea that food is medicine second nature. You may also be surprised to find out that angiogenesis, or how the body forms blood vessels, is a common denominator in creating optimal health. William Li, MD, is a world-renowned physician, scientist, speaker, and author of Eat to Beat Disease: The New Science of How Your Body Can Heal Itself. He is best known for leading the Angiogenesis Foundation.

Think about walking into a room full of people who are giving off good energy. They are smiling, kind, welcoming—you can feel what they are putting out into the world and want to be a part of it. Alternately, think about a room full of people who are scowling, complaining, angry, etc. The energy in that room does not feel good and you are going to want to get away from it as soon as possible. This is a small glimpse into the powerful energy fields within all of us at work. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, medical anthropologist and psychologist Alberto Villoldo, is here to expand on that notion and what it means to support your luminous body. He is a longtime friend and colleague of mine who has spent decades traveling the world to learn ancient shamanic wisdom. Alberto has made it his mission to learn from the people who sense the spaces between things and perceive the luminous strands that animate all life. Alberto is founder of the world-renowned Four Winds Society and of the Light Body School. In his teachings and writings, he shares the experience of infinity and its ability to heal and transform us, to free us from the temporal chains that keep us fettered to illness, old age, and disease. Alberto has authored several incredible books and his latest, Grow A New Body, was just released.

As my friend Ocean Robbins says, “When you eat the Standard American Diet you get the standard American diseases.” In fact, poor diet is responsible for almost 700,000 deaths in the US each year, and 11 million worldwide! And the average American consumes 55 pounds of added sugar each year, which we know is a major contributor towards the diabesity epidemic. The good news is that each step towards real, wholesome, delicious foods reduces your risk for chronic disease and increases your ability to feel great. This week on The Doctor’s Farmacy, I sit down with Ocean to talk about the current state of our food system and what we can do to be part of the revolution to create a healthier and happier future for everyone. Ocean is the author of 31-Day Food Revolution: Heal Your Body, Feel Great, & Transform Your World. He serves as CEO and co-founder of the Food Revolution Network—one of the largest communities of healthy eating advocates on the planet, with more than 500,000 members.

The immune system: we hear about it all the time, especially this time of year as cold and flu season is in full swing. But there’s a lot more to it than just your susceptibility to a runny nose. 50 million people suffer from immunologic diseases, ranging from an overactive immune system (autoimmunity) to an underactive one (immunodeficiency), and many stages in between. The field of immunology is much more expansive than you might think, spreading into neurology, gastroenterology, epigenetics, psychosocial health, and even mindfulness and gratitude. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy, Dr. Leonard Calabrese, is an expert in immunology and rheumatology. In fact, he is a Professor of Medicine at the Cleveland Clinic Lerner College of Medicine of Case Western Reserve University and Vice Chair of the Department of Rheumatic and Immunologic Diseases. Dr. Calabrese is the director of the RJ Fasenmyer Center for Clinical Immunology at the Cleveland Clinic and holds joint appointments in the Department of Infectious Diseases and the Wellness Institute.

If there was something you could do everyday to boost your focus and productivity, feel energized, reduce stress, sleep better, maintain a positive outlook, and support whole-body health, wouldn’t you do it? It’s for all these reasons, and more, that I consider meditation a foundational pillar to good health. I used to think I didn’t have time for meditation but now I know I don’t have time NOT to do it—it’s become that integral in helping me manage all of my other many responsibilities and passions. Since starting, I’m happier than ever, have found the love of my life, and my business is rocking. Today, on The Doctor’s Farmacy Podcast, I talk to my good friend and personal meditation teacher, Emily Fletcher, about meditation for the modern world. Emily is the founder of Ziva, the creator of The Ziva Technique and regarded as a leading expert in meditation for high performers.

It’s never too late to turn your life around. Doing deep emotional work can not only help us find better health and happiness, it can also help us discover our true purpose and understand how to fully share our gifts with others. Being vulnerable and open to reality, rather than focusing on the stories we tell ourselves, is a major step in the right direction. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy has done all of that and more. You probably recognize Lisa Lampanelli’s name from the world of comedy, with a career spanning more than 30 years. She has numerous tours, Grammy nominations, and national TV guest appearances and specials under her belt. Lisa made national headlines in 2012 when she lost more than 100 pounds with the help of bariatric surgery. The comedian went on to speak with unflinching honesty about her lifelong food and body-image issues and has since gone from insulter to inspirer. Now, in her 50’s, she’s done a career overhaul and works as a life coach, food and body-image workshop leader, speaker, and storyteller.

Think about how often you check one of your many social media accounts. Chances are you spend a pretty good portion of your time, productivity, and brain power participating in these apps each day. Though it may seem harmless, or even beneficial, the ubiquitous use of social media is working against our health. Our brains evolved to process social cues from real people; the more we’re on social media the less we’re having real-world interactions that challenge and support our cognition. My guest on this week’s episode of The Doctor’s Farmacy has never had a social media account—and he’s managed to thrive! Cal Newport is an associate professor of computer science at Georgetown University and writes about the impact of technological innovations on our culture. Newport is the author of six books, including Digital Minimalism and Deep Work. As we dive into the topic of social media, Cal shares his expertise on how it’s impacting public health and culture in ways much greater than you might expect.