Dr. Mark Hyman, a physician helping lead a functional medicine movement to shatter health care’s status quo. Rooted in systems biology and holistic approaches, this field is more than a specialty; it’s a radical, yet intuitive, mode of thinking about and personalizing medicine. Dr. Hyman says it can revolutionize how we treat chronic disease and lead to optimal health.
From Our Interview : What inspired you to pursue medicine and specialize in family medicine?
In the early 1980s, I was studying Buddhism, a bit of systems theory and Chinese medicine at Cornell. My roommate was a PhD student studying nutrition and believed in the connection between food and health. We planted a garden and cooked fresh food for our meals. He also introduced me to nutritional scientists like Dr.Roger J. Williams who wrote Nutrition Against Disease. I decided to become a doctor because I always felt drawn to helping people. After medical school, I worked as a rural family doctor for four years, then as an ER physician and eventually as a functional medicine practitioner at Canyon Ranch. Finally, I started my own functional medicine practice and began writing books to share the revolution happening in medicine. The rest is history.
In this powerful interview, Dr. Mark Hyman explores how functional medicine, rooted in systems biology and personalized care, can revolutionize chronic disease treatment. Sharing his personal health journey, he critiques conventional medicine and advocates for a tech-driven, data-informed shift toward prevention and root-cause resolution—transforming healthcare from reactive to proactive.
Functional medicine treats root causes, not just symptoms, for lasting health.
Dr. Hyman’s vision: accessible, AI-supported care that empowers patient health decisions.
Mark Hyman, M.D. has dedicated his career to identifying and addressing the root causes of chronic illness through a groundbreaking whole-systems medicine approach, known as Functional Medicine. He is a family physician, a five-time New York Times bestselling author, and an internationally recognized leader in his field. Through his private practice, education efforts, writing, research, advocacy and public-policy work, he strives to improve access to Functional Medicine, and to widen the understanding and practice of it, empowering others to stop managing symptoms and instead treat the underlying causes of illness, thereby also tackling our chronic-disease epidemic.
Dr. Hyman is Chairman of the Institute for Functional Medicine, and was awarded its 2009 Linus Pauling Award for Leadership in Functional Medicine. He is currently medical editor at the Huffington Post and on the Medical Advisory Board at The Dr Oz Show. He is on the Board of Directors of The Center for Mind-Body Medicine, and a faculty member of its Food As Medicine training program. He is also on the Board of Advisors of Memhet Oz’s HealthCorps, which tackles the obesity epidemic by “educating the student body” in American high schools about nutrition, fitness and mental resilience. He is a volunteer for Partners in Health with whom he worked immediately after the earthquake in Haiti and continues to help rebuild their health care system.
Dr. Hyman is a prolific author with several New York Times bestsellers to his name. His books focus on nutrition, longevity, and functional medicine. Notable titles include:
Young Forever: The Secrets to Living Your Longest, Healthiest Life
The Blood Sugar Solution
Eat Fat, Get Thin
The Pegan Diet
Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?
These works offer insights into using food as medicine and provide practical guidance on achieving optimal health.
Dr. Hyman has delivered impactful talks at various conferences, including TEDMED. At TEDMED, he discussed the importance of functional medicine and how it can revolutionize healthcare by addressing the root causes of chronic diseases.
In Young Forever, Dr. Mark Hyman presents a comprehensive guide to reversing disease, easing pain, and living younger longer. He challenges traditional perceptions of aging, promoting a new understanding that focuses on health span rather than just life span. The book explores ways to roll back biological years by identifying and managing key hallmarks of aging such as hormonal dysfunction, inflammation, insulin resistance, and microbiome health. Hyman emphasizes the importance of a holistic approach known as functional medicine, which considers the interconnections within the body’s systems. He advocates for reducing sugar intake, eating nutrient-rich foods, maintaining muscle mass with adequate protein, and implementing stress reduction techniques such as meditation, yoga, and enjoying nature.
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