Dr. Mark Hyman Shares Information On Nutrition, Toxins And Vitamins

This interview is an excerpt from Kevin Gianni’s The Healthiest Year of Your Life Program which can be found at http://www.thehealthiestyearof.com http://yourlife.com. In this excerpt, Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D. weighs in nutrition, toxins and finding the right the vitamins.

The Healthiest Year of Your Life Excerpt with Dr. Mark Hyman, M.D., a best-selling author, a respected medical consultant and a leader in the field of functional medicine.

Kevin: Let’s talk about a little bit about the raw food and vegan diet and how it fits into this type of functional medicine.

Mark: Sure. I think everybody is different and I don’t think there’s a one-size-fits-all diet. Some people thrive on a vegetarian diet. Other people are extraordinarily sick on a vegan or vegetarian diet. I’ve had many patients on raw foods and vegan diets who are extraordinarily malnourished. Then I’ve seen people who manage it quite well.

I think you have to look at what’s right for each person. So I don’t think that any general recommendations are helpful. I also think it depends on where you live. If you’re living in Manitoba, a raw food diet is probably not the best thing. If you’re living on the island in Fiji, you probably could thrive on a raw food diet. It’s also think locally, eat locally. I think it’s a very important thing. What’s local? What’s native to your area? What’s going on with your own biology and genetics and body. I think you have to be careful if you’re doing a raw food, or vegan diet. It’s easy to become malnourished and you have to supplement, I believe, with nutrients and really be smart about it.

Kevin: Anything specific?

Mark: What I would say is that probably 90% of your diet should be a plant-based diet. Whether it’s cooked or uncooked, I think Michael Pollan said, “Eat food, meaning real food.” Not too much and mostly plants. Plant foods have all the phytochemicals and nutrients and things that your body needs to thrive and without them you don’t. The phytochemicals that are from colorful fruits and vegetables in plant foods that are essential for life.

Kevin: What are some of the most potent toxins that you encounter?

Mark: I would say probably without a doubt, the most serious threat to our health in terms of toxins is mercury. It’s something I see and treat every day that affects, I would say, the majority of my patients in one way or another. It’s important to identify. It’s mostly ignored and it’s relatively easy and safe to treat.

Kevin: Anything else?

Mark: Well, I think the rest of it is all common sense. We should be eating food that’s organic whenever we can. We should stay away from hormones, pesticides and antibiotics and any animal products. There are over 3500 food additives added to our food supply. There’s no reason that we need to be eating anything other than food.

Kevin: Yeah. What I like about your books and your programs is that you give real world examples of things working. What are some of your favorite stories, or favorite successes?

Mark: Well, I have many, many of them. One of them was a doctor who had been sick for 30 years and had chronic fatigue and heavy metal poisoning. She was overweight, had diabetes, couldn’t sleep. She was depressed and not able to function anymore. She had some very deep issues and we detoxified her and used heavy metal detoxification, used intravenous glutathione, sauna therapy, a whole integrated approach and she recently performed in a triathlon, which is fantastic for someone who could barely get out of bed. So that was a very gratifying experience.

I’d seen another woman who had severe depression for 30 years and when we detoxified her she got better.. Another young girl who was unable to focus or concentrate on multiple psychiatric medications, but with sauna therapy and intravenous treatment for toxicity, as well as oral treatment, she did phenomenally well and said to me the other day, “Dr. Hyman, I had not even been able to read a magazine or book in seven years and I feel I have myself back and I wake up every day happy and alive, where I thought it was going to kill myself.”

Kevin: Wow. You mentioned glutathione. Can you explain what that is for people who don’t know?

Mark: Yeah. The body had its own system for detoxifying and the major force in that system is glutathione. It is the body’s major detoxifier and it’s made from a number of amino acids, glutamine, systene and lysine that are eaten in our food, mostly in sulfur containing foods, such as whey protein or eggs, garlic, and the broccoli family. It’s critical in the detoxification process, as well as the major antioxidants and it’s also involved in immune function and inflammation, but what happens is that because of our overwhelming toxic load and because half of us have a gene that makes us not too able to actually do this, then we become depleted in glutathione. So we have to learn, one, that if we are and two, we have to actually do a lot of things to boost our own glutathione levels, which we can do through diet, eating broccoli and collards and the whole cruciferous family and the garlic family, if you’re taking herbs or using various supplements, like vitamin C, selenium, zinc and systene and lypoic acid and a number of other things. So all of these things are ways we can actually help the body detoxify.

Kevin: What do you think about the philosophy of intuitive eating? Do you think there’s some ground to that, that your body knows what to eat and when to eat it?

Mark: Well, certainly that’s true of animals, right? And it’s certainly true of babies. They self regulate. I think we have to recognize that our bodies have innate wisdom and that if we provide things which are naturally supportive of our body’s physiology, it will self regulate. I think that when we get off of the toxic foods, these are extraordinarily addictive kinds of substances and the additives and sugars and high fructose corn syrup and trans fats, our bodies self regulate very well.

Kevin: Now, I want to talk about some of the things that you’ve covered in some of your books, like feed reactive protein and homocysteine and those effects on health. I think it’s kind of important to know what those are and what someone can do to recognize if they have high levels of them.

Mark: Right. What I do talk about in all The Seven Chis to Ultra Wellness and in my books are how to look at each systems. One of the tests you can do if you think you have a problem, so if you take the quiz and you find you have an issue in one or a different area, what do you do about it and there are a lot of different tests I use. You mentioned two I talked about, but it certainly doesn’t mean that there are only two. One is called feed reactive protein and it’s a non-specific type of test that measures inflammation. So it’s a very good marker of generalized inflammation in your body. If it’s high it tells you that something is wrong. It doesn’t tell you what it’s from, but it tells you there’s something wrong. It will then drive you to look for something. The second thing is that inflammation can also relate to toxicity, but it’s often another allergen or infection, or dietary things, sugar and so forth.

Homocysteine is a marker of a level of folic acid and also a function that we call, methylation, in your body and there’s two things are required for detoxification. One is sulfation, which is the process of moving around sulfur molecules and producing glutathione and any other is methylation, which is moving around of carbon and free hydrogen. That is a key function in the body that is involved in every chemical reaction and in order for you to have a proper methylation system, you have to have adequate levels of folate, B6 and B12 and if you’re homocysteine is high, it’s an indicator that you may be deficient and you may have some problems in this area. It’s very easy to treat by getting really, really very good quality folate in special forms, as well as adequate levels of B6 and B12.

Kevin: Is there a way that the consumer can figure out what’s the best quality supplement?

Mark: Yeah. I think there’s generally a couple of things I should say about this. First, there’s no regulation in this industry. So it’s up to self policing of these companies to determine whether not they’re actually going to put what they say on the label in the bottle, or whether they’re going to put other things in there that are toxic. There are ways of finding out how these companies do their manufacturing. Do they send their products out for third-party analysis to look for impurities, toxins, as well as the active ingredients? Do they use fillers and additives and shellacs and petrochemicals and colors and dyes in the supplements?

In other words, if you’re taking some of the common multivitamins that are blue and pink, why do you want to be taking blue dye for the rest of your life, if you’re taking a multivitamin? It’s just common sense with some of these things and then there’s generally different places these are sold. For example, in large places like Wal-Mart and Costco they only have poor quality brands and then there will be the drugstore brands and then there will be the health food brands, which are generally better and from smaller companies and then there’s the professional brands, which is what I use, which are really designed for medical and nutritional therapy and they’re a little bit harder to get, but you can get them from various pharmacists and doctors.

Kevin: Great. Well, I do want to wrap up by talking a little bit more about The Ultra Simple Diet.

Mark: Well, The Ultra Simple Diet was something that I wrote almost as an add-on to my book, Ultra Metabolism and I realized that people needed a quick start and I basically just put together iwhat I’ve learned in my practice over the last 15 years working with people and doing these programs with them on an individual basis and what I found was really profoundly effective. It’s very clear, very simple, laid out step-by-step what to do to help your body take a break and the reason that I designed it this way and that I encourage people to do it is that most people don’t know how bad they feel, number one and number two, that this is a relatively simple thing that anybody can do. It’s not a fasting program, but it is a powerful detoxification program, so you can continue your life without having to stop and go to an island and drink juice all day. I think that it’s extraordinarily effective in helping people connect how bad they feel with what they’re eating and their behaviors, which most people don’t do.. They think that their symptoms and how they feel is sort of random. It’s unrelated to what they’re doing and the choices that they’re making, but it’s not and they have full control over it and when they do this program and anybody can do anything for a week, then they make the connection and see how they are acting and how they feel and then they can make a choice. Do I want to feel like this, or not?

Related Body Detoxifying Articles

Removing Toxins from Your Body

Body detox is among the best ways of keeping ourselves clean and healthy, besides other methods such as special diets, vitamin supplements, natural therapies, and so on. An important step in a full body detox is to restore or also to replenish energy levels to make you more alert in different areas of your life, such as at work. A body cleanse or body detox is also a great way to give your body a boost after a night of over-indulgence, eating all the wrong foods and consuming more alcohol than is healthy.  That is why body detox is needed because some mortals are having this kind of lifestyle.  

The human body has a built in detox system that removes harmful substances from the body through excretion but when we put pressure on it by eating unhealthy foods, drinking too much alcohol and not getting enough sleep the system is weakened. At one time, the need for a natural body detox seemed to apply only to those who suffered from some form of drug or alcohol dependency. The pollution your body is exposed to daily, and your consumption of various types of junk food, coffee, aerated drinks, alcohol etc leads to the accumulation of various toxins in your body. Initially known for elimination of excessive alcohol and drugs from the body, detox is now being used more extensively for the process of elimination of any kind of toxins that may be present in the body. A full body detox diet plan using raw vegetables and fresh fruits is especially recommended for young individuals whose bodies have been subjected to high levels of alcohol, burgers and pizzas.  

Todays refined diets, stressful lifestyles antibiotics or other health problems can deplete the body’s natural store of these little miracle workers and upset the delicate balance or eubiosis. There are numerous other methods to detox your body, such as through herbal tea and supplements, in addition to specialized diets and spa programs. Body detox diets vary but typically involve eating or drinking nothing but raw, steamed or gently stir-fried vegetables and fruit, pulses, sprouted seeds, thin soups, juices and plain cereals such as brown rice, millet or buckwheat. Mediterranean diets are low on fat and carbohydrates and they provide us with healthy alternative to the oily food we consume every day.  

Start using the benefit of exercise to cleanse and detoxify your body. Exercise increases oxygen to your system and raises your body temperature, in effect combining oxygen therapy and hyperthermia.  Exercise detoxification is an effective method of cleansing many vital organs simultaneously and should become a regular part of your life. There are tons of exercise programs and plans out there, or just walking for at least 12-15 minutes a day is beneficial to the colon function. The simplest form of administering oxygen therapy is through a simple deep breathing exercise.  

The increase in the amount of toxins in the body results in stress in the immune system that eventually breaks down due to overwork. If you are interested in the idea of detoxing and want to receive the fastest results possible, then what you are going to want to do is find a quick detox diet, a body detox that is going to offer you quick results. Some methods are used individually as body detox solutions while other individuals use several methods together to achieve the best possible results. If you want to receive optimum results from your detox, you should consider taking some supplements for detox. It is also good for keeping track of detox intervals or a detox schedule, body detox is not just a one time thing, for best results it should be done on a regular basis throughout the year.  

While our body is not totally defenseless against toxins as we have an effective built-in natural detoxification system but body detox is still a must to help keep your body free of toxins. One of the much-desired benefits of body detox is weight loss. Liver and Kidneys detox is excellent to use before and during a weight loss program, as it will improve weight loss results. In conclusion, making your own home remedy for body detox is much better and less expensive way to pursue long term health as compared to eating detox pills.

How To Cleanse Your Body Of Toxins – Can You Lose Weight With A Colon Cleanse?

In search of the How To Cleanse Your Body Of Toxins?  Go here to get a free colon cleanse trial.

Have you been feeling sluggish lately?  Feeling inflated more and more?  A colon cleanse may be what you need to solve your issues.  Sadly, a lot of people don’t know the benefits of cleansing their colon and that an unclean colon can have a negative effect on their health.  Actually an unclean colon can be responsible for cramps, gas, and even acne.  There are many over the counter colon cleansers that you can try to get started with your colon cleansing journey.

Eating food that is rich in fiber can help you to get started.  You will have to leave behind fast food, junk food, and other processed foods so you can have an effective colon cleanse.  You’re probably thinking that this is terrible because it takes all the fun from eating, but trust me because you’ll be thankful you did when you look yourself in the mirror and see what a difference this makes.  But as long as you don’t do it everyday, you can still enjoy these foods in moderation.

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The colon cleanse can be helped greatly when you add wholesome, healthy and organic foods to your diet.  Organic foods will take more money out of your pocket but you can use the money you save from cutting down on junk food to buy the healthy foods that will improve your well-being.  Be sure to have fruits vegetables and for lean protein have turkey, beef and fish and also have How To Cleanse Your Body Of Toxins.  Whole grain foods are great because they are healthy, they work great with your colon and they won’t add any weight to your belly.  Remember the old advice to drink 8 glasses of water daily?  Take the advice to heart as it really works.  You can make what you’re drinking a bit more enjoyable if you squeeze some citrus or lemon juice on it.  And actually, drinking a glass of lemon water in the morning is a great day to start off your day.  The lemon water will trigger your body’s colon cleanse process a few minutes after you’ve had the drink.

You should also consider taking in fiber supplements.  These will help in eliminating waste build up and cleansing the colon.  Visit this site to get a free month’s supply of colon cleanse and learn more about How To Cleanse Your Body Of Toxins.

Eradicating Toxins – Reverse Aging The Bruce Fife Way!

Wealth is absolutely of no good if one cannot keep good health. If the body doesn’t function well and keeps falling ill, one cannot enjoy life at all. You might just miss out on some great events and opportunities because of bad health. Without knowing, you are bombarding your body with many harmful chemicals. These harmful chemicals can make your body weak over a period of time and affect your daily activity. It, therefore, becomes important to make efforts to get rid of these harmful chemicals.

You might ask where these chemicals are coming from. In case you haven’t guessed, all these harmful chemicals come from the food and drinks you have consumed, and other daily consumptions like fumes and smoke from cigarettes and cars and other sources. Every day you are exposing your body to these harmful chemicals contained in almost everything around you.

Although the body has its own process of self-healing and toxin elimination, in some situations it is incapable of doing it alone especially if the body has already has an acid build up. Acid build up happens due to an unhealthy lifestyle for a prolonged period of time. If you have been living an unhealthy life it is time you give your body a detoxification and you do it fast. If you keep putting it off for later, you will start experiencing symptoms of illnesses and diseases. One suggestion is buying a book by Bruce Fife on body detox. You can get help from the expert himself and start detoxifying your body for just .

Consumers have given great ratings for this book in different reviews. This book tells us everything we need to know about detox. It helps you decide on regimens that can facilitate the elimination of toxins and harmful substances from the body. As is commonly known, the air one inhales also contains toxins. So does the food we eat. The body produces some toxins if it is not functioning properly and they cannot be ousted and this causes a lot of problems later on.

This book contains all the information needed for you to decide how to go about the detox program at home. Some support is required for the natural detoxification of the body’s system, and home detox programs can help in the eliminating diseases that you might have developed, restoring the body’s health and in reversing signs of aging and other problems that people face. This rejuvenates the body and helps you regain your energy once again.

The book also features a diet that contains all natural foods. This book gives you lessons on the good affects of fasting, how to go about it and other ways of detoxifying the body in as natural a way as possible.

However, the book has a few drawbacks. The author is a vegetarian and so some issues related to eating toxin free food have been addressed a little partially and this does not sit well for non-vegetarian users. Non-vegetarians face other issues when it comes to food consumption when related to vegetarians and hence it is important to address their issues too.

If you want to completely detoxify at home, purchase the book. You will get loads of good advice and information.

Colon Detoxing – Eliminate Toxins From Your Body

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- Slim Down Diet
- No Eating Diets
- Weight Hormones
- High Energy Diet
- Raw Food List
- Low Fat Pasta Meals
- Diets Do They Work
- Maple Syrup Diet Ingredients
- 3 Day Grapefruit Diet
- Colon Detox Cleanse

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