The Downside of a Low Salt Diet

If you like House Call with Dr. Hyman, you're going to love my new podcast, The Doctor's Farmacy. This podcast is a place for deeper conversations about central issues of our time that affect us all. Researching my last book, Food: What the Heck Should I Eat?, it became clear to me that we need to unpack the shifts and intersections of medicine, nutrition, food systems, health and food policy, and much more. The food system is at the root of our chronic disease epidemic, climate change, poverty, social injustice, environmental degradation, economic crises, and even challenges in education and national security. The old foundations of medicine are breaking down and a new model, a systems view or Functional Medicine, is emerging at the paradigm that has the potential to reverse the chronic disease epidemic. Food and the way we produce and consume it is the nexus of most of our world’s health, environmental, climate, economic, and even political crises. We can’t stay silent about these issues any longer. That’s why I created my new podcast, The Doctor’s Farmacy. Find it anywhere you listen to podcasts (or visit drhyman.com/podcast). Thanks for tuning in!

Eating healthy is more confusing than ever. I’ve been studying nutrition for 35 years and found that even experts are confused by the science. If the people we look to for nutritional guidance keep changing their views, no wonder the rest of us are so overwhelmed! You know what I’m talking about. One day eggs are unhealthy, then the next day they are a miracle food. One year the government tells us to eat bread, pasta, and other carbohydrates as the foundation of our diet, and the next it tells us to cut carbs. The US Dietary Guidelines told us 35 years ago that all our health problems were derived from eating fat and recommended we eat fat “only sparingly.” Over three decades later, they suddenly learned fat wasn’t so bad for us. Then you’ve got the dogmatists who believe you must adhere 100 percent to a particular plan to be lean and healthy, whether that plan be vegan, Paleo, vegetarian, Mediterranean, raw food, ketogenic, high-fat, low-fat, or omnivore. Lots of factors contribute to this nutrition confusion and contention, including misinformation, personal biases, and conflicting science. Chief among the reasons why so many people are so confused is our $1 trillion food industry that provides us with all sorts of “healthy” options— low-fat, high-fiber, whole-grain, gluten-free—that are mostly not healthy. All this confusion is enough to make you give up and just eat whatever you want, whenever you want, and in whatever quantities you want. That’s why I wrote my new book Food. What the Heck Should I Eat?. I want to help you undo all the beliefs about food that are making you fat and sick and replace them with a new understanding that will lead to health and longevity. I can’t wait to share all the information I’ve learned, so you can cut through the confusion and design a plan that helps you cultivate vibrant, abundant health. Food. comes out on February 27, 2018. You can learn more about the book, and pre-order it at foodthebook.com

Arthritis has become a 21st century epidemic, affecting 1 out of every 4 people. Even more shocking is that 30% of adults age 45-64 have doctor diagnosed arthritis. Something has changed in our environment, making all types of arthritis more and more prevalent. Inflammation is the most basic problem in all arthritis, whether it is what we traditionally call “inflammatory arthritis,” like autoimmune rheumatoid arthritis, or the arthritis most associated with wear and tear on joints over time, osteoarthritis. The traditional medical approach to these two kinds of joint inflammation is to use medications to block the inflammation process. Although these can be successful in decreasing symptoms and can in some cases prevent further joint destruction, the medications don’t get at the root cause of why you developed the inflammation in the first place. Functional medicine takes a deeper look at the causes of inflammation and gives you options for reversing the process where it starts: in the gut, in the mouth, from your food, and from the stress response. Traditionally, doctors almost never evaluate these areas when addressing joint pain, but fortunately functional medicine has the tools to do just that. In this interview, Dr. Susan Blum presents a new way to treat arthritis. In her new book, Healing Arthritis, you will learn the best food plan for arthritis, the precise supplements and dosage we recommend to reduce pain and inflammation, how to build resiliency so that life’s stressors won’t affect your health, and what your gut has to do with your arthritis symptoms. In essence, Dr. Blum gives you all the tools you need to fix your gut and heal your arthritis. I am so excited to share this interview with you. I hope you enjoy it. Wishing you health and happiness, Mark Hyman, MD

Modern industrial medicine treats disease with medication or surgery. That’s what it is designed to do, and when it comes to emergency interventions it is still the best medicine in the world. When someone comes into the emergency room with a severed leg, conventional medicine treats the problem with incredible efficacy. But when it comes to chronic illness, this approach simply doesn’t work. Here’s why conventional medicine tends to break down in the face of chronic illnesses like diabesity … Most medicine today is based on clear-cut, on-or-off, yes-or-no diagnoses that often miss the underlying causes and more subtle manifestations of illness. Most conventional doctors are taught that you have a disease or you don’t; you have diabetes or you don’t. There are no gray areas. Instead, I suggest taking a radically new and unconventional approach to treating chronic illness. Some might call this approach Functional Medicine. Functional Medicine is the future of conventional medicine–but available now. It seeks to identify and address the root causes of disease, and views the body as one integrated system, not a collection of independent organs divided up by medical specialties. It treats the whole system, not just the symptoms. In his new book, Unconventional Medicine, my friend Chris Kresser, M.S., L.Ac, discusses the challenges with conventional medicine, and why the future of medicine is unconventional. In this interview, Chris and I talk about what it takes to get to the root cause of dis-ease. I hope you enjoy it. Wishing you health and happiness, Mark Hyman, MD

Last year I experienced some serious health challenges. Recently I sat down with Mind Body Green to talk about this difficult time in my life.

My patients and readers tell me that one of the biggest obstacles they face on their path towards better health is lack of support. I always say that getting healthy is a team sport, and unfortunately, many of us are lacking the positive encouragement and supportive relationships we need in order to move toward our best selves. Psychological researcher, George Slavich, of the University of California, Los Angeles, who studies human social genomics, says that our genes can actually be turned on or off depending on our social environments. Studies show that compared to people who are socially connected, those living in isolation are more likely to suffer from viral infections and inflammation. This means that feeling socially isolated can actually make you sick! Community has been an integral part of my own journey toward better health. I have seen the power of community transform the lives of my patients and readers, and this is why, for the first time ever, my team and I are hosting the Feel Good Summit. In the summer of 2018, we’ll gather in beautiful Southern California for three days and dive deep into community, food and nutrition, stress management, movement, and much much more. My goal for the Feel Good Summit is for you to walk away with a plan to achieve your best health AND at least a few new best friends—people who can inspire you and who you can inspire too. We created the Feel Good Summit to foster community and connection all while learning how to take your health to the next level using expert guidance to create a wellness plan for you, by you. To learn more about the Feel Good Summit, visit feelgoodsummit.co Wishing you health and happiness, Mark Hyman, MD

I recently got the chance to interview my friend James J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD, author of The Salt Fix, and I’m really excited to share this interview with you. I also asked James to write a few words about why low salt diets might be harmful for some, and here’s what he had to say… We are constantly being warned about the harmful effects of salt. All health agencies, government bodies, and dietary guidelines tell us to cut our salt intake to no more than 2,300 mg of sodium per day (about 1 teaspoon of salt). We are told that cutting back on salt saves lives and that the amount of salt consumed by the average American (one and a half teaspoons of salt) puts you at risk. This is based on the assumption that lowering salt intake will lead to a reduction in blood pressure, and that reducing blood pressure will reduce the risk of strokes and heart attacks. Unfortunately, we are only being told one side of the story. The other side of the story is starting to make itself heard—the New York Times, for instance, just covered a study of Russian cosmonauts that hints that there’s more to the story than we’ve been told—but that’s just the tip of the iceberg. We need to shift our fear away from salt, and focus greater attention on the more consequential white crystal (sugar). Rather than following salt restriction, we may be better off eating real food and salting to taste. – James J. DiNicolantonio, PharmD and Author of The Salt Fix. Follow on Twitter @drjamesdinic.

People always want to know what I eat and do every day to stay energized and focused with everything on my plate. I talk a lot about cutting sugar and processed carbs and eating real, whole, fresh foods, exercising, and meditating—but everyone wants to know if I walk the walk! The truth is that I have to. I have about ten jobs, two kids, a dog, a team, weeks of travel at a time… the list goes on and on. In order to keep up with this lifestyle, maintaining optimal health and an optimal brain becomes a top priority. When your brain is functioning well, you receive more opportunities and life just gets better. Unfortunately, many of us get too little good food, nutrients, light, air, water, rest, sleep, rhythm, exercise, community, love, meaning, and purpose. We’re exposed to far too much poor-quality food, stress, toxins, and allergens. The good news is that there are a few things we can do every day to keep our brain happy. To hear more tips on achieving a better brain from over 50 experts, check out the Broken Brain Docuseries. And if you liked this video, share it with your friends and family on Facebook and twitter. Wishing you health and happiness, Mark Hyman, MD

I was a thriving, young doctor with a promising career ahead of me. Then, within a short amount of time (it felt like it was almost overnight), my entire life changed. Suddenly, depression and anxiety were constant companions and I had such extreme fatigue I couldn’t even get out of bed some mornings. What was I supposed to do? Everything I did required optimal brain function. Without a healthy brain, I couldn’t see patients, do research, workout, or connect with loved ones.. I was at a loss. Discovering Functional Medicine and the power of our body to heal saved me from lifelong depression, anxiety, and fatigue. And this is just my story. Thousands of other patients and many other practitioners have their own story about how Functional Medicine empowered them to take control of their health and treat their mysterious or not so mysterious illnesses. This is why I made a docuseries about brain health. With the help of my friends, patients, and colleagues, I wanted to show you how you can take a different approach to treating brain disorders. Conventional medicine has its place in treatment, but what does it take to truly fix our brains? How can we get to the root cause of dis-ease? My docuseries will completely change the way you think about brain health, and I want to invite you to watch it. Sign up for this FREE docuseries which starts THIS WEDNESDAY. Also, chances are you know someone with a broken brain. Help to spread the message about this docuseries by sharing it with your friends and family. Let’s take back our health, together. Mark Hyman, MD

I know this might seem like a silly question, but it’s one that I had to ask myself a long time ago when I suddenly became depressed, anxious, and fatigued. The answer was quite obvious to me. Something was definitely wrong with my brain and my body. But sometimes, a broken brain is not obvious and does not show up in the form of dementia, ADD, or depression. Sometimes, a less than optimally functioning brain can show up in small ways. So many of my patients come in after months or even years of experiencing brain fog, forgetfulness, anxiety, and depression thinking that these are symptoms that will just pass or that there isn’t anything that can be done about them.. Many patients don’t connect how they feel with how they eat, how much they rest and sleep, how much they exercise, how much time they make for friends and community, as well as the media and news to which they expose themselves. Once you understand these connections, you can change your approach to these important factors and to the other dozens of daily decisions you make. This is exactly what I aim to address in my new docuseries, Broken Brain. For this docuseries, I brought together over 50 health and brain experts to talk about what it takes to heal from a broken brain. In the Broken Brain Docuseries, we’ll go through a step-by-step plan to take control of your health, including how to optimize your diet for a better brain. So be sure to sign up for the docuseries and spread the word so that we can all take back our brain health together. If you have any questions about the brain, tweet me using the hashtag #housecallwithdrhyman, and maybe next week, I’ll make a house call to you. Wishing you health and happiness, Mark Hyman, MD