Jay Shetty & Mark Hyman ON How to Reverse Inflammation

Is it possible to rebuild your health - and your life - after doctors say there’s no hope?

In this On Purpose episode, Jay Shetty welcomes back Mark Hyman, a practicing family physician, founder of the UltraWellness Center, and the Functional Medicine Center at the Cleveland Clinic. Hyman has authored 15 New York Times bestsellers and hosts The Dr. Hyman Show podcast. He is widely known for his powerful food-as-medicine philosophy and his commitment to addressing the root causes of chronic disease through nutrition and lifestyle adjustments.

Near-Death Experience

Mark Hyman has gained fame for his expertise in health and longevity. Yet he recently faced an extreme, life-threatening crisis that put to the test all the methods he was preaching. He opened up to Jay Shetty about this difficult time in his life: the journey started decades ago, at age 32, when he ruptured a disc while chopping wood in Idaho, resulting in permanent nerve damage to his right calf and chronic degenerative disc disease.

While seeking relief from decades of back pain in the form of an injection, Mark Hyman found himself fighting an infection and abscess formation in the closed space of his spine. It evolved fast, and within days, he could no longer walk. After a week, he underwent an unsuccessful surgery because the abscess was unreachable, so the doctors had to close him back up without intervening otherwise. Unfortunately, they weren't able to help him, so they prescribed him medication meant to make his last moments less painful.

Determined to Recover

Mark Hyman was left to die by his doctors, but a friend urged him to get a second opinion. So he went to the Department of Neurological Surgery at UCSF (University of California, San Francisco). He was seen immediately and received a life-saving surgery to relieve the abscess in a moment when he had already become septic and feverish. He was told he was only days away from dying before the second operation.

Despite being in his 60s, Mark Hyman fought to regain his physical independence after his brush with death. He systematically worked every day toward his recovery. He told Jay Shetty that his efforts were like compound interest—little every day, but they made a difference in the long run. He focused on optimal nutrition, followed rigorous physical therapy and other treatments, and took supplements to help his recovery. After five months, Hyman reports feeling stronger than he was before falling ill.

Functional Medicine

Mark Hyman told Jay Shetty that his recovery proves that it's possible to create health by following the laws of biology and using a specific methodology. Unlike conventional medicine, where doctors are taught to diagnose and treat disease, this method focuses on establishing optimal function or health. He cited research showing that six out of ten Americans suffer from a chronic illness, and a staggering 93% are metabolically unhealthy.¹‍

It's not uncommon nowadays for many people to experience an overall feeling of unwellness that encompasses diverse, persistent issues like painful periods, headaches, constipation, joint aches, or skin rashes. Mark Hyman reassures listeners that there is a way through this suffering by leveraging the science of functional medicine.

Mindset and Chronic Illness

Mark Hyman told Jay Shetty that bouncing back through his own techniques only made him more confident in the health methods he advocates. He rigorously tracked and customized his recovery by monitoring his blood work and nutrient status.

Yet when it comes to improving your health, Hyman believes that the right mindset and determination play a crucial role. He wanted to get better and, despite his physical weakness, he pushed through and did the little things consistently. He explained that his mind was set on recovery and that he refused to believe the negative, discouraging thoughts creeping in from time to time.

The Importance of Good Food

If you are currently feeling like you don't have the energy to do much, Mark Hyman suggests having a look at your diet. He told Jay Shetty that food is essential in shifting biological parameters; he also claims it can alter gene expressions, hormones, immune system function, brain chemistry, and the microbiome, often within minutes of consumption.

Hyman observed that many people don't pay much attention to what they are eating, and that in itself is a topic worth looking into. His 10-day detox program is structured to remove inflammatory foods while adding healing, medicinal ones. This short-term program creates a noticeable shift, leading to a significant reduction in all symptoms from various diseases in just ten days.

Ultra-Processed Foods Cause Inflammation

Mark Hyman told Jay Shetty that ultra-processed foods currently account for about 60% of the American diet.² These foods are highly inflammatory, as they contain unnatural ingredients such as emulsifiers, dyes, additives (like BHT, mono- and diglycerides, and maltodextrin), and excessive amounts of sugar and starch.

Modern humans consume an alarming volume of sugar, Mark Hyman explained to Jay Shetty. He added that the average American eats 22 teaspoons daily, a dramatic increase from the historical hunter-gatherer consumption of just 22 teaspoons annually.³ He also stressed that 14% of Americans, including children, are addicted to food (primarily sugar and starch), mirroring the rate of alcoholism.⁴‍

Inflammation is increasingly understood as the root cause of nearly all chronic illnesses and aging itself. While obvious inflammation includes a sore throat or a sprained ankle, a far more dangerous type is silent inflammation, which is measurable via blood tests such as C-reactive protein (CRP). Mark Hyman told Jay Shett that this condition can lead to a cytokine storm, similar to what killed people during COVID-19.

The worst inflammation originates in visceral fat (belly fat), which acts as an incubator for inflammation—a "fire in your belly," as Mark Hyman described it. This fat is a silent killer that contributes to serious conditions like cancer, heart attacks, strokes, and diabetes.

Testing, Not Guessing

Mark Hyman founded Function Health, a company whose goal is to make comprehensive health data accessible. For him, practicing medicine without adequate diagnostics is like driving a car without a dashboard. He stressed to Jay Shetty the importance of testing, not guessing. Function Health provides testing for over 100 biomarkers, which allows you to track subtle changes that compound into severe illness over decades.

Mark Hyman told Jay Shetty that Function Health tests for markers often overlooked by standard doctors, such as Apo B (described as the most important cholesterol test) and insulin (which elevates before blood sugar). The data collected showed that 33% of their members have a positive autoimmune antibody, significantly higher than the CDC’s estimated 8% rate for Americans.

Jay Shetty shared that he was so impressed by the value of this knowledge that he became an investor and gifted memberships to his entire team, as the gift of health "felt like the right thing to do".

The Explosion of Autoimmune Diseases

There are over a hundred types of autoimmune diseases, and their incidence is currently on the rise, Mark Hyman warns. Functional medicine is designed specifically to ask why this explosion is happening. Hyman listed to Jay Shetty about some of the contributing factors, such as the industrialization of agriculture, the prevalence of c-sections, increased formula feeding, excessive use of antibiotics, and accelerated vaccination schedules.

The environmental toxins also play an important role in the increased rates of autoimmune diseases. Hyman stated that the average newborn has 287 toxins in their umbilical cord blood before taking their first breath.⁵ Since 60% of the immune system resides in the gut, damage from emulsifiers in ultra-processed foods can cause a leaky gut. When the gut lining separates, foreign substances leak into the body, triggering the immune system to attack the body’s own tissues, mistakenly targeting areas like the joints, eyes, nerves, or the thyroid gland.

Policy Change and the Future of Personalized Medicine

The biggest mistake in treating autoimmune diseases is failing to address the root cause, Mark Hyman told Jay Shetty. He shared the story of a patient who was managing psoriatic arthritis, pre-diabetes, and migraines by seeing numerous specialists and using medication costing $50,000 annually. He claims that using the 10-day detox diet combined with antifungals, antibiotics, and probiotics, the patient successfully reversed all symptoms and stopped medication in only six weeks.

Mark Hyman shared with Jay Shetty his optimism about the future of medicine, especially regarding the potential progress with the help of AI. He explained that the human body is extremely complex and having AI synthesize data and create personalized treatments would be a great help, as he believes that treatment must become personalized, predictive, preventive, and proactive.

Currently, Mark Hyman is engaged in policy change, noting that positive shifts are finally occurring. He advised on Texas Bill SB 25, which limits junk food in schools and mandates nutrition education for doctors, demonstrating that this suffering is a solvable problem because 93% of health issues come from our environment, diet, sleep, and stress, not our genetics.

More From Jay Shetty

Listen to the entire On Purpose with Jay Shetty podcast episode “Mark Hyman: Struggling With Brain Fog, Weight Gain, and Low Energy? It’s Likely Hidden Inflammation! (Do THIS to Reverse It)” now in the iTunes store or on Spotify. For more inspirational stories and messages like this, check out Jay’s website at jayshetty.me.

‍Disclaimer: The practices described are based on personal experiences and preliminary research. They are not medical advice, nor are results guaranteed. Individual outcomes vary, and some claims are still being studied. Always consult a qualified healthcare professional before beginning any new health, wellness, or therapeutic practice.

¹NIHCM Foundation. “The Growing Burden of Chronic Diseases.” April 03, 2025. https://nihcm.org/publications/the-growing-burden-of-chronic-diseases 

²Sanford, John. “Ultra-processed Food: Five Things to Know.” Stanford Medicine News Center (Insights), July 15, 2025. https://med.stanford.edu/news/insights/2025/07/ultra-processed-food--five-things-to-know.html 

³Soleimani M, Alborzi P. The role of salt in the pathogenesis of fructose-induced hypertension. Int J Nephrol. 2011;2011:392708. doi: 10.4061/2011/392708. Epub 2011 Jul 18. PMID: 21789281; PMCID: PMC3140039. 

⁴Gregory, Andrew. “Addiction to Ultra-Processed Food Affects 14% of Adults Globally, Experts Say.” The Guardian, October 10, 2023. https://www.theguardian.com/science/2023/oct/10/addiction-to-ultra-processed-food-affects-14-of-adults-global-study-shows 

⁵Environmental Working Group. Body Burden: The Pollution in Newborns: A Benchmark Investigation of Industrial Chemicals, Pollutants, and Pesticides in Human Umbilical Cord Blood. Washington, DC: Environmental Working Group, July 14 2005. https://global.noharm.org/media/3871/download?inline=1