Dr. Mark Hyman is a pioneer in the field of functional medicine and a nine-time New York Times best-selling author. He's an internationally recognized leader, speaker, and director of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine. We discussed his life and background in health—from working for a year in China to starting his yoga practice in 1979, when it was still a fringe activity. He also revealed the details of the two major health crises he's suffered in his life. The first occurred when he was living in Beijing, where he got mercury poisoning and developed a whole host of health issues from depression to muscle breakdown to chronic diarrhea. It was this struggle that propelled him into the field of functional medicine. Another occurred recently, and he'll share how he rebuilt his body's systems and health from the ground up using intravenous ozone—a very experimental and controversial therapy—IV infusions, and stem cells. Dr. Hyman and I will cover the debate over saturated fat—and why the AHA declared coconut oil unhealthy—and whether or not cholesterol has anything to do with heart disease. His book Eat Fat, Get Thin challenges the belief that we should be following a low-fat diet when the evidence is just not there. As a leading voice in wellness and functional medicine, Dr. Hyman is leading the charge for all of us to take back our health—one step at a time. As both a doctor and patient, he's experienced the powers of functional medicine and getting to the root cause of disease. You won't want to miss this one! To contact Jason with comments, questions, or speaker ideas, please e-mail podcast@mindbodygreen.com. For all sponsorship inquiries, please e-mail sales@mindbodygreen.com. Want to join our podcast newsletter? Sign up here! Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices