Could Diet Reverse the Course of MS? Dr. Terry Wahls' Remarkable Recovery

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Nutrition, Health & Fitness, Medicine

4.5 • 9.1K Ratings

🗓️ 17 June 2026

⏱️ 74 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

We’ve been taught to treat chronic diseases as isolated problems to be diagnosed and managed. But these conditions may have more in common than conventional medicine has traditionally recognized. On this episode of The Dr. Hyman Show, I’m joined by physician and researcher Dr. Terry Wahls, who transformed her understanding of disease after developing progressive multiple sclerosis. We discuss the emerging science behind mitochondria, inflammation, nutrition, the microbiome, and why creating health may be just as important as treating disease itself. We explore: What Dr. Wahls discovered about cellular health while searching for answers beyond conventional treatment Why mitochondria may play a central role in conditions like MS, Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, depression, and chronic fatigue How food, sleep, movement, and stress directly influence inflammation, energy production, and brain health Why focusing only on symptom suppression may overlook the deeper biological dysfunction driving chronic disease What “creating health” actually looks like in practice—and how small daily habits can influence how you feel and function over time What makes this conversation so compelling is that Dr. Wahls’ story challenges many of the assumptions we have about chronic disease and recovery. For me, it really highlights how profoundly nutrition, sleep, movement, and stress can shape the body’s ability to adapt and recover over time. View Show Notes From This Episode Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Healthhttps://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Resultshttps://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive This episode is brought to you by fatty15, Big Bold Health, Timeline, BON CHARGE, BIOptimizers, and Made In. Head to fatty15.com/HYMAN today and use code HYMAN for 15% off your 90-day subscription Starter Kit. Go to bigboldhealth.com/drhyman and use code HYMAN15 to save 15% on your first order. Visit timeline.com/drhyman for 20% off a subscription on top of the new starting price of $79. Head to boncharge.com/hyman and use code HYMAN for 15% off. Head to bioptimizers.com/hyman and use promo code HYMAN at checkout to save 15%. Visit madeincookware.com and use code HYMAN10 for 10% off your order. (0:00) Dr. Terry Wahls’ illness journey, Dr. Mark Hyman’s intro, and sponsor mentions (2:54) Dr. Wahls and Dr. Hyman discuss their medical histories (4:00) Dr. Wahls’ experience with multiple sclerosis (7:08) Dietary changes and physical improvements (9:09) Environmental factors in autoimmune diseases (11:17) Resistance in the medical system to new approaches (12:26) Integrating basic science into clinical practice (15:32) Mitochondrial support supplements (20:24) Mitochondria’s role in energy-intensive tissues (22:11) Functional medicine and Dr. Wahls’ continued health journey (23:49) Nutrient-focused dietary approach and recovery (26:13) Development and application of the Wahls diet (27:35) Nutrient-rich food categories and health benefits (30:11) NIH funding and functional medicine research potential (34:00) Success stories from the therapeutic lifestyle clinic (39:28) Creating health versus treating disease (44:10) Expanding research to other chronic illnesses (45:40) Latest clinical trials and future research directions (47:49) Advances in chronic disease treatment science (49:05) Predicting diet effectiveness: microbiome and genetics (50:00) Microbiome research and multiple sclerosis (51:18) A new theory of human biology in medicine (53:01) Creating health through lifestyle changes (55:13) Need for multimodal interventions in research (58:20) Funding challenges and philanthropy’s role (59:08) Comprehensive approaches to complex diseases (1:01:05) Potential to reverse genetic diseases with lifestyle changes (1:07:24) Strategies for creating a healthy human (1:08:01) Upcoming research and initiatives by Dr. Wahls

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	What if brain fog, anxiety, and mood swings aren't simply all in your head?
0:04.7	What if the health of your mind actually starts deeper in your body, in your gut,
0:09.7	and your hormones, metabolism, and your immune system?
0:12.3	Well, let me tell you, the connection is real, and it affects how you think and you feel
0:16.4	every single day.
0:17.3	And that's why I created Brain Shaping Academy, a six-week program that shows you how
0:22.1	healing your body can help you heal your mind. Brain Shaping Academy relies on the same targeted
0:27.6	nutrition and lifestyle strategies that I've used for 30 years to help my patients improve their
0:31.9	mental, emotional, and cognitive health. So if you want to feel calmer, clear, and more in control,
0:37.4	and stay sharp and protect your brain as you age,
0:40.0	check out Brain Shaping Academy at Dr.hyman.com for slash brain shaping. That's Dr.heimen.com or slash brain shaping.
0:48.4	So it's very clear to me in 2007 that I'm on track to become bedwind by by my illness, probably demented by my illness because
0:56.3	I'm beginning to have brain fog, and probably dying with intractable, horrific electrical
1:01.3	face paint. And then I have this big aha. What if I redesign my paleo diet based on this long
1:07.1	list of supplements that I'm taking? And I start this new way of eating. And by
1:11.8	Mother's Day, for the first time at six years, I get on my bike and I bike around the block. And my
1:17.2	kids are crying when I do that. Jackie's crying. I'm crying. If you've been dealing with anxiety,
1:24.2	low energy, or trouble focusing, and still feel like you're missing something,
1:28.0	you're not alone. That's why I created the Brain Shaping Academy, a new program that looks
1:32.5	in places most people never think to check, like nutrient deficiencies, the health of your gut,
1:39.1	metabolism, your immune system, and lots more. For over 50 years, we've been told to avoid
1:43.8	full fat dairy to protect
	...

Transcript will be available on the free plan in 12 days. Upgrade to see the full transcript now.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Dr. Mark Hyman, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Dr. Mark Hyman and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.