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The Dr. Hyman Show

Why Food Is More Powerful Medicine Than Drugs with Maggie Ward

The Dr. Hyman Show

Dr. Mark Hyman

Health & Fitness, Nutrition, Medicine

4.6 • 8.7K Ratings

🗓️ 24 April 2020

⏱️ 50 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Mounting research shows that there is no magic bullet to treat heart disease, cancer, diabetes, Alzheimer’s disease, arthritis, allergies, digestive disorders, headaches, fatigue, or any of the myriad problems we suffer from in the 21st century. But increasing evidence also shows us something else. It shows that food is the most powerful “drug” we have not just to prevent, but also treat, cure, and reverse most chronic illnesses. Food contains information that speaks to our genes, not just calories for energy. What you eat programs your body with messages of health or illness. We are learning from research in the field of nutrigenomics, that food “talks” to our DNA switching on or off genes that lead to health or disease. 


In this mini-episode, Dr. Hyman speaks with Maggie Ward about the nutrition-focused appointments she conducts at The UltraWellness Center, and the power of treating people with food.


Maggie Ward, MS, RD, LDN, is the Nutrition Director at The UltraWellness Center. Maggie holds a masters degree in Nutrition from Bastyr University which focuses on using whole foods for holistic Nutrition Therapy. In addition, she completed her requirements to become a registered dietitian at Westchester Medical Center in NY. Prior to joining The UltraWellness Center team in 2008, Maggie worked at The Brooklyn Hospital Center in New York providing nutrition counseling to children and families dealing with HIV. She also taught at the Jewish Community Center in Manhattan and other sites throughout New York City, teaching nutritionally focused cooking classes for children and adults.Much of her focus is on food allergies, digestive disorders, inflammatory conditions, Pediatrics and Sports Nutrition. Maggie has been counseling individuals, families and business groups on therapeutic diets to address various health concerns for more than 15 years. Her ongoing clinical training through the Institute for Functional Medicine uses a systems biology approach when working with those who suffer from chronic and acute conditions to help them find their path to healing. She has a passion for cooking and reconnecting people with their potential to heal using whole, organic and local foods.


This episode is sponsored by AirDoctor. We need clean air not only to live but to create vibrant health and protect ourselves and loved ones from toxin exposure and disease. Learn more about the AirDoctor Professional Air Purifier system at a special price at www.drhyman.com/filter


In this episode Dr. Hyman and Maggie discuss:


  • Foods that frequently cause reflux and digestive issues, including dairy and gluten 


  • Why taking deep breaths before you begin eating and chewing slower can improve digestive issues 


  • Using elimination diets to identify common food sensitivities and irritants


  • The danger of long-term acid blocking drug use


  • Nutritional testing and what can be gleaned from it


  • Sleep apnea and its relationship to high-blood pressure and weight gain


  • Using DNA testing and nutrigenomics to identify genetic variations and personalize your diet


  • The value of low carbohydrate diets and reducing starch and sugar intake


  • Supporting your detoxification system with foods such as cruciferous vegetables like broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, kale, broccoli sprouts, Brussels sprouts, kohlrabi, and through protein sources





Additional Resources:


“Nutrigenomics: Supporting Your Immune System and Beyond”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2020/04/15/nutrigenomics-supporting-your-immune-system-and-beyond/


“Lab Spotlight: Testing for Food Sensitivities”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/09/27/lab-spotlight-testing-for-food-sensitivities/


“Getting to the Root: Tackling SIBO with Functional Medicine”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/06/14/getting-to-the-root-tackling-sibo-with-functional-medicine/


“Gluten and Dairy-Free Recipes Even an Italian Can Love”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/06/12/gluten-and-dairy-free-recipes-even-an-italian-can-love/


“Getting to Know our UltraTeam: A Personal Interview with Functional Nutritionist Maggie Ward”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2019/03/15/getting-to-know-our-ultrateam-a-personal-interview-with-functional-nutritionist-maggie-ward/


“How I Changed My Life Using Functional Nutrition”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/08/02/how-i-changed-my-life-using-functional-nutrition/


“Natural Remedies for Healthy Blood Pressure”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2018/04/12/natural-remedies-for-healthy-blood-pressure/


“How Hidden Food Sensitivities Make You Fat”

https://ultrawellnesscenter.com/2012/02/22/how-hidden-food-sensitivities-make-you-fat/

“Finding Trigger foods, The Right Amount of Fat and My Top Superfoods”

https://drhyman.com/blog/2017/03/12/finding-trigger-foods-right-amount-fat-top-superfoods/


“The Myth of Diagnosis”

https://drhyman.com/blog/2018/05/04/the-myth-of-diagnosis/



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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

Coming up on this episode of the doctor's pharmacy.

0:02.8

Honestly, I don't focus so much on the scale because we know the scale doesn't tell you your body composition.

0:08.8

So with everyone, I'm really saying you know, watch how you're close fit, especially around that midsection, right?

0:17.6

Welcome to the doctor's pharmacy. I'm Dr. Mark Heimann and that's pharmacy, Lin-F, F-A-R-M-S-E-Y, a place for conversations that matter.

0:24.9

And if you care about nutrition and food, you're going to love this conversation because it's about how food is medicine

0:30.9

and how we can use food to help solve so many of our chronic health issues.

0:35.2

And our guest today is none other than my nutrition director at the Altruwell in the Center Maggie Ward,

0:41.6

who's been working with me for 12 years, which is hard to believe. 12 years Maggie.

0:45.6

She's got a master's degree in nutrition from Bester University and she focuses on using whole foods

0:52.4

in medical nutrition therapy, which is actually what we should all be doing, treating people with food,

0:58.8

because it works far better and far faster than most drugs. She is a registered

1:03.8

physician as well and she has worked in Brooklyn and many other places at and she's really focused on

1:10.4

the very difficult cases that we have at the Altruwell in the Center, people suffering from digestive issues,

1:16.1

food sensitivities and inflammatory problems. She focuses also on pediatrics nutrition

1:21.3

and sports nutrition because she's an athlete yourself and you don't want to get cut running

1:25.7

whether she'll leave you in the dust. She's really been the mainst day of our nutrition practice

1:33.9

at the Altruwell in the Center and I'm just so glad to have her on this special episode of the doctor's

1:39.4

pharmacy called House Call. And in this series I sit down with my colleagues at the Altruwell in the

1:44.2

Center to discuss how we as functional medicine physicians and nutritionists tackle specific

1:50.1

conditions that are tough to treat but that we do extremely well with. So welcome Maggie.

1:56.2

Thank you. Thank you for having me. I'm really excited to do this especially you know

2:00.5

in these days of social distancing at least we're connecting a little bit here with our loved ones

...

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