I've Had 6 Back Surgeries And Almost Died: Here's What 40 Years of Medicine Actually Taught Me
Mark Hyman, MD, nearly 40 years a doctor, talks with his producer about six back surgeries, mercury poisoning and near death, and which longevity tools he actually uses, arguing basics like food, exercise and sleep come first.
The gist
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After doctors dismissed his reherniated disc at 32 and missed his mercury poisoning, Hyman learned not to rely only on the experts.
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Given a five to ten percent survival chance, Hyman added 25 pounds of muscle in eight or nine months, using creatine, probiotics and dry needling.
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Hyman does two 15-minute sauna rounds with cold plunges, but says plunging right after training cuts muscle gain.
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Hyman uses Thymosin Alpha-1 when he starts getting sick while traveling and BPC-157 for tissue repair, but warns peptide data is mostly animal studies.
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Hyman says basics beat biohacks; he judges new tools by risk, happily takes vitamin D but skips metformin, which he says blunts muscle building.
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"I used creatine. Same thing with creatine — I know there's really no significant downside if you're healthy and can exercise with that, and it'll help your brain, it'll help your muscles. So there's things that I use that I feel are pretty solid."
▶ Play at 25:3327 creators recommend it, including Joe Rogan, Rhonda Patrick, and Andrew Huberman.
See all on the Creatine monohydrate page
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"I also did a lot of physical therapy, a lot of body work, a lot of dry needling, just really to kind of get my tissues and body moving again."
▶ Play at 26:05
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"I was taking a lot of prebiotics and probiotics and trying to restore my gut health. I was on a lot of antibiotics."
▶ Play at 25:474 creators recommend it, including Abbie Smith-Ryan, Darren Candow, and Richard Horowitz.
See all on the Probiotic page
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"Saunas are great. You can do a sauna after workout. I do saunas almost every day if I can. There's a lot of science on the benefits of saunas — it increases heat shock proteins that get rid of damaged proteins in your body. It helps your immune system, your innate immune syste..."
▶ Play at 32:5621 creators recommend it, including Joe Rogan, Rhonda Patrick, and Tim Ferriss.
See all on the Sauna page
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"Cold plunges — absolutely. I use them. I think they're great for inflammation, for mitochondrial activation, for increased mental clarity and focus. They can be a useful tool. Not great for everybody, but I personally use them."
▶ Play at 32:078 creators recommend it, including Joe Rogan, Andrew Huberman, and Ryan Holiday.
See all on the Cold plunge page
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"I use thymosin alpha-1. Often when I travel, I don't get sick. If I'm getting sick, I use that."
▶ Play at 37:293 creators recommend it, including Martin Shkreli and Max Marchione.
See all on the Thymosin Alpha-1 page
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"BPC-157 is another peptide I'll often use for injury or repair of tissue."
▶ Play at 37:3610 creators recommend it, including Andrew Huberman, Joe Rogan, and Abud Bakri.
See all on the BPC-157 page
Mark Hyman, MD uses it
"I will happily take vitamin D. I know there's no real downside risk unless I overdose. I know it has a lot of benefit. I know there's evidence to it."
▶ Play at 51:4919 creators recommend it, including Andrew Huberman, Abbie Smith-Ryan, and Joe Rogan.
See all on the Vitamin D pageWhat they recommend · 18 picks
Health & fitness
11 picks · Mark Hyman, MD ·Mark Hyman, MD's health & fitness →
"Saunas are great. You can do a sauna after workout. I do saunas almost every day if I can. There's a lot of science on the benefits of saunas — it increases heat shock proteins ..."
"IV therapy was a really key thing for me in order to actually recover from my chronic fatigue. I used a lot of glutathione, vitamin C, B vitamin cocktails. I used a lot of thing..."
"Red light therapy reduces inflammation, activates mitochondria, increases ATP production, and tissue repair and healing. I used it when I was in an accident. I had a lot of bump..."
Mark, Joe, Andrew and Rhonda agree on 39 things
See what they all use, in their own words. Paid ads are left out.
See what they all swear by Or pick your own peopleSupplements
6 picks · Mark Hyman, MD ·Mark Hyman, MD's supplements →
"I used creatine. Same thing with creatine — I know there's really no significant downside if you're healthy and can exercise with that, and it'll help your brain, it'll help you..."
"I will happily take vitamin D. I know there's no real downside risk unless I overdose. I know it has a lot of benefit. I know there's evidence to it."
Other picks
1 pick · Mark Hyman, MD
"I had a little sake last night, and I don't really drink very much. It definitely affected my sleep, and I'm like, oh, that's interesting. I see that in my score from 93 to 70. ..."
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