The People's Pharmacy

In this week’s episode, a functional medicine expert will describe how to adjust your lifestyle to achieve the longest healthiest life possible. Is your biological age greater or less than your chronological age—the one you celebrate with birthday cake? How can you increase your chance of enjoying vibrant good health as you grow older?

You could listen through your local public radio station or get the live stream at 7 am EDT on your computer or smart phone (wunc.org). Here is a link so you can find which stations carry our broadcast. If you can’t listen to the broadcast, you may wish to hear the podcast later. You can subscribe through your favorite podcast provider, download the mp3 using the link at the bottom of the page, or listen to the stream on this post starting on April 21, 2025.

Your Longest, Healthiest Life:

The idea that food is a powerful tool to transform our health is not new, but for years it’s been addressed with perfunctory advice to “eat a well-balanced diet.” Now researchers have found evidence that up to 40 percent of cancers might be attributed to preventable causes, including diet. That suggests we should be paying much closer attention.

Our guest, Dr. Mark Hyman, has indeed been paying attention for years. His recent book, Young Forever, describes how to lower the risks for chronic disease with lifestyle and dietary changes. Some people have even been able to reverse conditions such as type 2 diabetes or psoriatic arthritis. Inflammation is the driver of many chronic conditions, and we can reduce inflammation with appropriate food choices, adequate physical activity and healthful doses of stress (not too much or too little). Embracing these changes can help us towards our longest, healthiest life.

Seven Core Biological Systems as the Basis for Health:

In Young Forever, Dr. Hyman describes seven core biological systems, and he discusses them in this episode. The first is the system for assimilating nutrients, and the microbiome is key in this process. Dr. Hyman urges us to tend this inner garden with care.

The second system is for defense and repair. Doctors call it the immune system, and it guards against infection as well as internal perils like cancer. Although the immune system itself creates inflammation in response to a threat, calming inflammation with breath work, meditation, optimal sleep and experiencing love and community helps lead to better outcomes.

Third is the energy system. Mitochondria in every cell create the energy to fuel our bodies. How can we support them most effectively?

Detoxification is another core biological system, carried out by the liver, kidneys, lungs, skin and digestive system. This system can be overwhelmed by excess toxins, including heavy metals or pesticides. Reducing exposures and fortifying the detoxification process is key.

All the parts of our bodies need to communicate with each other. They do that through hormones, neurotransmitters and other cell-signaling molecules. If this system is not functioning well, health can deteriorate quickly.

The sixth and seventh core systems are transport (circulation and lymph) and infrastructure (bones, muscles, cells and tissues). It’s easy to see why these are critical to living your longest, healthiest life.

Lifespan vs. Healthspan:

You already know that lifespan measures the time between the day you are born and the day you die. Healthspan measures only the amount of time that you enjoy good health. How can we make our healthspan include as much of our lifespan as possible?

We don’t usually think of our age as something we can actually change. Even lying about it, should we wish to do so, doesn’t change the actual number of years we have spend on the planet. Biological age is more mutable, though. Dr. Hyman managed to lower his biological age several years in his early 40s. How did he do that?

Recipes for Your Longest, Healthiest Life:

Dr. Hyman describes his visits to Blue Zones such as Sardinia and Loma Linda. He has taken the insights from Blue Zone longevity research and distilled them into recipes for his cookbook. We asked him to describe some of his favorite breakfasts and why organic food—from plants that are stressed—offers benefits for the people eating it. Hear about Himalayan buckwheat and sweet potato and egg stacks with cashew hollandaise sauce.

Three Words to the Wise:

We asked Dr. Hyman to offer us three ways to improve our chances for the longest healthiest life, starting now.

1. Cut refined starch and sugar as much as possible.
2. Get enough protein (1 gram per lb body weight) and physical activity to maintain and build muscle.
3. Get involved in your community, whatever that happens to be. Living with meaning ...