Mark Hyman on Root-Cause Functional Medicine: recommends

Hyman’s core professional philosophy is functional medicine: addressing underlying network imbalances — gut, immune, hormonal systems — rather than treating each diagnosis separately, as he argued in his congressional testimony and throughout his books.

His stated reasoning is that chronic diseases share common root drivers (diet, inflammation, toxins, stress) and that a symptom-and-pill model masks those drivers. He contrasts this with what he calls symptom management — treating each diagnosis in isolation. The position underlies his institutional roles: founder/director of The UltraWellness Center, founder and senior advisor of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine, and board president of clinical affairs at the Institute for Functional Medicine.

The site’s editorial note: Hyman also warns against over-reliance on medications over root causes, a paired position covered separately; standard medical practice differs from his framing, and his claims are presented as his, not the site’s. (Hyman’s position; not this site’s medical advice.)

This page chronicles a stated position of the person above. It is not medical advice and not the site's own conclusion.