Like President Clinton, I was inspired by parts of The Blood Sugar Solution, which I read after hearing Dr. Mark Hyman on the Charlie Rose show. I was inspired by the whole-system approach to address the root causes of chronic illness and the public health bent. This seems to align with the philosophy of Eastern medicine. In this book, Dr. Hyman argues that insulin resistance is behind most of the "diabesity" epidemic, which is driven by lifestyle, and can be reversed by extensive lifestyle modification, as outlined in this book. However, I became a little more skeptical when I reached the nuts and bolts of the 6 to 12 week plan. Besides the Michael Pollan-like prescription for real, unprocessed foods and the exclusion of gluten and dairy, Dr. Hyman suggests everyone take a whole host of supplements, including some relatively exotic ones on the advanced plan. Natural does not always mean safe, especially in pharmacological doses. Finally, in the Resources section almost all the entries lead back to his website. Despite taking pause at any health book with "Solution" in the title, and not to mention the entire series of "Ultra" materials Dr. Hyman has developed, I think he has outlined a comprehensive plan which takes into account social and psychological aspects to seeking wellness, and is on to something with functional medicine. Read with an open mind.

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