The Dr. Hyman Show

ADHD is usually treated as a problem in the brain. But what if some of the factors making it harder to focus, regulate your mood, or manage your symptoms are actually coming from somewhere else in your body?

In this episode, I’m joined by one of my producers, Emma, to explore ADHD through a functional medicine lens. We look beyond the diagnosis to ask what may be happening “under the hood”—from the gut and microbiome to inflammation, nutrient deficiencies, blood sugar, hormones, and the foods we eat. Because the brain doesn’t operate in isolation. What happens throughout the body can directly influence how it functions.

Here’s what we discuss in today’s episode:

The surprising connection between your gut and your ability to focus—even if you have no digestive symptoms

What I look for beyond the brain when someone comes to me with ADHD

The everyday foods and nutrient deficiencies that may be quietly making ADHD symptoms worse

Why two people with the same ADHD diagnosis may have completely different underlying drivers

What caffeine, skipping breakfast, food dyes, sugar cravings, and menopause may mean for ADHD symptoms

Where I would start if an adult came to me newly diagnosed with ADHD

ADHD may begin with symptoms in the brain, but that doesn’t mean the brain is the only place we should look. By understanding the connections between diet, gut health, inflammation, nutrients, hormones, and brain function, we can start asking a more useful question: What is making it harder for each person’s brain to function at its best?

Resources Mentioned:

Learn more about becoming a patient at The UltraWellness Center: https://www.ultrawellnesscenter.com/becoming-a-patient/

Track key biomarkers with Function Health: https://functionhealth.com/mark (Use code MARK2026 for $50 off your membership.)

Listen to our Office Hours episode on healing the gut and supporting the microbiome: https://drhyman.com/blogs/content/podcast-ep1152?srsltid=AfmBOop7-GuV4Oipdgt13uP6AFt0kFslCZwUfT_ssgtaBXK825KSHZif

Listen to our full conversation with Jenna Free on ADHD regulation: https://drhyman.com/blogs/content/podcast-ep1172?srsltid=AfmBOooMv1oafxyIB8x7w1x8nETJCdN3Co5oRpR8RV_WHfhZYvwzZ3uH

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here

0:00 Understanding ADHD through a functional medicine lens

3:00 Sponsor: Function

3:07 The gut-brain axis and ADHD

7:09 Case study: Severe behavioral issues and functional medicine approach

10:55 Nutritional deficiencies and the microbiome in ADHD

13:07 Microbiome’s impact on attention and focus

15:57 Neurotransmitters, gut health, and intestinal permeability

21:23 Modern diet, nutrient deficiencies, and ADHD symptoms

26:34 Common nutrient deficiencies and their impact

31:00 Functional medicine strategies and personalized treatment plans

37:32 Rapid fire Q&A on ADHD and diet

43:26 Key takeaways: Diet, brain health, and functional medicine outcomes

44:48 Next steps: Working with practitioners and not suffering needlessly

ADHD can go unnoticed for decades, especially in women who learn to compensate through perfectionism, overpreparing, and working under pressure. It often isn’t until the demands of work, motherhood, or another major life transition become too much that the underlying struggle comes into view.

In this episode, I sit down with ADHD counselor Jenna Free, author of The Simple Guide to ADHD Regulation, to explore what she calls the frantic-crash cycle. She explains how chronic fight-or-flight may intensify ADHD symptoms and why nervous system regulation can make other tools and strategies easier to use.

You’ll learn:

Why women and high achievers can compensate for ADHD for decades before their usual coping strategies stop working

How perfectionism, procrastination, and working under pressure can keep the frantic-crash cycle going

The physical signs of nervous system dysregulation, including shallow breathing, muscle tension, and rushing even when there’s no real urgency

Why calming your body is only the first step in creating lasting change

How you can move away from all-or-nothing behavior and build a more sustainable way of getting things done

A diagnosis can help you understand how your brain works, but it doesn’t have to define what’s possible. By learning to recognize and regulate survival mode, you can create the conditions for your brain to work at its best.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health

https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman

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Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal

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Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health

https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Resultshttps://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by Bioptimizers, Fatty15, Timeline, Rho, Seed, and Sulighten.

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Head to fatty15.com/HYMAN today and use code HYMAN for 15% off your 90-day subscription Starter Kit.

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0:00 Understanding the impact of fight or flight and overview of ADHD discussion

2:01 Functional medicine approach to neurodevelopmental issues

4:38 Rising ADHD diagnoses in adults and coping strategies

9:25 Life transitions and the unmasking of ADHD

13:22 Revisiting fight or flight’s role in ADHD and urgency as a motivator

19:24 Differentiating ADHD from chronic dysregulation

24:03 Nervous system regulation for everyone and ADHD regulation stages

25:46 Physical, thought, and behavioral regulation techniques

41:53 Motherhood, stress, and overlooked signs of ADHD in women

44:28 Gaps in traditional ADHD training and new perspectives for clinicians

48:09 Recognizing dysregulation in daily life and common signs

51:29 Supporting partners and mothers with ADHD

53:16 Positive aspects and living well with ADHD

54:51 Jenna Free’s book, resources, and podcast conclusion

Chronic inflammation may be one of the biggest forces accelerating how we age—and the surprising part is that many of the things keeping it switched on are happening every day. Poor sleep, chronic stress, blood sugar spikes, visceral fat, and ultra-processed food can keep your immune system acting like it’s under constant threat, potentially contributing to everything from metabolic dysfunction and heart disease to arthritis and cognitive decline.

Here’s what I unpack in today’s episode:

The hidden “inflammation switch” scientists are studying and why it may help explain how chronic inflammation drives aging and disease

The everyday habits that can keep your immune system stuck in a constant state of alarm

The surprising connection between mitochondrial health, visceral fat, blood sugar, and inflammation

The most effective ways to help calm chronic inflammation and the simple daily shifts that may have the biggest impact

Inflammation isn’t the enemy—it’s one of your body’s most important survival tools. The problem is when the alarm never switches off. By changing the signals you send your immune system every day, you can help restore balance and support healthier aging from the inside out.

Resources:

Track your metabolic health with Function Health: https://functionhealth.com/mark (Use code MARK2026 for $50 off your membership.)

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here

0:00 Inflammation, aging, and healing

3:15 Chronic inflammation triggers and their impact

5:15 Sleep, stress, and immune system health

8:17 Ultra processed foods, mitochondria, and inflammation

10:27 Visceral fat, immune activation, and practical steps for healthy aging

By the time memory begins to slip, the changes affecting the brain may have been developing for decades. But the trajectory isn’t fixed, and many of the factors driving it are within our control.

In this episode, I sit down with my longtime friend and mentor Dr. David Perlmutter, six-time New York Times bestselling author whose new book, Brain Defenders, rethinks what it really takes to protect the brain as we age.

You’ll learn:

Why protecting your brain should begin long before memory problems appear

How your daily choices influence whether the brain’s immune cells shift into a protective or damaging state

Which numbers to know now, including fasting insulin, blood sugar, and waist-to-hip ratio

How food, exercise, sleep, gut health, and environmental toxins shape your brain’s future

What emerging research reveals about slowing—and even improving—cognitive decline

I’ve always appreciated how David’s work replaces fear with something far more useful: a clearer understanding of how the choices we make today can help protect our memory, independence, and quality of life for years to come.

View Show Notes From This Episode

Sign up for Dr. Hyman’s Brainshaping Academy to learn how to nourish the biological systems that support your mental, emotional, and cognitive health

https://drhyman.com/products/brainshaping?utm_source=dr_hyman_show&utm_medium=newsletter&utm_campaign=may_27&utm_content=link

Get Free Weekly Health Tips from Dr. Hyman

https://drhyman.com/pages/picks?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Sign Up for Dr. Hyman’s Weekly Longevity Journal

https://drhyman.com/pages/longevity?utm_campaign=shownotes&utm_medium=banner&utm_source=podcast

Join the 10-Day Detox to Reset Your Health

https://drhyman.com/pages/10-day-detox

Join the Hyman Hive for Expert Support and Real Results

https://drhyman.com/pages/hyman-hive

This episode is brought to you by Paleovalley, Pique, Perfect Amino, BON CHARGE, Cozy Earth, and Fatty15.

Shop nutrient-rich foods and supplements at paleovalley.com/hyman and save 15% off your first order.

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Healthy skin isn't built in your bathroom—it’s built inside your body. While most people focus on creams, collagen powders, and cosmetic treatments, the biggest drivers of wrinkles, sagging, and loss of elasticity are happening at the cellular level.

In today's episode, I discuss:

Why blood sugar may be aging your skin faster than the sun and the hidden process that damages collagen from the inside out

The surprising connection between muscle, metabolism, and firmer, healthier-looking skin (especially after weight loss)

How your body's natural cellular repair system helps slow the aging process and the habits that activate it

The biggest everyday factors accelerating skin aging, and the science-backed strategies that help protect your skin for years to come

Healthy skin isn't something you can simply apply—it's something your body creates. By improving your metabolic health, protecting collagen, building muscle, reducing inflammation, and supporting your cells, you can help your skin stay stronger, healthier, and more resilient from the inside out.

Resources Mentioned:

Environmental Working Group (EWG): https://www.ewg.org/areas-focus/personal-care-products

Track your health with Function Health: https://functionhealth.com/mark (Use code MARK2026 for $50 off your membership.)

Have a question you’d love answered on Office Hours? Submit it here

(0:00) Understanding Skin Aging and Its Causes

(1:24) Sponsor: Function Health

(2:04) Chronic Inflammation, Blood Sugar, and Glycation in Skin Aging

(6:01) Autophagy and Lifestyle Habits for Skin Health

(9:31) The Role of Muscle and Managing Loose Skin

(12:11) Sun Exposure, Protection, and Skin Aging

(14:35) Rapid Fire: Common Skin Health Questions