Well+Being Holistic Mental Health
Emotional Health & Wellness Tips From The Therapy Couch And Other Places
Urban Zen Center: How To Avoid The Epidemic Of Obesity And Diabetes
(by Kim Seelbrede, originally posted on Martha Stewart’s wholelivingdaily/wholeliving.org ) Obesity and Diabetes: How to Avoid the Epidemic
Functional Medicine Pioneer Dr. Mark Hyman Speaks at Urban Zen on “Diabesity,” Inflammation, and the Future of Chronic Disease
Last week in the heart of the West Village, the Urban Zen Foundation hosted an inspiring afternoon with functional medicine trailblazer Mark Hyman, MD, who returned to New York to shed light on a fast-growing public health crisis: the epidemic of obesity, insulin resistance, and type 2 diabetes.
Dr. Hyman calls it "Diabesity"—a term he coined to describe the interconnected epidemic of obesity and diabetes that is now affecting nearly 3 out of 4 Americans. His message? Chronic illness is not our destiny. It is, in many cases, reversible—if we stop treating symptoms and begin healing systems.
The Scary Truth: What We’re Really Up Against
By 2050, one in three Americans will be diagnosed with diabetes. But the warning signs begin decades earlier: blood sugar imbalances, high triglycerides, hypertension, insulin resistance, and abnormal cholesterol levels. Left untreated, these symptoms form the foundation of a larger, metabolic breakdown that can lead to:
In a moment that visibly quieted the room, Dr. Hyman warned, “Our children may be the first generation who will not outlive their parents.” The answer, he says, lies in functional medicine—a systems-based approach to healthcare that treats root causes, not just symptoms.
Functional Medicine 101: From Dysfunctional To Functional
When a participant asked about genetic predisposition, Dr. Hyman explained that genes are not destiny. Through lifestyle changes, we can influence gene expression in ways that promote vitality and resilience. This cutting-edge field—known as nutrigenomics—studies how food and lifestyle choices impact our DNA and mitochondria, the tiny powerhouses in each cell responsible for energy production.