Hyman says food is the most important tool in his medical toolbox
In 2021, the world is still grappling with the pandemic and its consequent mental and physical health effects. Plus, one in three adults globally suffer from at least one chronic condition.
In the midst of this health crisis, Dr Mark Hyman MD believes functional medicine has the power to be life-changing in the health and wellbeing of patients.
Hyman is a practising family physician, leader in the field of functional medicine, 14-times New York Times best-seller and head of strategy and innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.
Functional medicine is a patient-centred healing approach that takes all aspects of a person into account, including lifestyle, genetics and the environment to determine the triggers of diseases or chronic conditions, and also to help healthy individuals stay well.
Once triggers are identified, a customised healthy living plan incorporating components of traditional, holistic and alternative medicine practices is created to address physical, mental and emotional needs and stressors.
For Hyman, nutrition is functional medicine’s first-line therapy, but it also has a vast array of different modalities ranging from acupressure to iridology and magnet therapy to body and breathwork.
“Food is the most important tool in my medical toolbox,” he explains, “It works faster, better and is cheaper than most medications.
“I believe we can start a wellness revolution by making sure more people are exposed to the benefits of functional and integrative medicine, and by making sure top facilities have the most qualified candidates to help lead this charge.”
To put words into action, Hyman recently joined forces with hospitality recruiting firm Hutchinson Consulting to help source and refer facilities that need certified functional and integrative medicine physicians, nurse practitioners and other health professionals.
The partnership came to fruition after Hutchinson Consulting partner Michael Tompkins and Hyman reconnected, after working together 20 years ago, to address the fact that demand for functional medicine recruitment specialists is outpacing the number of certified providers.
“We noticed a deficit in pairing functional and integrative physician and nurse practitioners with the best resorts, spas and wellness centres around the US,” said Tompkins.
“For over two decades, patients have been seeking answers to chronic health conditions and experienced little benefit from traditional approaches. Instead they’ve found success with functional medicine treatments.
“The process of weaving a web of modalities to treat the whole person to restore homeostasis is why functional medicine is such a remarkable form of treatment,” he added.
“Our collaboration with Dr Hyman is spurred on by a joint effort and desire to place the best with the best, as pairing the brightest talent with admired wellness destinations is a win/win for both the providers and the properties.”
So far, the partnership has placed specialists in wellness centres or independently owned functional medicine physician practices.
Most candidates have been sourced via the internet, private practices or through following graduates of the University of Arizona’s Andrew Weil Centre for Integrative Medicine or the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). The majority of employers seek board-certified physicians with additional certifications in functional or integrative medicine from the University of Arizona or the IFM.
Ultimately, Hyman and Hutchinson Consulting are on a shared mission to find functional medicine practitioners who are adept listeners, scientific investigators and team players open to collaboration with a role-model ‘practice what you preach’ lifestyle.
In other industry news, luxury resort brand Six Senses recently tapped Hyman’s functional medicine expertise to launch a retreat at its brand new Ibiza resort in Spain.
Named ‘Grow a New Body’, the exclusive programme was limited to just 10 participants and designed to help attendees boost their mood and energy levels, strengthen the immune system, prevent inflammation, relieve chronic pain and slow down the ageing process.
Hyman and Six Senses collaborated with medical anthropologist and Shamanic energy medicine specialist Dr Alberto Villoldo to conceive the retreat.
The programme was designed to lay the foundation for a healthy body that ages slowly and joyfully and push the boundaries into less visible fields such as sacred energy and reconnection alongside cutting-edge science, detox strategies, and power-plant foods that can switch-on every cell’s ability to regenerate and repair.
Costing €3,800 (£3,260, US$4,487) per person, the retreat included three shaman/energy medicine sessions, four oxygen altitude training sessions, four IV infusions, six lectures with Villoldo and Hyman and daily group morning yoga, hike or walk and evening meditations.
Guests also underwent a wellness screening, three glutathione infusions, seven bodywork sessions and entry and exit energy-medicine evaluation.
The offer included full board accommodation, neuro-nutrients and supplements, and access to daily wellness activities and the spa’s thermal experiences.
photo: Michael Tompkins
Hutchinson Consulting partner, Michael Tompkins
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2021 issue 3
Editor's letter: All about the people
With global staff shortages threatening to stall economic recovery, it’s time to reboot our commitment to driving improvements in pay and working conditions across the spa and wellness industry
Spa people: Dr Mark Hyman
Dr Mark Hyman MD believes functional medicine has the power to be life-changing in the health and wellbeing of patients.
New opening: Six Senses Shaharut
Six Senses has opened the doors to its new 60-key retreat in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, complete with a 1,900sq m, two-level spa and wellness sanctuary
New opening: QC NY
A 74,000sq ft Italian day spa has opened on New York’s Governors Island after a US$50m investment and seven years of planning, building and restoration.
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
We talk to the global head of spa at Marriott International about navigating the global lockdown, re-imagining the company's brand portfolio and what it will take to succeed post-COVID-19
Sponsored: Time out
Answering a growing demand
for non-invasive, anti-ageing skin
care, Comfort Zone is relaunching
its Sublime Skin line with a new
filler-like natural formula that
reverses cellular degeneration
Research: Total impact
Latest ISPA report considers the economic fallout of the pandemic and the spa industry's road to recovery
Sponsored: Gharieni Group
CEO Sammy Gharieni talks about his relentless drive
to deliver innovative products to underpin operators’ success
Analysis: Role model
What business models are showing the most potential in the wellness industry? Lyndsay Madden Nadeau shares her insights
Interview: Lorenzo Giannuzzi
The hospitality veteran dreamed of reinventing an historic Italian palazzo as a world-class medical spa. Lisa Starr went to find out more
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin
Snow rooms are creating a ‘wow’ factor for customers,
while reducing operating costs in the delivery of hot and cold
experiences
Interview: Gloria Caulfield
The executive director of Lake Nona wellness community talks about tapping into the latest tech to create healthy living environments
Software: Revenue management
How software suppliers have been supporting spas to get savvy with yield management since the pandemic began
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme
Iyashi Dôme’s touchless infrared tech is the perfect investment for the post-lockdown world, says Florent Cornelis
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
Hyman says food is the most important tool in his medical toolbox
In 2021, the world is still grappling with the pandemic and its consequent mental and physical health effects. Plus, one in three adults globally suffer from at least one chronic condition.
In the midst of this health crisis, Dr Mark Hyman MD believes functional medicine has the power to be life-changing in the health and wellbeing of patients.
Hyman is a practising family physician, leader in the field of functional medicine, 14-times New York Times best-seller and head of strategy and innovation of the Cleveland Clinic Center for Functional Medicine.
Functional medicine is a patient-centred healing approach that takes all aspects of a person into account, including lifestyle, genetics and the environment to determine the triggers of diseases or chronic conditions, and also to help healthy individuals stay well.
Once triggers are identified, a customised healthy living plan incorporating components of traditional, holistic and alternative medicine practices is created to address physical, mental and emotional needs and stressors.
For Hyman, nutrition is functional medicine’s first-line therapy, but it also has a vast array of different modalities ranging from acupressure to iridology and magnet therapy to body and breathwork.
“Food is the most important tool in my medical toolbox,” he explains, “It works faster, better and is cheaper than most medications.
“I believe we can start a wellness revolution by making sure more people are exposed to the benefits of functional and integrative medicine, and by making sure top facilities have the most qualified candidates to help lead this charge.”
To put words into action, Hyman recently joined forces with hospitality recruiting firm Hutchinson Consulting to help source and refer facilities that need certified functional and integrative medicine physicians, nurse practitioners and other health professionals.
The partnership came to fruition after Hutchinson Consulting partner Michael Tompkins and Hyman reconnected, after working together 20 years ago, to address the fact that demand for functional medicine recruitment specialists is outpacing the number of certified providers.
“We noticed a deficit in pairing functional and integrative physician and nurse practitioners with the best resorts, spas and wellness centres around the US,” said Tompkins.
“For over two decades, patients have been seeking answers to chronic health conditions and experienced little benefit from traditional approaches. Instead they’ve found success with functional medicine treatments.
“The process of weaving a web of modalities to treat the whole person to restore homeostasis is why functional medicine is such a remarkable form of treatment,” he added.
“Our collaboration with Dr Hyman is spurred on by a joint effort and desire to place the best with the best, as pairing the brightest talent with admired wellness destinations is a win/win for both the providers and the properties.”
So far, the partnership has placed specialists in wellness centres or independently owned functional medicine physician practices.
Most candidates have been sourced via the internet, private practices or through following graduates of the University of Arizona’s Andrew Weil Centre for Integrative Medicine or the Institute for Functional Medicine (IFM). The majority of employers seek board-certified physicians with additional certifications in functional or integrative medicine from the University of Arizona or the IFM.
Ultimately, Hyman and Hutchinson Consulting are on a shared mission to find functional medicine practitioners who are adept listeners, scientific investigators and team players open to collaboration with a role-model ‘practice what you preach’ lifestyle.
In other industry news, luxury resort brand Six Senses recently tapped Hyman’s functional medicine expertise to launch a retreat at its brand new Ibiza resort in Spain.
Named ‘Grow a New Body’, the exclusive programme was limited to just 10 participants and designed to help attendees boost their mood and energy levels, strengthen the immune system, prevent inflammation, relieve chronic pain and slow down the ageing process.
Hyman and Six Senses collaborated with medical anthropologist and Shamanic energy medicine specialist Dr Alberto Villoldo to conceive the retreat.
The programme was designed to lay the foundation for a healthy body that ages slowly and joyfully and push the boundaries into less visible fields such as sacred energy and reconnection alongside cutting-edge science, detox strategies, and power-plant foods that can switch-on every cell’s ability to regenerate and repair.
Costing €3,800 (£3,260, US$4,487) per person, the retreat included three shaman/energy medicine sessions, four oxygen altitude training sessions, four IV infusions, six lectures with Villoldo and Hyman and daily group morning yoga, hike or walk and evening meditations.
Guests also underwent a wellness screening, three glutathione infusions, seven bodywork sessions and entry and exit energy-medicine evaluation.
The offer included full board accommodation, neuro-nutrients and supplements, and access to daily wellness activities and the spa’s thermal experiences.
photo: Michael Tompkins
Hutchinson Consulting partner, Michael Tompkins
Read more from this issue of Spa Business magazine
View contents of Spa Business 2021 issue 3
Editor's letter: All about the people
With global staff shortages threatening to stall economic recovery, it’s time to reboot our commitment to driving improvements in pay and working conditions across the spa and wellness industry
Spa people: Dr Mark Hyman
Dr Mark Hyman MD believes functional medicine has the power to be life-changing in the health and wellbeing of patients.
New opening: Six Senses Shaharut
Six Senses has opened the doors to its new 60-key retreat in Israel’s southern Negev Desert, complete with a 1,900sq m, two-level spa and wellness sanctuary
New opening: QC NY
A 74,000sq ft Italian day spa has opened on New York’s Governors Island after a US$50m investment and seven years of planning, building and restoration.
Interview: Kenneth Ryan
We talk to the global head of spa at Marriott International about navigating the global lockdown, re-imagining the company's brand portfolio and what it will take to succeed post-COVID-19
Sponsored: Time out
Answering a growing demand
for non-invasive, anti-ageing skin
care, Comfort Zone is relaunching
its Sublime Skin line with a new
filler-like natural formula that
reverses cellular degeneration
Research: Total impact
Latest ISPA report considers the economic fallout of the pandemic and the spa industry's road to recovery
Sponsored: Gharieni Group
CEO Sammy Gharieni talks about his relentless drive
to deliver innovative products to underpin operators’ success
Analysis: Role model
What business models are showing the most potential in the wellness industry? Lyndsay Madden Nadeau shares her insights
Interview: Lorenzo Giannuzzi
The hospitality veteran dreamed of reinventing an historic Italian palazzo as a world-class medical spa. Lisa Starr went to find out more
Sponsored: TechnoAlpin
Snow rooms are creating a ‘wow’ factor for customers,
while reducing operating costs in the delivery of hot and cold
experiences
Interview: Gloria Caulfield
The executive director of Lake Nona wellness community talks about tapping into the latest tech to create healthy living environments
Software: Revenue management
How software suppliers have been supporting spas to get savvy with yield management since the pandemic began
Promotion: Iyashi Dôme
Iyashi Dôme’s touchless infrared tech is the perfect investment for the post-lockdown world, says Florent Cornelis
Hand and Stone Massage and Facial Spa, the spa business with more than 650 locations across
the US and Canada, has appointed franchise expert Carrie Walsh as CEO as the company plans
to expand.
Synergy – The Retreat Show, the global trade show for retreats, has launched a global research
initiative that will provide insights into the retreat sector from both consumer and industry
perspectives.
The Wellness Tourism Association (WTA) has published a non-regulatory global industry
framework designed to ensure the retreat market offers responsible experiences.
A new survey of UK and international spa practitioners shows that stress, burnout and
wellbeing concerns have caused one in three respondents to consider leaving the industry.
The UK's four Chief Medical Officers have published a refreshed edition of Physical activity
guidelines: UK Chief Medical Officers' report, updating the evidence that underpins the nation's
physical activity recommendations and placing greater emphasis on strength, balance, reducing
sedentary behaviour and, for the first time, supporting people taking weight loss medications.
Anna Bjurstam has left her role as Wellness Pioneer at Six Senses Hotels and Resorts and
launched a new wellness, longevity and “consciousness consultancy” called Wahayla.
Fairmont Cheshire, The Mere, has opened today (10 July) in the Northwest of England
with a
1,715sq m Fairmont Spa that has been designed using a ‘Wellness without Walls’
concept.
Wellness hotels generating less than US$1 million (€932,700, £785,200) – or 10 per cent of
total revenue from wellness and leisure – recorded the strongest RevPAR and TRevPAR growth
in 2025 across categories when compared with 2024, according to the latest Wellness Real
Estate Report by RLA Global, produced in partnership with P and L benchmarking firm HotStats.
Contrast therapy, based on the alternation of hot and cold rituals, has become one of the
most valued practices in the fields of wellness and recovery. [more...]
In the fast-paced world of fitness and wellness, where high-intensity workouts push us to
our limits and the sweat pours, the importance of efficient recovery cannot be overstated. [more...]
