The Dr. Hyman Show

Episode: The Future of Medicine Is Energy: Dr. Martin Picard Explains
Host: Dr. Mark Hyman
Guest: Dr. Martin Picard, Professor of Behavioral Medicine, Columbia University
Date: November 19, 2025

Brief Overview

In this episode, Dr. Mark Hyman sits down with Dr. Martin Picard, a leading scientist in mitochondria and psychobiology, to discuss the emerging 'energy-centric' view of health. The conversation explores how mitochondrial health and energy flow underpin virtually every aspect of human health—from mental wellbeing and chronic disease to resilience and aging. Dr. Picard introduces his "energy resistance principle," a potential new law of biology bridging physics and life sciences, and together they interrogate how understanding energy flow could revolutionize clinical medicine. The discussion is both scientific and practical, offering insights and potential new directions for diagnosing and treating health—and for shifting medicine away from a disease-focus to one that truly creates health.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. The Missing Dimension in Medicine: Energy

• [00:00–03:22, 09:06]
  • Energy isn't just a feature of the body—it's the fundamental difference between life and death. Every cell function, emotion, and experience is rooted in the ebb and flow of energy.
  • “If your mitochondria stop working, you’re dead in seconds.” (Picard, 00:02)
  • The idea that health is a "field-like" state that emerges from the flow of energy—health isn’t a static thing, but a dynamic, energetically sustained process.
  • “Energy has been the missing dimension of medicine.” (Picard, 00:00, 11:25)

2. Mitochondria: More Than Powerhouses

• [13:23–23:09]
  • Mitochondria are ancient symbionts within our cells, acting not just as energy producers (ATP), but as central communication hubs, akin to “intracellular brains.”
  • Mitochondria integrate thousands of signals—hormonal, immune, metabolic, and environmental.
  • Introduction of mitokines as communication molecules from mitochondria, joining cytokines and myokines in the language of cellular network biology.
  • “Every disease…there is evidence for that mitochondria are impaired in some way.” (Picard, 32:43)

3. Energy is the Potential for Change—Not a Thing, but a Dynamic State

• [21:03–22:43]
  • Energy described as “the potential for change”—echoing physicist Richard Feynman—rather than as a static entity.
  • Drawing analogies from physics—potential, kinetic, electrical, electromagnetic—Dr. Picard ties mitochondrial behavior to known physical laws.

4. The Energy Resistance Principle: A New Law of Biology?

• [42:56–47:54, 52:40–56:12]
  • Dr. Picard unveils the “energy resistance principle,” positing that health is maintained at an optimal (“Goldilocks”) level of resistance to energy flow.
  • Not enough resistance: uncontained, potentially harmful energy (combustion). Too much: blockages, fatigue, and disease.
  • Disease, fatigue, burnout, and even aging are conceptualized as states of excessive resistance to energy flow.
  • “Your existence as an energetic process requires resistance. But you need to live at the sweet spot of resistance.” (Picard, 44:01)

5. Practical Markers and Mitochondrial Measurement

• [53:55–62:17]
  • Introduction of GDF15, a blood (and saliva) biomarker reflecting “energy resistance”—outperforming traditional disease markers for predicting various chronic diseases.
  • GDF15 is not yet widely available, except via special tests (e.g., Mayo Clinic for rare mitochondrial diseases).
  • VO2 max and functional assessments used by clinicians as indirect proxies.
  • “GDF15 is by far the best marker for most diseases.” (Picard, 77:57)

6. Mitochondria in Everyday and Chronic Disease

• [31:11–48:23, 54:48–56:12]
  • Anything that impairs mitochondrial function—psychological stress, toxins, infection, poor nutrition—reduces energy flow and underlies diverse conditions: fatigue, brain fog, depression, diabetes, neurodegeneration, and more.
  • Mitochondria are central in not just metabolic diseases, but also psychiatric and neurodevelopmental disorders.
  • “You are energy. You…Mark, me… The experience of you is energy. And I don’t mean that in some, like, woo woo way.” (Picard, 33:03)

7. Towards an “Energy Field” Theory of Health

• [65:29–92:36]
  • Highlight on cohence and network biology: health is a state where cells and systems operate in harmony.
  • Mitochondria are not merely power engines but coordinate the body as a distributed intelligence.
  • “The glue between them [systems]...is energy. Energy flow is what connects all of them.” (Picard, 92:03)

8. Rest, Resilience, and Flow—How to Optimize Energy

• [69:17–85:00, 99:16–101:49]
  • Strategies to increase energy capacity:
    • Movement (exercise) raises resistance temporarily, stimulating adaptation (more mitochondria).
    • Rest is critical; adaptation and mitochondrial biogenesis happen in rest.
    • Nutrition: Nutrient-rich (especially antioxidant and cofactor-rich) diets support mitochondrial function; ultra-processed foods raise inflammation.
    • Stress management: Emotional and psychological states (purpose, optimism, connection) tangibly boost mitochondrial numbers and function.
    • Supplements and metabolic therapies (CoQ10, NAD, ketogenic diets) for specific cases.
  • “After exercise…you feel more energy…It’s a decrease in energy resistance.” (Picard, 65:29)
  • “Your mind can actually change your mitochondria. And this was a hypothesis 10 years ago. Now we know this is true.” (Picard, 84:10)

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• On the centrality of mitochondria:
  “If your mitochondria stop working, you're dead in seconds.”
  — Dr. Martin Picard (00:02)

• On bridging physics and biology:
  “Health is a field-like state…that emerges from the flow of energy through a structure… As energy flows through this, a field emerges.”
  — Picard (12:28)

• On energy and potential:
  “Energy is the potential for change. So energy is not a thing…it takes many forms.”
  — Picard (21:26)

• On medical paradigm shift:
  “You’re not a machine. You are energy. And the way energy flows through your physical body is what determines whether you can heal, whether you feel vitality.”
  — Picard (60:06)

• On GDF15 as a marker:
  “GDF15 is by far the best marker for most diseases…It’s a pan-disease biomarker.”
  — Picard (77:56)

• On “mitoception” and practical self-care:
  “I call this mitoception…tune into your mitochondria and you can know—yeah, I should be resting.”
  — Picard (81:16)

• On the future of energy-based health:
  “I think the future of medicine is understanding energy.”
  — Picard (92:29)

Timestamps for Important Segments

| Time | Segment / Key Discussion Point | |-----------|--------------------------------------------------------| | 00:00 | The Missing Dimension in Medicine—Energy | | 13:23 | Mitochondria as Multitaskers, Not Just “Powerhouses” | | 21:03 | What is Energy? (Potential for Change) | | 42:56 | The Energy Resistance Principle Explained | | 53:55 | Clinical Markers: GDF15 and Mitochondrial Assessment | | 65:29 | Post-Exercise Energy—Decrease in Energy Resistance | | 69:17 | How to Begin Addressing Mitochondrial Health | | 81:05 | The Importance of Rest; Mitoception Self-Practice | | 84:10 | The Power of Mindset: Mind Changes Biology | | 92:29 | The Future: Medicine as Energetics | | 99:16 | Goldilocks Principle & Hormesis (Stressing for Growth) | | 101:49 | Natural Cycles: On/Off, Yin/Yang, and the Energy Pendulum|

Practical Takeaways

• Don’t focus only on disease; focus on creating health through optimizing energy flow.
  Subtract things that drain energy—ultra-processed food, chronic stress, toxins. Add things that enhance flow—rest, nutrition, movement, purpose.

• Mitochondria are more than engines—they are central to body-wide communication and adaptation.

• Markers like GDF15 will likely enable broad, early detection of energy problems—even before symptoms or disease.

• Therapies that work:

  • Exercise (with proper rest) stimulates mitochondrial biogenesis and resilience.
  • Nutrition (nutrient-dense, whole foods) is vital for mitochondrial function.
  • Mindset and social connection measurably enhance mitochondrial quantity and quality.
  • Metabolic therapies (dietary or supplements) may hold promise for hard-to-treat conditions.

• Energy resistance (too much or too little) explains not just disease but also phenomena like fatigue, mood swings, and even aging. Adapting properly to stress, then allowing full rest and recovery, is key.

Tone and Final Thoughts

The dialogue is energetic and occasionally philosophical, yet always grounded in scientific inquiry and clinical relevance. Dr. Hyman’s excitement mirrors Dr. Picard’s conviction that we're on the cusp of a paradigm shift in medicine: one where energy—measurable, trainable, and intimately connected to our lived experience—will become the guiding force in preventing and reversing disease.

Memorable Closing:
“You’re not broken. There are things that we know can unleash the healing potential of the body.” — Dr. Martin Picard (69:17)

For future updates, look for Dr. Picard's upcoming book, Energy (2027), and follow the pioneering work at Columbia University's Science of Health program.