About Me
Jeff Taekman, MD
Professor Emeritus of Anesthesiology, Duke University
Fellow, Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine
Hi, I’m Jeff Taekman.
Before I became a physician, researcher, and Professor Emeritus at Duke University, my passion for health began with a simple comment from my father: “The world’s longest-living people eat yogurt every day.” That early spark launched a lifelong fascination with how food and lifestyle shape our health, longevity, and well-being.
In 2006, I immersed myself in the science of the human microbiome—devouring hundreds (if not thousands) of research papers to better understand how our gut health influences immunity, cognition, inflammation, and mood. What I found changed not only my thinking—but my life. By applying what I learned, I successfully reversed a chronic condition using nutrition and mind-body practices. That experience crystallized my belief in integrative medicine and set a new course for my work.
To deepen that path, I completed a 1,000-hour Fellowship at the Andrew Weil Center for Integrative Medicine, where I focused on evidence-based approaches in nutrition, botanicals, supplements, sleep, stress, and lifestyle medicine. This training allowed me to bridge conventional medical science with holistic practices rooted in prevention and healing.
Today, through HealthHippieMD, I focus on the real-world application of integrative strategies—especially for managing pain, anxiety, depression, inflammation, and preserving the microbiome. I write and teach about what works, what’s promising, and what’s simply hype—so you can make clear, empowered decisions about your health.
I believe wellness should be practical, personal, and rooted in science—not trends. That’s why I'm created Well-IQ, including the 8 Pillars Wellness Self-Assessment and the Comprehensive Wellness Evaluation: to give you meaningful insight and tools to meaningfully and deliberately reshape your life in order to thrive.
Thanks for stopping by. I’m glad you’re here.
—Jeff
P.S. Curious about my academic work? Visit jeffreytaekman.com or find me on LinkedIn, ResearchGate, Scholars@Duke, or Google Scholar.