October 30, 2025 • 51 mins
We want to hear from you - Send us a text
What if your “mild” concussion wasn’t mild at all — and what if most of your recovery sits in your daily habits? Board-Certified Neurologist and Navy veteran Dr. Ryan Williamson joins us to unpack why TBI outcomes vary so wildly and how to rebuild cognitive power with simple, evidence-based steps. We dig into his BRAIN protocol—Breathwork, Rest, Activity, Intake, Nurturing — and show how purpose, sleep quality, training, and community flip the switches that drive neuroplasticity and longevity.
Antoinette shares how whitewater kayaking and archery became cognitive therapy, sharpening processing speed, focus, and memory through joyful, real-world challenge. Dr. Williamson explains the ancestral lens on modern brain health — sunlight, movement, and tribe versus blue light, sitting, and isolation — and how closing that gap reduces inflammation and stabilizes mood.
We also explore creatine monohydrate’s surprising brain benefits, from ATP support to potential improvements after TBI and in early cognitive decline, plus practical dosing tips you can try safely and affordably.
Listener questions take us into combat-zone stress, developing brains, and the eerie slowing of time after explosions. The throughline is empowering: lifestyle choices — sleep timing, food quality, daily movement, breathwork, and strong relationships — shape the majority of brain outcomes by steering gene expression and circuit strength. If you want a clear, actionable roadmap to think faster, feel better, and stay resilient longer, this conversation delivers a plan you can start today. If it resonates, subscribe, leave a quick review, and share this episode with someone rebuilding their brain and life.
Magnesium Cream
LIFEWAVE
Boost your body’s innate powers and live better and younger with LifeWave phototherapy products!
The Health Ranger Store
The best price on US-based lab-tested supplements and superfoods. Shop now with my affiliate link.
Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.
Dismissed by doctors? Subscribe to our newsletter for FREE weekly grit-filled advice from health and wellness experts direct to your inbox. Discover natural paths and safe integrative medicine to reclaim your health.
Thanks for listening & Live Strong, Explore Boldly, Be Ready!
We'd be grateful if you shared this podcast with someone who needs it.
DISCLAIMER: The information is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. Always consult your physician or healthcare professional before pursuing any health-related procedure or activity.
Mark as Played
Transcript
Episode Transcript
Available transcripts are automatically generated. Complete accuracy is not guaranteed.
SPEAKER_01 (00:00):
Dr.
Ryan Williamson is aboard-certified neurologist,
U.S.
Navy veteran, best-sellingauthor of The Incredible Brain,
an advocate for human longevity.
As the owner and founder ofTransend Health, he uses his
expertise to help individualsoptimize their health, extend
their lifespans, and create moremeaningful legacies.
(00:21):
He has a passion for veterans aswell as brain health and
longevity, which we'll talkabout today.
Thanks to all of you, mywonderful new normal big life
health and wellness warriors,for sending in your questions
for Dr.
Williamson.
If you're not following Dr.
Williamson on X at R WilliamsonMD on Instagram at
(00:42):
dr.rianwilliamson and hisFacebook group, which is packed
with free resources at The BrainFoundation on Facebook.
You're missing out on brainhealth and longevity tips.
Friends, let's dive into today'stopic with Dr.
Ryan Williamson.
Hi friends, welcome to the NewNormal Big Life podcast.
(01:02):
We bring you natural news andstories about nature that we
hope will inspire you to getoutside an adventure, along with
a step-by-step plan to help youpractice what you've learned and
create your own new normal andlive the biggest life you can
dream.
I'm your host, Antoinette Lee,the Wellness Warrior.
Dr.
Williamson, welcome to NewNormal Big Life.
SPEAKER_00 (01:21):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (01:24):
I'm so excited for this conversation.
We got so much uh listenerfeedback.
We've got some brain healthquestions.
And this is a really excitingtopic for me personally because
I'm a traumatic brain injurysurvivor.
And um first I want to start offwith thanking you for your
service.
(01:44):
I love talking with fellowveterans because we have an
experience that is unique to inthe American population, and
they don't often get to hear, inaddition to the challenges we
suffer, but the great thingsthat fellow veterans like
yourself are doing in the worldafter your service, you're
(02:04):
continuing to serve in thecommunity.
And I just want to thank you forthat.
SPEAKER_00 (02:08):
Oh, thank you, Antoinette, and and thank you
for everything that you havedone in the army.
Uh as you know, it's a it's avery difficult life to be uh an
active duty service member andyou know it requires a lot of
time away from home and youknow, giving up autonomy for a
period of years.
And and so no, it's it's no easyfeat.
So so thank you, and and and anyof your listeners too or fellow
(02:28):
veterans, thank you for whatyou've done and what you do.
SPEAKER_01 (02:30):
Oh, thank you for that because we actually do have
a lot of veterans who listen.
In fact, let's give a shout outto the Veterans United community
on X.
I know you're watching.
Thank you.
I love you.
So let's get to it.
Today I'm very excited becausethis is a milestone for me in my
traumatic brain injury uhjourney.
(02:52):
I was uh after leaving the army,I became a tech CEO.
I worked my way up.
I was not a DEI hire.
I worked my way up from the callcenter to tech CEO, and I was
doing such a great job thatevery time a friend or former
colleague had an opening attheir new company, they would
(03:15):
contact me and say, Antoinette,there's a job that's perfect for
you.
I'd like you to apply.
If you do, I'll give you areference.
And I did, and that's really howI climbed the ladder just by
doing a great job.
That is not easy with atraumatic brain injury.
I also learned two additionallanguages and two more college
(03:36):
degrees after traumatic braininjury.
I thought life was golden, I hadmade it, that I was mastering
managing my brain injury andhealth challenges very well, and
then it all collapsed.
One day I couldn't remember howto drive my car, I couldn't
(03:59):
remember the rules of the road,and it got progressively worse
until I had to quit.
And actually, I I was stilldeciding whether or not I was
going to quit my job becausethat's a scary proposition.
But um, they pretty much offeredme a severance package to leave,
which was generous.
(04:21):
But this is the problem with atraumatic brain injury.
It's so difficult to maintainyour good health, and I had to
work really hard to recover backfrom not just cognitive
challenges, but physicalchallenges.
I was losing the ability towalk.
(04:41):
I had to use a walker, a servicedog, and a full-time caregiver.
I mean, I went into decline sofast.
So, your message today aboutlongevity, brain longevity is
spot on, and I'm really excitedabout it.
SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
Thank you for sharing your story, Antoinette.
Uh, that takes a no no smalldegree of courage to overcome
and get through something like aTBI or traumatic brain injury.
And uh, as I'm sure you knowfrom your experience and you
know your reading and justliving through it, uh, there are
different types of traumaticbrain injuries.
So we we tend to categorizethese between mild, moderate,
(05:19):
and severe.
And uh, you know, even even thatseems to be a bit of a misnomer
to me because a quote-unquotemild traumatic brain injury can
be very disabling for people.
Um, you know, we we mightanother eponym for that would be
concussion.
So if people have a concussionthat's also on the spectrum of a
mild traumatic brain injury.
Um, you know, there's there'sbeen a ton of research in the
last several decades on this,and there there have been
(05:44):
there's still some unknowns,which really perplexes me.
And and by way of example, I Ihave seen patients.
Um, so when I was active duty, Iwas I'm a former Navy
neurologist.
If your audience uh hasn't had achance to read into that or look
into that, and uh I spent mostof my active duty time at Camp
Lejeune.
So I worked mostly with Marines,and then of course some sailors,
and seeing Marines withtraumatic brain injuries that
(06:05):
would come in.
And I mean, sometimes I wouldhave somebody with with a fairly
uh innocuous or mild injury.
I mean, I recall a young19-year-old Marine who had a a
tire, um, not not even a fullinflated tire, just like an
empty rubber tire that was thisbuddy threw at him and it bumped
him in the head.
And this this gentleman was sodisabled that that he was
(06:27):
medically retired from theservice because he could never
get back to his job.
And I, another, anothermemorable story of mine, my my
very first page on call at CampLejeune was a satellite phone
call from Afghanistan.
And I had a uh basically aprimary care doctor.
So this this family medicinedoctor was his first deployment.
(06:50):
Um, and they they started takingsniper fire.
And unfortunately, a Marine tooka round to the helmet uh that
that fortunately didn'tpenetrate his head, but it the
the bullet kind of rode aroundhis his Kevlar helmet, but it
knocked him unconscious, andthen he fell another 20 feet,
and he he had a second injury.
So this kind of double injurythat that was certainly on the
order of of at minimum amoderate traumatic brain injury,
(07:12):
if not severe.
And he the this is a kid that Ithought, oh my gosh, I mean,
he's we have to, you know,medavac him and get him to you
know to hospital.
He's gonna need brain surgery.
I mean, it was alife-threatening, very, very
scary situation.
And this guy walked into myclinic six months later, like
nothing had happened.
So the the reason I bring thatup is to say that the there's
(07:34):
still a lot we have to learnabout the mechanisms that
underlie traumatic braininjuries and I mean, force, uh,
you know, angles, uh, genetics,inflammation, um, recovery.
I mean, there there's so manyfacets to think about.
Um, so really I'm I'm I'mthankful that that there's been
more research, but there's stilla lot to learn, um, then to your
(07:54):
point and obviously what whatyou've been through.
SPEAKER_01 (07:57):
Before we cover the next topic in this episode, I
want to introduce you to theadventure sports lifestyle with
what I call a micro story aboutan adventure that I've had.
The adventure sports lifestyleand my deep connection to nature
is essential to my good health.
So here's the story.
On a daily basis, it issometimes difficult for me to
process information quickly.
(08:17):
So if someone is talking toofast, I sometimes have to ask
them to slow down.
But what I've learned is that asa whitewater kayaker, especially
if you're in fast-moving water,like at 10,000 feet in the
mountains of Colorado, and thereare boulders coming at you
(08:38):
quickly.
There are other boats,especially other rafts that you
want to avoid.
So I'm in a small kayak, andthere are lots of rafts on the
river, and you want to make surethat you don't come up on a raft
and go under it and wind upupside down under a raft, having
to swim your way out of yourboat and out from under the raft
(09:01):
because that's a very dangeroussituation.
However, a lot of things arehappening very quickly when
you're whitewater kayaking.
The beautiful thing that cameout of this experience is that
when I'm kayaking, I am in thezone.
All that I'm thinking about isreading and running the river,
(09:22):
deciding where I'm going to takemy path downriver.
It requires processing a lot ofinformation very quickly and
making good decisions aboutpaddle strokes to make, to avoid
obstacles, catching an eddy, andgetting back out into the
current.
(09:43):
I did that.
I hope this inspires you tochallenge your brain processing
capabilities through adventuresports like whitewater kayaking.
It's definitely a sport you haveto enter into slowly, but once
you get there, you can level upyour cognition, your memory,
(10:04):
your ability to retain andprocess information and make
decisions quickly by whitewaterkayaking.
I hope this inspires you to getoutside and adventure alone with
friends, family, or the peopleyou love most.
Now back to the show where we'retalking to Dr.
Ryan Williamson.
So, Dr.
(10:24):
Williamson, you've done a lot ofreally interesting work after
leaving the military as well.
Can you tell us how you came todevelop your personal philosophy
on treating patients?
SPEAKER_00 (10:37):
Absolutely.
Excuse me.
Um, so my the paradigm that Ilike to think about when it
comes to our just an idea oftotal wellness is the uh for us
to all understand the disconnectbetween our modern world and how
we evolved as people.
And what I mean by that is thatwhen we think about what our
(10:59):
ancestors used to do, you know,and that this was not that long
ago, by the way.
We're not talking about, youknow, millions of years ago.
This was, you know, maybe, maybeon the order of, I don't know,
just even a couple hundred yearsago, that life was very, very
different for all of us.
Um, but let's let's go back tothe hunter-cather
hunter-gatherer cave dwellers,because that's that's kind of
the example that I like to give.
But our ancestors woke up withthe sun, and they lived together
(11:21):
in tribes.
And when they woke up, they theyprobably felt hungry because
maybe they had something to eatthe day before, maybe they
didn't.
But one thing was for sure, theywould go, they'd go walk, they'd
have to go move to find food ifthey didn't have anything in
camp.
So, you know, provide a sense ofdaily movement to go find
something, maybe, you know,small game, excuse me, a handful
of blueberries or whatever itwas.
(11:43):
And and then they would, youknow, maybe come back to camp
and and then bed down for thenight.
Nothing really stressed them outtoo much.
And they weren't worried about,I don't know, what their their
stock portfolio was doing orwhat their boss or their emails
were were telling them, right?
They just sort of got backtogether, told stories, and then
went to sleep.
And you know, when the sun whenit got dark, and then they woke
up the next day and did it allover again.
(12:03):
And to state the obvious,Antoinette, we, you know, life
is not like that at all.
I mean, we we live incomfortable climate-controlled
environments.
You know, we we wake up to alarmclocks, uh, we we live in
artificial, artificially litenvironments, uh, food is
abundant.
I mean, you just have to go tothe pantry and you can grab
whatever you want or Costco orwherever.
(12:24):
And as we are both sitting hereand enjoying a podcast together,
we we sit all day.
We're sedentary.
We don't we don't move likewe're supposed to.
And the reason I paint thatpicture and that that difference
is that this this is notcongruent with our biology.
And when we think about how ourbrains work, how our bodies
work, um, how we're designed toheal, how we're designed to
(12:47):
recover, just how we're designedto function, um, modern life has
rapidly, or our social evolutionhas rapidly outpaced our
biology.
And again, modern life uh doesnot set us up well to be
healthy.
So so that that's the paradigmthat I like to at least educate
people on, and I want I wantyour listeners to think about.
(13:07):
And uh when we look at themedical evidence, what we know
actually helps with brain healthand body health long term, it
respects those pillars that thatdo respect our biology and and
is closer to what again ourancestors were doing.
Um, namely, you know, eating anice whole food, balanced diet,
keeping in mind our caloricneeds, not overconsuming, you
(13:30):
know, moving regularly, loweringour stress, connecting with
people, having you know, groupsor this sort of tribe-like
mentality, uh, getting qualitysleep, getting getting exposure
to light early in the day.
I mean, all of these things weknow have a massive, massive
impact on our biology and ourability to actually heal
ourselves and to be well, uh,and especially after something
(13:52):
like a traumatic brain injury,this becomes even more
important.
Um, so that's that's sort of itin a nutshell.
And I'm I'm happy to go any anynumber of directions there.
SPEAKER_01 (14:00):
You talked about a lot of concepts, and it's going
to be really difficult forpeople to remember.
Like you, everything that youtalked about is what I practice,
and it's why I can have thisconversation with you.
Normally, on a day like today,after one business meeting or
one podcast interview in thiscase, my brain is done for the
(14:24):
day.
I'd have to use my alphabrainwave stimulator, maybe go
take a nap, take a walk, maybelie down a little longer.
But I I definitely could not doanything for the rest of the day
that uses my brain, um, youknow, extensively, like for
writing or having a deepconversation about anything.
(14:46):
I'm I would be lucky to makesentences, but I practice what
everything that you said, Ipractice that.
And people, I can tell you, youwon't find better advice.
And you made it simple for us tofollow with your first book, The
Incredible Brain.
Can you tell us what you canfind in this book?
SPEAKER_00 (15:05):
Yes.
Uh thank you for the opportunityto talk about the book.
Um, so very humbled that we uhhit we we launched the book last
month, hit bestseller.
And I think that's a reflectionof uh actually helping people.
And that has been the feedback.
Uh, people that have picked itup have really gotten something
out of it and enjoyed it.
Um, but I have I've tried mybest to distill what I know uh
(15:27):
from the medical literature andwhat I have been telling my
patients for years about how totake care of themselves and into
one resource that anybody canhave, whether I see you as a
patient or not, or a client, orwhether we never meet, I hope we
do, but even if we don't, uhjust a resource to hand somebody
to say, here, try it, try thisbecause we we know this helps.
And uh the way that it'sorganized, before I get into the
(15:50):
first um bit of science on brainstructure, function, or you
know, what could happen withtraumatic brain injuries or or
um, God forbid, Alzheimer's orstrokes or heart attacks or any
of that, the first chapter iscalled Find Your Why.
And Antoinette, I think it is soimportant, and especially as a
veteran community here, wherewe're all used to knowing what
(16:12):
the mission is, or to having atarget or a goal or a purpose.
Um, if we don't have that, andand by the way, most of us or
many of us lose that when wewhen we take off the uniform, as
I'm sure we we have allexperienced and your communities
experienced.
And if we don't find a newdirection and a new purpose, it
it can become very difficult toreally thrive or succeed in
(16:35):
life.
And so I want everyone to spendtime on that first, which is why
it's again that's the chapterone.
Um, because without that, wejust you know we we're reacting
to everything and we end up kindof like a you know a ship off
course just blowing around inthe sea or in the wind.
And I mean, you know, lifelife's hard, right?
We have we have injuries and wehave unexpected events that
happen and and we we you know welose people we love and they're
(16:57):
just they're they're terriblecircumstances we have to deal
with.
And if we don't have that thatend goal in mind, it's it's very
tough to get there.
SPEAKER_01 (17:04):
That's why I promote the adventure sports lifestyle,
because on the times when I'mhaving flare-ups and I could
hardly walk and hardly makesentences, and I can't even pull
my 75 pound, I can't draw my75-pound bow to do some archery,
which helps to retrain my brainfor things that require focus
(17:27):
and attention.
That's how I recovered myability to speak and to remember
the rules of the road and theforeign languages that I've
learned is through archery.
And when I can't do those thingsbecause I'm having a flare
flare-ups of health challenges,my brain is not in a depressed
mode because I'm thinking aboutwhat little bit of exercise can
(17:52):
I do today that propels meforward to be able to get back
to doing the things that I love,right?
Being outdoors, being active.
And so um I highly encourage youto think about your passion and
purpose in life because thatwill keep you from falling into
those dark holes that's a verydifficult to climb out of later.
SPEAKER_00 (18:16):
That's exactly right.
And and again, for anyonelistening, uh, I mean,
Antoinette, your your ability tofind purpose, meaning, and and
also to engage in not justphysical activity like archery
or movement, but but also inlearning a new language or
learning multiple new languagesin your case, uh, these these
are all activities thatstimulate neuroplasticity, which
(18:40):
is the amazing property that wecan take advantage of to help
retrain our brain in the settingof an injury or in the setting
of maybe a mood disorder.
If somebody's feeling depressed,you know, we can undergo certain
types of therapies or activitiesto help rewire our brain.
And even with specificactivities, which we'll, I guess
we'll talk about in a minute,like meditation or mindfulness,
you can actually increase theconnectivity and strengthen the
(19:03):
connections in your what'scalled your prefrontal cortex,
so the front part of the brainhere that allows us to have our
highest and best function.
And not only are you helpingyourself feel better in the
moment or learn a language orwhatever, whatever the given
activity is, but you'reincreasing the propensity to be
able to function at a higherlevel in the future because
(19:24):
you're training your brain toanticipate more of that same
activity, not just today, buttomorrow and next month, the
next year.
Um, so so by exercising yourbrain in that way, especially if
you've had a traumatic braininjury of any kind, uh that this
makes a massive difference inthe long term, even though it
can feel very difficult to getstarted at first.
But once you overcome thatinertia and start to build more
(19:46):
of those connections, I mean, itis, it makes a massive
difference on where we end up,hence having that goal or that
purpose in mind to marchtowards, regardless of the
journey and how we get there.
SPEAKER_01 (19:56):
Um how effective is uh therapies like EFT tapping on
uh being able to get into yourmeditative state.
SPEAKER_00 (20:06):
So EFT is one that I'm not familiar with the
literature, the data onspecifically, um, but but I know
a lot of people that have doneit and and I I have heard
anecdotally from many people,patients, friends, clients, that
that they that they like it andit works.
Um, so uh so yeah, I mean I Iagain I I can't speak to it
specifically, but but people doreally seem to enjoy it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:26):
Um I've gotten a lot of benefit out of it, and we
recently did a podcast episodeon it.
So if you want to learn moreabout EFT tapping, make sure you
uh take a look at that episodeor listen to that episode if
you're not on YouTube.
So uh Dr.
Williamson, tell us more aboutwhat we can find in your book.
SPEAKER_00 (20:47):
Um so I said chapter one's fine, you know, find your
wife, so that's all thatpurpose.
And then really the the book isbroken up in into two parts.
Um so what I call the themechanisms and then the
interventions and the themechanisms are the first half of
the book uh deals with uh how isyour brain structured, how does
it work, uh, you know, what whatcan what can go wrong
essentially.
I mean, so what are the what arethe pitfalls that that are so
(21:10):
common?
And you know, I I didn't realizethis while I was active duty.
It wasn't until I left themilitary in 2022 where I went
back to the to civilian medicinewhere I was seeing really older
patients.
Um, but you know, uh bydefinition, our service members
pre-injury of any kind arehealthy people, right?
We we have to be because we'rescreened to be healthy, to do
(21:31):
that job.
And I didn't realize how much Iactually enjoyed helping people
elevate their performance orhelp helping healthy people
elevate their performance orstay on the battlefield in the
case of Marines and sailors.
Uh, but when we fast forward tothe you know later half of life,
and you know, if people havebeen dealing with chronic
disease for 10, 20, 30 years ormore, you know, this is when we
(21:53):
see problems like heart attacks,strokes, dementia, all these
terrible things that show up ortraumatic brain injuries.
It doesn't take that longnecessarily, but um, and and you
know, these are these are verydebilitating, as you know.
And so uh it just seeing largelypreventable conditions uh made
me very sad after doing this fora period of a few years.
(22:15):
And I said there's there's gottabe a better way to help more
people, and and surely, ofcourse, there is, and what we
know about the medicalliterature and all these
interventions that we'vediscussed and many of the
lifestyle uh uh factors thatyou've put in place, i.e.
the movement, the the light, thesleep, you know, nutrition.
So anyway, I I walk peoplethrough all of this in the first
(22:35):
half of the book to talk aboutwhat could go wrong, uh, you
know, how do these things happenin our body?
And then the the last half ofthe book uh on the intervention
piece is just how do we avoidit?
And and you know, how can we allensure that we live a long,
healthy, and impactful life, andjust walking people through step
by step uh sort of what to do.
So that's that's sort of anutshell.
SPEAKER_01 (22:54):
I love that you do that, Dr.
Williamson, because what I findis that people get great
information from podcasts likethis and others, and then
they're get a little stuck withhow do I put this into practice
in my life?
So I love a step-by-step plan.
I'm all about it.
I'm really glad to hear that.
SPEAKER_00 (23:12):
And and to take that a step further, Answin, uh, you
know, I I started writing thebook over a year ago.
So this was September of 2024that I really sat down to put
this together.
And as I said, we launched itlast month.
And again, been very overjoyedwith the positive feedback.
However, uh, I've realized thatI probably could have made it
even more simple uh in terms ofwhat to do.
(23:35):
And it took me a while to kindof come up with this idea or at
least distill it down tosomething that I think is even
easier for people.
Um, so I'm not discouraging, ofcourse, if people want to get
the book, that's great.
I think it will be helpful.
Um, but since then, I've evencreated a free resource for
people on Facebook.
Um, so you and we can providelinks for this, of course.
(23:55):
But uh we we have a Facebookgroup that's 100% free to join.
And I've created what I call theBRAIN protocol.
And Brain is an acronym that Ihave modeled after a military
SOP.
Surprise, because you know, weall know how many acronyms we
have in the military, how muchwe love those.
Um, but when we go through B B RA I N, so it's all these pillars
(24:17):
that I talk about that areevidence-based that we know
actually helps with long-termbrain and body health.
And we don't need to run throughall of them, but just at a high
level, you know, B stands forbreath work, so it's all these,
you know, all the thingsmeditation, mindfulness-related,
breathing exercises, uh, R isfor rest, so all things sleep
related, letting your body healand recover.
A is for activity, so all thingsmovement related, exercise
(24:38):
related.
I is for intake, so all thingsnutrition, supplementation, uh,
staying away from, you know, theagain, being mindful of caloric
balance, staying away fromultra-processed foods, things
like that.
And then N is for nurturing.
And so this is all about thatcommunity, that tribe, that
support.
And I've just got a free there,I think it's eight videos that
are like five to seven minuteseach.
(24:59):
They're they're quick, they'reeasy.
I just walk people through eachletter, what to do, and then
they get a free companion guidealong with that to be able to
write down their you know, theirfavorite letter, where do we
start?
And and again, this isespecially if somebody's faced
an injury of any kind or a braininjury, it as you know, it can
be really hard to startsomewhere and like I said,
overcome that inertia to getgoing.
(25:21):
And so my approach, which againis evidence-based, you know,
don't we we don't want people totry the whole thing or or to
start with, or even even thehard letter.
You actually start with what'seasy or what you're already good
at.
You you you optimize that thingbecause that creates a little
momentum and a little win.
You know, so you already sleepreally well, and or maybe you
sleep okay, but you can do alittle better.
(25:42):
So you put in, you know, somesleep hygiene and the right
sleep protocol, and within aweek or two, you you wake up,
you're feeling better, you'resharper, you know, you're you're
more ready to take on your day.
And then maybe the next one is,well, I've done a little
activity, but but I I could movemore.
And so you you focus on letter Aand you, you know, you you maybe
walk 20 minutes or you know,start going to the gym or
whatever the thing is veryquickly.
(26:04):
But you know, within, I mean, inmy experience, within a period
of 60 to 90 days, I mean, thisis transformative for people.
And you know, maybe longer ifyou've got a serious brain
injury.
Um, but but still, people makemeaningful progress in a short
order, and they can actuallystack these habits, and then it
becomes just part of your dailyroutine.
And I mean, your yourperformance is elevated, your
(26:25):
focus is improved, you feelbetter, uh, your mood tends to
be better, people lose weight,uh, not to mention it's gonna
help you live longer.
I mean, it's just a it's apositive feedforward cycle, and
it's it's just amazing to watchpeople go through this
transformation.
SPEAKER_01 (26:39):
Thank you so much for making this available for
people.
I will definitely link to theFacebook group and also promote
your protocol on my XSpace andother social media.
Wow, that's really a reallyincredible resource that I wish
I had when I was recovering, butI'm going to use it for
(27:01):
maintenance to keep my brain ashealthy as it feels today.
SPEAKER_00 (27:06):
Yes, yes.
And a a quick um, maybe I don'tlike the term hack because I
don't believe in in likebiohacks or short-term, you
know, quick fixes.
I believe in long-term solutionsand maintenance, as you said,
Antoinette.
I think it's a great way to putit.
Uh, but if there is oneintervention that I think could
be super high yield for for youraudience and especially for
somebody that that's had atraumatic brain injury, uh, that
(27:29):
would be to consider creatinemonohydrate as a supplement.
Pip, have you do you have anyexperience with that,
Antoinette?
SPEAKER_01 (27:35):
I I do.
I'm a former competitivebodybuilder and powerlifter in
the army, so yes.
SPEAKER_00 (27:41):
Have you have you seen any of the literature or
even used it since you've hadyour brain injury, just out of
curiosity?
SPEAKER_01 (27:46):
I have not, so I'm definitely taking note on this.
SPEAKER_00 (27:49):
Yes.
So the so again, creatine in inmy opinion, and creatine
monohydrate specifically,because they're there are
multiple forms.
So monohydrate in particular, Ithink has the highest quality
data.
Um, I, like you, Antoinette, ifit took it years ago for for
sports.
I was never a bodybuilder orthat competitive, but uh I was a
rower in high school and playeda little rugby in college.
Um, but um, but I, you know, forfor muscle building, for
(28:12):
strength gains, absolutely uhdata are very clear for you know
for for years, decades even.
Um, that that's that's the themajority of literature that
we've been familiar with.
In the last 10 to 15 years,there there's been new emerging
data on on not just uh musclehealth, but on, you know, uh
maybe liver health, uh, kidneyhealth, bone health, heart
(28:35):
health, but in particular brainhealth.
And when we take a dose highenough, so typically that I
think the recommended sort ofweightlifting dose has been on
the order of maybe five grams ofcreatine monohydrate per day,
just kind of a scoop of thisstuff, you know, that you dull
out and drink in your water andgo work out.
Somewhere between five and 10grams.
And I think 10 grams, this isthis is really weight-based.
(28:57):
So it depends on your body massindex, or you're male, female,
how much muscle do you have,that kind of thing.
But as we get closer to that 10gram threshold, uh there's a
transporter called the the CRTor the creatine transporter that
actually helps shuttle creatineacross your blood-brain barrier,
which is a semi-permeableprotective covering around the
brain that lets certain thingsthrough and keeps other things
(29:18):
out.
And we can actually shuttlecreatine into the brain.
And just like it works in themuscles to help with an
increasing energy production, sohelping manufacture more ATP,
which for anybody that has abackground in physiology, like
Antoinette here, uh, you knowthat that actually is the energy
currency in the body.
But it turns out our neurons usethis too, which is really
(29:38):
interesting.
And so we can actually providemore uh more energy substrate
for the brain.
And in particular, in thesetting of a traumatic brain
injury and loweringneuroinflammation and helping
turn on some of these uhsignaling molecules that help
the brain heal.
Uh, this is this is a gamechanger for people.
Um, and even people that thatdon't have a traumatic brain
(29:59):
injury.
Injury, notice cognitivebenefits.
You know, there's even somedata, early data in Alzheimer's,
that patients that have earlydementia actually function
better with creatine on board.
And there have even been dosesabove and beyond 20 grams a day
for in the setting of an acutetraumatic brain injury.
So if somebody's brain's reallyinflamed or they've got a really
massive injury that we caninfuse creatine or feed it to
(30:21):
people and they actually tend torecover faster.
So anyway, like I said, don'tlike the word hack, but uh if if
there is such a thing, I reallyI think considering creatine
monohydrate as part of asupplement stack can be can be
highly beneficial for people.
SPEAKER_01 (30:35):
Is there a certain time of day that it's more
effective?
Should people use it in themorning, evening?
SPEAKER_00 (30:40):
That's a great question.
So most of the literature I'mfamiliar with would suggest that
you know a dose once once a dayand in the morning.
Um I I personally break it uptwice a day.
Um, you know, once thosereceptors are saturated, in in
theory, you can excrete some inthe kidneys or in the urine if
it's not being absorbed or youknow, you're you're if it's not
going to the muscles or enoughgetting across the blood-brain
(31:02):
barrier.
I'm I'm not, again, I would haveto review the literature to know
if that's scientifically soundor not.
Um it's just my kind of my myhunch.
I don't, I don't know.
Uh, and perhaps there is data tosupport that.
But I I personally take fivegrams in the morning, five grams
at night, uh, and and I donotice a cognitive benefit
throughout the day.
Not to mention, like I went fora little five-mile run this
(31:23):
morning up here in themountains.
Uh, and so that that seems tohelp with my workout
performance.
And then as some of youraudience members might know, uh,
when we sleep, this is part ofwhy quality sleep is so
important.
That's actually the only timethat our brains and our bodies
heal and recover either frominjury or from exercise, we get
to break down and rebuild themuscles.
So if we've got some on board inthe evening time, um, you know,
(31:45):
I again in theory that thatwould help with that process.
Again, is that scientific or isthat just me?
Uh, you know, uh, I don't know,um being being idealistic, I'm
not sure.
SPEAKER_01 (31:54):
Well, in my research on methylene blue, which I use
and I credit to my ability to uhhave multiple meetings in a
single day, I could not havedone this before.
And if you've listened to someof my earlier episodes of the
podcast, and from time to time,you can hear little brain
glitches where I'm in the middleof a sentence and my brain just
(32:16):
kind of reboots itself, or Idon't know what to call it.
That's what it feels like.
And I have a lot fewer of thoseincidents.
So I think your theory oncreatine is sound for what it's
worth.
SPEAKER_00 (32:30):
You give me some homework here because I I should
know the answer to that.
Um, but uh I'll have to check itout.
So maybe I can circle back whenuh when I get some more um
information on the studies.
SPEAKER_01 (32:40):
You're in bat, you're invited back here
anytime, Dr.
Williamson.
I appreciate it.
When you're planning anadventure camping, rafting,
Rving, or mountaineering, you'llneed quality food with
sufficient vitamins, minerals,and nutrients to fuel your
adventure.
My partner Ready Hour is here tohelp you ahead of time.
Ready Hour has a long history ofproviding calorie-rich,
(33:03):
reliable, and deliciousnourishment for life's
unexpected situations andadventures.
They're part of a family ofcompanies that have served
millions of people like you fordecades.
My family and I use Ready Hourproducts for camping,
mountaineering, and disasterpreparedness for five years now.
They're not just reliable,they're also your affordable
option too.
(33:24):
Long-term storable foodshouldn't break the bank.
That's why they have great salesand payment options for you.
It's your bridge to safety andsurvival when you're on an
adventure.
So make your next decision, yoursmartest decision.
Be ready for adventure tomorrow,today.
Trust ready hour.
Ready to shop?
Use my affiliate link in theshow description.
(33:46):
So, how about a few questionsfrom our listeners?
Of course.
All right, I've been so excited,and I'm just going to read them
as they wrote them.
I love this first questionbecause I can tell this person
listens to me a lot becausethey're using a phrase that I
coined fight, flight, freeze,fawn, or foun, or photograph.
(34:06):
So the question is the malehuman brain continues developing
well into adulthood, generallyuntil around age 25 to 27.
What does being in a combat zonedo to a still developing brain,
specifically when it comes toconstantly activating the
general adaptation syndrome,fight, flight, freeze,
photograph, or fawn?
SPEAKER_00 (34:28):
That's an excellent question.
Um I I don't know that there areany studies that have looked
directly at that.
Um, and and you know, this is acertainly a relevant topic, you
know, being that um obviouslyactive duty recruits can be, you
know, eight, eighteen to uhwell, really in any any adult
age, but from 18 on, and most ofour active duty population, of
(34:50):
course, is you know, 18 tomid-20s.
Um, so at that time when ourbrains are still uh forming, at
least the the frontal lobes, uh,which is correct.
We you know, we develop into ourmid to late 20s.
Um, and and perhaps some malesnever fully develop.
It's a it's a joke.
Um but we all know people thatyou know it's questionable,
right?
Um again, I I don't know that Ican speak in an informed manner
(35:16):
on this without having clearevidence because that that is
always the paradigm that I do mybest to approach topics like
this from.
However, um, you know, we weknow from uh let's say early
childhood studies that thatearly adverse child events uh
can have a massively negativeimpact on healthy brain
development, and and that thathas potential uh limiting uh
(35:39):
effects to put iteuphemistically later in life.
Um so meaning, you know, we wecan see all kinds of mood
disorders or neuropsychiatricdisorders develop as a result of
early uh adverse childhoodevents.
And uh, you know, in my opinion,I mean there's there's no more
stressful job on the planet thanbeing deployed to an active duty
combat zone when you're in fearfor your life, um, not to
(36:03):
mention the the predictablePTSD, depression, anxiety, all
of these things that can resultas a you know from from being
exposed to active duty or tocombat duty to combat, excuse
me.
Um so surely that this this isuh this is something that should
be investigated and I wouldthink would be would have a
negative lasting impact.
(36:24):
Um now, is that permanent uh ornot?
Uh again, remains to be seen.
Um I am of the the cautiouslyoptimistic mindset that again,
the right types of therapy, theright types of activity that
engage that neuroplasticitymechanism that we talked about
to help restructure, rewire thebrain to overcome uh you know
(36:47):
PTSD or anxiety uh orchronically negative thoughts,
uh, or even in the setting of alost motor function, and you
know, in the setting of a braininjury, or people can actually
recover from how to walk, talk,or or maybe even in some cases
see.
Um the brain's pretty amazingand it's pretty resilient.
Um I'm giving a long windinganswer here, and the the short
(37:09):
story is that you know, I don'tknow that we have the data to
support that.
Um, some sort of thinking outloud, but um, again, my my hunch
would be likely has a negativeimpact, but also likely very
recoverable with the rightinterventions.
SPEAKER_01 (37:21):
Our next question from a listener is one that hits
home because the love of my lifeis a uh double IED survivor,
explosion survivor uh with atraumatic brain injury.
So the question is, are you ableto explain why it appears that
time slows down after beinginvolved in an explosion
(37:44):
explosion such as an IED?
SPEAKER_00 (37:47):
So d during the event or uh like reliving it in
the setting of PTSD?
SPEAKER_01 (37:52):
No, I I think what they're asking is um after the
explosion happens, keeping trackof time and feeling like uh time
slows down for them.
And so maybe the rest of theworld is at this speed and
they're at this speed, you know,and it's kind of hard to keep
(38:15):
up.
I think it's that feeling oftime being slower.
SPEAKER_00 (38:19):
I see.
There's well, the the reason Iask specifically is that when
when people are in the middle ofuh of an acutely stressful
event, um, there's a phenomenonwhere time does appear to slow
down for people as as they'rereacting to something.
And, you know, time'sinteresting.
It's a it's a relativemeasurement, right?
Even I Einstein proved this issort of a relative concept, and
(38:39):
it's relative to how fast we'regoing and where we are and what
we're dealing with.
And in the middle of a stressfulevent, again, people tend to
react and process more quickly.
Um, I mean, that your brain'sburning through more resources
on, you know, at a faster rateto do this.
Um, so uh in the middle ofagain, combat or uh, you know,
(39:00):
or uh some sort of somethingthat triggers that fight or
flight mechanism, we we can feellike time is slowing down when
in fact people around us or inanother situation uh who are in
fact, you know, uh in asituation for the same number of
seconds, minutes, or or howeverlong you know you want to mark
that time experience it ashappening much more quickly.
Um but after an injury or aftera blast uh you know exposure or
(39:23):
something like this, um, we wewe now know that that that
exposure to to uh to concussiveforces that that aren't that
don't cause direct contact.
So meaning, you know, if youthink of a a piece of shrapnel
or you know, a fist uh or uh abullet or or some you know some
horrible thing that could thatcould indirectly injure our
brain, uh we now know that thatit being adjacent to a a blast
(39:47):
wave or a shock wave canactually penetrate the skull in
the brain and cause an injurythis way.
Um so I you know, i.e.
if if somebody's exposed to anIED or or they're on an EOD team
or something like that, and abomb goes off nearby, this this
can injure the brain.
As a result of that, uh my againI'm I'm uh hypothesizing here,
but as a result of that, ifsomebody had a brain injury and
(40:10):
they are not processinginformation as quickly or
efficiently as they didpre-injury, uh that might make
it feel like, wow, like thisthis person's talking at a
million miles an hour, and I'mI'm not able to fully absorb the
conversation or the informationlike I was, and that might make
it feel like they are sloweddown relative to somebody else
(40:30):
who's keeping up at a higherrate, a higher pace.
Um that's how I'm interpretingthat question, um, uh
Antoinette.
So I hope that's correct foryour listener.
Um, but but again, uh verycommon phenomenon after an
injury like this, um, whether itagain is a blast exposure,
direct trauma, et cetera, uh,and again, in many cases,
recoverable with with the rightinterventions in place.
SPEAKER_01 (40:54):
That's good to know.
And I do experience that too.
Sometimes it feels like the paceof life is much faster than I'm
capable of processing.
And surprisingly, a lot ofpeople are not um understanding
or compassionate when I saysomething very simple.
I'm sorry, I've had a traumaticbrain injury.
(41:15):
Would you mind talking just alittle bit slower because I'm
not able to follow theconversation?
I've even had doctors becomeangry with me, and one even told
me, I talk how I talk.
And a lot of people don'tunderstand that I look like I
can keep up with you, but Icannot if you're talking too
fast.
Uh, and they don't have empathyfor the fact that a senior
(41:39):
citizen or a person with ahidden disability might be
struggling.
SPEAKER_00 (41:45):
I'm so glad you said that, Antoinette.
And I just want to validateevery one of your listeners and
in your audience who is dealingwith a silent wound where you
you don't appear to lookabnormal to people.
Um, I actually just put a poston on LinkedIn uh yesterday
about this because you youmentioned us connecting on
LinkedIn.
Um, but you know, even even Ididn't realize what I was
(42:08):
dealing with and carrying as aresult of my time as an active
duty service member.
And I'm a brain doctor forcrying out loud.
I mean, I, you know, so uh therewe we all deal with things that
to to the untrained eye or tosomeone who doesn't know you,
um, they think you just looklike a normal person when in
fact internally you could be atwar with yourself or you know,
(42:30):
barely string a sentencetogether.
It takes all the effort in theworld to just, you know, get get
a thought out.
Um, so I just I just wanteveryone to know that that, you
know, to to to normalize thatand and to know that it's okay,
that there is hope, and to justtry to brush that off as best
you can.
Uh, and I'm just I'm sorry thatyou and other people have dealt
with that, especially formedical providers, because we we
(42:50):
really do know better.
SPEAKER_01 (42:52):
Absolutely.
Thank you for that.
I really appreciate it.
I have one final question.
Dr.
Sonja uh uh Dr.
Sonja Lubomirsky, she has thistheory, which I subscribed to.
I created my whole new normalbig life process before learning
the theory.
After learning the theory, I Isaw, wow, I already did that in
(43:15):
my life, so it's great.
But her hypothesis is 50% ofwhat makes you who you are comes
from your genes that are turnedoff or on.
And then 10% is environment,things that happen to you, like
a brain injury, for example.
But 40% of what makes you whoyou are is within your control
(43:38):
because it's lifestyle changes.
So if you could uh leave us withyour top three, four, or five,
however many you think isimportant, lifestyle changes
that we all can do, whether youhave a healthy brain, an injured
brain, or an aging brain, tohave good cognitive ability
(43:58):
throughout our lifetime so thatwe have not just a longer life,
but a more active, happier,healthier life.
SPEAKER_00 (44:06):
Absolutely.
Well, I would uh I wouldchallenge the assertion that
only 40% of our uh healthoutcomes are lifestyle based.
And this this may be splittinghairs here, because we know that
that any lifestyle interventioninteracts with and changes
genetic expression in the body.
(44:26):
So, you know, there's uh again,there's some overlap here.
But the data that I'm familiarwith, and this is something I do
try to keep up with, uh thatthat number is more like 70 to
90 percent of our healthoutcomes.
And I've even read some recentstudies that may be a little
ambitious, and again, depends onhow you interpret all these
things, that that it's like 95%,meaning that that let's just say
(44:47):
that the majority or the vastmajority of your health outcomes
are within your control, period.
So incredible.
It it really is.
And and I think that again, thethe narrative around, oh, I I'll
never do that because it's justmy genes, or I'll never overcome
this injury or this thing, or myparents had this, therefore I
(45:09):
will that that's we we we knowthat's not true in 99% of cases.
I mean, yes, there are some rareheritable genetic conditions for
sure.
And and again, this is a complexlandscape, but uh 70 to 90
percent, perhaps more of allhealth outcomes are lifestyle
based.
Um, so with that in mind, um,that that is that is why I have
(45:30):
spent so much time trying tosimplify this, as I said.
And when we look at the brainprotocol again, that I went over
a minute ago, so the breathwork, rest, activity, intake,
nurturing, those are thepillars.
And that those are the pillarsthat are evidence-based, that
are lifestyle-based, thatactually do meaningfully move
the needle on our health.
Um, so again, we can run throughthose again uh if you'd like.
(45:51):
Um, and if I it's really hardfor me to pick even two or three
of those because they're all soimpactful.
Um, I maybe if I had to pickone, uh, you know, if there's if
there's one intervention thatthat turns on the most genes,
mechanisms, et cetera, um,probably regular movement or or
exercise or different types ofexercise are perhaps the most
(46:13):
impactful.
Um, but that that can't be atthe expense of not sleeping, uh,
that can't be at the expense ofnot taking in the proper
nutrition or having healthyrelationships or lowering our
stress or whatever else.
So that's it all matters.
I mean, it really does.
Um, but but maybe exercise firstand then the rest kind of on
down from there.
SPEAKER_01 (46:33):
Well, Dr.
Williamson, it has been anabsolute pleasure and an honor
to get to know you more.
And thank you so much for God'swork that you're doing.
I truly mean that from thebottom of my heart.
Where can folks get your book,find you, and connect with you
through social media?
SPEAKER_00 (46:54):
Absolutely.
Well, Antoinette, first off,thank you for having me and and
thank you for using your story,your voice, and your platform to
help empower others to live ahealthy, impactful life because
it is just so important, Ithink, for people to know what's
possible and you're you'reproviding that.
So, so thank you for for whatyou're doing.
Um, for for the book, it it's onAmazon.
(47:15):
That's probably the easiestplace to go.
So if you just open up Amazonand type in the incredible
brain, that should get youthere.
Uh we've got all forms fromebook to audiobook.
If you want to listen to me talkfor 10 hours, which as my wife
says, there's no way she'd dothat.
But if you like the paperback orthe hard copy, that's there too.
Um, I mentioned the Facebooklink, which again we can provide
(47:36):
and uh or on all things socialmedia.
But but if people go to our ourmain website, uh that that's
Transcend Health Group.
So Transcend Healthgroup.com,um, that that'll link to
everything, to the book, to youknow, our Instagram, Facebook,
LinkedIn, all that good stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (47:52):
Perfect.
There will be links in the showdescription.
You can also download thetranscripts.
Thank you so much for joining metoday from your cabin in the
woods to my cabin in the woods.
SPEAKER_00 (48:03):
Yes, Antoinette.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (48:05):
Until next time, friends, I'm Antoinette Lee,
your wellness warrior here atthe New Normal Big Life Podcast.
I hope one day to see you on theriver, in the backcountry, or in
the horse vine living your bestlife.
Struggling with health problemsor seeking natural health
solutions, we've got youcovered.
Don't miss our latest podcastepisodes, exclusive blog posts,
(48:26):
and free ebooks packed withlife-changing wellness tips.
Be sure to help others find thisgreat information by leaving us
a star rating and a reviewwherever you get your podcasts.
Magnesium, an unsung hero, fuelsover 300 bodily reactions from
heart health to stress relief.
Magnesium expert Natalie Girado,founder of Rooted In, found
(48:50):
freedom from anxiety, insomnia,and pain through topical
magnesium.
It transformed my life, shesays, inspiring her mission to
share this mineral's power.
Cardiologist Dr.
Jack Wolfson calls magnesiumessential for heart health,
helping regulate rhythms, bloodsugar, and reduce inflammation.
Up to 80% of people may bedeficient facing issues like
(49:13):
depression, migraines, insomnia,or muscle cramps.
For women over 40, magnesiumeases menopause symptoms, boosts
energy, and supports bones.
Choosing the correct type ofmagnesium matters.
Real stories, Natalie's andmine, highlight its impact.
After interviewing magnesiumexpert Natalie Girado, I became
(49:34):
a customer.
I was already a magnesium fan,having been told by two
cardiologists to take magnesiumfor a minor heart arrhythmia.
Natalie explains it best in theMagnesium the Mineral
Transforming Lives episode ofNew Normal Big Life, number four
in Alternative Health on ApplePodcasts.
Listen wherever you get yourpodcasts.
Fast forward after theinterview, I bought the Rooted
(49:55):
Inn bundle for sleep,tranquility, and pain relief.
As a spine injury survivor withseveral other health challenges,
I'm in constant pain.
However, I don't take any painmedication.
Rooted in is now one more sourcethat nature provided to give our
bodies what it needs when itneeds it.
You can find magnesium innatural bodies of water like
(50:15):
lakes and rivers and in soil.
But modern farming practiceshave stripped magnesium out of
the soil and our food.
That's why today, Rooted In'srest, relief, and tranquility
are part of our afternoon andnightly sleep routine.
My guy who did two tours kickingindoors in a rock with the
Marines now has no troublefalling asleep.
I no longer have to takemelatonin before bedtime to fall
(50:38):
asleep.
So after I became a customer andsaw how well these products
work, I applied to become anaffiliate.
Dr.
Ryan Williamson is aboard-certified neurologist,
U.S.
Navy veteran, best-sellingauthor of The Incredible Brain,
an advocate for human longevity.
As the owner and founder ofTransend Health, he uses his
expertise to help individualsoptimize their health, extend
their lifespans, and create moremeaningful legacies.
(00:21):
He has a passion for veterans aswell as brain health and
longevity, which we'll talkabout today.
Thanks to all of you, mywonderful new normal big life
health and wellness warriors,for sending in your questions
for Dr.
Williamson.
If you're not following Dr.
Williamson on X at R WilliamsonMD on Instagram at
(00:42):
dr.rianwilliamson and hisFacebook group, which is packed
with free resources at The BrainFoundation on Facebook.
You're missing out on brainhealth and longevity tips.
Friends, let's dive into today'stopic with Dr.
Ryan Williamson.
Hi friends, welcome to the NewNormal Big Life podcast.
(01:02):
We bring you natural news andstories about nature that we
hope will inspire you to getoutside an adventure, along with
a step-by-step plan to help youpractice what you've learned and
create your own new normal andlive the biggest life you can
dream.
I'm your host, Antoinette Lee,the Wellness Warrior.
Dr.
Williamson, welcome to NewNormal Big Life.
SPEAKER_00 (01:21):
Thank you so much for having me.
I'm excited to be here.
SPEAKER_01 (01:24):
I'm so excited for this conversation.
We got so much uh listenerfeedback.
We've got some brain healthquestions.
And this is a really excitingtopic for me personally because
I'm a traumatic brain injurysurvivor.
And um first I want to start offwith thanking you for your
service.
(01:44):
I love talking with fellowveterans because we have an
experience that is unique to inthe American population, and
they don't often get to hear, inaddition to the challenges we
suffer, but the great thingsthat fellow veterans like
yourself are doing in the worldafter your service, you're
(02:04):
continuing to serve in thecommunity.
And I just want to thank you forthat.
SPEAKER_00 (02:08):
Oh, thank you, Antoinette, and and thank you
for everything that you havedone in the army.
Uh as you know, it's a it's avery difficult life to be uh an
active duty service member andyou know it requires a lot of
time away from home and youknow, giving up autonomy for a
period of years.
And and so no, it's it's no easyfeat.
So so thank you, and and and anyof your listeners too or fellow
(02:28):
veterans, thank you for whatyou've done and what you do.
SPEAKER_01 (02:30):
Oh, thank you for that because we actually do have
a lot of veterans who listen.
In fact, let's give a shout outto the Veterans United community
on X.
I know you're watching.
Thank you.
I love you.
So let's get to it.
Today I'm very excited becausethis is a milestone for me in my
traumatic brain injury uhjourney.
(02:52):
I was uh after leaving the army,I became a tech CEO.
I worked my way up.
I was not a DEI hire.
I worked my way up from the callcenter to tech CEO, and I was
doing such a great job thatevery time a friend or former
colleague had an opening attheir new company, they would
(03:15):
contact me and say, Antoinette,there's a job that's perfect for
you.
I'd like you to apply.
If you do, I'll give you areference.
And I did, and that's really howI climbed the ladder just by
doing a great job.
That is not easy with atraumatic brain injury.
I also learned two additionallanguages and two more college
(03:36):
degrees after traumatic braininjury.
I thought life was golden, I hadmade it, that I was mastering
managing my brain injury andhealth challenges very well, and
then it all collapsed.
One day I couldn't remember howto drive my car, I couldn't
(03:59):
remember the rules of the road,and it got progressively worse
until I had to quit.
And actually, I I was stilldeciding whether or not I was
going to quit my job becausethat's a scary proposition.
But um, they pretty much offeredme a severance package to leave,
which was generous.
(04:21):
But this is the problem with atraumatic brain injury.
It's so difficult to maintainyour good health, and I had to
work really hard to recover backfrom not just cognitive
challenges, but physicalchallenges.
I was losing the ability towalk.
(04:41):
I had to use a walker, a servicedog, and a full-time caregiver.
I mean, I went into decline sofast.
So, your message today aboutlongevity, brain longevity is
spot on, and I'm really excitedabout it.
SPEAKER_00 (04:56):
Thank you for sharing your story, Antoinette.
Uh, that takes a no no smalldegree of courage to overcome
and get through something like aTBI or traumatic brain injury.
And uh, as I'm sure you knowfrom your experience and you
know your reading and justliving through it, uh, there are
different types of traumaticbrain injuries.
So we we tend to categorizethese between mild, moderate,
(05:19):
and severe.
And uh, you know, even even thatseems to be a bit of a misnomer
to me because a quote-unquotemild traumatic brain injury can
be very disabling for people.
Um, you know, we we mightanother eponym for that would be
concussion.
So if people have a concussionthat's also on the spectrum of a
mild traumatic brain injury.
Um, you know, there's there'sbeen a ton of research in the
last several decades on this,and there there have been
(05:44):
there's still some unknowns,which really perplexes me.
And and by way of example, I Ihave seen patients.
Um, so when I was active duty, Iwas I'm a former Navy
neurologist.
If your audience uh hasn't had achance to read into that or look
into that, and uh I spent mostof my active duty time at Camp
Lejeune.
So I worked mostly with Marines,and then of course some sailors,
and seeing Marines withtraumatic brain injuries that
(06:05):
would come in.
And I mean, sometimes I wouldhave somebody with with a fairly
uh innocuous or mild injury.
I mean, I recall a young19-year-old Marine who had a a
tire, um, not not even a fullinflated tire, just like an
empty rubber tire that was thisbuddy threw at him and it bumped
him in the head.
And this this gentleman was sodisabled that that he was
(06:27):
medically retired from theservice because he could never
get back to his job.
And I, another, anothermemorable story of mine, my my
very first page on call at CampLejeune was a satellite phone
call from Afghanistan.
And I had a uh basically aprimary care doctor.
So this this family medicinedoctor was his first deployment.
(06:50):
Um, and they they started takingsniper fire.
And unfortunately, a Marine tooka round to the helmet uh that
that fortunately didn'tpenetrate his head, but it the
the bullet kind of rode aroundhis his Kevlar helmet, but it
knocked him unconscious, andthen he fell another 20 feet,
and he he had a second injury.
So this kind of double injurythat that was certainly on the
order of of at minimum amoderate traumatic brain injury,
(07:12):
if not severe.
And he the this is a kid that Ithought, oh my gosh, I mean,
he's we have to, you know,medavac him and get him to you
know to hospital.
He's gonna need brain surgery.
I mean, it was alife-threatening, very, very
scary situation.
And this guy walked into myclinic six months later, like
nothing had happened.
So the the reason I bring thatup is to say that the there's
(07:34):
still a lot we have to learnabout the mechanisms that
underlie traumatic braininjuries and I mean, force, uh,
you know, angles, uh, genetics,inflammation, um, recovery.
I mean, there there's so manyfacets to think about.
Um, so really I'm I'm I'mthankful that that there's been
more research, but there's stilla lot to learn, um, then to your
(07:54):
point and obviously what whatyou've been through.
SPEAKER_01 (07:57):
Before we cover the next topic in this episode, I
want to introduce you to theadventure sports lifestyle with
what I call a micro story aboutan adventure that I've had.
The adventure sports lifestyleand my deep connection to nature
is essential to my good health.
So here's the story.
On a daily basis, it issometimes difficult for me to
process information quickly.
(08:17):
So if someone is talking toofast, I sometimes have to ask
them to slow down.
But what I've learned is that asa whitewater kayaker, especially
if you're in fast-moving water,like at 10,000 feet in the
mountains of Colorado, and thereare boulders coming at you
(08:38):
quickly.
There are other boats,especially other rafts that you
want to avoid.
So I'm in a small kayak, andthere are lots of rafts on the
river, and you want to make surethat you don't come up on a raft
and go under it and wind upupside down under a raft, having
to swim your way out of yourboat and out from under the raft
(09:01):
because that's a very dangeroussituation.
However, a lot of things arehappening very quickly when
you're whitewater kayaking.
The beautiful thing that cameout of this experience is that
when I'm kayaking, I am in thezone.
All that I'm thinking about isreading and running the river,
(09:22):
deciding where I'm going to takemy path downriver.
It requires processing a lot ofinformation very quickly and
making good decisions aboutpaddle strokes to make, to avoid
obstacles, catching an eddy, andgetting back out into the
current.
(09:43):
I did that.
I hope this inspires you tochallenge your brain processing
capabilities through adventuresports like whitewater kayaking.
It's definitely a sport you haveto enter into slowly, but once
you get there, you can level upyour cognition, your memory,
(10:04):
your ability to retain andprocess information and make
decisions quickly by whitewaterkayaking.
I hope this inspires you to getoutside and adventure alone with
friends, family, or the peopleyou love most.
Now back to the show where we'retalking to Dr.
Ryan Williamson.
So, Dr.
(10:24):
Williamson, you've done a lot ofreally interesting work after
leaving the military as well.
Can you tell us how you came todevelop your personal philosophy
on treating patients?
SPEAKER_00 (10:37):
Absolutely.
Excuse me.
Um, so my the paradigm that Ilike to think about when it
comes to our just an idea oftotal wellness is the uh for us
to all understand the disconnectbetween our modern world and how
we evolved as people.
And what I mean by that is thatwhen we think about what our
(10:59):
ancestors used to do, you know,and that this was not that long
ago, by the way.
We're not talking about, youknow, millions of years ago.
This was, you know, maybe, maybeon the order of, I don't know,
just even a couple hundred yearsago, that life was very, very
different for all of us.
Um, but let's let's go back tothe hunter-cather
hunter-gatherer cave dwellers,because that's that's kind of
the example that I like to give.
But our ancestors woke up withthe sun, and they lived together
(11:21):
in tribes.
And when they woke up, they theyprobably felt hungry because
maybe they had something to eatthe day before, maybe they
didn't.
But one thing was for sure, theywould go, they'd go walk, they'd
have to go move to find food ifthey didn't have anything in
camp.
So, you know, provide a sense ofdaily movement to go find
something, maybe, you know,small game, excuse me, a handful
of blueberries or whatever itwas.
(11:43):
And and then they would, youknow, maybe come back to camp
and and then bed down for thenight.
Nothing really stressed them outtoo much.
And they weren't worried about,I don't know, what their their
stock portfolio was doing orwhat their boss or their emails
were were telling them, right?
They just sort of got backtogether, told stories, and then
went to sleep.
And you know, when the sun whenit got dark, and then they woke
up the next day and did it allover again.
(12:03):
And to state the obvious,Antoinette, we, you know, life
is not like that at all.
I mean, we we live incomfortable climate-controlled
environments.
You know, we we wake up to alarmclocks, uh, we we live in
artificial, artificially litenvironments, uh, food is
abundant.
I mean, you just have to go tothe pantry and you can grab
whatever you want or Costco orwherever.
(12:24):
And as we are both sitting hereand enjoying a podcast together,
we we sit all day.
We're sedentary.
We don't we don't move likewe're supposed to.
And the reason I paint thatpicture and that that difference
is that this this is notcongruent with our biology.
And when we think about how ourbrains work, how our bodies
work, um, how we're designed toheal, how we're designed to
(12:47):
recover, just how we're designedto function, um, modern life has
rapidly, or our social evolutionhas rapidly outpaced our
biology.
And again, modern life uh doesnot set us up well to be
healthy.
So so that that's the paradigmthat I like to at least educate
people on, and I want I wantyour listeners to think about.
(13:07):
And uh when we look at themedical evidence, what we know
actually helps with brain healthand body health long term, it
respects those pillars that thatdo respect our biology and and
is closer to what again ourancestors were doing.
Um, namely, you know, eating anice whole food, balanced diet,
keeping in mind our caloricneeds, not overconsuming, you
(13:30):
know, moving regularly, loweringour stress, connecting with
people, having you know, groupsor this sort of tribe-like
mentality, uh, getting qualitysleep, getting getting exposure
to light early in the day.
I mean, all of these things weknow have a massive, massive
impact on our biology and ourability to actually heal
ourselves and to be well, uh,and especially after something
(13:52):
like a traumatic brain injury,this becomes even more
important.
Um, so that's that's sort of itin a nutshell.
And I'm I'm happy to go any anynumber of directions there.
SPEAKER_01 (14:00):
You talked about a lot of concepts, and it's going
to be really difficult forpeople to remember.
Like you, everything that youtalked about is what I practice,
and it's why I can have thisconversation with you.
Normally, on a day like today,after one business meeting or
one podcast interview in thiscase, my brain is done for the
(14:24):
day.
I'd have to use my alphabrainwave stimulator, maybe go
take a nap, take a walk, maybelie down a little longer.
But I I definitely could not doanything for the rest of the day
that uses my brain, um, youknow, extensively, like for
writing or having a deepconversation about anything.
(14:46):
I'm I would be lucky to makesentences, but I practice what
everything that you said, Ipractice that.
And people, I can tell you, youwon't find better advice.
And you made it simple for us tofollow with your first book, The
Incredible Brain.
Can you tell us what you canfind in this book?
SPEAKER_00 (15:05):
Yes.
Uh thank you for the opportunityto talk about the book.
Um, so very humbled that we uhhit we we launched the book last
month, hit bestseller.
And I think that's a reflectionof uh actually helping people.
And that has been the feedback.
Uh, people that have picked itup have really gotten something
out of it and enjoyed it.
Um, but I have I've tried mybest to distill what I know uh
(15:27):
from the medical literature andwhat I have been telling my
patients for years about how totake care of themselves and into
one resource that anybody canhave, whether I see you as a
patient or not, or a client, orwhether we never meet, I hope we
do, but even if we don't, uhjust a resource to hand somebody
to say, here, try it, try thisbecause we we know this helps.
And uh the way that it'sorganized, before I get into the
(15:50):
first um bit of science on brainstructure, function, or you
know, what could happen withtraumatic brain injuries or or
um, God forbid, Alzheimer's orstrokes or heart attacks or any
of that, the first chapter iscalled Find Your Why.
And Antoinette, I think it is soimportant, and especially as a
veteran community here, wherewe're all used to knowing what
(16:12):
the mission is, or to having atarget or a goal or a purpose.
Um, if we don't have that, andand by the way, most of us or
many of us lose that when wewhen we take off the uniform, as
I'm sure we we have allexperienced and your communities
experienced.
And if we don't find a newdirection and a new purpose, it
it can become very difficult toreally thrive or succeed in
(16:35):
life.
And so I want everyone to spendtime on that first, which is why
it's again that's the chapterone.
Um, because without that, wejust you know we we're reacting
to everything and we end up kindof like a you know a ship off
course just blowing around inthe sea or in the wind.
And I mean, you know, lifelife's hard, right?
We have we have injuries and wehave unexpected events that
happen and and we we you know welose people we love and they're
(16:57):
just they're they're terriblecircumstances we have to deal
with.
And if we don't have that thatend goal in mind, it's it's very
tough to get there.
SPEAKER_01 (17:04):
That's why I promote the adventure sports lifestyle,
because on the times when I'mhaving flare-ups and I could
hardly walk and hardly makesentences, and I can't even pull
my 75 pound, I can't draw my75-pound bow to do some archery,
which helps to retrain my brainfor things that require focus
(17:27):
and attention.
That's how I recovered myability to speak and to remember
the rules of the road and theforeign languages that I've
learned is through archery.
And when I can't do those thingsbecause I'm having a flare
flare-ups of health challenges,my brain is not in a depressed
mode because I'm thinking aboutwhat little bit of exercise can
(17:52):
I do today that propels meforward to be able to get back
to doing the things that I love,right?
Being outdoors, being active.
And so um I highly encourage youto think about your passion and
purpose in life because thatwill keep you from falling into
those dark holes that's a verydifficult to climb out of later.
SPEAKER_00 (18:16):
That's exactly right.
And and again, for anyonelistening, uh, I mean,
Antoinette, your your ability tofind purpose, meaning, and and
also to engage in not justphysical activity like archery
or movement, but but also inlearning a new language or
learning multiple new languagesin your case, uh, these these
are all activities thatstimulate neuroplasticity, which
(18:40):
is the amazing property that wecan take advantage of to help
retrain our brain in the settingof an injury or in the setting
of maybe a mood disorder.
If somebody's feeling depressed,you know, we can undergo certain
types of therapies or activitiesto help rewire our brain.
And even with specificactivities, which we'll, I guess
we'll talk about in a minute,like meditation or mindfulness,
you can actually increase theconnectivity and strengthen the
(19:03):
connections in your what'scalled your prefrontal cortex,
so the front part of the brainhere that allows us to have our
highest and best function.
And not only are you helpingyourself feel better in the
moment or learn a language orwhatever, whatever the given
activity is, but you'reincreasing the propensity to be
able to function at a higherlevel in the future because
(19:24):
you're training your brain toanticipate more of that same
activity, not just today, buttomorrow and next month, the
next year.
Um, so so by exercising yourbrain in that way, especially if
you've had a traumatic braininjury of any kind, uh that this
makes a massive difference inthe long term, even though it
can feel very difficult to getstarted at first.
But once you overcome thatinertia and start to build more
(19:46):
of those connections, I mean, itis, it makes a massive
difference on where we end up,hence having that goal or that
purpose in mind to marchtowards, regardless of the
journey and how we get there.
SPEAKER_01 (19:56):
Um how effective is uh therapies like EFT tapping on
uh being able to get into yourmeditative state.
SPEAKER_00 (20:06):
So EFT is one that I'm not familiar with the
literature, the data onspecifically, um, but but I know
a lot of people that have doneit and and I I have heard
anecdotally from many people,patients, friends, clients, that
that they that they like it andit works.
Um, so uh so yeah, I mean I Iagain I I can't speak to it
specifically, but but people doreally seem to enjoy it.
SPEAKER_01 (20:26):
Um I've gotten a lot of benefit out of it, and we
recently did a podcast episodeon it.
So if you want to learn moreabout EFT tapping, make sure you
uh take a look at that episodeor listen to that episode if
you're not on YouTube.
So uh Dr.
Williamson, tell us more aboutwhat we can find in your book.
SPEAKER_00 (20:47):
Um so I said chapter one's fine, you know, find your
wife, so that's all thatpurpose.
And then really the the book isbroken up in into two parts.
Um so what I call the themechanisms and then the
interventions and the themechanisms are the first half of
the book uh deals with uh how isyour brain structured, how does
it work, uh, you know, what whatcan what can go wrong
essentially.
I mean, so what are the what arethe pitfalls that that are so
(21:10):
common?
And you know, I I didn't realizethis while I was active duty.
It wasn't until I left themilitary in 2022 where I went
back to the to civilian medicinewhere I was seeing really older
patients.
Um, but you know, uh bydefinition, our service members
pre-injury of any kind arehealthy people, right?
We we have to be because we'rescreened to be healthy, to do
(21:31):
that job.
And I didn't realize how much Iactually enjoyed helping people
elevate their performance orhelp helping healthy people
elevate their performance orstay on the battlefield in the
case of Marines and sailors.
Uh, but when we fast forward tothe you know later half of life,
and you know, if people havebeen dealing with chronic
disease for 10, 20, 30 years ormore, you know, this is when we
(21:53):
see problems like heart attacks,strokes, dementia, all these
terrible things that show up ortraumatic brain injuries.
It doesn't take that longnecessarily, but um, and and you
know, these are these are verydebilitating, as you know.
And so uh it just seeing largelypreventable conditions uh made
me very sad after doing this fora period of a few years.
(22:15):
And I said there's there's gottabe a better way to help more
people, and and surely, ofcourse, there is, and what we
know about the medicalliterature and all these
interventions that we'vediscussed and many of the
lifestyle uh uh factors thatyou've put in place, i.e.
the movement, the the light, thesleep, you know, nutrition.
So anyway, I I walk peoplethrough all of this in the first
(22:35):
half of the book to talk aboutwhat could go wrong, uh, you
know, how do these things happenin our body?
And then the the last half ofthe book uh on the intervention
piece is just how do we avoidit?
And and you know, how can we allensure that we live a long,
healthy, and impactful life, andjust walking people through step
by step uh sort of what to do.
So that's that's sort of anutshell.
SPEAKER_01 (22:54):
I love that you do that, Dr.
Williamson, because what I findis that people get great
information from podcasts likethis and others, and then
they're get a little stuck withhow do I put this into practice
in my life?
So I love a step-by-step plan.
I'm all about it.
I'm really glad to hear that.
SPEAKER_00 (23:12):
And and to take that a step further, Answin, uh, you
know, I I started writing thebook over a year ago.
So this was September of 2024that I really sat down to put
this together.
And as I said, we launched itlast month.
And again, been very overjoyedwith the positive feedback.
However, uh, I've realized thatI probably could have made it
even more simple uh in terms ofwhat to do.
(23:35):
And it took me a while to kindof come up with this idea or at
least distill it down tosomething that I think is even
easier for people.
Um, so I'm not discouraging, ofcourse, if people want to get
the book, that's great.
I think it will be helpful.
Um, but since then, I've evencreated a free resource for
people on Facebook.
Um, so you and we can providelinks for this, of course.
(23:55):
But uh we we have a Facebookgroup that's 100% free to join.
And I've created what I call theBRAIN protocol.
And Brain is an acronym that Ihave modeled after a military
SOP.
Surprise, because you know, weall know how many acronyms we
have in the military, how muchwe love those.
Um, but when we go through B B RA I N, so it's all these pillars
(24:17):
that I talk about that areevidence-based that we know
actually helps with long-termbrain and body health.
And we don't need to run throughall of them, but just at a high
level, you know, B stands forbreath work, so it's all these,
you know, all the thingsmeditation, mindfulness-related,
breathing exercises, uh, R isfor rest, so all things sleep
related, letting your body healand recover.
A is for activity, so all thingsmovement related, exercise
(24:38):
related.
I is for intake, so all thingsnutrition, supplementation, uh,
staying away from, you know, theagain, being mindful of caloric
balance, staying away fromultra-processed foods, things
like that.
And then N is for nurturing.
And so this is all about thatcommunity, that tribe, that
support.
And I've just got a free there,I think it's eight videos that
are like five to seven minuteseach.
(24:59):
They're they're quick, they'reeasy.
I just walk people through eachletter, what to do, and then
they get a free companion guidealong with that to be able to
write down their you know, theirfavorite letter, where do we
start?
And and again, this isespecially if somebody's faced
an injury of any kind or a braininjury, it as you know, it can
be really hard to startsomewhere and like I said,
overcome that inertia to getgoing.
(25:21):
And so my approach, which againis evidence-based, you know,
don't we we don't want people totry the whole thing or or to
start with, or even even thehard letter.
You actually start with what'seasy or what you're already good
at.
You you you optimize that thingbecause that creates a little
momentum and a little win.
You know, so you already sleepreally well, and or maybe you
sleep okay, but you can do alittle better.
(25:42):
So you put in, you know, somesleep hygiene and the right
sleep protocol, and within aweek or two, you you wake up,
you're feeling better, you'resharper, you know, you're you're
more ready to take on your day.
And then maybe the next one is,well, I've done a little
activity, but but I I could movemore.
And so you you focus on letter Aand you, you know, you you maybe
walk 20 minutes or you know,start going to the gym or
whatever the thing is veryquickly.
(26:04):
But you know, within, I mean, inmy experience, within a period
of 60 to 90 days, I mean, thisis transformative for people.
And you know, maybe longer ifyou've got a serious brain
injury.
Um, but but still, people makemeaningful progress in a short
order, and they can actuallystack these habits, and then it
becomes just part of your dailyroutine.
And I mean, your yourperformance is elevated, your
(26:25):
focus is improved, you feelbetter, uh, your mood tends to
be better, people lose weight,uh, not to mention it's gonna
help you live longer.
I mean, it's just a it's apositive feedforward cycle, and
it's it's just amazing to watchpeople go through this
transformation.
SPEAKER_01 (26:39):
Thank you so much for making this available for
people.
I will definitely link to theFacebook group and also promote
your protocol on my XSpace andother social media.
Wow, that's really a reallyincredible resource that I wish
I had when I was recovering, butI'm going to use it for
(27:01):
maintenance to keep my brain ashealthy as it feels today.
SPEAKER_00 (27:06):
Yes, yes.
And a a quick um, maybe I don'tlike the term hack because I
don't believe in in likebiohacks or short-term, you
know, quick fixes.
I believe in long-term solutionsand maintenance, as you said,
Antoinette.
I think it's a great way to putit.
Uh, but if there is oneintervention that I think could
be super high yield for for youraudience and especially for
somebody that that's had atraumatic brain injury, uh, that
(27:29):
would be to consider creatinemonohydrate as a supplement.
Pip, have you do you have anyexperience with that,
Antoinette?
SPEAKER_01 (27:35):
I I do.
I'm a former competitivebodybuilder and powerlifter in
the army, so yes.
SPEAKER_00 (27:41):
Have you have you seen any of the literature or
even used it since you've hadyour brain injury, just out of
curiosity?
SPEAKER_01 (27:46):
I have not, so I'm definitely taking note on this.
SPEAKER_00 (27:49):
Yes.
So the so again, creatine in inmy opinion, and creatine
monohydrate specifically,because they're there are
multiple forms.
So monohydrate in particular, Ithink has the highest quality
data.
Um, I, like you, Antoinette, ifit took it years ago for for
sports.
I was never a bodybuilder orthat competitive, but uh I was a
rower in high school and playeda little rugby in college.
Um, but um, but I, you know, forfor muscle building, for
(28:12):
strength gains, absolutely uhdata are very clear for you know
for for years, decades even.
Um, that that's that's the themajority of literature that
we've been familiar with.
In the last 10 to 15 years,there there's been new emerging
data on on not just uh musclehealth, but on, you know, uh
maybe liver health, uh, kidneyhealth, bone health, heart
(28:35):
health, but in particular brainhealth.
And when we take a dose highenough, so typically that I
think the recommended sort ofweightlifting dose has been on
the order of maybe five grams ofcreatine monohydrate per day,
just kind of a scoop of thisstuff, you know, that you dull
out and drink in your water andgo work out.
Somewhere between five and 10grams.
And I think 10 grams, this isthis is really weight-based.
(28:57):
So it depends on your body massindex, or you're male, female,
how much muscle do you have,that kind of thing.
But as we get closer to that 10gram threshold, uh there's a
transporter called the the CRTor the creatine transporter that
actually helps shuttle creatineacross your blood-brain barrier,
which is a semi-permeableprotective covering around the
brain that lets certain thingsthrough and keeps other things
(29:18):
out.
And we can actually shuttlecreatine into the brain.
And just like it works in themuscles to help with an
increasing energy production, sohelping manufacture more ATP,
which for anybody that has abackground in physiology, like
Antoinette here, uh, you knowthat that actually is the energy
currency in the body.
But it turns out our neurons usethis too, which is really
(29:38):
interesting.
And so we can actually providemore uh more energy substrate
for the brain.
And in particular, in thesetting of a traumatic brain
injury and loweringneuroinflammation and helping
turn on some of these uhsignaling molecules that help
the brain heal.
Uh, this is this is a gamechanger for people.
Um, and even people that thatdon't have a traumatic brain
(29:59):
injury.
Injury, notice cognitivebenefits.
You know, there's even somedata, early data in Alzheimer's,
that patients that have earlydementia actually function
better with creatine on board.
And there have even been dosesabove and beyond 20 grams a day
for in the setting of an acutetraumatic brain injury.
So if somebody's brain's reallyinflamed or they've got a really
massive injury that we caninfuse creatine or feed it to
(30:21):
people and they actually tend torecover faster.
So anyway, like I said, don'tlike the word hack, but uh if if
there is such a thing, I reallyI think considering creatine
monohydrate as part of asupplement stack can be can be
highly beneficial for people.
SPEAKER_01 (30:35):
Is there a certain time of day that it's more
effective?
Should people use it in themorning, evening?
SPEAKER_00 (30:40):
That's a great question.
So most of the literature I'mfamiliar with would suggest that
you know a dose once once a dayand in the morning.
Um I I personally break it uptwice a day.
Um, you know, once thosereceptors are saturated, in in
theory, you can excrete some inthe kidneys or in the urine if
it's not being absorbed or youknow, you're you're if it's not
going to the muscles or enoughgetting across the blood-brain
(31:02):
barrier.
I'm I'm not, again, I would haveto review the literature to know
if that's scientifically soundor not.
Um it's just my kind of my myhunch.
I don't, I don't know.
Uh, and perhaps there is data tosupport that.
But I I personally take fivegrams in the morning, five grams
at night, uh, and and I donotice a cognitive benefit
throughout the day.
Not to mention, like I went fora little five-mile run this
(31:23):
morning up here in themountains.
Uh, and so that that seems tohelp with my workout
performance.
And then as some of youraudience members might know, uh,
when we sleep, this is part ofwhy quality sleep is so
important.
That's actually the only timethat our brains and our bodies
heal and recover either frominjury or from exercise, we get
to break down and rebuild themuscles.
So if we've got some on board inthe evening time, um, you know,
(31:45):
I again in theory that thatwould help with that process.
Again, is that scientific or isthat just me?
Uh, you know, uh, I don't know,um being being idealistic, I'm
not sure.
SPEAKER_01 (31:54):
Well, in my research on methylene blue, which I use
and I credit to my ability to uhhave multiple meetings in a
single day, I could not havedone this before.
And if you've listened to someof my earlier episodes of the
podcast, and from time to time,you can hear little brain
glitches where I'm in the middleof a sentence and my brain just
(32:16):
kind of reboots itself, or Idon't know what to call it.
That's what it feels like.
And I have a lot fewer of thoseincidents.
So I think your theory oncreatine is sound for what it's
worth.
SPEAKER_00 (32:30):
You give me some homework here because I I should
know the answer to that.
Um, but uh I'll have to check itout.
So maybe I can circle back whenuh when I get some more um
information on the studies.
SPEAKER_01 (32:40):
You're in bat, you're invited back here
anytime, Dr.
Williamson.
I appreciate it.
When you're planning anadventure camping, rafting,
Rving, or mountaineering, you'llneed quality food with
sufficient vitamins, minerals,and nutrients to fuel your
adventure.
My partner Ready Hour is here tohelp you ahead of time.
Ready Hour has a long history ofproviding calorie-rich,
(33:03):
reliable, and deliciousnourishment for life's
unexpected situations andadventures.
They're part of a family ofcompanies that have served
millions of people like you fordecades.
My family and I use Ready Hourproducts for camping,
mountaineering, and disasterpreparedness for five years now.
They're not just reliable,they're also your affordable
option too.
(33:24):
Long-term storable foodshouldn't break the bank.
That's why they have great salesand payment options for you.
It's your bridge to safety andsurvival when you're on an
adventure.
So make your next decision, yoursmartest decision.
Be ready for adventure tomorrow,today.
Trust ready hour.
Ready to shop?
Use my affiliate link in theshow description.
(33:46):
So, how about a few questionsfrom our listeners?
Of course.
All right, I've been so excited,and I'm just going to read them
as they wrote them.
I love this first questionbecause I can tell this person
listens to me a lot becausethey're using a phrase that I
coined fight, flight, freeze,fawn, or foun, or photograph.
(34:06):
So the question is the malehuman brain continues developing
well into adulthood, generallyuntil around age 25 to 27.
What does being in a combat zonedo to a still developing brain,
specifically when it comes toconstantly activating the
general adaptation syndrome,fight, flight, freeze,
photograph, or fawn?
SPEAKER_00 (34:28):
That's an excellent question.
Um I I don't know that there areany studies that have looked
directly at that.
Um, and and you know, this is acertainly a relevant topic, you
know, being that um obviouslyactive duty recruits can be, you
know, eight, eighteen to uhwell, really in any any adult
age, but from 18 on, and most ofour active duty population, of
(34:50):
course, is you know, 18 tomid-20s.
Um, so at that time when ourbrains are still uh forming, at
least the the frontal lobes, uh,which is correct.
We you know, we develop into ourmid to late 20s.
Um, and and perhaps some malesnever fully develop.
It's a it's a joke.
Um but we all know people thatyou know it's questionable,
right?
Um again, I I don't know that Ican speak in an informed manner
(35:16):
on this without having clearevidence because that that is
always the paradigm that I do mybest to approach topics like
this from.
However, um, you know, we weknow from uh let's say early
childhood studies that thatearly adverse child events uh
can have a massively negativeimpact on healthy brain
development, and and that thathas potential uh limiting uh
(35:39):
effects to put iteuphemistically later in life.
Um so meaning, you know, we wecan see all kinds of mood
disorders or neuropsychiatricdisorders develop as a result of
early uh adverse childhoodevents.
And uh, you know, in my opinion,I mean there's there's no more
stressful job on the planet thanbeing deployed to an active duty
combat zone when you're in fearfor your life, um, not to
(36:03):
mention the the predictablePTSD, depression, anxiety, all
of these things that can resultas a you know from from being
exposed to active duty or tocombat duty to combat, excuse
me.
Um so surely that this this isuh this is something that should
be investigated and I wouldthink would be would have a
negative lasting impact.
(36:24):
Um now, is that permanent uh ornot?
Uh again, remains to be seen.
Um I am of the the cautiouslyoptimistic mindset that again,
the right types of therapy, theright types of activity that
engage that neuroplasticitymechanism that we talked about
to help restructure, rewire thebrain to overcome uh you know
(36:47):
PTSD or anxiety uh orchronically negative thoughts,
uh, or even in the setting of alost motor function, and you
know, in the setting of a braininjury, or people can actually
recover from how to walk, talk,or or maybe even in some cases
see.
Um the brain's pretty amazingand it's pretty resilient.
Um I'm giving a long windinganswer here, and the the short
(37:09):
story is that you know, I don'tknow that we have the data to
support that.
Um, some sort of thinking outloud, but um, again, my my hunch
would be likely has a negativeimpact, but also likely very
recoverable with the rightinterventions.
SPEAKER_01 (37:21):
Our next question from a listener is one that hits
home because the love of my lifeis a uh double IED survivor,
explosion survivor uh with atraumatic brain injury.
So the question is, are you ableto explain why it appears that
time slows down after beinginvolved in an explosion
(37:44):
explosion such as an IED?
SPEAKER_00 (37:47):
So d during the event or uh like reliving it in
the setting of PTSD?
SPEAKER_01 (37:52):
No, I I think what they're asking is um after the
explosion happens, keeping trackof time and feeling like uh time
slows down for them.
And so maybe the rest of theworld is at this speed and
they're at this speed, you know,and it's kind of hard to keep
(38:15):
up.
I think it's that feeling oftime being slower.
SPEAKER_00 (38:19):
I see.
There's well, the the reason Iask specifically is that when
when people are in the middle ofuh of an acutely stressful
event, um, there's a phenomenonwhere time does appear to slow
down for people as as they'rereacting to something.
And, you know, time'sinteresting.
It's a it's a relativemeasurement, right?
Even I Einstein proved this issort of a relative concept, and
(38:39):
it's relative to how fast we'regoing and where we are and what
we're dealing with.
And in the middle of a stressfulevent, again, people tend to
react and process more quickly.
Um, I mean, that your brain'sburning through more resources
on, you know, at a faster rateto do this.
Um, so uh in the middle ofagain, combat or uh, you know,
(39:00):
or uh some sort of somethingthat triggers that fight or
flight mechanism, we we can feellike time is slowing down when
in fact people around us or inanother situation uh who are in
fact, you know, uh in asituation for the same number of
seconds, minutes, or or howeverlong you know you want to mark
that time experience it ashappening much more quickly.
Um but after an injury or aftera blast uh you know exposure or
(39:23):
something like this, um, we wewe now know that that that
exposure to to uh to concussiveforces that that aren't that
don't cause direct contact.
So meaning, you know, if youthink of a a piece of shrapnel
or you know, a fist uh or uh abullet or or some you know some
horrible thing that could thatcould indirectly injure our
brain, uh we now know that thatit being adjacent to a a blast
(39:47):
wave or a shock wave canactually penetrate the skull in
the brain and cause an injurythis way.
Um so I you know, i.e.
if if somebody's exposed to anIED or or they're on an EOD team
or something like that, and abomb goes off nearby, this this
can injure the brain.
As a result of that, uh my againI'm I'm uh hypothesizing here,
but as a result of that, ifsomebody had a brain injury and
(40:10):
they are not processinginformation as quickly or
efficiently as they didpre-injury, uh that might make
it feel like, wow, like thisthis person's talking at a
million miles an hour, and I'mI'm not able to fully absorb the
conversation or the informationlike I was, and that might make
it feel like they are sloweddown relative to somebody else
(40:30):
who's keeping up at a higherrate, a higher pace.
Um that's how I'm interpretingthat question, um, uh
Antoinette.
So I hope that's correct foryour listener.
Um, but but again, uh verycommon phenomenon after an
injury like this, um, whether itagain is a blast exposure,
direct trauma, et cetera, uh,and again, in many cases,
recoverable with with the rightinterventions in place.
SPEAKER_01 (40:54):
That's good to know.
And I do experience that too.
Sometimes it feels like the paceof life is much faster than I'm
capable of processing.
And surprisingly, a lot ofpeople are not um understanding
or compassionate when I saysomething very simple.
I'm sorry, I've had a traumaticbrain injury.
(41:15):
Would you mind talking just alittle bit slower because I'm
not able to follow theconversation?
I've even had doctors becomeangry with me, and one even told
me, I talk how I talk.
And a lot of people don'tunderstand that I look like I
can keep up with you, but Icannot if you're talking too
fast.
Uh, and they don't have empathyfor the fact that a senior
(41:39):
citizen or a person with ahidden disability might be
struggling.
SPEAKER_00 (41:45):
I'm so glad you said that, Antoinette.
And I just want to validateevery one of your listeners and
in your audience who is dealingwith a silent wound where you
you don't appear to lookabnormal to people.
Um, I actually just put a poston on LinkedIn uh yesterday
about this because you youmentioned us connecting on
LinkedIn.
Um, but you know, even even Ididn't realize what I was
(42:08):
dealing with and carrying as aresult of my time as an active
duty service member.
And I'm a brain doctor forcrying out loud.
I mean, I, you know, so uh therewe we all deal with things that
to to the untrained eye or tosomeone who doesn't know you,
um, they think you just looklike a normal person when in
fact internally you could be atwar with yourself or you know,
(42:30):
barely string a sentencetogether.
It takes all the effort in theworld to just, you know, get get
a thought out.
Um, so I just I just wanteveryone to know that that, you
know, to to to normalize thatand and to know that it's okay,
that there is hope, and to justtry to brush that off as best
you can.
Uh, and I'm just I'm sorry thatyou and other people have dealt
with that, especially formedical providers, because we we
(42:50):
really do know better.
SPEAKER_01 (42:52):
Absolutely.
Thank you for that.
I really appreciate it.
I have one final question.
Dr.
Sonja uh uh Dr.
Sonja Lubomirsky, she has thistheory, which I subscribed to.
I created my whole new normalbig life process before learning
the theory.
After learning the theory, I Isaw, wow, I already did that in
(43:15):
my life, so it's great.
But her hypothesis is 50% ofwhat makes you who you are comes
from your genes that are turnedoff or on.
And then 10% is environment,things that happen to you, like
a brain injury, for example.
But 40% of what makes you whoyou are is within your control
(43:38):
because it's lifestyle changes.
So if you could uh leave us withyour top three, four, or five,
however many you think isimportant, lifestyle changes
that we all can do, whether youhave a healthy brain, an injured
brain, or an aging brain, tohave good cognitive ability
(43:58):
throughout our lifetime so thatwe have not just a longer life,
but a more active, happier,healthier life.
SPEAKER_00 (44:06):
Absolutely.
Well, I would uh I wouldchallenge the assertion that
only 40% of our uh healthoutcomes are lifestyle based.
And this this may be splittinghairs here, because we know that
that any lifestyle interventioninteracts with and changes
genetic expression in the body.
(44:26):
So, you know, there's uh again,there's some overlap here.
But the data that I'm familiarwith, and this is something I do
try to keep up with, uh thatthat number is more like 70 to
90 percent of our healthoutcomes.
And I've even read some recentstudies that may be a little
ambitious, and again, depends onhow you interpret all these
things, that that it's like 95%,meaning that that let's just say
(44:47):
that the majority or the vastmajority of your health outcomes
are within your control, period.
So incredible.
It it really is.
And and I think that again, thethe narrative around, oh, I I'll
never do that because it's justmy genes, or I'll never overcome
this injury or this thing, or myparents had this, therefore I
(45:09):
will that that's we we we knowthat's not true in 99% of cases.
I mean, yes, there are some rareheritable genetic conditions for
sure.
And and again, this is a complexlandscape, but uh 70 to 90
percent, perhaps more of allhealth outcomes are lifestyle
based.
Um, so with that in mind, um,that that is that is why I have
(45:30):
spent so much time trying tosimplify this, as I said.
And when we look at the brainprotocol again, that I went over
a minute ago, so the breathwork, rest, activity, intake,
nurturing, those are thepillars.
And that those are the pillarsthat are evidence-based, that
are lifestyle-based, thatactually do meaningfully move
the needle on our health.
Um, so again, we can run throughthose again uh if you'd like.
(45:51):
Um, and if I it's really hardfor me to pick even two or three
of those because they're all soimpactful.
Um, I maybe if I had to pickone, uh, you know, if there's if
there's one intervention thatthat turns on the most genes,
mechanisms, et cetera, um,probably regular movement or or
exercise or different types ofexercise are perhaps the most
(46:13):
impactful.
Um, but that that can't be atthe expense of not sleeping, uh,
that can't be at the expense ofnot taking in the proper
nutrition or having healthyrelationships or lowering our
stress or whatever else.
So that's it all matters.
I mean, it really does.
Um, but but maybe exercise firstand then the rest kind of on
down from there.
SPEAKER_01 (46:33):
Well, Dr.
Williamson, it has been anabsolute pleasure and an honor
to get to know you more.
And thank you so much for God'swork that you're doing.
I truly mean that from thebottom of my heart.
Where can folks get your book,find you, and connect with you
through social media?
SPEAKER_00 (46:54):
Absolutely.
Well, Antoinette, first off,thank you for having me and and
thank you for using your story,your voice, and your platform to
help empower others to live ahealthy, impactful life because
it is just so important, Ithink, for people to know what's
possible and you're you'reproviding that.
So, so thank you for for whatyou're doing.
Um, for for the book, it it's onAmazon.
(47:15):
That's probably the easiestplace to go.
So if you just open up Amazonand type in the incredible
brain, that should get youthere.
Uh we've got all forms fromebook to audiobook.
If you want to listen to me talkfor 10 hours, which as my wife
says, there's no way she'd dothat.
But if you like the paperback orthe hard copy, that's there too.
Um, I mentioned the Facebooklink, which again we can provide
(47:36):
and uh or on all things socialmedia.
But but if people go to our ourmain website, uh that that's
Transcend Health Group.
So Transcend Healthgroup.com,um, that that'll link to
everything, to the book, to youknow, our Instagram, Facebook,
LinkedIn, all that good stuff.
SPEAKER_01 (47:52):
Perfect.
There will be links in the showdescription.
You can also download thetranscripts.
Thank you so much for joining metoday from your cabin in the
woods to my cabin in the woods.
SPEAKER_00 (48:03):
Yes, Antoinette.
Thank you.
SPEAKER_01 (48:05):
Until next time, friends, I'm Antoinette Lee,
your wellness warrior here atthe New Normal Big Life Podcast.
I hope one day to see you on theriver, in the backcountry, or in
the horse vine living your bestlife.
Struggling with health problemsor seeking natural health
solutions, we've got youcovered.
Don't miss our latest podcastepisodes, exclusive blog posts,
(48:26):
and free ebooks packed withlife-changing wellness tips.
Be sure to help others find thisgreat information by leaving us
a star rating and a reviewwherever you get your podcasts.
Magnesium, an unsung hero, fuelsover 300 bodily reactions from
heart health to stress relief.
Magnesium expert Natalie Girado,founder of Rooted In, found
(48:50):
freedom from anxiety, insomnia,and pain through topical
magnesium.
It transformed my life, shesays, inspiring her mission to
share this mineral's power.
Cardiologist Dr.
Jack Wolfson calls magnesiumessential for heart health,
helping regulate rhythms, bloodsugar, and reduce inflammation.
Up to 80% of people may bedeficient facing issues like
(49:13):
depression, migraines, insomnia,or muscle cramps.
For women over 40, magnesiumeases menopause symptoms, boosts
energy, and supports bones.
Choosing the correct type ofmagnesium matters.
Real stories, Natalie's andmine, highlight its impact.
After interviewing magnesiumexpert Natalie Girado, I became
(49:34):
a customer.
I was already a magnesium fan,having been told by two
cardiologists to take magnesiumfor a minor heart arrhythmia.
Natalie explains it best in theMagnesium the Mineral
Transforming Lives episode ofNew Normal Big Life, number four
in Alternative Health on ApplePodcasts.
Listen wherever you get yourpodcasts.
Fast forward after theinterview, I bought the Rooted
(49:55):
Inn bundle for sleep,tranquility, and pain relief.
As a spine injury survivor withseveral other health challenges,
I'm in constant pain.
However, I don't take any painmedication.
Rooted in is now one more sourcethat nature provided to give our
bodies what it needs when itneeds it.
You can find magnesium innatural bodies of water like
(50:15):
lakes and rivers and in soil.
But modern farming practiceshave stripped magnesium out of
the soil and our food.
That's why today, Rooted In'srest, relief, and tranquility
are part of our afternoon andnightly sleep routine.
My guy who did two tours kickingindoors in a rock with the
Marines now has no troublefalling asleep.
I no longer have to takemelatonin before bedtime to fall
(50:38):
asleep.
So after I became a customer andsaw how well these products
work, I applied to become anaffiliate.
Popular Podcasts
Stuff You Should Know
If you've ever wanted to know about champagne, satanism, the Stonewall Uprising, chaos theory, LSD, El Nino, true crime and Rosa Parks, then look no further. Josh and Chuck have you covered.
Las Culturistas with Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang
Ding dong! Join your culture consultants, Matt Rogers and Bowen Yang, on an unforgettable journey into the beating heart of CULTURE. Alongside sizzling special guests, they GET INTO the hottest pop-culture moments of the day and the formative cultural experiences that turned them into Culturistas. Produced by the Big Money Players Network and iHeartRadio.
Crime Junkie
Does hearing about a true crime case always leave you scouring the internet for the truth behind the story? Dive into your next mystery with Crime Junkie. Every Monday, join your host Ashley Flowers as she unravels all the details of infamous and underreported true crime cases with her best friend Brit Prawat. From cold cases to missing persons and heroes in our community who seek justice, Crime Junkie is your destination for theories and stories you won’t hear anywhere else. Whether you're a seasoned true crime enthusiast or new to the genre, you'll find yourself on the edge of your seat awaiting a new episode every Monday. If you can never get enough true crime... Congratulations, you’ve found your people. Follow to join a community of Crime Junkies! Crime Junkie is presented by audiochuck Media Company.