There is a nerve in your body that connects your brain directly to your heart, your lungs, and your gut. Scientists call it the vagus nerve. What it does when you worship will change how you think about praise. The vagus nerve is the longest cranial nerve in the human body. It runs from the brainstem all the way down through the neck, chest, and abdomen. It is the primary pathway of what researchers call the parasympathetic nervous system, the system responsible for rest, recovery, digestion, and immune function. When the vagus nerve is activated, heart rate slows, blood pressure drops, inflammation decreases, and the body shifts from survival mode into restoration mode. Researchers have identified three primary activators of the vagus nerve. Deep, rhythmic breathing. Cold water exposure. Singing. Not listening to music. Singing. The act of producing sustained vocal tones activates the vagus nerve directly through the muscles of the throat and the vibration in the chest cavity. Psalm 100:1-2 says make a joyful noise to the Lord, all the earth. Serve the Lord with gladness. Come into his presence with singing. The Hebrew word for joyful noise is rua, meaning to shout, to raise a battle cry, to produce a loud, sustained vocal sound. God did not design corporate worship as a warm-up for the sermon. He designed it as a full-body, neurologically active, physiologically restorative event that shifts your entire system from survival mode into the mode your body needs to heal, receive, and function at its highest level. When you lift your voice in genuine worship, you are not just expressing gratitude. You are activating a nerve God designed that tells every organ in your body it is safe to restore. Your voice was built to heal you. Use it. Dr. Zac Breckenridge

1. Morning sunlight 2. Magnesium glycinate 3. Hard exercise early in the day 4. Lights off / red lights only after sunset 5. Cool bedroom 6. Meditating and relaxing activities before bed 7. Don't eat a big meal within 3 hours of bed 8. Mouth tape (ensures you're nasal breathing and prevents oxygen disturbances) 9. Try 10g of collagen before bed and tell me its not the best sleep of your life 10. Optimize your vitamin D levels

Gut issues are the most common source of health problems today and most people have no idea how deep it goes. Your gut digests food, absorbs it as fuel, and keeps toxins out. When it's compromised, you absorb fewer nutrients and flood your bloodstream with toxins. Irritate your gut and you'll feel it everywhere: - mood crashes - anxiety - brain fog - skin issues like acne and rosacea If your gut barrier is leaky, they pour into your bloodstream and wreak havoc: weight gain, depression, autoimmune issues, diabetes. Here's my 4 step protocol: STEP 1: ELIMINATE Most gut issues come from eating foods you can't digest. The fix is obvious: remove them. The worst offenders, all marketed as "healthy": - Grains, legumes, beans, nuts: loaded with lectins, phytic acid, and oxalates that tear up your gut lining - Leafy vegetables: fewer defense chemicals, but still worth removing while healing - Complex starches: hard to digest and feed bacterial overgrowths Plants don't want to be eaten. Remove these first. STEP 2: CLEAR OVERGROWTHS Your small intestine should be mostly bacteria-free. In most people, it isn't. When bacteria colonize it, anything you eat becomes food for them, and they convert those nutrients into toxins. You're poisoning yourself every time you eat. Natural antimicrobials that help: oregano oil, shredded carrot, coconut oil. Eating fat also stimulates bile release, which keeps the small intestine clear. STEP 3: RE-ENERGIZE YOUR METABOLISM Removing irritants helps, but issues return if you don't fix the root causes like low stomach acid, sluggish thyroid, high estrogen, poor liver health, chronic stress. Things that help almost everyone: - Sunlight, lower stress, and vitamins A, D, E, K - Salt, zinc, protein for stomach acid - Carbs to fuel thyroid and lower stress - B vitamins and gelatin to rebuild the gut barrier - Walk more, space out meals, support liver health with glycine, choline, and K2 STEP 4: EAT WHAT YOU'RE BUILT FOR

I’ve seen A LOT of discussion on peptides recently. This is a broad topic with lots of different classes of peptides. There are lots of nuances involved in this new modality but I'll share a few thoughts. I want to preface this by saying that we DO peptide therapy at the office. However, we we do it proper care, follow up and caution. We go case by case and determine if you need it or not. There are a lot of people talking about the benefits of peptides and these molecules are being hailed as a fountain of youth. While I do appreciate the unique benefits that peptides can have, I’m also concerned about side effects that I do not see being discussed and long term issues that we do not fully understand at this point. - Peptides are synthetic signaling molecules -- most require injection because your gut destroys them (however, we use liposomal, sublingual peptides that bypass the gut and do not require injection). - For people trapped in severe obesity or metabolic dysfunction, GLP-1s can be a genuine lifeline -- breaking a cycle that diet alone couldn’t crack and reducing cardiovascular risk. - The science of incretin signaling, driven by GLP-1s, has taught us more about satiety than anything in the last 50 years - Some peptides like BPC-157 show real promise for acute injury recovery in animal models -- but the human evidence is almost nonexistent - The trade-offs are real: up to 40% of weight lost on GLP-1s may be muscle, stopping means rapid regain, and the drug class is escalating -- from single to dual to triple receptor agonists -- each more potent, each less understood long-term - BPC-157 and TB-500 ("the Wolverine stack") promote blood vessel growth through the same pathway active in half of all human cancers. Almost zero human data - Growth hormone secretagogues can worsen insulin resistance and elevate cancer-linked IGF-1 - Melanotan crosses the blood-brain barrier and has been linked to melanoma in case reports - The biggest concern: these drugs treat the symptom without addressing the root cause -- and none of them replace what food, sunlight, sleep, and movement can do.

The A1 vs A2 Milk Distinction: Conventional cow's milk contains two main types of beta-casein protein: A1 and A2. The key difference lies in their amino acid sequences, with A1 beta-casein producing a bioactive peptide, beta-casomorphin-7 (BCM-7), during digestion. A2 milk, on the other hand, comes from cows specially bred to produce only A2 beta-casein. Groundbreaking Clinical Trial: A large-scale study in China has shed new light on the potential benefits of A2 milk for those with self-reported lactose intolerance. This randomized, double-blind trial involved 600 Chinese adults who consumed either conventional milk or milk containing only A2 beta-casein. Key Findings: - Reduced Gastrointestinal Symptoms: Participants reported significantly lower levels of bloating, abdominal pain, and other digestive discomfort after consuming A2 milk compared to conventional milk. - Improved Lactose Digestion: Urinary galactose tests indicated better lactose absorption with A2 milk, even in those classified as lactose malabsorbers. - Consistent Benefits: The positive effects of A2 milk were observed across different age groups and in both lactose absorbers and malabsorbers. While the exact mechanism is not fully understood, researchers hypothesize that A1 beta-casein may trigger gut inflammation, potentially exacerbating symptoms of lactose intolerance. A2 milk, lacking this inflammatory trigger, appears to be better tolerated. Implications for Public Health: These findings could have far-reaching implications for millions who have avoided dairy due to perceived lactose intolerance. By switching to A2 milk, many may be able to reintroduce dairy into their diets, benefiting from its nutritional profile without the associated discomfort. Conclusion: The A2 milk study represents a significant step forward in our understanding of dairy intolerance. While more research is needed, it offers hope to millions who have struggled with dairy consumption. As our knowledge evolves, so too may our approach to nutrition and digestive health.