In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can the environment you go home to matter more than the brain injury itself? Tommy Wood (MD PhD) makes the case that how you use your brain is the primary driver of how it functions — then digs into CTE mechanics, the myth of the brain "sloshing" in the skull, why animal models of concussion may fundamentally miss the point, ketogenic diets and mental health, AI as orthotic vs. prosthetic, and why obsessing over sleep data might hurt you more than poor sleep.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

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Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

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❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

3:04 – Tommy's background & book origin

6:03 – Medicine vs. research career path

9:27 – UK vs. US medical debt & freedom

13:40 – How Tommy became a brain person

17:14 – The Stimulated Mind: core themes

21:37 – Use it to improve it: the science

26:34 – Brain specialization trade-offs

34:32 – Human cognition: 10 bits/second

39:06 – Blindfolded Rubik's Cube & subroutines

43:31 – Myth of multitasking

46:03 – Neonatal brain injury research

50:09 – Therapeutic hypothermia explained

54:44 – Home environment predicts recovery

58:39 – Rugby vs. American football & CTE

1:00:19 – What CTE actually is

1:06:40 – Brain doesn't slosh — the real mechanism

1:11:05 – Why animal concussion models fail

1:17:44 – The Q-collar: does it work?

1:21:33 – Valsalva & protecting the brain

1:28:32 – Nutrition & the brain: three levers

1:38:28 – Ketogenic diet: then vs. now

1:46:05 – Energy availability U-shaped curve

1:51:26 – Insulin resistance & fat cell dynamics

1:58:48 – Calories in/out vs. carb-insulin debate

2:03:37 – The BROAD Study & behavior change

2:12:36 – AI & LLMs: net benefit or detriment?

2:17:09 – Orthotic vs. prosthetic framework

2:21:08 – MIT essay study unpacked

2:33:20 – Google effect & changing memory use

2:40:11 – AI slop flooding academia

2:47:15 – Artificial sweeteners & neurotoxicity

2:50:04 – Why sleep is critical for the brain

2:52:11 – Orthosomnia: when sleep tracking backfires

2:57:58 – Where to find Tommy & the book

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #TommyWood #BrainHealth #Neuroscience #CTE #Concussion #KetogenicDiet #Ketones #AnimalModels #SleepScience #AIAndTheBrain #CognitiveFitness #Dementia #NeonatalBrainInjury #MetabolicHealth #NutritionScience #BrainTraining #PublishOrPerish #TheStimulatdMind

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can a diet of almost exclusively meat actually support world-record athletic performance while raising serious questions about conventional cardiovascular risk? Shawn Baker (MD) traces his path from professional rugby and military trauma surgery to pioneering the carnivore movement, makes the case for carnivore as a powerful elimination diet for autoimmune and inflammatory disease, and engages Dave in a nuanced debate on LDL, plaque imaging data, gut microbiome myths, and the politics of nutrition research.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/32`

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

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❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

3:01 – Shawn's early path to medicine

4:47 – Dropping med school for pro rugby

6:12 – Military service & trauma surgery

9:44 – Back to the military & civilian practice

11:09 – Personal health decline & first diet shift

14:58 – Discovering paleo & low-carb

17:31 – Why Shawn moved beyond paleo

23:01 – First exposure to carnivore (zero-carb)

29:41 – Going all-in on carnivore in 2016

35:23 – Plant-based vs. carnivore athletes

40:20 – The Joe Rogan appearance that changed everything

44:29 – Getting first bloodwork: testosterone & A1C controversy

51:27 – Fasting glucose on keto: diabetic or adapted?

55:15 – OGTT, fat adaptation & continuous monitors

57:37 – Birth of MeatRx & collecting anecdotal data

1:04:05 – Cholesterol: Dave asks Shawn's real view

1:09:03 – The KETO-CTA study & the Clearly curveball

1:15:12 – Will the 5-year scans show LDL-plaque links?

1:19:43 – Informed consent when cholesterol spikes on carnivore

1:27:29 – Shawn's Europe "cheat" & a month of whole-food carbs

1:33:37 – The viral steak-eating videos explained

1:37:07 – Debates with vegan activists

1:42:06 – Carnivore for autoimmune & inflammatory disease

1:46:46 – Rivero: building a 50-person clinical team

1:53:47 – Carnivore variations: keto-style, dairy & organ meat

2:00:16 – 10 years nearly zero organ meat: any deficiencies?

2:02:25 – Allegations of PEDs: Shawn's full response

2:08:14 – Shifting toward sprinting & masters track

2:13:21 – Ex-carnivores & the "sustainability" criticism

2:23:51 – Carnivore as elimination diet: the Clue game analogy

2:26:30 – Gut microbiome, fiber & metabolic flexibility

2:34:07 – GLP-1 drugs, LDL, and the BMI confounder

2:39:35 – Metabolic health as the real cardiovascular driver

2:51:52 – Imaging noise floors & what the data really shows

2:58:01 – Homozygous FH, cumulative LDL & study power

3:04:55 – Designing the TRIAD study & goal-post shifting

3:11:37 – Where the lipid hypothesis holds—and where it doesn't

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ShawnBaker #CarnivoreDiet #LDLCholesterol #HeartHealth #MetabolicHealth #LowCarbDiet #KetoDiet #Atherosclerosis #PlaqueProgression #AutoimmuneDisease #GutHealth #AthleteNutrition #MastersAthletics #NutritionResearch #AnimalBasedDiet #CitizenScience #Lipidology #KetoCTA

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can a ketogenic diet actually build a championship physique — or does elite bodybuilding demand carbs? Robert Sikes (natural pro bodybuilder and founder of Keto Brick) makes the case that fat adaptation outperforms conventional prep, sharing his journey through eating disorders, the origins of Keto Brick, his seven-phase protocol, reverse dieting, and the debate around calories vs. carbohydrate-insulin models.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/31`

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

4:20 – Dave asks Robert to introduce himself

5:23 – Early life & farm-strong beginnings

6:19 – Starting bodybuilding as a skinny kid

8:44 – Eating 6,000 calories to bulk up

10:16 – First bodybuilding competition in college

12:32 – The bulk/cut cycle explained

16:17 – Losing 80 lbs in 12 weeks

16:52 – Eating disorders after the first show

19:47 – Searching for a better dietary approach

22:13 – Discovery of carb backloading & early keto

25:16 – Keto and explosive vs. hypertrophy training

26:33 – LDL, lipids & muscle recovery hypothesis

29:40 – Being the odd one out going keto at the gym

30:06 – First ketogenic competition prep (2017)

37:02 – Winning on keto — competitors' reaction

39:12 – Origin story of the Keto Brick

42:50 – 142 bricks sell out in two minutes

44:14 – Launching Keto Savage brand & content creation

54:00 – Business growth & knocking out debt

55:47 – Surviving COVID & buying a grocery store

59:04 – Speaking at KetoCon & coaching beginnings

1:01:11 – Is keto's popularity rising or falling?

1:05:45 – High protein debate for muscle building

1:14:27 – Robert's seven-phase ketogenic protocol

1:20:56 – What reverse dieting is & why it matters

1:22:38 – Getting to 3.9% body fat — risks & rewards

1:28:37 – Cholesterol numbers during extreme leanness

1:32:07 – Inside bodybuilding competitions

1:40:27 – Calories & energy balance debate in keto

1:47:27 – The value of coaching & accountability

1:54:07 – What's next: retreats, apparel & fatherhood

1:56:27 – How having kids shifted Robert's spirituality

2:04:05 – Dave discusses the CLEARLY retraction saga

2:10:18 – Integrity, doing the right thing quietly

2:17:44 – Heartflow partnership & silver linings

2:19:10 – The Cholesterol Code movie launch plans

2:20:43 – Where to find Robert & closing thoughts

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #RobertSikes #KetoBrick #KetoSavage #KetogenicDiet #NaturalBodybuilding #LowCarbAthletics #MuscleBuilding #ReverseDialing #BodyFat #LDLCholesterol #FatAdaptation #LeanMassHyperresponder #CholesterolCode #KetoPerformance #MetabolicHealth #BodybuildingNutrition

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can living with an LDL of 700 for seven years actually leave your arteries plaque-free? Nick Norwitz (MD PhD) makes the case that the conventional cholesterol narrative is far more complicated than mainstream medicine admits, while Dave and Nick also cover the paternalistic medical system, statin side effects in women, Nick's surprising decision to take a cholesterol-lowering drug, and the recent Peter Attia rebuttal to lean mass hypersponder research.

---

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 `https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/30`

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

---

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

---

⏱ Chapters

3:03 – Who is Nick Norwitz?

3:51 – Leaving medicine's conventional path

5:52 – The calling Dave never felt

8:23 – Science communication as medicine's future

10:30 – Empowering patients with information

11:24 – Statins lower GLP-1: the hidden data

13:10 – Death knell of paternalistic medicine

16:19 – Dave's origin: The Feldman Protocol

18:31 – Why "we don't know" comforts patients

21:43 – Nick's illness, misdiagnosis & obsession

24:04 – The podcast origin story & echo disaster

28:41 – Cholesterol Code film blowing up

31:19 – Balancing science and accessibility in film

36:06 – Peter Attia's rebuttal to LMHR research

38:18 – Who's willing to have an open conversation?

41:01 – Causality vs. importance in lipid science

44:17 – Over-medicating metabolically healthy people

47:01 – Statins harm women more: the X chromosome mechanism

50:45 – The nocebo effect as gaslighting

55:03 – Dave's blinded crossover statin experiment

57:04 – Plot twist: Nick is taking a cholesterol drug

59:05 – Ezetimibe and Alzheimer's disease

1:02:01 – Plot twist 2: why Nick chose ezetimibe

1:04:00 – Plot twist 3: the 7-year coronary CT angiography

1:08:19 – Nick's CAD score at year 2 & family risk

1:14:10 – Clinical experience vs. contending with data

1:23:33 – Is Nick anti-statin? Dave presses hard

1:27:34 – Bempedoic acid & PPAR alpha activation

1:32:39 – Peter Attia's article vs. the LMHR team

1:36:24 – How to find Nick Norwitz everywhere

---

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #NickNorwitz #LDLCholesterol #LeanMassHypersponder #CholesterolCode #StatinSideEffects #Ezetimibe #HeartHealth #LipidResearch #MetabolicHealth #Atherosclerosis #PatientEmpowerment #ScienceCommunication #Bempedoicacid #AlzheimersResearch #CardiovascularHealth #LowCarb #KetogenicDiet

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, can nutrition debates be clarified by better language? Amber O’Hearn, independent researcher and writer with a math/computer science background, makes the case across privacy tech, computational linguistics, low-carb history, carnivore nutrition, vitamin C, ketones, LDL, and the tension between anecdotes, mechanisms, and prospective data.🔥 This episode is sponsored by us -- Own Your Labs 👉 https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/29 Private blood testing services🩸Over 300 blood tests💰Extremely affordable❤️ We love our customers(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`⏱ Chapters3:00 – Privacy and digital cash10:05 – “Linked” versus caused18:23 – Meat, veganism, and health23:38 – Dave on epidemiology33:58 – Finding low-carb41:15 – Human fat and brain growth49:03 – Immune response and repair57:06 – Autoimmune anecdotes1:04:00 – What is a balanced diet?1:11:48 – Depression and recovery1:18:51 – Amber starts blogging1:27:18 – Vitamin deficiency concerns1:34:53 – Food intolerance questions1:42:30 – Organs and “The Bear”1:50:07 – Ordering carnivore meals1:57:47 – Expensive tissue hypothesis2:05:36 – Vitamin C concerns2:13:00 – Vitamin C context2:20:44 – Carnivore timeline2:28:04 – The conference delay2:35:22 – Naming the carnivore diet2:43:07 – Redefining keto and carnivore2:50:53 – Plants and antioxidants2:58:42 – LDL stress and diet identity3:06:32 – Your results may vary3:07:03 – Salt and electrolytes3:14:22 – Long-term carnivore questions3:21:49 – Illness after vitamin A3:29:26 – Why prospective data matters3:37:28 – Diet tribalism online3:44:54 – Ketones, glucose, and brain fuel3:52:22 – Dave’s fat shake hypothesis4:00:03 – A1C and glucose patterns4:07:48 – Tracer studies and energy models4:23:07 – Debates and Bailey traps#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #AmberOHearn #NutritionScience #Metabolism #LowCarb #Ketosis #CarnivoreDiet #HealthResearch #Podcast #Zcash #PrivacyTech #VitaminC #Ketones #DietDebate

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, what happens when a health scare forces a second act? Chris Cornell, writer, marketer, and health coach, makes the case for low-carb living, satiety, resistance training, social support, cancer scares, GLP-1 drugs, and why lifestyle change often requires more than information alone.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us --

Own Your Labs 👉 https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/28

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

3:01 – Chris’s turning point

7:54 – Health for family

13:02 – Twitter as Q&A

18:06 – Helping overwhelmed people

23:00 – N=1 experiments

28:03 – 10K steps commitment

33:01 – Visualizing muscle

38:03 – Training later in life

43:04 – Running comparisons

48:06 – One step at a time

53:09 – Dr. Tro’s story spreads

58:02 – Group accountability

1:03:11 – Social pressure

1:08:08 – Keto food concerns

1:13:05 – Becoming a coach

1:18:09 – The cancer scare

1:23:08 – Sarcoidosis diagnosis

1:28:06 – Tragic outcomes

1:33:06 – Mental health complexity

1:38:10 – Calories and control

1:43:10 – Defining keto

1:48:16 – Dave’s carb margin

1:53:08 – Tested by hardship

1:58:11 – Bumper sticker science

2:03:13 – Critics and correction

2:08:07 – Future plaque data

2:13:08 – Protein rethink

2:18:14 – Portion size patterns

2:23:15 – Low insulin nuance

2:28:15 – Peanut butter problem

2:33:14 – Dopamine and candy

2:38:17 – Problem foods

2:43:18 – Lifestyle urgency

2:48:21 – Medical system bias

2:53:13 – Patient choice

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ChrisCornell #MetabolicHealth #LowCarb #HealthCoach #Satiety #ResistanceTraining #LifestyleChange #Nutrition #WeightLossJourney #Healthspan #InsulinResistance #GLP1 #PersonalHealth #Podcast

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, what happens when AI starts reshaping not just media, but the way people think, create, and connect? Claire Cornetta, co-founder and principal of Carrot Impact, joins Dave for a wide-ranging conversation on impact campaigns, the changing film business, AI and authenticity, social media’s effect on news, health communication, and why long-form storytelling still matters.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us -- Own Your Labs 👉 https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/27

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰 Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:

Main Channel: `https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman`

X/Twitter: `https://x.com/realDaveFeldman`

Instagram: `https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman`

Website: `https://thefeldmanprotocol.com`

⏱ Chapters

3:01 – Movies and digital ads

7:23 – How news changed fast

11:41 – Dark Waters and impact

15:58 – Impact vs advertising

20:18 – Can AI replace storytellers?

24:40 – Using AI to summarize AI

28:53 – Training models on us

33:11 – AI, health, and guidelines

37:29 – Tokens and context limits

41:48 – Claire’s AI workflow

46:08 – What counts as authentic?

50:28 – AI as a tool, not a boss

54:43 – Movie tastes and nostalgia

59:10 – Dave’s film school pivot

1:03:20 – Dot-com era pressure

1:07:38 – Metabolic health basics

1:12:03 – Ketosis and real life

1:16:20 – Triglycerides and fuel

1:20:34 – Cannibalism detour

1:25:07 – Food culture and dysfunction

1:29:45 – Plant-based debates

1:33:29 – B vitamins and limits

1:37:48 – Food and community

1:42:10 – Hunting and food supply

1:46:26 – Pets and responsibility

1:50:44 – Valuing animal lives

1:55:05 – Ethics of raising animals

1:59:22 – Friendship at scale

2:03:39 – Why people avoid calls

2:07:57 – Overloving your animals

2:12:25 – Shepherding stories out

2:16:39 – Theatrical screenings grow

2:20:53 – Who’s hosting screenings

2:25:19 – Why theaters still matter

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #ClaireCornetta #Podcast #Documentary #Storytelling #Filmmaking #ArtificialIntelligence #Media #Journalism #DigitalMedia #HealthCommunication #LongformConversation #ImpactCampaigns #Streaming #CreativeWork

In this episode of The Feldman Protocol, what happens when a diet change succeeds where years of psychiatric treatment fall short? Matt Baszucki, metabolic mental health advocate and YouTube creator, makes the case from lived experience, discussing bipolar disorder, psychosis, ketogenic therapy, medication tapering, carnivore, and why metabolic approaches still struggle to break into mainstream psychiatry.

🔥 This episode is sponsored by us -- Own Your Labs 👉 https://ownyourlabs.com/sp/26

Private blood testing services

🩸Over 300 blood tests

💰 Extremely affordable

❤️ We love our customers

(Yes, we are literally funding the entire podcast from our own company -- so if you want to show your support, keep getting your private blood testing through our service. Thank you! 🙏)

🔗 CONNECT WITH DAVE FELDMAN:
Main Channel: https://youtube.com/@realDaveFeldman
X/Twitter: https://x.com/realDaveFeldman
Instagram: https://instagram.com/realDaveFeldman
Website: https://thefeldmanprotocol.com

⏱ Chapters
3:06 – Charlie Foundation origin
9:46 – Memory during psychosis
16:49 – Berkeley relapse spiral
23:23 – The first real insight
30:50 – Dave’s mood crash story
37:57 – When keto clicked
44:55 – Why tapers take years
51:57 – How trials get framed
58:43 – Carnivore and withdrawal
1:05:43 – Keto as one option
1:12:42 – A movement takes shape
1:19:39 – Why adoption lags
1:26:40 – Can AI fix medicine?
1:33:45 – The AGI risk
1:40:36 – Panic and moral scares
1:47:50 – Power under AGI
1:54:29 – A phone-shaped dystopia
2:01:33 – What nature restores
2:08:28 – Why meditation is hard
2:15:25 – Walking into presence
2:22:22 – The inbox never stops
2:29:33 – Dating apps and the 80/20
2:36:18 – Marriage then vs now
2:43:22 – Modern confusion loops
2:50:19 – Fear of approaching women
2:57:17 – Victim culture debate
3:04:12 – AI and stealth censorship
3:11:09 – Crisis and free speech
3:18:07 – Why sports hit hard
3:25:04 – Tribal identity in sports
3:32:07 – Crowd emotion in motion
3:39:05 – Teaching resilience early
3:46:04 – Books then vs now
3:52:56 – Streaming and story decline
3:59:59 – Good AI vs bad AI

#FeldmanProtocol #DaveFeldman #MattBaszucki #MentalHealth #MetabolicHealth #KetogenicDiet #Carnivore #BipolarDisorder #Psychiatry #Nutrition #LongformPodcast #PodcastInterview #Wellness #HealthResearch