The Jay Campbell Podcast

Esoteric researcher and author Matthew LaCroix shares his perspective on modern medicine, suppression of plant-based cures such as cannabinoids. Matt and Jay also dive deep into consciousness, awareness, focusing on the present, reconnecting with nature and the influences and experiences that inspired his book, The Illusion of Us.   The interview kicked off with Matt’s background and early writing influences including Graham Hancock, explaining “There was a lot of information being suppressed and not being talked about.” A big part of Matt’s drive to research alternative and natural health solutions comes from his wife being diagnosed with multiple sclerosis. Matt dove into research and came to the conclusion that “the so-called medicine we were being given...was causing harm.” Matt also pointed out that they were able to transition off pharmaceuticals completely, and she has stayed off for 2 ½ years. Next Jay and Matt turned to the subject of cannabinoids, and Matt pointed out, “The first thing we have to do is separate the idea of someone ever getting high... Cannabinoids and cannabis are just one little piece of an enormous palette of natural plants that we used to use for thousands of years that became pushed out by artificial components and the pharmaceutical industry.” Matt went on to explain, “Every component of cannabis, it sounds too good to be true. The seeds of cannabis have the most amount of protein of any seed on earth. We could eliminate hunger on the earth by cannabis seeds alone.” So why are cannabis and cannabinoids being suppressed? “There is no money in a cure,” Matt pointed out. “If you had both, the natural component side, and the natural was vastly superior to the synthetic, nobody would be taking artificial drugs to begin with. So the only way to keep those in the system is demonize and basically not even create medicines out of the natural ones.” After discussing consciousness, awareness and nature, Jay and Matt shift to Matt’s book, The Illusion of Us. Matt shared his perspective on consciousness and the modern world, “Cities and cars, going out to dinners or the movies, those are all just things we’ve created in the last hundred years. Those aren’t real. They’re just things that distract us from what IS real.” It’s essential to step back from the distractions of our ego-driven culture to reconnect with our true consciousness. Matthew’s story is a great example of a simple, relentless search for truth in a world that does everything it can to demonize and suppress it. Matthew LaCroix is an esoteric researcher and author of The Illusion of Us: The Suppression and Evolution of Human Consciousness. To Download Your FREE PDF Copy of the Amazon Best Seller: The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual, Click Here For a FREE Paperback Copy. The TRT MANual has helped hundreds of thousands of men around the world reclaim their health and vitality. Don’t suffer in silence a moment longer! PS. As an added bonus, upon finishing the book-once you provide a Thoughtful, High Quality Review on Amazon (hopefully 5 STAR), we will send you our new unreleased eBook 7 Lies You’ve Been Told About Testosterone for FREE.* (To receive book, email jay@trtrevolution.com a screenshot of your posted review.)

Fitness levels, recovery periods and the body’s response to exercise changes as we get older. How does a person over 40 get a workout that gives them results while still avoiding injury, overtraining and overtaxing your nervous system? On this episode, Jay Campbell talks with fitness coach and writer Bryan Krahn, who provides a guide for training in your 40s.   We started off the episode with the core topic of the day - fitness over 40. On the subject Bryan says it’s impossible to prescribe a blanket statement to an entire age group but there are key trends that have to be modified because you’re aging. There are people that respond much better and that’s because they come from an active background and follow a quasi-athlete lifestyle. For older people, when your training, nutritional and lifestyle factors are dialed in you actually look better because you’re neurologically more efficient. Also, if you’ve been training for 25 years consistently with an appreciable load, your muscles develop a hardness and density that doesn’t happen over a short period of time. Bryan added a key benefit to training when you’re older, “you get good at this, you figure out how your body works and you allow yourself to get into a really good rhythm. When you’re young you jump from trend to trend but when you’re older you figure out what truly works for you.” To develop the kind of mastery that benefits your physique it’s important to get into habit and learn your body. “Everyone has a slightly different recovery pattern and mental things that keep them engaged and you learn what those things are.” Jay then turned the discussion to the matter of programming. Bryan stated that he had to draw a line in the sand when it came to strength training even though there’s a huge push for it online. He said, “volume is what you have to curtail as you get older.” If you keep busting heavy loads and low rep sets it crushes you way faster than doing normal body building sets.  It’s way less impactful, you bounce back faster and it builds a better physique and there’s less risk of injury. Bryan aims to get his older clients out of the habit of loading more bars and more into the training experience, figuring out baseline volume and working their way up. On the subject of isolation exercises for older people, Byran said, “isolation work is important because it allows you to have a much more focused and better mind to muscle connection, there’s a lower risk potential, you won’t injure yourself as much. Jay and Bryan then focus in on overtraining, which Bryan calls “the boogie man of body building.” People over 40 typically are not overtraining and doing things like bench presses because their shoulders can’t handle that anymore. Strength training is something many glamorize but it can cause injury if you’re not built for it. For most people who go to the gym recreationally, you’re not going to overtrain but you might overreach - especially if your lifestyle isn’t aligned to your workout regimen. Bryan reminded us to look out for the signs, which include things like negative self-talk and feeling like exercise is a chore. When this happens, it’s time to do a little less work and get some sleep. Jay closed the interview with a question about the cardio and resistance training balance when you’re older. He said he leans more on the strength training side but he uses cardio as a stress management tool, a good stress management tool. Bryan’s tips for training over 40 are to start off with a realistic assessment of where you are, focusing on the quality of your work in the gym instead of performance. Lastly and most importantly make sure you avoid injury because it sets you back and recovery is harder when you’re older. Bryan Krahn is a personal trainer, fitness writer, blogger, online physique coach and creator of The Physique Mastery Principles. He specializes “in helping make ordinary bodies look incredible.” Bryan is also a “semi-serious physique athlete,” who enjoys building a lean, muscular, aesthetic body which he believes makes him a better coach. http://www.bryankrahn.com/ To Download Your FREE PDF Copy of the Amazon Best Seller: The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual, Click Here  For a FREE Paperback Copy. The TRT MANual has helped hundreds of thousands of men around the world reclaim their health and vitality. Don’t suffer in silence a moment longer! PS. As an added bonus, upon finishing the book-once you provide a Thoughtful, High Quality Review on Amazon (hopefully 5 STAR), we will send you our new unreleased eBook 7 Lies You’ve Been Told About Testosterone for FREE.* (To receive book, email jay@trtrevolution.com a screenshot of your posted review.)

Nelson Vergel, author of the landmark book Testosterone: A Man’s Guide, joins to share his story of overcoming a deadly diagnosis, helping to pioneer the use of anabolic steroids in HIV/AIDS treatment and his perspective on life goals and awareness. We started with Nelson’s background growing up in Venezuela. Nelson wanted to get into medicine but opportunity was limited,  so instead he got into the oil and gas industry as an environmental engineer before emigrating to the US in 1984. Shortly after settling down in the States Nelson was diagnosed with HIV, at that time the equivalent of a death sentence. In fact, one counselor told him, “Go home, pray, and take care of your business.” Nelson pulled himself up, telling himself, “I refuse to die” and soon he spotted an opportunity. “I became obsessed. I found out the CDC for the first time was training volunteers who wanted to inform themselves and become counselors.” This had a major impact on him, “It really helped me. I really got it. I got what it is to help others get out of your head, get out of your self pity, get aware of your power. Power even in the worst situation in your life, not to let that rule you and define you.” Nelson jumped at another opportunity, this time to join a study for a new drug called AZT. He seemed to be doing well, even hiding the illness from co-workers. It was later revealed that Nelson was in the placebo group, which turned out to be a blessing, as patients receiving the real AZT in the study were wasting away. Nelson lost so many friends to HIV in the 80’s that he stopped counting at 35, including his boyfriend who was also in the AZT trial. “I feel like I aged a lot in my soul...Every week was a memorial service. I shut down.” Nelson was transferred to LA and joined a support group where he encountered bodybuilders for the first time. With nothing to lose, Nelson started taking supplements and alternative therapies and immediately felt more energy. Once again, Nelson’s dream of working in medicine and health resurfaced. He started researching, subscribing to the top AIDS newsletters in the country, often reading till the early hours of the morning. This led to a major turning point, where Nelson came across an article by a “Dr. X” who was HIV+ and had risen from his deathbed by using anabolic steroids. Nelson, with the help of friends, connected with him and other researchers and doctors. Through these relationships and his own research, Nelson began working on his book and then lecturing across the country, eventually delivering over 600 lectures. Nelson gets messages everyday from people who’ve been impacted by his writing, “Every time I give, I get a lot more back.” Jay agreed, “Once you align yourself with being generous, paying it forward, always being of the mindset to help other people, it’s amazing what comes into your life.” Nelson shared his perspective on ego, “You’re going to have an ego voice that’s going to try to tell you that you’re not worthy. That you’re not good looking, not smart enough, or whatever.” He went on to explain you’re never really cured, but you can come to a place where you recognize the ego as something outside of yourself. It’s not you.   Drawing from his incredible story and wealth of research, Nelson’s continues to mentor and inspire through relationships with people all over the world. We hope you come away from this interview inspired to pursue your dreams, help other people and reach new levels of health and wellness. Nelson Vergel is the best-selling author of Testosterone: A Man’s Guide and founder of Excel Male, a platform where men can exchange cutting-edge and evidence-based health information. Nelson is also the Founding Director of the Program for Wellness Restoration and Development & Outreach Director for the Research Access Network. The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual, Click Here  For a FREE Paperback Copy. The TRT MANual has helped hundreds of thousands of men around the world reclaim their health and vitality. Don’t suffer in silence a moment longer! PS. As an added bonus, upon finishing the book-once you provide a Thoughtful, High Quality Review on Amazon (hopefully 5 STAR), we will send you our new unreleased eBook 7 Lies You’ve Been Told About Testosterone for FREE.* (To receive book, email jay@trtrevolution.com a screenshot of your posted review.)

How do you choose your supplements? In our latest episode, Kamal Patel, Director of Examine.com, joins us for a wide-ranging conversation on supplement quality, chronic joint pain, ketogenic dieting, intermittent fasting and other high impact lifestyle changes that are more effective than any supplement.   We started with Kamal’s story, how he came to the world of fitness and nutrition and eventually became Director of Examine.com. Kamal explained “Like a lot of people, I got started in nutrition to simply look better...Up till probably sophomore year of college I had never lifted a weight in a gym.” First Kamal gave his opinion on ketogenic and other forms of low-carb dieting. “You require carbohydrate for joint health especially when it’s injured. But that’s not even the primary thing, your immune system needs, say, 100 grams a day of carbs for optimal function in most people...So I’d be very careful not to dip carbs too low...There’s no huge benefit.” Next we go into intermittent fasting: Kamal pointed out that it’s reasonably effective for body fat loss but the best reason to use intermittent fasting is longevity. Jay pointed out, “The neuroprotective effect of fasting is amazing” Gut and intestinal tract health is getting more attention, and Kamal explained that it’s probably more important to look at gut health more any other individual element. He mentioned that there are a couple great elements of a low-card diet on the gut, but on the whole, a vegan diet is much better for gut health. Next we cover how to handle the chronic joint pain, and Kamal have an interesting recommendation “You don’t want to take supplements while you’re doing other things that have a higher chance of working...taking micro-breaks during work... or even incorporating standing for maybe a half hour or hour a day, that’s probably greater than any individual supplement for knee and ankle issues.” He also pointed out that Vitamin D, K2 and magnesium are the holy trinity of things people overlook for joint health. Then we turn to common supplements like creatine and protein. Kamal pointed out that creatine may have mental health benefits such as preventing Alzheimer’s and depression and potentially have some pain-reduction effects. As for protein Kamal prefers to experiment but has not seen major differences but prefers cold-processed to get glutathione benefits. We finished out the interview with thoughts on limiting or blocking blue light at night, wearing blue blocker sunglasses for 30 minutes before bed is a great way to prepare your body for sleep. We also covered mindfulness meditation, it’s effectiveness and taking first steps into that method. Kamal made a couple important distinctions - quality of supplement doesn’t mean effectiveness, and how you handle blue light can have a greater effect than any supplements. Kamal Patel is a nutrition researcher with an MPH and MBA from Johns Hopkins University, and is on hiatus from a PhD in nutrition in which he researched the link between diet and chronic pain. He has published peer-reviewed articles on vitamin D and calcium as well as a variety of clinical research topics. Kamal has also been involved in research on fructose and liver health, mindfulness meditation, and nutrition in low income areas. Visit http://examine.com/ for independent analysis on supplements and nutrition. Click here to get Your FREE Copy of the Amazon Bestseller: The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual. The book has helped thousands of men around the world reclaim their health and vitality by presenting practical information about the best ways to maximize TRT.

How far away are we from taking TRT mainstream and making it the standard for patient care? Dr. Jim Meehan joins us to share his perspective on TRT/HRT, the role of pharmaceutical lobbying, addiction, media reaction to TRT and impending changes in the healthcare sector. First we covered Dr. Meehan’s background as a surgeon, athlete and martial artist, and the physical breakdowns and symptoms that led Jim to discover his low-T. As a result of his discoveries and treatment, Dr. Meehan lost over 70 lbs, won the Naga World Jiu-Jitsu Championship, became a better father and husband while recovering his passion for life.  Dr. Meehan also shared why he’s working on technology-related solutions, “We under-utilize technology in medicine. We’re 20 years behind the financial industry, for example. There’s great opportunity to use technologies.” Next we dig into the current state of TRT and the role of the pharmaceutical industry in keeping testosterone treatments artificially expensive while suppressing correct information about TRT: “Hormone replacement therapy doesn’t need to cost $500 or $1000 a month,” Dr. Meehan explained, “It’s really pretty inexpensive.” He went on to point out, “The pharmaceutical industry pumps more money into our legislatures than anybody else, more than any other industry and more than most other industries combined. It’s trillions of dollars. That’s the only thing preventing the solid scientific evidence of the benefits, the safety, the efficacy of male hormone replacement therapy from reaching a mainstream, insurance-reimbursed model.” Dr. Meehan also had a scathing review of his fellow physicians; “Too many of my colleagues are simply mouthpieces for the pharmaceutical industry. That’s why we end up with male HRT being dominated by Androgel.” We also cover addiction, it’s role in society and the physical symptoms that fly under the radar without being tied to the addictive cause. “The big picture is this: Everybody is addicted to something. It’s caffeine, nicotine, pornography, gambling. Sugar is a huge addiction in this country...Pay attention to your addictions. They have more impact on your life than you realize. Every time you are hitting the dopamine centers in your brain, you are degenerating those neurons, your ability to release dopamine is inhibiting your ability to feel pleasure, interested in things, to be even be functional in life. You will slide into a dopamine deficiency state that by itself, just from the addictant itself and the banging up of those neurons, that will leave you in a really bad depressive state.” Since many addictions involve opioids, Dr. Meehan also explained, “There’s nothing that will destroy your testosterone or your life faster than opioids. That medication has a very short window of efficacy... If you use it for more than 7-14 days, it will stop working and start hurting.” We also discussed the state of our environment and all the toxic substances we come in contact with which contribute to low-T, Dr. Meehan agreed, pointed out “One thing isn’t going to kill us, but we’re being bombarded by thousands of those things every day. That in itself is destroying fertility, testosterone production and health in this country.” We finished our interview by discussing the state of media, healthcare and politics. We agree that the media is driving much of mainstream opinion on TRT/HRT by giving credence to flawed studies which have led to class-action lawsuits. In fact, Dr. Meehan believes part of this backlash may be due to the average media member suffering from low-T/high estrogen and cannot overcome their own confirmation bias and cognitive dissonance. “Its sad to see a country that is run by so many people who got there, not because of their clear thought and intellectual superiority or strength and commitment to sound ideals, but got there because they manipulated and connived and schemed.” Dr. Meehan believes that we are only a couple years away from TRT being the standard for patient care, partially because of major transformations coming to the healthcare sector in general. ”It’s a foundational issue, Jay. If you have a guy who’s at 138 testosterone...fix that problem first. Maybe at the same time get him sleeping better, get him on some targeted nutrition and supplements, and all this other stuff goes away. You don’t need Lipitor, or Prozac or Xanax, you don’t need all this other crap that just makes them sicker.” Jim Meehan, MD is an entrepreneur, accomplished leader, physician, founder and CEO at CatalystMD. Jim is a  passionate health, wellness, and fitness advocate, as well as a lifelong martial artIst, NAGA World Jiu-Jitsu Champion, and inducted member of the Martial Arts Masters Hall of Fame. Click here to learn more about Dr. Meehan and Catalyst MD. Click here to get Your FREE Copy of the Amazon Bestseller: The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual. The book has helped thousands of men around the world reclaim their health and vitality by presenting practical information about the best ways to maximize TRT.

How do you limit simple carb consumption, fight metabolic disease and slow (or even reverse) the aging process? Dr. Brett Osborn, neurosurgeon and author of Get Serious, shares some simple rules for intermittent fasting, why insulin sensitivity is the key to fat loss, how different body types can adapt their diets to benefit from ketosis, and why YOU are ultimately in control of you body, regardless of genetics.   First we cover how fat loss is determined by your insulin sensitivity and why most of us are becoming insulin-resistant. Dr. Osborn calls it the Boy Who Cried Wolf Syndrome. “If you show your cells lots and lots of simple carbohydrates, your body will become less and less sensitive to the insulin secreted by the pancreas in response to the sugar load...Glucose that is consumed in your diets will literally wreak havoc in your cardiovascular system...So you want to make sure your cells are really, really sensitive to the effects of insulin by not showing them high levels of insulin.” We also covered the role of muscle mass and body types in relation to insulin and body fat. “Equally important to our insulin-sensitivity is getting a good amount of muscle mass on your body,” Dr. Osborn explained, “that’s how you control your blood glucose...that’s going to improve your insulin-sensitivity.” When it comes to body types, it’s not an even playing field, but you’re not genetically doomed to a certain body type. “You have to be aware of it,” Dr. Osborn pointed out, “but you can move your body any way with an awareness of your carbohydrate sensitivity or your insulin-sensitivity, etc, just by switching your carbohydrates one way or another.” Then we moved on to ketogenic diets and intermittent fasting, and Dr. Osborn shared his perspective on ketogenic supplements, which he believes overstates their effectiveness. However, he puts his brain tumor patients on ketogenic diets because cancer cells love sugar, and low-carb diets deprive cancer cells of the substrate needed for cancer-cell growth. He also puts patients on Kegenix as a supplement for its “anti-cancer properties” and to help the body use something other than simple carbs as fuel. Dr. Osborn emphasized, “The genesis of all these diseases - cancer, diabetes, heart attack, stroke, Alzheimer’s disease - they are metabolic diseases due to overconsumption of simple carbohydrates. So if you can use something else as an energy source...use it.” Regarding ketosis, Dr. Osborn advises his patients to follow a simple rule, No eating after 7pm. That gives them a simple, easy to follow protocol that results in 12-hr bursts of intermittent fasting (7pm-7am) where they are starting to aggressively burn fat toward the end of that period. “The beautiful thing about being in ketosis...ketones, at the level of the brain, suppress your appetite.” Dr. Osborn recommends that if you’re struggling with intermittent fasting, take some ketones and zero-carb protein to hold you over. But what about building muscle on a ketogenic diet? “There’s only one sport that you need to have glucose in your body in order to perform well...Bodybuilding.” Dr Osborn explained, “That will never work on a ketogenic diet, but you know what? So what. It’s not about bodybuilding, it’s about health.” Bottom line - Some form of carb-cycling or intermittent fasting is the absolute be-all end-all of modulating body weight, losing body weight and at the same time maintaining performance. We finished by covering how Dr. Osborn’s practice is evolving, the potential of a follow up to his book Get Serious, and how he’s moving toward the goal of multiple locations and expanding his reach nationwide. Ultimately, you are not destined to be obese or sick because of your genetics. You - the individual - are in control of your body. Experiment with intermittent fasting and limit simple carbs to improve your body’s insulin-sensitivity and fight metabolic disease. Dr. Brett Osborn is a Board-Certified Neurosurgeon with a secondary certification in Anti-aging and Regenerative Medicine, practicing in West Palm Beach, FL. Dr. Osborn is also the author of Get Serious, a science-based guide to health and longevity. Learn more at https://www.drbrettosborn.com/. Click here to get Your FREE Copy of the Amazon Bestseller: The Definitive Testosterone Replacement Therapy MANual. The book has helped thousands of men around the world reclaim their health and vitality by presenting practical information about the best ways to maximize TRT.

Jay Campbell interviews Markus Reinhardt about HIT Training, his new HIT Trainers Certification Program and the Real Truth on Bodybuilding as it relates to drugs, Testosterone and Performance Enhancement.

Join Authors, Bloggers and Fitness Experts Jay Campbell and Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes in discussing  Health, Fitness, Popular Culture, and the world of the Esoteric.

Jay Campbell and Alexander Juan Antonio Cortes discuss how hormones regulate the life cycles of civilization with Author Roy Barzilai. Roy's book is an absolutely fascinating expose on how much hormones have played a role in the evolution of humanity. Please purchase Roy's book to learn more: http://testosteronecivilization.com/ If you are interested in optimizing your Hormones to age gracefully within the context of health and longevity get my book: http://bit.ly/TRTOptimal

Jay Campbell author of The Definitive TRT MANual interviews Rob Archangel the Founder of Archangel Ink on how to outsource and professionalize a self published book for Amazon in both kindle and paperback format.