The Neuro Experience

The surgeon who spent 12 to14 hours a day in the operating room developed diabetes, uncontrolled high blood pressure, and an autoimmune disease that was eating away at his skull and it forced him to confront what medical school never taught him about actually staying healthy.

I sat down with Dr. Darshan Shah, board-certified surgeon, founder of Next Health (one of the largest longevity clinic networks in America), and a doctor who had to reverse his own chronic disease to understand the massive gap between Western medicine and the science of health. We explore why surgeons and physicians become some of the sickest people in healthcare, how functional medicine differs from what you learn in medical school, why biomarker testing matters more than your doctor's "you're fine" assessment, and what root cause medicine actually looks like in practice. Dr. Shah also breaks down the AI revolution happening in cardiovascular imaging with Cleerly scans, how his new AI health dashboard reads your bloodwork and medical records to give you proactive guidance, why Yamanaka factors could regenerate damaged nerves in the brain, and what the future of personalized, preventive medicine looks like when you combine AI with real biological data.

Reduce your risk of Alzheimer's with my science-backed protocol for women 30+:

https://go.neuroathletics.com.au/youtube-sales-page

Subscribe to The Neuro Experience for evidence-based conversations at the intersection of brain science, longevity, and performance.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED

00:00 Intro: The surgeon who developed the diseases he was treating

01:17 From trauma surgeon to longevity doctor: Dr. Shah's journey

04:18 Autoimmune disease, diabetes, and high blood pressure in a surgeon

10:30 Western medicine vs. the science of health

18:45 Why doctors don't learn prevention in medical school

35:20 Next Health clinics and democratizing longevity medicine

52:40 Biomarker testing and why "your labs are normal" is dangerous

01:03:52 AI health dashboard: uploading bloodwork and getting proactive guidance

01:06:45 Cleerly scans and reversing cardiovascular disease with AI imaging

01:10:08 Yamanaka factors, nerve regeneration, and the future of brain health

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Thank you to our sponsors

Function Health: https://www.functionhealth.com/louisanicola

Timeline Mitopure: http://timeline.com/NEURO

Ka'Chava: https://kachava.com and use code NEURO for 15% off your first order

Wayfair: https://www.wayfair.com/

Fenix: https://www.fenixhealthscience.com/

Arey: https://arey.com/ and use code NEURO

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I’m Louisa Nicola - clinical neurophysiologist - Alzheimer’s prevention specialist - founder of Neuro Athletics.

My mission is to translate cutting-edge neuroscience into actionable strategies for cognitive longevity, peak performance, and brain disease prevention.

If you're committed to optimizing your brain- reducing Alzheimer’s risk - and staying mentally sharp for life, you’re in the right place.

Stay sharp. Stay informed. Join thousands who subscribe to the Neuro Athletics Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3ewI5P0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisanicola_/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/louisanicola_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Most people fear cancer, but they're never given a clear explanation of what it actually is, how it progresses, or why metastasis, not the initial tumor, is what kills 90% of people with solid tumors. And here's what almost no one talks about…30 minutes of exercise per day can down-regulate 13 types of cancers.

I break down the biology of cancer and metastasis in plain language, then walk you through the evidence linking exercise to cancer outcomes across prevention, treatment, and survivorship. I explain how cancer cells have to physically enter circulation and survive a hostile journey to metastasize, and here's the part that changed how I think about high-intensity exercise: as shear stress increases during vigorous exercise (zone 5, 90%+ max heart rate), survival of circulating tumor cells decreases. I also cover immune surveillance, metabolic signaling, and why this is deeply personal for me.

Reduce your risk of Alzheimer's with my science-backed protocol for women 30+:

https://go.neuroathletics.com.au/youtube-sales-page

Subscribe to The Neuro Experience for evidence-based conversations at the intersection of brain science, longevity, and performance.

Topics Discussed

00:00 Intro: Why Cancer Is What Scares Me Most

01:37 Why We're Having This Conversation

03:33 What This Episode Covers: The Three-Part Framework

06:21 What Cancer Actually Is: When Cells Break the Rules

07:25 Metastasis: The Part of the Story No One Explains

27:57 Shear Stress and Circulating Tumor Cells: The Zone 5 Effect

30:16 Immune Surveillance: How Exercise Mobilizes Killer Cells

30:51 Metabolic Signaling: Insulin, IGF-1, and Inflammation

32:16 Limitations: What the Evidence Can and Can't Tell Us

34:37 Practical Framework: Prevention, Treatment, and Survivorship

36:04 Closing: Exercise as Repeated Physiological Stress

Thank you to our sponsors

Ketone-IQ: https://ketone.com/NEURO

IQ BARS: Text NEURO to 64000 to get 20% off all IQBAR products

Cure Hydration: http://curehydration.com/NEURO

Cellure: https://cellure.co/ and use code NEURO

Arrey: https://arey.com/ and use code NEURO

_______

I’m Louisa Nicola - clinical neurophysiologist - Alzheimer’s prevention specialist - founder of Neuro Athletics.

My mission is to translate cutting-edge neuroscience into actionable strategies for cognitive longevity, peak performance, and brain disease prevention.

If you're committed to optimizing your brain- reducing Alzheimer’s risk - and staying mentally sharp for life, you’re in the right place.

Stay sharp. Stay informed. Join thousands who subscribe to the Neuro Athletics Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3ewI5P0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisanicola_/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/louisanicola_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

The peptide industry just hit $328 million in imports from China in nine months, and the fastest-growing buyers aren't bodybuilders. They're women in their 30s, 40s, and 50s who were told their labs look "fine" when they know something is deeply wrong.In this episode, I break down why peptides like BPC-157 and TB-500 are being aggressively marketed to women in perimenopause, why there isn't a single randomized controlled trial proving they're safe or effective in humans, and what the actual evidence says about brain fog, muscle loss, joint pain, and metabolic decline.

I explore why the "your bloods are normal" dismissal has destroyed women's health, how hormone replacement therapy actually protects your brain when timed correctly, why GLP-1s work when peptides don't, and what protein, sleep, and resistance training do that no research chemical can replicate, because the foundations of brain health will never trend on TikTok, but they're the only things backed by decades of rigorous science.

*Reduce your risk of Alzheimer's with my science-backed protocol for women 30+: *

https://go.neuroathletics.com.au/youtube-sales-page

Subscribe to The Neuro Experience for evidence-based conversations at the intersection of brain science, longevity, and performance.

*TOPICS DISCUSSED*

00:00 Intro: Why women are the fastest-growing peptide buyers

07:01 Perimenopause reality: why "your labs look fine" is destroying women's health

15:20 What peptides actually are and the missing human evidence

31:00 Quality control disasters and documented side effects

39:50 What actually works: resistance training, protein, and muscle preservation

44:30 Hormone replacement therapy and brain protection

51:14 GLP-1 receptor agonists: evidence-based use vs. gray market risks

*Thank you to our sponsors*

Caraway: https://carawayhome.com/neuro10

Timeline Mitopure: http://timeline.com/NEURO

Function Health: https://www.functionhealth.com/tcm/louisanicola

_______

I’m Louisa Nicola - clinical neurophysiologist - Alzheimer’s prevention specialist - founder of Neuro Athletics.

My mission is to translate cutting-edge neuroscience into actionable strategies for cognitive longevity, peak performance, and brain disease prevention.

If you're committed to optimizing your brain- reducing Alzheimer’s risk - and staying mentally sharp for life, you’re in the right place.

Stay sharp. Stay informed. Join thousands who subscribe to the Neuro Athletics Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3ewI5P0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisanicola_/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/louisanicola_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

It’s one of the most uncomfortable truths in modern medicine: women’s hearts have been misunderstood, under-researched, and misdiagnosed for decades.

I sat down with Dr Jayne Morgan, cardiologist, heart health expert, and one of the leading voices calling out gender bias in cardiovascular medicine, to uncover why women’s heart attacks are still being missed - and what every woman needs to know to protect her brain and heart long before symptoms appear.

We explore why women experience heart disease differently than men, how inflammation quietly damages blood vessels, the hidden heart attack signs doctors overlook, and why mammograms, pregnancy history, and menopause all hold critical cardiovascular clues. Dr Morgan explains why “gender-neutral” research has harmed women, how common medications can affect women differently, and why prevention needs to start earlier, not after the first cardiac event.

Reduce your risk of Alzheimer’s with my science-backed protocol for women 30+:

https://go.neuroathletics.com.au/youtube-sales-page

Subscribe to The Neuro Experience for evidence-based conversations at the intersection of brain science, longevity, and performance.

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TOPICS DISCUSSED

00:00 Intro: Why women’s heart disease is still misunderstood

02:18 How gender bias shaped modern cardiology

05:04 Why women’s heart attacks look different than men’s

08:12 The dangerous myth of “gender-neutral” medicine

11:30 Inflammation, blood vessels, and silent cardiovascular damage

15:02 Hidden heart attack signs on mammograms

18:45 Pregnancy history and long-term heart risk

22:10 Menopause, estrogen loss, and cardiovascular decline

26:40 Why standard heart medications can harm women

30:05 Beta blockers, blood pressure, and female physiology

33:50 The heart-brain connection and dementia risk

38:20 Viruses, shingles, and cardiovascular inflammation

42:05 Why women are dismissed in clinical settings

46:10 Prevention vs reaction in modern healthcare

49:30 What women should demand from their doctors

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A huge thank you to my sponsors for supporting this episode. Check them out and enjoy exclusive discounts:

IQBAR- Fuel your brain and body with IQBAR’s protein bars, hydration mixes, and mushroom coffees.

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Get 20% off your first order at curehydration.com/NEURO with code NEURO.

Jones Road Beauty- Effortless, skin-first makeup created by Bobbi Brown. Use code NEURO at jonesroadbeauty.com to get a free Cool Gloss with your first purchase.

RHO Nutrition- Science-backed supplements designed to support cognitive performance and metabolic health. Visit rhonutrition.com and use code NEURO for exclusive savings.

______

I’m Louisa Nicola - clinical neurophysiologist - Alzheimer’s prevention specialist - founder of Neuro Athletics.

My mission is to translate cutting-edge neuroscience into actionable strategies for cognitive longevity, peak performance, and brain disease prevention.

If you're committed to optimizing your brain - reducing Alzheimer’s risk - and staying mentally sharp for life, you’re in the right place.

Stay sharp. Stay informed. Join thousands who subscribe to the Neuro Athletics Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3ewI5P0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisanicola_/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/louisanicola_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

I sat down with Dr. Kelly Casperson, urologist, women’s health advocate, and a leading voice fighting for equality in healthcare, to explore what’s really happening to women’s bodies and brains during perimenopause and menopause.

We discuss why UTIs spike after menopause, how vaginal estrogen actually works (and why the FDA finally removed the black box warning), the truth about HRT and dementia prevention, and why estrogen receptors in your brain matter more than you think.

We also unpack why blood work interpretation matters more than ever, how compounding pharmacies work, the shingles vaccine and dementia connection, and why women need to stop waiting for permission to take control of their health.

Reduce your risk of Alzheimer's with my science-backed protocol for women 30+: https://go.neuroathletics.com.au/youtube-sales-page

Subscribe to The Neuro Experience for evidence-based conversations at the intersection of brain science, longevity, and performance.

_______

TOPICS DISCUSSED

00:00 Intro: Why women’s hormone health is misunderstood

02:10 Who Dr. Kelly Casperson is and why women’s sexual health became her focus

05:10 Hormone Replacement Therapy explained (estrogen, progesterone, testosterone)

08:30 Vaginal estrogen, UTIs, and restoring tissue health

12:40 Vaginal estrogen vs systemic estrogen and the FDA warning myth

15:20 Estrogen receptors, skin aging, and visible signs of hormonal decline

18:30 Estrogen, the brain, and Alzheimer’s risk in women

22:10 Why hormone research is conflicting and often fails women

26:00 Sleep, hot flashes, inflammation, and brain health

30:00 Testosterone in women: beyond libido and muscle

33:40 Compounding pharmacies and personalized medicine

38:00 Inflammation, viruses, vaccines, and dementia risk

43:00 The breakdown of modern healthcare and why women feel dismissed

47:30 Blood testing, data ownership, and the future of women’s health

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A huge thank you to my sponsors for supporting this episode. Check them out and enjoy exclusive discounts:

Timeline Mitopure Gummies: Don't let another year go by feeling less than your best. Grab 35% off your one month subscription of Mitopure Gummies at Timeline.com/neuro35. That's Timeline.com/neuro35 while the offer lasts.

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Ka'Chava: Rewild your nutrition at kachava.com and use code NEURO. New customers get twenty dollars off an order of two bags or more!

Wayfair: Get organized, refreshed, and back on track this new year for WAY less. Head to Wayfair.com right now to shop all things home. Every style. Every home.

_______

I’m Louisa Nicola - clinical neurophysiologist - Alzheimer’s prevention specialist - founder of Neuro Athletics.

My mission is to translate cutting-edge neuroscience into actionable strategies for cognitive longevity, peak performance, and brain disease prevention.

If you're committed to optimizing your brain - reducing Alzheimer’s risk - and staying mentally sharp for life, you’re in the right place.

Stay sharp. Stay informed. Join thousands who subscribe to the Neuro Athletics Newsletter → https://bit.ly/3ewI5P0

Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/louisanicola_/

Twitter : https://twitter.com/louisanicola_
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices