Gordon Medical Forum

A concussion or brain injury that happened years ago may still be driving chronic illness today, and most patients have never been told. In this episode, Dr. Eric Gordon sits down with board-certified neurosurgeon Dr. Chad Prusmack to explore how unresolved brain trauma, vestibular dysfunction, and dysautonomia underpin some of the most complex and treatment-resistant cases in chronic illness. 

Drawing on his experience with NFL athletes, spine surgery patients, and his own journey through tick-borne disease, Dr. Prusmack brings a uniquely cross-disciplinary lens to why some people never fully recover from an injury and what can actually be done about it.

The conversation moves from how a misaligned neck disrupts the entire autonomic nervous system to the role of peptides in restoring mitochondrial function and endocrine health once the foundation is stable, and how the hardware and the software must be addressed together and in the right order.

Episode Highlights:
Why loss of cervical lordosis on a normal-looking MRI is a key sign of vestibulocervical dysregulation that almost everyone is told to ignore
How unresolved vestibular dysfunction forces the brain to remap itself around a slower visual system, creating brain fog, anxiety, and dysautonomia
Why dysautonomia must be treated before any meaningful rehab or recovery can take place
The peptides Dr. Prusmack uses for mitochondrial support: subcutaneous NAD, MOT-C, and SS-31 and when to introduce them
Three exercise strategies for patients who can barely move: blood flow restriction training, heart rate zone feedback training, and isometric training

Listen in to learn more: 
0:00:00 Brain Trauma as a Driver of Chronic Illness
0:02:30 From Neurosurgeon to Complex Chronic Brain Care
0:05:45 Personal Journey: Misdiagnosis, CVID, and Lyme Disease
0:10:20 Hardware vs. Software: Injury Meets Environment
0:14:40 Dysautonomia as an Underdiagnosed, Treatable Pattern
0:19:10 Neck, Vestibular System, and Spatial Orientation
0:24:00 Structural Clues: Loss of Cervical Lordosis
0:27:30 Chronic Symptoms, Whiplash, and Missed Mechanisms
0:32:00 Dysautonomia, POTS, and Orthostatic Testing Framework
0:37:30 Multisystem Evaluation: Beyond “It’s All Infection”
0:42:00 Peptides for Pituitary and Hormone Axis Repair
0:46:00 Mitochondrial Peptides: NAD, MOTS-c, and SS-31
0:51:00 Timing Peptides: Don’t Fuel the Fire Too Early
0:55:00 Overlap of Longevity, Performance, and Chronic Illness Care
0:59:00 Exercise for the “Can’t Exercise” Patient
1:03:00 Blood Flow Restriction, HR-Zone Training, and Isometrics
1:07:00 Reframing Goals: Daily Function Over Marathons

About Chad Prusmack, MD
Dr. Chad Prusmack is a board-certified neurosurgeon and the only neurosurgeon in the United States who holds a functional medicine certification through IFM. He is the founder of Resilience Code, a personalized health and performance practice focused on chronic illness, complex brain injury, and peak performance. He serves as the primary neurosurgical consultant for the United States Olympic Committee, with a specialty in neurodegenerative disease, concussion, and post-concussive syndrome.

Learn more about Dr. Prusmack at https://www.myresiliencecode.com/

LINKS 
Gordon Medical Associates 
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gordonmedical.com/ 
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gordonmedical/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GordonMedicalAssociates 
Gordon Medical Forum
Website: https://gordonmedicalforum.com/
Plasmapheresis at Gordon Medical
Website: https://plasmapheresiswest.com/

💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)
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Computerized Regulation Thermography, or CRT, gives you something far more valuable: a window into how the nervous system is actually regulating the body, organ by organ, system by system, often years before anything shows up in standard blood work. 
In this episode, Eric Gordon, MD, sits down with Sharon Stills, ND, to explore this European-rooted diagnostic tool and why it may be one of the most underutilized maps available to practitioners working with complex chronic illness.

From lymphatic congestion to dental focal infections to early signs of immune dysregulation, CRT surfaces patterns that conventional medicine simply isn't looking for. Dr. Stills explains how the test works, what it reveals, and how it guides treatment, not as a replacement for other diagnostics, but as the eagle's eye view that tells you where to look first.

Episode Highlights:
What CRT is actually measuring, the visceral cutaneous reflex arc, and how the nervous system regulates every organ
Why the lymphatic system shows up congested in virtually every chronic illness patient and what to do about it
How homotoxicology provides a framework for understanding where a patient is in their disease progression
The surprising role of dental health, root canals, cavitations, and meridian connections in chronic illness
Why CRT can detect dysfunction five to ten years before it appears in standard diagnostics

Listen in to learn more: 
[0:00:01] Mapping the Body’s Regulation, Not Just Snapshots
[0:01:04] How European Biological Medicine Shaped CRT
[0:03:26] Why CRT Beats Standard Bloodwork for Chronic Illness
[0:04:31] The Overlooked Lymph System in Every Sick Patient
[0:06:28] Inside a CRT Session: 120 Points and a Cold-Room Stress Test
[0:07:48] Reading the Patterns: Blocked, Paradoxical, Hyporegulated
[0:09:04] Nervous System Overdrive and the Stress-Handling Gap
[0:11:48] Early-Warning Signals: Micro-Changes in Blood Flow
[0:13:22] Homotoxicology: From Suppressed Symptoms to Disease
[0:16:10] Why Fever, Sweat, and “Getting Sick” Signal Real Health
[0:19:20] CRT as a Naturopathic Treasure Map for Root Causes
[0:20:40] Teeth, Meridians, and Hidden Focal Infections
[0:24:44] Cavitations, Toxic Load, and Why Dental Work Comes First
[0:29:44] Beyond the Physical: Energetic Imaging and Colorpuncture
[0:31:30] Building a High-Tech Biological Medicine Clinic
[0:33:37] Bringing Swiss-Level Detox Tech to the U.S.
[0:35:42] Toxin Burden, Individual Tolerance, and Lowering the Load
[0:35:55] CRT as a Bridge Between Energy, Nerves, and Biology

About Sharon Stills, ND
Dr. Sharon Stills is a Naturopathic Medical Doctor providing comprehensive health care to patients worldwide, blending conventional medical training with cutting-edge diagnostics and natural healing. 

A graduate of the Southwest College of Naturopathic Medicine, she specializes in European Biological Medicine, having trained extensively with Dr. Thomas Rau of Switzerland's Paracelsus Clinic and later lectured alongside him at the Paracelsus Academy. She's also well-versed in pro-aging therapies and Bio-identical Hormone Replacement, and is widely recognized for her work with cancer patients, having been featured in numerous Oncology Summits. 

Learn more about Dr. Stills and her work at www.drstills.com

Gordon Medical Associates 
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gordonmedical.com/ 
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gordonmedical/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GordonMedicalAssociates 
Gordon Medical Forum
Website: https://gordonmedicalforum.com/
Plasmapheresis at Gordon Medical
Website: https://plasmapheresiswest.com/

💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)
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** This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.

Wildfire smoke is no longer just a problem for those living near a fire. It is now the single largest source of air pollution on the planet, surpassing industrial activity, and its ultrafine particles are small enough to bypass the lungs entirely and travel directly to the brain, heart, liver, and placenta. 
Dr. Nafysa Parpia sits down with Dr. Lyn Patrick, a pioneer in environmental medicine, to make the case that wildfire smoke is a silent and largely underestimated driver of chronic illness, one that every patient and practitioner needs to understand.
Episode Highlights:
Why ultrafine particles smaller than 1 micron bypass the lungs and have been found in infant brains, carotid artery plaque, and placental tissue
The NEJM study linking microplastics in carotid arteries to a 4x higher risk of stroke, heart attack, or death within three years
How mercury from Chinese coal plants crosses the Pacific, gets sequestered in conifer needles, and becomes airborne when forests burn
Why glutathione, vitamin C, and cysteine in the lung lining fluid are your first line of defense,  and how to replenish them before and after exposure
How wildfire smoke raises total body burden and why detoxification is non-negotiable for patients with chronic illness

Listen in to learn more :
 
[0:00:34] Framing the Wildfire Smoke Health Crisis
[0:01:11] Why Wildfire Smoke Outpaces Industrial Pollution
[0:03:30] Ultrafine Particles and Whole-Body Exposure
[0:06:20] Global Mercury Transport from Coal to Wildfires
[0:08:10] Particulates, Metals, and Neurodegeneration
[0:09:55] Wildfire Smoke and the Dementia Surge
[0:10:27] A “Second Pandemic” for Complex Chronic Illness
[0:11:03] Microplastics, Immune Activation, and Vascular Risk
[0:13:19] Spike Protein Plus Microplastics as a Vascular Threat
[0:14:19] Radical Plastic Avoidance and Consumer Education
[0:16:54] Before–During–After Wildfire Preparedness Framework
[0:17:54] Go-Bag Essentials and High-Grade Respiratory Protection
[0:19:10] P100 vs N95 for Ultrafine Particle Defense
[0:19:54] Nebulizers and Rebuilding Lung Lining Defenses
[0:22:40] Tyvek Suits and Safe Re-Entry to Burn Sites
[0:24:29] Flame Retardants, Carcinogenic Dust, and Soil
[0:28:06] Reverse Osmosis and Charcoal as Filtration Baseline
[0:28:43] Whole-House vs Point-of-Use Water Filtration Economics
[0:29:40] Budget Filters, Cartridge Changes, and Microplastics Issues
[0:33:31] Why Shower Water Filtration Is Non-Negotiable
[0:36:20] Effective House Cleaning Strategies After Smoke Events
[0:37:10] Mold Remediation and “Mold Controlled” Protocols
[0:38:04] Choosing Air Purifiers That Capture Ultrafine Particles
[0:41:40] Post-Exposure Antioxidant and Nebulized Detox Strategies
[0:45:04] IV Protocols for Nutrient Repletion and Cell Membrane Repair

About Lyn Patrick, ND
Dr. Lyn Patrick is the Medical Director of EMEI Global, an online post-graduate program for healthcare providers in environmental medicine. She also has her doctorate in naturopathic medicine from Bastyr University and has been in private practice as a licensed naturopathic physician for the last 30 years. She is a published author of numerous articles in peer-reviewed medical journals. She speaks internationally on the integrative medical treatment of chronic hepatitis C, environmental medicine, liver disease, and endocrine disruption. 

Learn more about EMEI Global: https://emeiglobal.com/

Gordon Medical Associates 
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gordonmedical.com/ 
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gordonmedical/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GordonMedicalAssociates 

Gordon Medical Forum
Website: https://gordonmedicalforum.com/

Plasmapheresis at Gordon Medical
Website: https://plasmapheresiswest.com/
💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)
Discovery Call Ad -- Updated 2026

Interested in Becoming A Patient?

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For patients navigating chronic illness, the search for the one thing, “the diagnosis, the treatment, the answer,” can itself become part of the obstacle to healing. 
Dr. Eric Gordon sits down with Fleet Maull, PhD, neuroscience-informed meditation expert, to make the case that healing at this level requires something medicine rarely prescribes: learning to be present with the body rather than retreating from it. This isn't an episode about meditation as a wellness practice. It's about why the nervous system's own capacity for reorganization may be one of the most underutilized tools in complex chronic illness.
Episode Highlights:
Why the brain's tendency to replace direct experience with concept is a key obstacle to healing and how neurosomatic mindfulness works around it
The two neural networks at the heart of meditation practice and why shifting between them quiets the mind more effectively than willpower alone
How chronic pain and illness create a feedback loop of avoidance that further disrupts the body's internal communication
Listen in to learn more :

[0:01:38] From Conceptual Body to Direct Body Experience
[0:05:50] Making Meditation Easier by Starting with the Body
[0:09:36] Switching from Default Mode to Task-Positive Focus
[0:11:06] Micro-Sensations: Turning Breath into a Sensory Universe
[0:18:07] Pendulation: Safely Reclaiming the Body in Chronic Pain
[0:22:57] Flow States as the Nervous System’s Natural Healer
[0:31:40] Breathwork as a Doorway to Safety and Regulation
[0:38:14] Living Gently in a Hyper-Sensitive Modern World
[0:39:09] Radical Responsibility: Owning Your Healing Journey

About Fleet Maull, PhD
Fleet Maull, PhD is a meditation teacher, mindset coach, and social entrepreneur who works at the intersection of personal transformation and neuroscience. He developed Neurosomatic Mindfulness, a deeply embodied, neuroscience and trauma-informed approach to meditation that facilitates self-healing, self-regulation, and awakening. He is the founder of Heart Mind Institute, and the author of Radical Responsibility: How to Move Beyond Blame, Live Your Highest Purpose and Become an Unstoppable Force for Good.

Learn more https://www.heartmind.co/

Resources 
Gordon Medical Associates 
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gordonmedical.com/ 
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gordonmedical/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GordonMedicalAssociates 

Gordon Medical Forum
Website: https://gordonmedicalforum.com/

Plasmapheresis at Gordon Medical
Website: https://plasmapheresiswest.com/

💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)
Discovery Call Ad -- Updated 2026

Interested in Becoming A Patient?

Find out if working with Gordon Medical is right for you. Set up a complimentary discovery call with our new patient coordinator at www.gordonmedical.com.

** This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.

Structural instability in the upper cervical spine is showing up more frequently in patients with complex chronic illness, yet most practitioners miss the connection between craniocervical issues and symptoms like dysautonomia, MCAS, and debilitating headaches.
Dr. Nafysa Parpia sits down with Dr. Andrew Maxwell, the pediatric cardiologist who identified Spiky-Leaky Syndrome, in which intracranial pressure alternates daily with CSF leaks, driven by breathing patterns and structural compression.
Dr. Maxwell explains the diagnostic signs and why this may be the missing link in treating tick-borne disease, Long COVID, ME/CFS, and fibromyalgia.
Episode Highlights:
Spiky-Leaky Syndrome involves cyclical intracranial pressure surges and CSF leaks, presenting with alternating headaches, dysautonomia, and cranial nerve dysfunction
Cranial nerves IX–XII often compress near C1, contributing to vagal dysregulation, tinnitus, dysphagia, and autonomic instability
Mast cell activation and connective tissue laxity compromise craniocervical stability, worsening POTS and autonomic dysfunction
Diagnosis combines CO2 monitoring, cone beam CT imaging, and venogram assessment of jugular compression
Listen in to learn more :
 
[0:00:00] Spiky Leaky Syndrome as a Missing Link in Complex Illness
[0:01:46] Daily High-Pressure/Low-Pressure CSF Cycle Explained
[0:03:55] Cranial Nerve Injury Pentad and Symptom Constellation
[0:07:24] Pseudo-Eagle Syndrome and Stylohyoid Ligament Calcification
[0:09:24] Environmental Triggers, Mast Cells, and Focal Hypermobility
[0:12:01] Rethinking MCAS, Dysautonomia, and Hypermobility Diagnosis
[0:15:21] From Pediatric Cardiology to Systems View of POTS and CCI
[0:19:02] POTS as a Physiologic State and Blood Pooling Mechanism
[0:22:00] Lifestyle, Exercise, Compression, and the “Big Five” POTS Meds
[0:24:47] Clinical Workup and Testing Strategy for Spiky Leaky
[0:27:24] Internal Jugular Compression and CSF Flow Pathways
[0:30:03] Individualized Treatment: Diamox, Airway, and CCI-Focused Rehab

About Andrew Maxwell, MD
Dr. Andrew Maxwell is a Board Certified Pediatric Cardiologist specializing in dysautonomia, hypermobility syndromes, and mast cell activation syndrome. His research focuses on endothelial control of vasomotor tone, nitric oxide, and the relationship between environmental toxins and autonomic dysfunction. He identified Spiky-Leaky Syndrome and has published numerous articles and book chapters on complex chronic illness. 

Learn more about Dr. Maxwell https://www.heartofthevalley.us/

RESOURCES 
Gordon Medical Associates 
Website: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://gordonmedical.com/ 
Instagram: ⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠⁠https://www.instagram.com/gordonmedical/
YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/@GordonMedicalAssociates

Gordon Medical Forum
Website: https://gordonmedicalforum.com/
Plasmapheresis at Gordon Medical
Website: https://plasmapheresiswest.com/

💬 Text us your feedback and future show ideas! (Please note we can't respond to texts - email questions to info@gordonmedical.com)
Discovery Call Ad -- Updated 2026

Interested in Becoming A Patient?

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** This information is not to be taken as medical advice. Always consult your practitioner before making any changes to your treatment.