Strong on Health

02/28/2026

For more than 10 years, I’ve shared this short video with clients and students because it does something remarkable in just a few minutes…

It helps people truly appreciate sleep.

In the United States, about 30% of adults and 66% of adolescents are regularly sleep-deprived — and the consequences go far beyond feeling tired. Sleep loss affects memory, mood, learning, inflammation, cardiovascular health, and even long-term brain function. ()

This beautifully animated TED-Ed lesson by neuroscientist Claudia Aguirre explains what actually happens in your brain and body when you skip sleep — and why sleep is not a luxury… it’s biology.

🎥 Watch here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dqONk48l5vY

As I prepare to teach Module 2 of my Sleep Course with the Gaeta Institute, I’m reminded how transformational this knowledge can be when people finally understand why sleep matters.

And honestly… I’m even more excited about what’s coming next.

Our upcoming Crazy Wellness Sleep Retreat is shaping up to be WAY better than I originally imagined — deeper learning, real restoration, community, and practical tools people can actually bring home and live.

If better sleep (and better health) has been calling your name lately… this might be your moment.

🌙 Learn more about the retreat:
https://www.crazywellnessretreat.com/

Because thriving starts the night before.

Immersion weekend wellness retreats led by holistic health guides in beautiful Mineral Wells, TX

02/26/2026

This week during a mentorship call, a Nurse Practitioner shared something many clinicians are starting to experience:

👉 Patients pushing back on clinical recommendations because “ChatGPT said something different.”

And honestly — this moment in healthcare was inevitable.

Patients today are more informed, more curious, and more engaged in their health than ever before. In many ways, that’s a huge win. Self-advocacy, education, and participation in care are things we’ve wanted for years.

But it’s also creating a new challenge for practitioners:
How do we welcome informed patients without feeling like we’re competing with AI?

Here’s the mindset shift I believe will help prevent frustration — and even burnout:

ChatGPT is not your competition.
It’s becoming part of the healthcare conversation.

AI tools can provide education, help patients understand terminology, and even help them generate better questions for appointments. What they cannot do is replace clinical judgment, medical training, or individualized care.

Recently, I asked ChatGPT how clinicians might communicate this to patients in a respectful and collaborative way, and I thought the response was worth sharing with fellow practitioners:

🗣️ “I think it’s great that you’re researching your health and asking questions — tools like ChatGPT can be helpful for learning general information. Just keep in mind that it isn’t a medical provider and doesn’t know your full medical history, labs, or personal risk factors. I recommend using it as a starting point for education, while medical decisions should be guided by your healthcare team who understands your specific situation.”
— ChatGPT

Another version I loved:

🗣️ “Think of ChatGPT as an educational resource. Your healthcare team helps interpret and safely apply information to your unique body and medical history.”
— ChatGPT

Notice what this does:
✅ Validates the patient
✅ Reduces defensiveness
✅ Reinforces professional expertise
✅ Keeps the practitioner in partnership rather than opposition

The reality is this: patients are not going to stop using AI.

So the opportunity for us as healthcare professionals is to lead the conversation instead of resisting it.

When we position ourselves as guides who help interpret information — rather than gatekeepers of information — trust actually deepens.

To my fellow practitioners feeling this tension right now:

You are still essential.
Your training still matters.
Clinical wisdom cannot be automated.

AI may help patients ask questions…
but you help them make safe, personalized decisions.

And maybe the future of healthcare isn’t practitioner vs. technology —
but practitioner + informed patient + responsible AI working together.

Curious — are you seeing this show up in your practice yet?

02/24/2026

☀️🍄 Did you know you can increase the Vitamin D content of your food… with sunlight?

This week in the clinic, I was reviewing labs with a client who lives far up in the Northeast. Her Vitamin D level? 66 — right in the sweet spot.

She’s been taking a D3/K2 supplement, which has worked beautifully. But in my practice, we’re always asking:

How can we maintain optimal levels with more food and lifestyle — and less supplementation?

In February up north, sunlight isn’t realistic. So we talked about:

✔️ Sardines (tiny but mighty for Vitamin D)
✔️ Fatty fish
✔️ And… mushrooms

Then we talked about something I love teaching:

If you place mushrooms gill-side up in direct sunlight for 30–60 minutes before cooking them, they naturally convert ergosterol into Vitamin D2.

Yes. You can literally sun-charge your mushrooms.

And that’s just the beginning.

Mushrooms are also one of the richest sources of ergothioneine — a powerful antioxidant we cannot make ourselves, yet our bodies have special transport proteins designed to carry.

Some researchers have even nicknamed it “Vitamin L” for longevity.

This is why I ask every single client, at every single visit:
“How many days per week are you eating mushrooms?”

If your answer is zero… this is your gentle nudge. 🍄✨

I wrote a new blog post sharing:

• How to supercharge mushrooms with sunlight
• How many you’d need to reach ~600 IU
• Why they matter for long-term health
• And why they’re part of every longevity conversation in my clinic

Healing doesn’t always require more.
Sometimes it requires intention.

Read the full post here: https://www.strongonhealth.com/single-post/sun-charged-mushrooms-a-simple-powerful-tool-for-vitamin-d-longevity

There’s something deeply satisfying about helping someone realize that healing doesn’t always come from a bottle — sometimes it comes from sunlight hitting food.Today, while reviewing bloodwork with an online client in the Northeast, we celebrated something beautiful: her Vitamin D level was 6...

02/23/2026

The sun is shining.
The conversations are getting bolder.
And the momentum is building.

Episode 51 of Truth or Trend? The Holistic Breakdown is LIVE.

Because thriving isn’t about chasing every trend.
It’s about understanding how the body works — and partnering with it.

As always, our goal isn’t to dismiss innovation — it’s to empower you with context, physiology, and clarity so you can make informed decisions about your health.

Next week, we dive into one of the most overlooked conversations in women’s health — what we wear, what touches our skin for 12+ hours a day, and how awareness creates power.

Because living to 140 and beyond isn’t just about what we eat.
It’s about what we question.
What we choose.
What we’re willing to look at more closely.

Awareness + discernment.

And the next week?

We bring you something even more powerful.

A story of transformation.
A story of rebuilding.
A story of going from 14 medications… to zero.
From surviving… to thriving.

Episode 53 is about The Courage to Begin Again.

That is the throughline of this season.
Of this movement.
Of living as best you can to 140 and beyond.

No matter your diagnosis.
No matter your starting point.
No matter what you’ve been told.

You are never out of options when you are willing to begin again.

Watch Episode 51 here:
🎥 https://youtu.be/0tUtZLD16Bs

Stay with us.
The momentum is real.
And we are just getting started.

Is Urolithin A the key to mitochondrial repair… or another oversimplified wellness trend?In this episode of Truth or Trend? The Holistic Breakdown, Dr. Vrzal...

02/12/2026

We could all use more good news.

Here’s some:

A neuroscientist from the University of Chicago recently shared research showing that spending time in nature measurably improves brain function — increasing attention, improving mood, accelerating healing, and even reducing inflammation.

Participants who walked in a park improved their cognitive performance by 20% compared to those who walked in an urban setting.

Hospital patients with views of trees healed faster.
Children surrounded by greenery performed better academically.
Even adding a single tree per city block improved reported health outcomes.

Nature isn’t a luxury.

It’s neurological medicine.

And this is exactly why, at the Crazy Wellness Sleep Retreat, we spend as much time outdoors as possible.

Not as a side activity.
Not as entertainment.
But as therapy.

🌿 Stargazing under wide Texas skies
🌿 Resting in a hammock
🌿 Walking the ranch at a slower rhythm
🌿 Spending time with Flo, our miniature Highland cow
🌿 Wandering through the herb garden
🌿 Letting the nervous system exhale

When we talk about improving sleep, we often focus on supplements, routines, or discipline.

But the brain needs something more foundational:

Soft fascination.
Natural light cycles.
Open space.
Rhythmic movement.
Safety.

Nature gently restores attention and reduces the stress load that keeps so many people wired and exhausted.

If sleep has felt fragile…
If your brain feels tired but overstimulated…
If you’ve been doing everything right and still not fully recovering…

It may not be more effort you need.

It may be more sky.

📍 Crazy Wellness Spring Retreat: Ultimate Sleep
March 6–8, 2026 | Mineral Wells, TX

Join us for a weekend designed to restore your nervous system, your sleep, and your brain — the way humans were meant to heal.

Learn more here:
https://www.crazywellnessretreat.com/events/crazy-wellness-spring-retreat-ultimate-sleep-march-6-8-2026-mineral-wells-tx

Nature isn’t an amenity.

It’s a necessity.

And we would love to share it with you. 🌙🌿

Crazy Water Rest Yourself River Ranch

Registration is now open for our Crazy Wellness Spring Immersion Weekend. We will focus on ultimate SLEEP, but, as always, this retreat also includes workshops and activities centered around experiences, education, and fellowship that will revive, energize and rebalance the body and spirit.

02/11/2026

Sometimes healing happens quietly.

And then one day, you get a message that makes you stop and just sit in gratitude.

Almost a year ago, I met a young physician at a dinner following a thyroid seminar I was teaching. She had been on thyroid medication since 2017 and told me she felt miserable — like she was managing numbers but never truly feeling well.

Over the past year, we worked patiently.

Not chasing symptoms.
Not forcing outcomes.
Not looking for shortcuts.

We focused on foundations:
• Stress physiology
• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Nervous system support
• Creating the right environment for the body to regulate

Recently she shared that she has now been off her thyroid medication for several months (appropriately supervised) and feels better than she has in years.

But what moved me most was the last line of her review:

“I can’t wait to share this with my own patients… it is possible to feel great.”

That’s the ripple effect.

When a physician experiences restoration in her own body, she practices differently.

She listens differently.
She asks deeper questions.
She carries hope into the exam room.

This isn’t about rejecting medication.
It’s about remembering that the body is intelligent.
It’s about giving physiology time and context.
It’s about partnership.

Healing is rarely overnight.
It requires commitment.
It requires patience.
It requires courage.

And she brought all three.

If you’ve ever been told “this is just how it is,” I want you to hear this:

The story may not be finished.
The body often knows more than we think.
And healing is possible.

🤍

02/11/2026

Today I got off a Zoom call that reminded me why I do this work.

A young physician first came to me just over a year ago after attending a thyroid seminar I was teaching. She had been on thyroid medication since 2019.

Like many people, she assumed this was permanent.
A life sentence.
Managed — not healed.

Over the past year, we didn’t chase symptoms.
We didn’t force outcomes.

We worked patiently and comprehensively:
• Stress physiology
• Sleep
• Nutrition
• Nervous system support
• Foundational restoration

Today she shared that she has been off her thyroid medication for several months — and is feeling better than she has in years.

This is not about “getting off medication.”
This is about something far more important:

✨ Healing is possible.
✨ The body is adaptive.
✨ When given time and the right context, it can do what once seemed impossible.

Too many people are told their diagnosis is their destiny.

I don’t believe that.

I believe in physiology.
I believe in partnership.
I believe in creating the conditions where the body remembers how to regulate and restore.

Join me live as I share this story and talk about what it really takes to create an environment where healing can unfold.

If you or someone you love has been told “this is just how it is,” I want you to hear this conversation.

Your body is not broken.
It may simply be waiting for the right support.

02/10/2026

What If Sleep Matters Even More Than Nutrition?

I’ve spent my entire professional life believing nutrition was the most important health intervention.

And it is powerful.

But after years of watching people do “everything right” — eat well, supplement wisely, exercise intentionally — yet still struggle to heal…

I’ve come to believe something may matter even more:

💤 Sleep.

Not perfect sleep.
Not forced sleep.
But deep, restorative, safe sleep.

In the final post of my sleep series, I share a story that changed how I think about rest forever. A physician under intense neurological and emotional stress couldn’t access deep sleep — not because he lacked discipline, but because his nervous system was overloaded.

When his stress response was finally supported, sleep returned.

That’s why I created the Crazy Wellness Sleep Retreat with Crazy Water and The Rest Yourself River Ranch

This isn’t about hacks or rules.

It’s about creating the conditions where your body finally feels safe enough to rest — and healing can begin again.

✨ If you’re exhausted but wired
✨ If sleep feels fragile or fragmented
✨ If you’re nourishing your body but still not recovering

Please hear this:

Your body isn’t broken.
It may simply be asking for rest at a deeper level.

📍 Ultimate Sleep Retreat
March 6–8, 2026 | Mineral Wells, TX

Read the final Blog post here:

https://www.strongonhealth.com/single-post/why-sleep-eludes-us-and-how-to-find-our-way-back-part-4-of-a-4-part-series

Rest is not a luxury.
It’s the foundation.

Sleep Under Stress — When the Body Can’t Power DownWhy Supporting the Stress Response Can Unlock Deep SleepSome people don’t struggle with sleep because they lack good habits.They struggle because their bodies don’t feel safe enough to rest.A physician came to see me while navigating Parkins...

02/09/2026

We just wrapped up our weekly team meeting, and we couldn’t wait to share some incredible updates with you LIVE!

💚 Community Wellness Impact

We’re thrilled to share early results from a wellness grant from the Texas Health Community Impact Foundation, supporting blood pressure and A1C screenings in specific underserved zip codes.

After reviewing preliminary data from 1,100 participants, we’re seeing STRONG positive outcomes—including improved blood pressure in 93% of individuals. This is powerful, life-changing work, and there’s more to come soon.

😴 Sleep, Brain Health & Longevity
Yesterday was spent at the beautifuRest Yourself River Ranchch finalizing details for thCrazy Waterer - Crazy Wellness Sleep Retreat.

As sleep rapidly becomes one of the most critical pillars for protecting the brain and supporting longevity, we’ve designed an outstanding, immersive experience that we cannot wait to share with you.

🎙️ Podcast Spotlight Coming Soon
And finally—exciting news for our Truth or Trend? The Holistic Breakdown community!

My co-host, Dr. Scott Vrzal, has been invited to appear as a guest on a major podcast. Details coming soon… but this is a big one!

Join us LIVE as we celebrate progress, partnerships, and what’s ahead. This is what happens when we move from surviving to thriving—together. 💪🌿

02/09/2026

If you’ve been exhausted for a long time — and nothing seems to fully explain it — this conversation may offer a missing piece.

In today’s episode of Truth or Trend? The Holistic Breakdown, we sit down again with Dr. Gaeta to talk about something that is often missed in chronic illness: hidden infection.

Research suggests that up to 93% of people with chronic fatigue may be dealing with an underlying infection — yet many people are told it’s “just stress,” aging, or a mitochondrial issue.

In this episode, we talk about:

Why chronic fatigue is rarely simple

How subtle symptoms (yes, even things most people don’t talk about) can be important clues

Why treating infections at the wrong time can make things worse

How parasites can affect brain function

And why understanding depletion, infection, and toxicity — in the right order — matters so much

This isn’t about fear or chasing diagnoses.
It’s about listening more carefully to what the body is already communicating.

🎧 If you’re dealing with fatigue, gut issues, brain fog, autoimmune symptoms — or supporting someone who is — this episode is for you.

In this episode of Truth or Trend? The Holistic Breakdown, we welcome Dr. Gaeta back for a deeper conversation on one of the most overlooked drivers of chron...

02/06/2026

People don’t go looking for deeper answers because they’re careless.

They do it because they’ve been trying for a very long time.

Recently, I worked with a gentleman in his 70's whose life had quietly narrowed due to a health issue many live with — but few talk about openly.

He had done everything he was told.
Appointments.
Medications.
Follow-ups.

And still, nothing was changing.

What finally helped wasn’t another prescription — it was having access to more complete information and the time to truly understand it.

Using expanded labs through Function Health we were able to see patterns that had been missed and create a path forward that finally made sense to him.

I shared his story in a new blog post — to encourage anyone who feels discouraged to know:

👉 there may still be unanswered questions
👉 there may still be tools worth exploring
👉 and it’s okay to want to understand your body more deeply

If you’re part of a community that supports proactive aging, functional medicine, patient education, or integrative health — please feel free to share or tag groups that align with this message.

The more people who know there are options, the better.

✨ Knowledge becomes powerful when it’s paired with the right guidance.

You can read the full story here:

👉

A story about dignity, persistence, and the power of looking deeperA gentleman in his 70's came to see me recently, not because he wanted optimal health or longevity — but because his quality of life had quietly slipped away.He was struggling with incontinence.Not the kind people casually joke abo...

02/06/2026

Last weekend was a powerful reminder of what’s possible when people come together with a shared intention to heal. 💛

I’m feeling incredibly grateful for every doctor who showed up, shared their wisdom, and helped create a space rooted in collaboration, curiosity, and care. This seminar wasn’t just an event—it was a community experience, and that’s where real healing begins.

Thank you for trusting the process, supporting one another, and making this weekend so meaningful. I’m deeply thankful to walk this path alongside such an inspiring group of practitioners.

Here’s a small thank-you from my heart to yours. ✨
Healing is never a solo journey—it’s something we build together.

Check out this highlight reel from the weekend!

https://player.vimeo.com/video/1162402380?badge=0&autopause=0&player_id=0&app_id=58479