Dr. Jason Winkelmann

04/18/2026

https://youtu.be/EotYLssC2hA

Most people living with chronic pain have been told that diet doesn’t really matter.That’s not true.In this video, we break down exactly how sugar and carboh...

04/17/2026

Part 6: Most people with chronic pain are told: “Just switch to complex carbs—they’re healthier.”

But that’s not how your body works.

Your symptoms aren’t random.

They’re driven by underlying physiology.

Your body is managing:
• Blood sugar and energy storage
• Metabolic demand vs activity
• Inflammatory signaling

And carbohydrates directly impact all of them.

Here’s what’s happening:
All carbohydrates—simple or complex—ultimately get converted into glucose in the body.

Simple carbs convert quickly. Complex carbs are stored as glycogen first. But when glycogen isn’t used (low activity), it leads to:
• Conversion back into glucose
• Increased overall glucose load in the bloodstream

That matters because:
→ Blood sugar remains elevated longer
→ Inflammatory pathways stay active
→ Pain sensitivity continues to increase

At the same time, this also affects:
• Insulin response and resistance
• Tissue repair and recovery
• Nervous system sensitivity

So your body gets stuck in a cycle of:
Low activity → glycogen buildup → glucose conversion → inflammation → more pain

This is why chronic pain isn’t just about “good vs bad carbs.” It’s about how your body uses—or doesn’t use—them. And when you understand the physiology, your symptoms start to make sense.

04/16/2026

Part 5: Most people with chronic pain are told: “Sugar only affects your weight or energy.”

But that’s not how your body works.

Your symptoms aren’t random.

They’re driven by underlying physiology.

Your body is managing:
• Blood flow and oxygen delivery
• Stress hormone regulation
• Gut and immune balance

And sugar directly impacts all of them.

Here’s what’s happening:
When sugar intake stays high → it contributes to vascular damage and metabolic stress.

Over time, this leads to:
• Increased blood pressure and arterial plaque
• Reduced blood flow to muscles, joints, and nerves

That matters because:
→ Tissues receive less oxygen and nutrients
→ Healing slows down significantly
→ Pain becomes more persistent

At the same time, this also affects:
• Cortisol regulation (stress response)
• Gut microbiome balance (dysbiosis)
• Autoimmune and inflammatory activity

So your body gets stuck in a cycle of:
High sugar intake → poor circulation + stress → impaired healing → more pain

This is why chronic pain isn’t just about the area that hurts. It’s about whether your body can support recovery at a system-wide level. And when you understand the physiology, your symptoms start to make sense.

04/15/2026

Part 4: Most people with chronic pain are told: “Sugar only affects weight or diabetes.”

But that’s not how your body works.

Your symptoms aren’t random.

They’re driven by underlying physiology.

Your body is managing:
• Protein signaling and repair
• Tissue healing and structure
• Nervous system sensitivity

And sugar directly impacts all of them.

Here’s what’s happening:
When excess sugar circulates in the body → it binds to proteins and forms advanced glycation end products (AGEs).

Proteins need a specific shape to bind to cell receptors and do their job.

When sugar attaches to them, it leads to:
• Structural changes in the protein
• Loss of proper receptor binding and function

That matters because:
→ Damaged tissues don’t repair efficiently
→ Structural tissues become more vulnerable
→ Pain sensitivity increases (hyperalgesia)

At the same time, this also affects:
• Cartilage, tendons, and ligaments
• Muscle recovery and integrity
• Nerve tissue function

So your body gets stuck in a cycle of:
Excess sugar → protein damage → poor healing → increased pain

This is why chronic pain isn’t just about the tissue. It’s about whether your body can repair that tissue properly. And when you understand the physiology, your symptoms start to make sense.

04/14/2026

Part 3: Most people with chronic pain are told: “Diet doesn’t affect your pain long-term.”

But that’s not how your body works.

Your symptoms aren’t random.

They’re driven by underlying physiology.

Your body is managing:
• Blood sugar regulation
• Nervous system health
• Inflammatory signaling

And insulin resistance directly impacts all of them.

Here’s what’s happening:
Your body doesn’t want glucose floating freely in the bloodstream. It needs insulin to move glucose into cells where it can be used safely. But when you consistently consume high amounts of sugar and carbohydrates → your cells stop responding to insulin.

When that happens, it leads to:
• Glucose staying in the bloodstream (insulin resistance)
• Reduced ability for cells and nerves to function properly

That matters because:
→ Inflammation increases and stays active
→ Pain signals become more sensitive
→ Nerve tissue becomes more vulnerable to damage

At the same time, this also affects:
• Peripheral nerve health
• Spinal cord sensitivity (central sensitization)
• System-wide inflammatory load

So your body gets stuck in a cycle of:
Insulin resistance → inflammation → nerve sensitization → more pain

This is why chronic pain isn’t just about the injury. It’s about how your metabolism and nervous system interact. And when you understand the physiology,
your symptoms start to make sense.

04/13/2026

Part 2: Most people with inflammation are told: “Just avoid inflammatory foods.”

But that’s not how your body works.

Your symptoms aren’t random.

They’re driven by underlying physiology.

Your body is managing:
• Blood sugar regulation
• Immune signaling pathways
• Gut microbiome balance

And sugar directly impacts all of them.

Here’s what’s happening:
When your body experiences large swings in blood sugar → it creates oxidative stress and inflammatory signaling.

When glucose drops rapidly (hypoglycemia), it leads to:
• Increased free radical activity
• Activation of NF-kB (chronic inflammation pathway)

When glucose stays elevated daily (hyperglycemia), it leads to:
• Increased cytokines like TNF-alpha and IL-6
• Disruption of gut bacteria (dysbiosis)

That matters because:
→ Damaged tissues struggle to recover
→ Inflammation stays active longer than it should
→ Your symptoms become more persistent

At the same time, this also affects:
• Neurotransmitter production
• Digestion and nutrient absorption
• Immune system regulation

So your body gets stuck in a cycle of:
Blood sugar instability → inflammation → gut disruption → more inflammation

This is why inflammation isn’t just about food quality. It’s about how your body processes and responds to it.

And when you understand the physiology, your symptoms start to make sense.

04/12/2026

Part 1: Most chronic pain patients have been told: “Diet doesn’t really affect your pain.”

But that’s not how your physiology works.

Your pain is directly tied to:
• energy production
• inflammation
• and how well your body can repair tissue

And sugar impacts all three.

Here’s what most people don’t understand:
Your cells (mitochondria) can use two fuel sources: fat or glucose (sugar)

When your body uses fat → you get HIGH energy output (ATP)
When your body relies on sugar → you get LESS energy + MORE byproducts like lactic acid

That matters because:
Lactic acid = the same burning, aching signal you feel during exercise

But in chronic pain…
You’re getting that signal WITHOUT the repair process that normally follows
→ more pain
→ less healing
→ more fatigue

At the same time, high sugar intake:
• drives inflammation (TNF-alpha, IL-6)
• disrupts gut health (dysbiosis)
• contributes to insulin resistance
• increases nerve sensitivity (central sensitization)

This is why chronic pain isn’t just about the site of pain.

It’s about the systems underneath it.

And if those systems are being fueled incorrectly, your body stays stuck in a cycle of:
pain → inflammation → more pain

This isn’t about cutting everything out.

It’s about understanding why your body feels the way it does. Because once you understand the physiology, your symptoms start to make sense.

04/10/2026

If you’re dealing with chronic pain, you’ve probably noticed this:

A treatment works one day… and then suddenly stops working.

That’s not random. It’s a pattern.

Chronic pain isn’t one problem.

It’s the result of multiple systems changing in real time.

So the foundation your treatment depends on is constantly shifting.

Here’s what that looks like:

Inflammation isn’t static.

It fluctuates daily based on things like nutrition, movement, and environment.

One day: more sugar, processed foods, stress, or chemical exposure → inflammation rises → pain increases → treatments feel less effective.

Next day: better nutrition, more movement, fresh air → inflammation lowers → same treatment works better.

Same treatment. Different internal environment.

Your nervous system works the same way.

When it’s more sensitized—due to stress, emotional load, or low resources—the “pain gate” stays more open.

When it’s supported, regulated, and resourced—that gate can start to close.

Then there’s energy production.

Your mitochondria need oxygen, nutrients, and proper inputs to produce energy.

If that system is struggling:

Tissues fatigue faster

Inflammation lingers

Pain increases

And finally—blood flow.

If oxygen and nutrients aren’t reaching tissues efficiently, nothing works as well.

Not even medications.

This is why treatments feel inconsistent.

It’s not that they “stopped working.”

It’s that the system they depend on changed.

Even the best treatments only become reliable when the foundation is stable.

That’s where real progress starts.

04/08/2026

Your imaging is all normal… but your pain is still there.

This is one of the most frustrating parts of chronic pain.

And also one of the most misunderstood.

Here’s why it happens:

We’re trained to think pain = tissue damage.

So naturally, we expect imaging to show the problem.

But chronic pain doesn’t follow those rules.

If your pain is being driven by things like central sensitization or neuroinflammation, the issue isn’t in the tissue—it’s in the nervous system.

And here’s the disconnect:

Your X-ray or MRI is looking at the area you feel pain.

But the problem is often happening in your brain and spinal cord.

Even if we did image those areas…

These conditions don’t show up.

Central sensitization would require microscopic analysis of your spinal cord—something only done in research, not real life clinical care.

And neuroinflammation?

Standard imaging only detects large, visible inflammation—like acute injury or bleeding.

Chronic, low-grade inflammation—the kind that drives persistent pain—can’t be seen with the naked eye.

So your imaging comes back “normal.”

But that doesn’t mean nothing is wrong.

It means the problem is happening at a level your tests weren’t designed to measure.

Your symptoms still make sense.

We just have to look at the right system.

04/06/2026

Does your pain move around your body?

That’s not random. It’s a signal.

Most people are told pain = tissue damage.

But if your pain shifts locations… your tissue didn’t just heal and break again overnight.

What this actually tells us:

Your pain is being driven by system dysfunction, not structure.

Here’s what’s happening beneath the surface:

When your body struggles with:
• Energy production (mitochondria)
• Blood flow and oxygen delivery
• Chronic inflammation
• Nervous system regulation

Pain shows up wherever the system is under the most stress in that moment.

So it moves.

This is why treating “where it hurts” keeps failing.

Because the location isn’t the problem—the system is.

Chronic pain is not just physical.

It’s physiological.

And once you understand that, your next steps become much clearer.

If your pain moves, your body is showing you a pattern—not betraying you.

04/05/2026

https://youtu.be/Y-PG5_Lp0FU

If you're living with chronic pain and feel like nothing is working, there’s a good chance you're missing one of the most foundational pieces: vitamin D.This...

04/04/2026

https://www.mytruehealthcenters.com/post/could-low-vitamin-d-be-making-your-chronic-pain-worse

Learn how vitamin D affects chronic pain, inflammation, and nerve signaling—and why optimizing your levels can make other treatments work better.